Always Look on the Bright Side

Ray Charles is resonating in my head My bills are all due and the baby needs shoes and I'm busted.
So here is something to raise the spirits (editorial note - on checking my blog for repetition or deviation or something, I noticed that I have been flogging away at this blogging since 2007 - my profound apologies!).

Funeral for a Friend

I must return so soon to Athens to say goodbye to a dear friend who has been part of my life all my life.

An Evening or Two with Charley Boorman

22,000 people pack into Vines of
Guildford to stand in line for the hog roast (elapsed time 3 hours) and then sit on nasty plastic chairs to watch video clips of Charley. I sit at the back sipping organic wine from own your own vineyard.com and chat to a chap with a Zumo whilst Charley answers questions from John Somethingbiginthebikepublicationworld. The herd then stands in line clutching their "By Any Means" volume for signature by an imitation plastic tree (elapsed time 30 hours).
I go home and skim through the CD Rom that Ted Simon had sent me and signed personally...

Didn't We Have a Lovely Time on the Way to Calais

This dear reader is my first real continental travelogue by motorcycle: The meeting in Calais had been agreed some months before when the new owner of the R1100R had announced that he would be waiting at Calais with a trailer to meet me to take the bike onto Germany. The sub zero conditions prevailing were not anticipated some months before however.

Part 1 - Camberley - dressing up:

Essential riding gear for January - 5 layers and Maplin electric insoles to boot (haha).

Part 2a - Buffoonery on the M20:

With 20 miles to run to Ashford I switch off the heated grips by mistake due to the faulty ergonomics of "off" being between 100% and 50%.

Part 2b - Arrival of hypothermia au mains.









Part 3 - Arrival at Ashford Travelodge

Part 4 - Some 20 minutes later having managed to remove my helmet:

I drink the best cup of tea.....in the world....ever: Thanks nice receptionsist Travelodge Ashford.








Part 5 - The next day at 07:30:

Sub zero start - almost failed - thanks for the push by the helpful motorist obviously not from Surrey.



Part 6 - Installed on the Euroshuttle:

I become an object of curiosity to the folks from Surrey heading to the ski slopes - why bother to drive all that way I muse - you can have frostbite on the M25 just as effectively as in Verbier. I tell the Euroshuttle staff that I live near Manchester - they look incredulous.

Entering a New Year

Having failed in part to meet my 2008 resolutions, my single resolution for 2009 is only to be caught posing in this shop window once.

Welcome to Waterford

The 4 crew, 27 passengers and 2 dogs on board the Manchester flight are welcomed to Waterford this afternoon by Santa: This never happened when I used to fly from Luton!

You had better look out

...inflatable Santa is coming to town.
Actually not quite a "steal" as previously stated (thank you H'lass for picking me up on that one - the charming WPC who interviewed me today was quite understanding thank you so much).