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Went out for a little bimble (eek, starting to talk like Clive!!) this morning with the wife. We had intended a nice early start (as daughter was working this afternoon) but I woke up at 5:15am, then went back to sleep and slept through the alarm and eventually getting up at 7:45.

We went out to Moor Valley and had a little play on some of the single tracks they have out there. Had an enjoyable morning until I hit a large tree root (at least I think it was a tree root, it was buried in long grass) after running wide on a corner. I was only 50mtr from the car so I carried on back to the car. Inspecting the rear wheel back at the car I noticed that the sidewall covering of the rear tyre was peeling off. I don’t know if this was a consequence of the tree root or not but it meant I needed a new tyre. I had already decided to fit the new rear wheel this weekend as the play in the freehub on the existing wheel was relating to 3/16″ off side to side movement at the top of the wheel. Now I just needed to buy a new tyre, not the best way to end an enjoyable 13 mile ride (maybe 13 miles is unlucky??)

We shot off home, dropped all the bike gear off, had a wash and brush up, grabbed a bite to eat and then off to collect our son from the daughter who had gone for a hair cut and to do some shopping (as teenage girls do) so she could go to work. Well since we had left Moor Valley there had been text message bouncing back between the wife and daughter about when and where we were going to meet to collect the son. We eventually meet her outside work (Sainsbury Local) at 1:00pm and her comment was “now your early I will have to start work early!!” she only been going on about how we must be back early so she can go to work……………………once the boy was in the car I just drove off otherwise there would of been an unpleasant exchange of words.

We visited the LBS and bought a Maxi Larsen TT tyre, as this is only the second tyre I have bought (the first being a set of mud tyres) I am not to sure how these will perform so we will have to see. After a bit more shopping it was home to fit the new wheel. An hour later the bike is sporting a new rear wheel, tyre, cassette and chain, a quick spin up and down the road confirmed that the gears are working OK. Will have to wait until tomorrow to see how it all performs.

On the home front the light at the end of the tunnel is still on and the door is still open but there is still a little way to go before life can return to normal but at least all the signs are looking positive. Work is going to be a little hectic over the next couple of weeks with new data links going live and PC and laptops to prepare before a certain date, I have to fit a weeks holiday in before the school holidays at the end of July. I took the car to the tyre centre yesterday as it had a slow leak in the rear near side tyre and came out with two new tyres on the rear. The car still has to go to the paint shop to repair the bump it had a couple of weeks ago (if the insurance company ever come back to me) and I need to get the brakes sorted and an MOT organised for the car before the end of July.

I will leave you with this little film clip Click here if it does not play , right click on the link and select save as and once downloaded play it from your PC. Hope you enjoy it.

It is a week or so since my last blog and with the way thing have been for the past few months I have not really wanted to write anything. But as it stands at the moment, somebody has left the door open at the end of the tunnel so we may be emerging from the bleak darkness soon..

Last Monday weigh in did not go well a small gain and still stagnated around the same weight now for the past couple of months. Not two sure how tomorrow is going to go as I have had a mixed week, had an Indian on Friday night (wife birthday).

Having got the wheel to the Cyclefix on Monday for two new spokes and got the wheel back later that day I was hoping to get a couple of rides in during the week. But due to one thing or another It never happened until I took the day off on Friday. I went for a ride around Moors Valley, found a couple of nice short single track runs and some stroppy workmen laying a water main……….”can’t cross here mate”. I will need to sit down at some point and work all those little single track runs into a nice long ride and hopefully Mr Stroppy will have gone. I also had a visit from the puncture fairy which arrived at exactly the same point I was going to take a break so that was handy, it was also very close to the same area I had a previous puncture again in the rear wheel, never found what caused the puncture. I ended the day with 17.4 miles on the clock.

For Saturday it was a ride with the wife and I had decided to stay local and try some new areas which I thought I might be able to add to existing routes to make them longer. Basically it turned out to be a waste of time, we found one path that had recently been cleared as it must have been fully overgrown judging but the roots and stems (which were still growing in the middle of the track). Give it another couple of weeks and nature will have reclaimed the path again. Other paths I wanted to try just seemed not to exist so pretty much rode 10 miles of tarmac for a 14.5 mile ride.

Sunday morning dawned and as I ventured into the shed to get the bike out I noticed that I had had another visit from the puncture fairy and it was the rear wheel again. This time I found the cause, a large thorn stuck in the tyre. Once fixed I was on my way to do my normal Sunday loop. Only thing to report is I can’t wait to get my new knee pads (see below) to arrive, not to protect my knees if I fall off but they do a good job of protecting my legs from the stinging nettles and brambles that are encroaching onto some of the narrow paths I ride, my shins are still stinging now. Apart from my stinging shins, my knee are aching a bit which I guess is to do with the 26 miles I did today for a total 58 miles over the last three days.

In regards to my knee pads I mentioned above I bought some a couple of months ago and they had like a nylon backed foam with hole in to aid breathing\ventilation around the sides and front. Well in the pair I had these areas had started to tear so I sent them back and got a full refund. I have ordered another style of knee pads but I am still waiting for them to arrive.

Got the enjoyable job of driving up to head office tomorrow so it an early night and an early morning, oh joy………………..

Last night we went to see Mark Knopfler in concert (more on the concert later) and to be honest I had not thought about who would be going to the show. When we arrived at the concert venue I was surprised to see so many people in the 50+ age bracket, at first I thought they must have been another show at the same venue they were attending. It was only while we were waiting in the foyer that I realised that Mark Knopfler hit the big time with his band Dire Straits back in 1977, some 33 years ago. I was 18 when Sultans of Swing made it way into the charts in the UK and so it seem so was everybody else who were in the audience tonight. I was not looking at a bunch of misplaced over 50, I was looking at myself…………….!! To be fair there were a few younger people in the audience but 85% were over 50.

Having got over the reality of my age I settled into my (very uncomfortable) seat which had a good clear view of the stage. I had an aisle seat which gave me the chance to stick my legs out into the aisle My bum had gone numb before Mark and the band made it on the stage.

My wife had won the tickets to the Mark Knopfler 2010 Get Lucky Tour on a local radio station competition and the couple sat next to us had also won their tickets in the same competition. My wife spent the time (till mark came on stage) comparing competition prizes she had won from the radio station with the other couple who seemed to have won an equal amount of prizes from the radio station as well.

While I have been to see a few people in concert I am not one of those that wants to pay through the nose to go to some of the big stadium venue to just be a number in a **,000 audience and where the star(s) of the show are little figures on the horizon, so I had never seen Dire Straits or Mark in concert before. The show was a sale out from what I could see.

Soon the light went down and that distinct guitar sound that Mark Knopfler has was coming from the banks of speakers at the of stage. A mix of Dire Straits and Marks songs ended with a standing ovation for Telegraph Road which finished the main set, unlike other bands Mark or the band did not leave the stage, they stood there taking a well earned drink and accepting the applause of the audience. After a few minutes they played a 3 song encore before they left the stage to another standing ovation. Despite the the audiences age of 50+ there was whistling, screaming, clapping and foot stamping to encourage the band back on stage for more but hopes were dashed when the hall lights came back on.

It ranks as the best concert I have been to and confirms to me that Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest guitarist in the world.