Back home I am left to my own devices as the family go off to do some shopping. With everything assembled and a quick run through the gears and everything seemed to be OK. A quick spin down the road and back revealed otherwise. The chain would not lift off the inner ring and on to the middle ring, it would either end up sucking it self between the chain stay and chain ring or just sit half way rattling across the teeth of the chain rings. No amount of adjusting the front dérailleur made any different, so I loaded the bike up and headed over to Cyclefix to see if they can resolve the issue so I can at least go for a ride.

Diagnoses came down to two possible faults, the small inner chain ring was worn and holding the chain or the middle chain ring was incompatible in some way. The only way to resolve this was to fit a new one of each (one at a time) to see if this resolved the problem. I could leave my bike and it would be ready late afternoon or I could do it myself in the shop using the spare bike stand, I took the later option. I soon had the crank out and in bits fitted the new small chain ring and then re assembled the crank. A quick test on the bike stand showed it was changing ok so I took the bike for a ride around the doctor surgery car park next store. The changing from small to middle chain rings was now working. So yet another chain ring was purchased, all in all an expensive morning and the bike is now sporting three new chain rings and a new chain.

Here is a picture of the old and new chain rings (sorry not a very good picture)

The old chain ring is the top one and if you look carefully you can see the wear compared to the new one behind

Here another reason I had to change the chain ring

Bent tooth

After all that I never had time to go for a ride this afternoon so the bike is now ready for tomorrow mornings ride

Back on the 31st December I mentioned the ride (or should that be slide) around Badbury Rings and one particularly narrow section that had been cleared back but still only had a narrow trail down the middle of it. Well I found a picture of the path I took earlier last year.

wide lane narrow trail

As you can see it is a very narrow trail down the centre of the path, as it is only April it is not that overgrown yet, but it gets to the point in the summer where you can’t see the path for the long grass and you have to duck to avoid the overhanging thorny bushes.

The wife went to her interviews to day, she seemed positive about both but it is now down to the waiting game. She is off to another agency tomorrow to see about the possibility of another couple of jobs, still crossing my anatomy.

Due to the weather I never got to go for a ride on Thursday, it was wet and windy. With the wife at work I brought the bike into the kitchen and spent an hour or so on a small job to hopefully eliminate the squeak on my bike. I removed the chain-rings and chain-ring bolts, cleaned them and then reassembled with a little copper-slip grease to hopefully eliminate the squeak.

Friday dawned damp and miserable with the threat of heavy rain to come in the afternoon. While having breakfast I received a message to say that the ride was still going ahead although the distance had been shortened due to the conditions. So I loaded up the van and then headed to mother-inlaws to drop our son off then headed out to Sturminster Marshal which was where the ride was starting from. By the time we left there was 14 of us and the rain had started to fall, we did not get very far as we had our first puncture within 20yds of starting. Apparently a small flint like stone from the ride leaders drive was found in the tyre. We were soon back on our way as the rain continued to fall, our fist section of off road track came with a health warning as parts of it were chalk and in these wet condition more like ice, they were not wrong. The front wheel was sliding around on the chalk between the grasses bits trying to find grip, it made avoiding some of the deep puddle interesting as you could not just suddenly change direction.

The rain by now had changed to a fine drizzle, the riding was through mud. The basic of the ride was that we would go around Badbury Rings and then head out to the old airfield at Tarrant Rushton. There is only a hanger, a couple of other building and the some of the perimeter road left there now. We slipped and slid around Badbury Rings on to a narrow trail about 6″ wide. This narrow trail which is sunken into the ground is difficult enough in the summer with the long grass, stinging nettles and over hanging branches. But now the entire pathways has been cut back but you still have a narrow trail which is just a stream of mud which you have to stay in the middle of to avoid hitting the sides otherwise you end up falling off. Fortunately everybody made it down in one piece and in my case with a lot of dabbing of the foot to help with balance and forward motion.

Another climb across an open field of mud before we came to the airfield and around some of the perimeter road. As we left the airfield and down a narrow trail along the edge of a field I saw a mouse or a vole like creature scurry across the path just in front of my wheel not once but twice. 14 miles later we were back at our starting point where the ride leader turned hostess laying on a mini buffet and drinks (tea to sloe gin) for all the mud splattered riders. I think it was more of a slog than a ride and as can be seen from the picture below it was dirty, yours truly is far right.

A view of the dirty bums from yesterday ride

Due to bike cleaning duties (I was only able to hose the bike down yesterday) and dads taxi duties this morning I was unable to get the bike ready for the last ride of the years so I will be starting off the new year with a ride tomorrow after fulfilling more dad taxi duties taking the daughter to work.

Finally to all of you a happy new year and may it bring you the joy you are looking for.

Here a picture of what I have been working on at work

Servers & Sans

Two new servers (the green lights) and two new San units (only read if you like reading geek) above the servers. A total of 36 disks, 18 in each San unit which is small fry to large corporation style sans but for a small business, it is a lot.

Took the camera out and took some pictures for the first time in months. Only went down to the local beach on a windy day but it was fun.

Here is a kite surfer about to launch their kite.

Kite launch

The shot was taken looking towards the sun which is why everything look so dull apart from the bright blue kite.

Here a shot looking out toward France (it is over the horizon a bit!!)

Breaking waves

Finally from the camera a dog and ball leaving the water, I had a bit of fun with this one

Dog, ball and water

On the bike riding front, I was intending to go on a club ride this afternoon, but thing got in the way and ended up going shopping this morning when I wanted to do a couple of bits on my bike. So I did the work on the bike this afternoon, including bleeding the rear brake as it was a little soft and every intention of going out tomorrow morning.

On my way through Worthing yesterday near the hospital on the A27 (I think), saw a car waiting in a side road on my left to pull out and turn right, then when I am no more than 40yds from the junction he pulls out in front of me and then stops as there is traffic coming the other way, not sure how I missed him I just hit the brakes. The ABS came into operation and I stopped just short of ramming his drivers door. I got nothing from the driver apart from a horrified look as he pulled away and disappeared off down the road.

What can be more simple than mounting a cabinet on a the wall?? I marked the wall where I wanted it. I even marked the cabinet to ensure the correct orientation, so can you spot the deliberate mistake in the picture below?

If you still can't see it, look at the label on left hand side of the cabinet!!

Communication companies, why are they so bad at communicating?? Lodged a complaint for the third time on Sunday still waiting for a reply. The auto reply I got said we will be back to you within 5 days (5 days in these modern times is woeful), well today is the fifth day, anyone want to take bets on me getting a reply??

Going for a ride over the Southdowns tomorrow, hopefully I will take my riding legs with me unlike last night ride…..

Not often get to sort a puncture out in an old station

The son and I went for a little ride (I was exploring) in West Moors plantation (I am still trying to find a route through the plantation to the A31 so I don’t have to ride around West Moors residential area to get back to Hurn Forest on my long Throop loop ride).

As the son likes steam trains I took him up a section of the Castleman Trail that runs along side part of the plantation. He has ridden a couple of section of the old railway line trail but not this section which goes up to the old Ashley Heath Railway Station. About 40ft short of the old platform I felt those tale tale feeling of a flat tyre, quickly followed by the sounds of a completely flat tyre from the front wheel. I pushed the bike into the station.

Once I had removed the tube from the wheel I found that the valve had been pulled out of the tube (well partially) and as this was a Dr Sludge inner tube there was a lot of beige coloured latex bubbling fourth from the base of the valve. I can honestly say that I am not that impressed with these Dr Sludge inner tubes as they have caused nothing but problems since I got them and this was one of the two replacements I had for the first two……….

Once a new tube was fitted (I carried a spare) we were off, back the way we came. We turned back in the West Moors Plantation. What started out as looking for narrow single line trails turned into a hunt for muddy pools. Being an 11 year old boy he still has that “lets get dirty streak him in”. Suitably muddy we returned to our start point, a whole 6.7 miles covered.

I was not intending to ride today, I was expecting to wake to gales force winds and rain, which is one of the reasons I decided not to ride the Dorset Dirt (a 30 mile loop around Dorchester). When I got up it was wet (but not raining), windy and sunshine. By the time South Africa had beaten Wales in Wellington, New Zealand there still was no sign of rain so I headed out to Hurn Forest with the my son for a ride. The son wanted to ride as he wanted to try his new cycle helmet out, yes we found one that fits, a Bell XLV Fusion Sport, which comes in UXL size (Universal Extra Large, that what is says on the box), 58 to 65cm. When we fitted it on him it is not at its maximum size so there is still a little room for growth. Don’t know what we will do if he grows out of this one as it is about the largest you can get at the moment.

It was only his second real ride on the bike and he found it hard going in the heavy wet ground by the time we were 3/4 round the route he was struggling with anything other than a flat gravel path. But fairs fair, he attempted every muddy section and cleared most of them.

Here is a couple of pictures from his first ride last weekend, (I forgot we had taken the pictures).

New Bike complete with reflectors and badly fitting old cycle helmet

Showing dad the way

Instead I sat drinking tea and getting my Google Calendar embedded and working in Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client (if you want to know how let me know and I will tell you). By 9 o’clock it was starting to ease off and as predicted by 10 o’clock it had stopped, it looked like it might start again but I got ready for my ride.

When I left it was cold enough to wear my jumper, I managed to keep the jumper on until I got into Ramsdown Woods. Everything looked like a winter ride with puddles and mud everywhere. I tried some new paths when I got into Hurn forest, some better than other. Because of the late start, still impeding rain and thing that needed doing at home I opted not to head out towards the Castleman trail, just carried on with my normal Throop Loop.

Coming back across the fields from Merritown to the weir at Throop I past the spot where the Red Arrow Crashed a couple of weeks ago. The area was decorated with red, white and blue bunting and balloons and several bunches of flowers, I thought about taking a picture but that felt a bit morbid.

I am glad to report that the creaking that has been plaguing the Cannondale for the past couple of months has been cured with the fitting of a new Hope BB. I opted for a Hope BB as you can get replacement bearing (unlike Shimano’s) and they have a very good reputation. Next on the shopping list is a new Headset which should be fitted in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately with all the running about yesterday I forgot to pick up some degreaser and I used the last of mine yesterday so the bike is looking a bit grubby at the moment.

Finally I am a bit concerned about the weather on Wednesday night, think that maybe the end of the world is nigh!

Bit windy Wednesday night

With breakfast consumed I ventured outside, it was cool enough this morning to wear my cycling jumper. It did not take long to wonder where my cycling legs had gone as they were not with me as I headed for the Stour river path.

I had decided to try my long Throop loop which takes in Moors Valley and then try and find a better route back to the A31 crossing. Well most of the Throop area was much like I found the local heath yesterday, muddy like a winter ride. Every hill I came became a battle of mind over legs and with my legs complaining at every incline. By the time I had finished the “Through the Forest” trail at Moors Valley, my legs were not the only body part shouting at me, my butt was making it’s self known, it really was becoming a pain in the butt.

Things did not improve down the Castleman Trail, I was looking at cutting through some woodland\heathland but every access point had a large no cycling sign on it. In the end it became a futile exercise and I ended riding towards the A31 via road and coming out about a half of mile past the crossing which was not much better than my previous attempt.

I headed back into Hurn Forest and then onto Parley Common, by now my legs were refusing to co-operate and the pain in the butt was getting worse, I was now taking to standing on the pedals to give my butt a rest. By the time I had reached the Parley road I decide to head for home rather than going back around Throop, my body had had enough and I was now listening to it. I don’t even know how long the ride was as I forgot to record my route when I got in, the GPS battery went flat and I lost the route. I think the ride was about 32 miles.

Thing continued downwards while I was cleaning the bike, having only just got the Whyte back running having had the rear wheel re-nippled, I noticed a lot of oil around the rear shock shaft, I think it is time for a shock service. Guess where my tax rebate will be going

Supposed to be going on a family ride tomorrow in the New forest but both the wife and son are not feeling great at the moment so plans may be changing.

Where I ride at Throop is where the Red Arrow plane of Flt Lt Jon Egging crashed last weekend. Living close to Hurn airport we are fortunate enough to see them flying overhead as they fly in and out of the airport several times a year, always putting on a mini display as they do so. The wife and son actually watched them fly into Hurn airport on that fateful Saturday afternoon unaware that one of the planes had crashed. Yesterday morning we watched them fly out of Hurn airport in three separate group, probably for the last time this year. I don’t have any 2011 pictures of the Red Arrows so here a couple the wife took at Swanage in 2010

Red Arrows Swanage 2010

Red Arrows Swanage 2010

Hardly sunbathing weather

So I grabbed my phone (well what would use your phone for??) gently opened the back door and just stuck my arm out the door and grabbed a couple of snaps before he (might have been a she) decided I had disturbed their rest and trotted off to find a quieter (and probably drier) spot. It is not the first time we have seen foxes in the garden, we have had mum and two pups in the garden before, but it was one of the few times I have managed to get a picture.

Bank holiday weekend and it is raining, no it is going to be sunny, no it is going to be windy, er, it really depends on what weather forecast web site you look at and believe. To be honest the only thing you can say about tomorrows weather is there will be some, what type? well look out the window at 9am and find out.

Hopefully going out for a ride tomorrow morning, not sure where but I think it might be a tad muddy with all the rain we have had these past few days

I decided on something different for my Sunday morning ride, I opted to ride up to Horton Tower . Now I have ridden this route from my house which gives me a 30 mile loop, problem is 12 of those miles (6 to Colehill and 6 back) are on the road (in fact it is probably a bit more than 12 miles as there are a couple of road section to link the Bridle paths etc.) and to be honest I find a ride that consist of more than a third road riding to be a bit boring. So I opted to drive out to the start of Canon Hill Plantation at Colehill. I was a wake early so I waited till 6am and then got up and got myself ready and headed out to Colehill.

The first thing I will say is that it was dam cold at 7:30am this morning, the first section is a ride down the fire road by the time I got to the bottom I was ready to stop and put my rain jacket on I was that cold. But once I started to pedal I started to warm up and then the sun came out and I was comfortably warm for the rest of the ride.

My bike at Horton Tower

That dam hill, there are three hills on this ride (four if you include the road one) and I can clean two of the three off road ones without a problem. The one I fail on is not the steepest as that one is in the last mile of the ride. It is not the longest as that is the hill from the forest gate to Horton Tower. The one that I fail on is the one at Remedy Oak Golf Club (if you watch the video on their web site, you will notice the big posh front gates and the drive beyond, you ride up that drive as it is a bridle way, they don’t tell you that in the marketing spiel!!). I don’t what it is, like today I was already for it I dropped it into a low gear right at the bottom ready to grind my way up the hill, my legs took one look at the hill and quit! You take the hill virtually from a standing start as there is a large mound of dirt and a gate to get past then a slight incline through soft gravel and then the climb. In fact today was the best I have seen the hill, it looks as though they have done some form of grading on the hill as the small ravines and large stones that were there last time have all disappeared. I would not of been able to ride it one hit as I met a van coming down the hill as I walked up it. I walked up to a little plateau and then started riding again, but had to stop again as the van came back up the hill (apparently he was part of the clay pigeon shoot that was going on at the top). I will clear this hill one day.

While I was washing and preparing the bike upon my return I found I had broken yet another spoke on the rear wheel (well the ally nipple), really need to sort this wheel out as that is now the 6th spoke\nipple I have broken in 4 weeks.

Tomorrow night is weigh-in night I am hopeful that I have done ok (four ride this week should count for something).

Here what the ranger was looking for (picture taken a year or so ago)

I had intended to go out riding early this morning, but getting up late put pay to that idea. When I did pull back the curtains I was surprised to see it raining. I ended up watching the F1 practice session, then going shopping then back home to watch the F1 qualifying. So it was mid afternoon before I got out for a ride so instead of the planned route I opted for a local ride over the heath and tried a few of the trails in different directions.

I am on holiday this coming week so I have a couple of rides planned during the week (up until Wednesday) then I will see what the rest of the weeks weather brings. One job I have got to do is drain clearing, as in the main sewer. About six other house’s drains run into our drains and then into the main sewer, well Friday night all the other house’s drains were blocked, some idiot had put a large plastic\metal rail thing down the drain and was causing a blockage, once that was removed everything started flowing but it seem as though the large amount of debris that was backed up has restricted the flow from the last man hole into the sewer (it happened once before). So I need to borrow some rods and give it a push to clear it out the way, not a job I am looking forward to.

So now what do I do, still go and ride and find I can’t ride which will really peeve me off or give it a miss hoping the rest will calm it down enough to let me ride tomorrow? but why now? Why not during the week, why is it when I have something lined up something has to get in the way.

Enough of the self pity and loathing, back at the start of May I purchased some Dr Sludge self sealing inner tubes from Chain Reaction Cycles (CRC), (for those not in the know, self sealing inner tubes look like normal inner tubes except they are filled with a latex type goo, when a sharp pointy thing punctures the inner tube the latex starts to come out of the hole and seals it and stops the inner tube from deflating). Now I have had a problem with these inner tubes since I fitted them to my bike as over the period of a week they go completely flat (compared to a normal inner tube and some other self sealing tube from a company called Slime which stay pumped up) which if I say so is not a good advert for a self sealing inner tube.

I have tested them in a bath full of water looking for a leak etc. but found nothing. I have checked the valve but still they deflate. So after finding them flat again last Sunday, I sent an e-mail to CRC customer service more out of frustration than anything else. Well Monday I received a reply offering to replace them, I was a little surprised based on the time since purchase and the nature of the item. So I took CRC up on their offer to replace them and on (CRC said due to the low value of the parts I could keep the old faulty tubes!!) Thursday the parcel man came knocking, so a thumbs up for first class service and prompt action goes to CRC.

Like many other I have been following Le Tour, I have never had an interest in it before, not sure why I have an interest now but I have been watching it none the less. Seems to be a lot of accidents on the Tour the latest taking out brit Bradley Wiggins with a suspected broken collar bone (I know what that feel like and I did not break mine). It just amazes me that these guys cycle 125+ miles a day for 3 weeks (OK there are a couple of short time trials). I can’t even cycle 125 miles in one day let a lone everyday for 21 days and at the speed they do it at.

If my muscle strain does not settle down my weekend will be made up of Le Tour, F1 and World Team Cup Speedway

Having two mountain bikes with Avid hydraulic brakes, learning how to bleed my own brakes is not only going to be a useful skill to learn but also an investment as I won’t need to pay lbs prices (even though he his prices are very reasonable) to have my brakes bled in future (I hope!!).

The second thing to go my way was the fact that tonight I was able to bleed my rear brake on the Cannondale and get it working properly first time. Now I can insert the wheel without the disc binding on the brake pads, a quick spin up and down the road showed the brake working correctly.

Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow morning, so it will be an afternoon ride hopefully and a normal ride on Sunday (a first two ride weekend for a few weeks).

Something else that went my way this week (just remembered). I have now got Memory map running properly on my new PC. Since moving to the new PC I have not been able to get some maps working correctly. Well after seeking out a bit of help I got this working in the week. Hopefully this good luck streak will keep going (euro lottery hint hint!!)

Then in 1994 still into computers I found another game that indulged my secret, this game was so much better than the previous game, more colour, better graphics, oh the excitement. In 1995 a Deluxe version was released, I could hardly contain myself. By now my wife was sharing my secret and thoroughly enjoying herself and keeping it in the family my brothers took an interest in it as well.

Again as the years rolled by and I grew older, the urge slipped away again, I would briefly revisit my secret but it was just for a day never anything more. Then in 2003 unknown to me my secret started to make a come back. I uncovered this secret in 2005 and once again was involved in my secret world, again the wife joined in and in later years my young son has joined in.

Dear readers, my secret is………………………………………………………………..I like trains!!

I actually blame my father, as he dragged my to the railway station when I was about 5 to see the Flying Scotsman go through Poole Station, I don’t remember a lot about the train but I can remember somebody hanging out the window of the Pullman door holding a 2lb bang of sugar!!

Going to Henry Harbin Secondary School (now Poole High School) which is situated next to the main Waterloo to Weymouth line it was second nature to become……………………….a train spotter (oh the shame). Yes I stood train platforms quickly writing down train numbers down in little books. But upon leaving school I also left my interest in trains behind for the most part.

In 1985 I bought a game for my PC called A-Train, I could not stop playing it. Then with the advent of a new PC which meant the game played at absolutely silly speed I stopped playing the game. Then in 1994 I found a new game Transport Tycoon. This was followed a few months later by the expansion pack and then the Deluxe version. Over the years the game became stale and I stopped playing it, I moved from running Windows operating system to running Linux Operating systems. When suddenly one night while surfing the net I found Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe OpenTTD for short. This was a remake of Transport Tycoon Deluxe built by enthusiast and not only for Windows based PC by Linux and other as well, check out the OpenTTD web page, it is also free although donation are always welcome.

I have visited the train depots and looked around modern diesel as they were repaired and serviced. Even had the chance to drive a train, ok it only went a couple of feet but at 15 years old I was living the dream (same type as this one in the picture in this post. I have taken my son to the local steam railway (including to see Thomas). But now I realise it the mechanical aspect that I enjoyed about the train and not the collecting of the train numbers.

As I mentioned above, my brothers also had this interest in train (they went to the same school), one has kept that interest and taken it much further that I ever did, you can check out his web site, but you will need to take your own anorak! click here

The picture below is from the Didcot Railway Centre, a good day out for any closet trainspotter and their family

Old time Railway Station

I have just swapped the rear wheel over from the Cannondale to the Whyte (fortunately they are both Mavic 717 rims with Hope Pro2 hubs). To be honest the Whyte wheel is not looking to good, I found a another broken spoke (a third) and this one had broken the shoulder off the nipple, it was still stuck in the hole in the rim and it was only when I was checking each spoke that it came away in my hand. Several other spokes felt loose but that maybe because the wheel is out of true, have to wait till see what the LBS says.

In my very infrequent “what dead animal have you seen when riding” column, on Sunday I saw a dead Otter, to be honest I have never seen a live Otter in the wild only in zoo etc. It was at Parley Cross roads a busy local junction, about half a mile from the river. It had obviously had been run over and either crawled of was picked up and dropped onto the grass verge. To be honest I did not know that we had Otters in the area.

Finally another picture from my gallery

Kite buggy racing at Westward Ho!

Despite the chain problems yesterday ride was very good, plenty of new areas (to me) were ridden and when it came to the hills I was able to hold my own on most of them, towards the end I was at the back but I was not miles behind. By the time we got back to the starting point my legs were feeling it but I had pedalled 17 miles in a group which meant it was a faster pace than I would of ridden at on my own.

This mornings ride was a normal Sunday Throop loop, unfortunately I was only a mile or so into it when problems struck. The rear brake was rubbing so I stopped to adjust the calliper when I noticed not one but two broken spokes. I can only assume that I broke them on yesterdays ride at some point and failed to notice them when I got home last night. Fortunately the wheel was still running pretty much true so I opted to carry on with the ride and take each part as it came. I avoided as many of the bumps and roots as I could and managed about 75% when I caught the edge of a root with the back wheel which made a lovely twangy noise which had me thinking I had broken another spoke or two, I decided that I won’t push my luck any further and headed for home. So currently both bikes are off the road and little chance to get them sorted until the end of the month.

To continue my theme of breakages, I seemed to have broken my credit card, I had to get some fuel for the company car, I inadvertently gave the cashier my personal credit card rather my company credit card and then wondered why it would not accept the (company credit card) pin number, I only realised when the cashier said because of all the failed attempts my card was now blocked. I phoned the credit card company up and apparently there is a password on my account now since I had the fraud earlier in the year, I don’t remember setting one for being asked for a password and I certainly have not received any notification of one being set to me. Unfortunately they can’t tell me what it is (which is fair enough) or do anything to my account until I give them the password. The only way to get the password changed is to write a letter (as in snail mail) to credit card company and ask them to reset it. Not overly impressed to be honest.

Tomorrow is weigh in night, not to sure what to expect this week, I think I have been good but don’t want to get my hopes up only for the scales to tell a different story………………

Now continuing my infrequent dip into my gallery, here another picture for you

Two kite buggies on an alien planet

There plenty more photos in my gallery (click the link)

I was awake before the alarm went off this morning and properly awake as well, unable to get back to sleep I got up and got myself ready for the ride. After breakfast I loaded the car and then headed out towards Badbury Rings. The radio announced it was 6:40am as I drove down the road, 25 minutes later I was riding down the first path, the early morning chill cold on my arms and legs. The first few miles were on trails that I had previously ridden but I was soon of onto new paths.

The first interesting section was this

Path through the Rape Seed field

I nice little ride through a field of Rapeseed plants.

With many of the paths being made up of chalky – clay type soil they were rock hard dry and dusty. After dodging a narrow tunnel like area lined with stinging nettles I decide a break was in order and time to test so homemade flap jacks (more later). This is where I got lost, this is the route I should of taken

looking down the trail

After a rest I headed off down the above trial but checking the gps it looked as those I had gone the wrong way, so I rode back to where I had stopped (couple hundred meters) and took the other path. This path like the other one was tunnel like and I noticed that I had lost my location on the gps, I thought it was because it could not get a signal so I rode on until I was out in the clear but still no location, so I rode on a little more. When I still could not see my location I stopped and checked the gps. To my dismay my location was showing except it was off the screen as I was heading in the wrong direction. A quick look at the map showed that I could continue on the trail I was on then pick up another trail and I would pick up the correct route in a couple of miles, which thankfully it did.

It was when I got up to Harleys Gap that the sky became infested with black flies, they were every where, quite large I think they might have been May flies. By now the sun was really warming up and it was getting difficult to take a deep breath without swallowing a fly. I soon picked up Ackling Dyke (old Roman Road) which leads all the way back to Badbury Rings. The road may have been straight but it was not flat with all the climbs in the last few miles of the ride. After the first climb I unintentionally cooled my feet down when I went through a ford which was deeper than I thought. I soon picked up narrowest section which just happens to be full of stinging nettles, brambles, hawthorns and wild roses plants. Look at the picture below to see how narrow it is.

Full arms and leg protection should be worn along here.

By the time I got back to the car park it was really warm, from being the only car in the car park when I started the ride there were about 20 there now. I loaded the bike on the car and headed for home. I can honestly say that this was probably one of the best ride I have done, a total of 22.8 miles.

I will leave the flapjack story for another night, I have waffled on for long enough

You can find out more about Andy, his video and photographs on his blog

The second is another picture from my gallery, Hungry New Forest Pony

A New Forest Pony munching on one of the many Gorse bushes in the forest

Trying to get any info from the guy that supply our phones was a waste of time as the info he supplied was as accurate as a map showing where the treasure is buried.

A meeting was agreed for today at 10am at the local branch to me (it should of been last Thursday in East Sussex but I had to cancel). So I arrived nice and early at 9:30 and the directors arrived at 11:45 and then said he was leaving at 1:00pm, who give the boss a bollocking for being late??

Now I had done a bit of research on the net in the past week checking out what needed to be done, so once I got the phone I spent 20 minutes with half the office staff trying to read the pin and iemi numbers written on the sticker under the battery, it would of been easier to write War and Peace on a grain of sand. Once I had the information it did not matter what I did I could not even get beyond the registering the service with out an error message. So I gave up and phoned Vodafone, well in 10 minutes the phone was set-up and working and 15 minutes later the e-mail was working (most of that was setting up the e-mail account).

Now all I have to do is do the other Blackberry, accept he has his swapped his Blackberry for an iPhone…………..

Last night was weigh-in night and it was another loss, not a big loss but a loss none the less. This week is going to be a trying week with hot cross buns and chocolate in abundances. Looking at riding on three of the 4 days over the weekend, Friday I am going to be chasing a creak on the Whtye.

Todays photo is straight out of the Anorak section, I used to be a train spotter (don’t tell anybody) and so when the chance came round in 2009 to look round the railway works at Eastleigh I thought it would be a nice day out and my son would enjoy getting up close and personal with some trains. I had been to an open days at Eastleigh many years ago but boy was it different this time, the place was empty compared to how it was on my first trip there. BR pulled out many years ago and now there are several small train repair service companies working out of then various engine sheds, nothing like it used to be.

Here you can see Western Champion in it original colour scheme sat in the sidings. Many years ago at Bristol Temple Meads I had the opportunity to drive one of these beasts, admittedly it only moved about 10ft but as far as the 16 year old me was concerned I drove it. More info on the Western class can be found here

Western Champion