Motivation injection

Thats what I could do with right now, any ideas ?

No real clarity just yet at work, its looking like end of June next year now at the earliest, which in many respects is good, another 8 pay checks is good

but it means a delay to my plans for freedom in the summer !

However there is a cunning plan to chase the sun all the way around the world forming in my head, starting at SSWC10 in New Zealand, I don't yet know if thats an absolute goer or not, in principle I can go, but I'd like my family to have the same experience as I and be there with me, thats not possible for a number of reasons.

Still, a month away is a realistic dream ..... and then back to reality looking for work in the new year, its unlikely to be the year out I had hoped for but it might be 6 months, which is still a great opportunity

so, some ideas

Lands End to John O Groats, taking 3 weeks or more. (big blue gayer, and bob)

Anglesey Coastal Path taking 12 days (walking)

New Zealand for a month. (Spot 69er)

West Highland Way (at last !, big blue gayer)

Lots of riding to visit friends (big blue gayer)



So, there's my motivation for next year, but how to get through this winter, the Kona has been mudguarded (crud race guards which are officially ace), I have purchased a tyre specifically for the turbo bike, I have made a promise to do a months abstinence before xmas, just need the fricking rain to stop and I'm good to go :-)

6 week catch up

Lets think, after the Mach weekend I hardly rode a bike, apart from there and backs to work...

.....with one glorious exception, a week down south with Jo and Dean, 2 fairly big rides around the south downs, an evening at a musical event, an afternoon of culture and the opportunity to sit and listen to music topped out the Brighton experience.

....transfer to North Dean and two further mini rides around some lovely wooded trails, including one to catch up with Sara and the other with Sam to compare notes on the Kite a day of walking and exploring, a visit to the cinema and a final evening meal ended the week on a high, not as much riding as I would have liked to do but that was due to my fatness and a stupid/funny slow speed crash, the other two however did do a fabulous end ride, battering each other over 60 tough miles.

Single Speed Cyclo Cross bikes are 100 percent perfect for autumn rides.

....getting home on the Saturday I discovered that my back had gone into spasm and I had difficulty getting out of the car, I must have done some unseen damage on my fall, this meant a chilled weekend and then 4 days off work, and no riding until yesterday, and even that hurt, todays commute was less painful and the dark nights have inspired me to get the Spot 69er out and suited up with lights, the long way home tomorrow night is beckoning :-)

where my photies of birds will be

http://northwestcoastalphotography.blogspot.com/

Today is the day that I'm 48 years old

and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up

so, its a month since I last felt egocentric enough to post my inane ramblings on the internet for all 12 of you to read, lets have a quick recap then

bikes , yep, I've ridden them a bit, highlights being Bill and I being the tail end charlie's for the first 40 miles of the Keilder 100, which was quite difficult, riding slowly at the back end of the race, coaching the slow coaches

and then the weekend just gone in Machynlyth with a number of my closest friends, not an exclusive bunch, but just some of the fine people I am lucky enough to know and love, others sent messages of love, others couldn't make the trip across the atlantic

none the less I felt their presence

and of course I could feel the love from my dear wife Janet all through the weekend

I came home happy and prepared for the tribulations to come

The last 18 months have seen a black cloud above my head, work has been difficult at best, and at times downright unbearable, to put this in context.....


I have worked there since leaving school at 16 years of age, I have worked in the same department all of those 31 years, starting quite literally at the bottom and working my way to my current position of the plant manager, there are still people there who trained and coached me as a youth, giving me the discipline needed to be able to hold my own in a mans world, essential skills in a manufacturing environment.


Those same people are also partly responsible for my view of the world, my politics and my hatred of organised religion, they are also responsible for my humility, my level of understanding of other people, my understanding of peoples need to have religion in their life, my understanding of other peoples point of view, my love of music and art, my taste for fine beers, and many other aspects of my character.

They will almost certainly never read this, but thank you to Chris Byrne, Bill Curry, Ivor Greenway, Bob Finlay, Bill Lowes, Dave Linacre, Tony Watkins, George Carnes, Steve Buckham, Bob Swan (RIP), Brian Butler, Bill Smith, Martin Lowe, Steve Moss, there are others....


So, where's all this leading then ?

Today my plant was given its final destination, we will cease production at the end of the year, the reasons for this are many and complicated, suffice to say that we cannot survive as a manufacturing plant in the UK anymore.

Its a sad day, the site has existed since 1949, we have produced low density polyethylene on the site since 1961, which coincidently is the year I was born, lots of folk have lived their lives out here, it truly is the end of an era.


But I'm not sad, its been a tough few years that frankly have taken their toll on both myself, my family and my friends, its a chance for a new start, hopefully I can get my financial affairs into order such that I can walk away from this ever decreasing industry, I have skills that are pertinent to my specific industry, there's no doubt that I could easily find work but it would mean working in far flung places around the world and frankly I've had enough of that.

The cloud has lifted a little, its not gone yet, the skies are still a little grey but the sun is poking through :-)

I'll be taking a year off from work (again this is assuming I can sort my finances out) to enjoy my family, my friends, do some bike travelling, learn to surf, climb some big hills, relax, get healthy.

All being well this blog will be a lot more positive from about April next year.....

Bikes take you places

From here

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To here
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via here

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Last week was a good week bike wise, total of 258 miles, mix of road and offroad, all in a vain attempt to get some help for my legs in time for this weekends big dog 6 hr race. Now I know enough about myself that just finishing the whole 6 hours will be a challenge, you cant train for a month and expect to be a winner, but thats all relative, my aim for the day was to actually start and finish a race, that'd be enough for this year and quite an achievement in itself, fingers crossed.

But, by far and away the best thing about the last few months of riding has been the chance to get to new places under my own steam, exploring new trails has been a reasonable replacement for riding familiar trails with friends, reasonable but not sustainable, riding on your own is fine sometimes but no susbstitute for the real thing, with real people, hence my desire to be in Brighton this weekend coming.

however.....

There is a possibility that I wont even get there at the start line, work has become a battle zone due to all sorts of reasons and possibly the worst thing that could happen has happened, the crisis is deepening even as I type, fingers double crossed for a break in the tension that will allow me to get down to Brighton and play out.

Rides this year - 116

Miles this year - 2081

An uphill battle

Seemed to have spent a lot of time struggling uphill of late, either on foot, by bike or with a glass in my hand.

Having struggled with the walking I have started dropping the glucosamine again and already I can feel the benefit, placebo or not it works for me.

After the Scotland weekend and a few decent wet rides I needed a rest, so just some there and backs to work and a much needed day off before a bigish ride to Delamere and back to meet some friends, whilst we were there we had a spin out amongst the trees.

It was officially double ace.

Then spent the afternoon at the exodus festival in the city centre, despite my cynicism it turned out to be a great afternoon, some fabulous music was played despite a small crowd, no alcohol and daylight, a mix of rap, congolese, senegalese, reggae and bangra beats all fused together.

Today was a pleasant hour in the sunlight along mostly dry trails.

Interesting things are happening around me these days, I've been given the luxury of a reason to be creative, I have the idea but not the skills, but by the end of Weds I will have an idea of the skills I need and hopefully 3 pieces of work worthy of going into the magazine. This is actually a trial run for the long term animal project, the same skills will be required.

And I have been offered a part in an exhibition about Lindow Pete, completely out of the blue, sometimes good things happen

edit - looks as though I'm too late to get involved with show, oh well, it was nice to be asked

:-)

...

Walking, Thinking, Planning

hmmm....

let me think

Fairford Airshow weekend - ace

Munro weekend, 22 miles on foot, at least half of it uphill, cyclists legs meant pain, solitude, peace ad quiet (no wind) midges, beer whisky, stretching, 3 fried breakfasts - ace

last two work weeks punctuated by several there and backs - ordinary

New/Old bike - ace

fast as a very fast thing if someone else was in charge

30 miles yesterday in the rain and mud - ace

20 miles today in the rain and mud - ace

legs feel strong - ace

weekend rides looming, local trails as I'm on call - ordinary

Delamere early Sinday with Tim - double ace

Keilder 100 FAIL already, common sense dictated that I'll be a tail end charlie marshall this year - gnar

Big Dog barking away in my head, should be doable, and bonus ride in the downs that are south - ace

some photography, some creativity - ace

more rain expected in August- shite

great stuff

Le Tour - fantastic, too much to say - ace

Some friends coming back into the radar - treble ace

some friends going off the radar - minus 7 aces

and as always plans, plan and more plans, looking at this coming winters cx races, looking at next years middle enduro races, we'll see, there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before firmness can be achieved