Weekend debrief - home alone and a day of bike spotting

[guest7]

Saturday started early for the Onepots as we all piled into the car to drive Mrs Onepot to Bristol airport. She was off to Hungary for a five day teacher exchange... I'm still waiting for a female Hungarian teacher to turn up and cook supper though.

Once home in Wales the kids and I did some running around and ended up at Pat's house, which is looking spiffing now that his extension is finished. I was there to pick up his project bike's wheels that I'd bought and I also did a deal to buy the engine from the bike. Thanks for that Pat.

On Saturday evening I cooked up a bolognese and had some friends over, consequently Sunday started with a hangover. My mum took the little Onepots off for the day and that left me free to wander off to the VJMC classic bike show in the local high school. I met up with Pat again there, as well as BJ and Cliff (who some of you will remember from various rallies). My brother was displaying his bike at the show and he was rewarded for his efforts with a 'Highly Recommended' rosette, which was nice. There were lots of highlights, including a chap I know picking up a very clean (Hinckley) Triumph T100 for £1,600!

Once I sorted the kids out last night I sat down to watch the recording of the day's SBK racing. Sam Lowes' ride in Supersport was amazing. It was also great seeing Leon Haslam out in a replica of his dad's old lid... it brought back some memories (mostly of expensive single-sided swing-arm, hub steering french motorcycles crashing  ).

GC

 

[Richard]

Had a weekend free of work and with no children either so we took a last minute decision to go to the Ludlow Beer and Food Spring Festival.  Great !

About 150 beers at £2.50 per pint, loads of excellent grub stalls including biltong and jerky and venison and ....... you get the picture.

Camped on the local Rugby Field beneath the Castle and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Sadly the Classic Car display was only of cars, but pretty good all the same.

Also had a slightly different Nepalese/Ghurka curry in Brecon.  Nettle Curry was pretty good I thought.

[Andy M]

Put the first 200 miles on the Wee. That's 2/5 of the run in PITA completed and turning in at least 50 mpg  .

Had a ride out to Hornsea including a rather nice bit dropping off the Driffield heights while Classic FM kindly put a decent bit of Walton on followed by another one I couldn't put a name to but worked well at 50-70 mph. Tea was kindly provided by Karens Mum and Dad. The way back wasn't as good, lots of horse boxes, caravans and so forth but you had to laugh at the Power Rangers. The choice was ride your 180 mph bike at 45 (Zig zagging to keep the tyres up to temperature of course  ) or talk about your overtaking into oncoming traffic technique with the chaps on the white BMW's, grey with lime stripped Hayabusa, white and red-striped ZZR etc. The number of "unmarked" or at least odd shaped plod bikes plus the helicopter suggest a major effort if only in the overtime department.

Andy

[squirrelciv]

The weekend was mainly dedicated to installing the latest 'Must haves' for the budding shedist. A wood burner for the winter, and a patio area for the summer. As GC has said, he arrived on Saturday to take the last of Abigail away. She is nothing more than a memory now and a few photos on the internet. Managed to rip out an old tree stump and a few other shrubs from the site of the shed patio and get a couple of loads of concrete in the hole by close of play Saturday.

Sunday began with smashing a bl00dy great hole in the shed floor ready to fix the wood burner in before going over to the builders yard to pick up more cement, sand and chippings. Next on my list was a quick trip over to the Cardiff bike show, but first I had to mop up the vomit on the kitchen floor deposited by my #1 son (stressing on his GCSE's). Show seemed smaller than previous years to me, but still nice to go to. Met up with GC briefly before a work colleague arrived at which point my bikey Sunday slipped into a natter about office politics! Heyho. The guy needed to talk so what do you do??

Show done and it's off to Thunder road to drop off the Wee for her 16,000 mile service. 14 months old and I've used up all 5 of my pre-paid service plans! Bused home and out with the cement mixer. 6 loads of muck and the stove is in plus the patio base is finished. Back to Cardiff to collect wifey from work before walking dog and collapsing. 9:30pm. Weekend done. Knackered!

[johnr]

i just put my wood burner on a huge piece of chequerplate ally. tip for you, get some spray glue and kitchen foil!! panel behind the stove with something fireproof, i used fireboard, modern safe version of the old asbestos, and over the top sprayed the glue, then stuck the tin foil on top. the difference it makes is incredible, the wall next to the foil is easily warmed by the radiation from the stove, but the foil covered surface is always completely cold, all the heat being reflected back into the shed!

[squirrelciv]

Thanks for the tips John.

[Mark]

Another tip: Don't let the Gluhwein boil.