Park run no 261.

Alnwick – Berwick – Morpeth ?

Park run too – took it steady after a big week on the bike cycling from Glasgow- Edinburgh – Jedburgh -Corbridge – Horton in Ribblesdale – Leeds.

should be “couldnt” take to Mud …..

Anything by Lyn Macdonald is good – 1915 Death of Innocence is the best I think. Could take to Mud blood and Poppycock – but Richard Holmes Tommy is very moving.

Park run this morning – Dewsbury fast but hilly – good turn out – 259th park un for me – long haul to the big 300.

bike to work and back yesterday  – 1hr 30

Swim today 30 minutes

Bike to work tomorrow……. and on and on.

I went every week 1984-5 with 2 mates all first years Newcastle University – first episode Billy Bragg playing to the queue outside – saw lots – was ace. Then drank our way back to the student union via the quayside pubs and the city centre.

Yep – Vasa … sh….t (quietly because kids were with us) – great city – great public transport – museums free on Sundays ( I think ) – buy a pass (transport and Museums) though still save.

Chateau Gaillard – awesome view cycling up from Les Andelys

Kerak in Jordan is a good shout – its on my (bucket) list

football

F1

Golf

and the 18th Century – spinning Jennys, floppy hats and wigs – WTF was all that about.

Fitted a new restrap bar bag to my new gravel bike on the patio – immediately shat on by a bird – man shaking fist and shouting at the sky – daughter rolling around laughing at the sad old man.

Have a Gore shell jacket and Showers pass jacket – a bit heavier duty – both have kept me dry during the last p***sing 6 months of we commuting 20 miles round trip. Gore has no pockets – that’s the only downside. Shower pass has pockets and a detachable hood.

Park run number 242 – closing in on 250…. incredibly muddy at oakwell but fun nonetheless. Good turn out – not raining but mud lots of it and big puddles……

Thanks – it was a tentative on the list of bike packing trips — now its a definite.

Bit of Roman history geek – does the route cover much of the Antonine wall / forts ? thanks..

there’s a nice indoor food market – good food and beer. Also a big  fan of the viking ships – train to Roskilde was easy – nice place itself – and the best collection of axes ever! they build replicate ships….

Just finished – The Crusader Armies by Steve Tibble – very readable – challenges the many assumptions of who fought for who and why during the crusades.

Going out in t’Leeds – top northern town apparently from the Sunday Times – who have thought it, life in the north.

IPA and food are on the list.

WWI – go to Tyne Cot -near Ypres, langemark also good whilst they are cemeteries’ , the were built into the front line so there are bunkers and field works amongst the graves. Both very moving.  Hill 60 if you want to see some land left as it was. Agincourt you can walk around the battlefield though there is alot of revisionism that suggest its actually closer to Masioncelle. Wellington Museum in Waterloo is good – there is a new museum at waterloo too that they were just building when i was there last. Hougomont is worth walking around – the big fight within its grounds. Loads of stuff in Normandy  Merville, the Bridges capture by the glider troops etc – I like the Utah beach museum – been around all of these on the bike – may be hire a bike. You could also do Crecy, Dieppe (if you are driving from Normandy – there loads more (not sure I would bother with Dunkirk though)

keep on keeping on – the redskins – never fails to pick me back up.

It the duty of the employer to provide work for your contractual hours. If they can’t – they have several options – lay off (effectively short time) or redundancy (statutory as a  minimum plus your notice though they might make you work that). In both these case they have to consult with you (that doesn’t mean agree) Constructive dismissal is you resigning and trying to prove the employment contract is broken – its difficult to do – don’t do this. Sit tight – the obligation is on the employer to provide the work. If they suggest a “without predjudice conversation” that opens the door to a settlement (compromise) agreement – its worth doing just to see what they put on the table. Good luck.

Some consultant tried to explain how environmentally friendly it was to ship wood pellets from Canada to the UK and then burn it 10 or so years ago – I thought it was B*ll**ks then and it still the same. I’m just more cross about it now because it was clear then it was nonsense.

Commute by bike in all weathers 3 to 4 days per week. Swim and Park run – getting a bit pi**d with the wet weather. got soaked several times this week …………

Data centers doing well – AI – drones – terminators …driverless cars – all coming our way – Yay……………..

never had problems on campsites or hotels/ B and Bs – always tell them in advance – only taken the bike into the room twice. Always take a lock mind – a decent one. Heavy but some piece of mind and a bit of a deterrent.

What a bonkers game – enjoyed it as a neutral – would have no nails left if I was a Scottish fan.

clearance – damn it

check the mud clarance. I have 2017 hardtail scalpel – its a great bike – very fast – very stiff – have a lefty on mine – not sure about long rides – i felt a bit beaten up after the Mary Townsley on it. That also could have just been old age.  I can only get a 2.25 on the back. Great for short fast routes.

-3 this morning  and -1 one the way home – went off road on the way home took my first “Off “of the year on some black ice into the dirt. Was fun though dry trails on the cross bike.

looking forward to my heated gloves tomorrow morning – no cold hands here .

Yep – looking for a new hardtail – yeti arc maybe or the new Orbea Laufey, new Bike to work in July.

Worked in HR 35 years  – you cannot stop people from working for competitors or anyone else. You can stop them from approaching customers –  for at best 3 to 6 months – so that clause is B***cks.

I am less than 2 years from being 60. At that point I will ask to go part time – pointlessly I think, but may be  I will be surprised. If the answer is no – I’m off. I’ve always worked so a little scared of a sudden change to retirement hence the part time gradual approach – phasing down.

I’ve seen too many senior professionals keel over or develop life shaping (restricting) health conditions. The worry is I see these ill health trends happening to senior professions in there 30’s and 40s – rather than their 50’s and 60’s.

Well done – have read all of these.

Got out this morning too  first time this week – 25 miles on the road – dry and windy in W.Yorks – more rain in the afternoon.

Not used the mountain bike since Oct – perpetual rain in W.Yorks – been wet through on the road commute to work despite full length mudguards and waterproof gear …… bring on some consecutive dry days please……..

Swim this morning at 8am – was surprising busy at the pool.

Did park run this morning – fallen off the waggon a bit this week – did a 72 mile ride on Sunday – cream crackered commute on Monday – Tuesday and Wednesday just needed to recover. Back on the bike commuting Thursday and Friday. sick of the incessant rain………….

When I cycled across the Netherlands last year – ebikes were everywhere – some old dears were hammering past me – to the shops – those old girls have not given up. They had kept going because of the ebike. Contemplating getting one as a commuter / shopping / utility bike.