@Tom-B I think thats good advice. I’ve popped it back on the shelf and picked up The Thursday Murder Club.

North of the border has never really interested the Tory party, apart from land ownership, same with across the water and Ireland. The use of dismissive terms is all part of the nationalistic BS that JRM loves

Last year I challenged myself a book a month and hopefully going to get through that again this year.

Over xmas (or as it was known in this house the omicron period) I managed to finish off Simon Armitage’s book Walking Home. A trip down the Pennine Way. Very entertaining.

My first of the year was Robert Twigger Walking the Great North Line.

My daughter picked up a couple of books for me at xmas and I’ve started Catch-22. Possibly not something I would look at but none of the books I read last year were overly similar (with the exception of my last two, but they were in different years!) anyway must admit I’ve struggled through the first 50 chaotic pages but that may just be my brain struggling with stuff after covid brain fog.

I suppose the question is are his new found fans going to be turned against Tory politics because he was a bit of a liar and a cheat or will they also double down on the lines that they prefer somebody like that to a lawyer?

The information about him being a liar and a cheat has been around and very public forever, but some chose to ignore that or took it as a sign of ‘he’s like me him’ he gets my vote.

He will be gone before the May elections because they can’t lose any kind of power the party wont stand for that, because its all that matters to them, doing the right thing and looking after the country and its people have never been high on the agenda.

It lays bare now the reasons so many of them stood up and defended Cummings resolutely, because they were all at it. It was all around the same time.

I can recommend (for beers if nothing else) The Holy Grale, The Station House and The Waiting Room which is on the station platform. Wharton Park is nice for a walk around and the riverside paths are always insta worthy, although you’ve probably missed the best of the autumnal colours now

After finishing Stuart Maconies the nanny state made me, I have almost finished rereading his the pie at night. I’ve got Bob Mortimer autobiography in a pile of books I got for my birthday last week.

It may have been me celebrating fixing the electrics on the tow bar which means I will bike this weekend!

I’ve towed for 3 years now, would need to change car to tow a bigger van and if that meant a course then fine.

I suppose this is the government getting rid of all that pesky red tape they keep going on about. Being a cyclist is bad enough without a load of half trained HGV and trailer tower’s hitting the roads. Looks like they are just throwing more responsibility on employers and the police to deal with the outcomes.

When we emptied the house of the mil after her death she had a few James Patterson books. I picked one up and gave it a try, what struck me that this book wasn’t his first novel and he wasn’t some teenager knocking out an essay for their mock GCSE English exam. He was a many times published author with about 100 books to his name and a ‘reputation’ as a brilliant exciting author (at least to the people who wrote his blurbs for him on the back cover)

Every word was utterly contrived and cliche ridden bollox. Painfull, I lasted about 30pages and could take no more.

My mother once gave me a book by Harlan Corben (sp) awful nonsense, just awful.

The thing is you have a bike and you can still ride it when you have time. Having a bike a far far better than not.

I can’t bring myself to watch it (and I could look at Suranne Jones all day long) I’ll just annoy the boss on the settee pointing put stuff so I will let her watch it alone.

Size wise I will say that some boats are bigger than others and nowhere was really that claustrophobic. There was a ‘gym’ on bombers, if you can call a few free weights and a treadmill a gym.

I have a yeti and a 26mtb so difficult to answer your question fully, I have a tow bar carrier so haven’t really tried it as you ask.

I took my Dad out for a run in the car yesterday and we ended up in Rothbury (along with lots of others) had a walk along the river and up into the middle of town for a cuppa at Bewicks or Berwicks (I’ve forgotten already, sign of age I guess) was very nice for food, he tucked into a great looking scotch egg.

+1 for the Curfew in Berwick. Also the walk around the town walls is great.

@mrb123 I haven’t been to Almasty (I is gluten free and their beer isn’t) but a few mates do rate the beer, I think it’s a bit like Tyne Bank, Anarchy and a couple other tap rooms part brewery part picnic tables in a warehouse vibe. Which usually works for me

Got my fingers crossed for you, I’ve been waiting a while for my new bike and seeing it get delayed again last night until 3rd Sept I was amazed to find it was now coming tomorrow. The one day I will be away from home through work in nearly three weeks.

I’ll stake my £1 that you will get it on Monday.

IHN is quite right about Embleton as a great base for coastal walks, easy bus access to Alnwick (bus to Alnmouth means you can walk the coastal path back to Embleton, passing castle and interesting stuff along the way) heading North you can walk to Beadnell along fantastic beaches watch the kite surfers and nesting birds on the estuary.
I won’t do a stealth add for my mates place in Embleton as that would be wrong.
But it does have a couple of nice pubs with good beer gardens.

Newcastle, a bit closer to home for me so I can definitely recommend jumping on the Metro to Tynemouth for a day out. Beers at Platform 2 on Tynemouth station and loads of good bars chippies and beaches a short distance.
Try the Ouseburn for a few drinks, everybody needs to visit the Free Trade Inn at least once in their life, the Tyne Bar, Cumberland Arms and many more up that route plenty places to eat. A trip up the Victorian tunnels might be a bit different, same area book in advance.

If you are staying in town for drinks or brewery trips then Wylam is worth a visit, walking distance through town and a nice park.

Pubs wise:

Town Mouse as previously mentioned is a lovely little bar

Mean Eyed Cat

Wobbly Duck is a new addition to Eldon Garden They also run Beer Street in the arches at the rear of Central Station and close to Split Chimp and the Keep (not a pub, but worth a trip for the views across the tyne) leading to the Bridge Hotel.

Modern place but always cracking beer is Bacchus in the middle of town up a cobbled street. If your staying in centre of town The Forth, Town Wall and Gunner Tavern aren’t bad either.

I was sat late last night watching an episode of cats and he made an A-Z cocktail of drinks and during the actual show (not much countdown lots of cats) he dropped a line on the bloke from nobbers from Chelsea or whatever it’s called about posh people giving their kids stupid names, laughed out loud and woke the dog. Top comedian, deft, dry and very self aware. A great shame he’s left us.

Apologies for dragging up my own thread …..again

Delivery day on the new bike is tomorrow (I know! It’s so bloody exciting) I’ve logged onto the manufacturer website all day to check it’s still on and there were no changes, it’s all looking good.

Last check in was 4.30 just had a look now and I’ve been put back until 27th.

Man this is getting too much. Don’t tease me like this just say October and be done with, that way I will stop clearing out crap from the garage to make space for it and get on with doing something useful like riding my current bike. FFS pass me the wine

A follow up to yesterday’s email saying great news nothings changed 28/8 estimated delivery to an email just now saying sorry an unexpected delay means it will now be estimated to possibly arrive by 9/9.

I got an email today from my aforementioned ‘fancy parasol supplier’ who announced…

Great news! Nothing’s changed! We are still on track to estimate your delivery on approx 28 August’

I mean, how many get out clauses can you fit in a sentence?

This might prompt a what tyres for walking the aisle thread.

Best wishes to both, I hope the sun shines and the drinks flow.

Salvagers! I’ll pay good money for a 9 speed cassette! And any 26″ wheels and tyres

Walking wise the Cleveland Way is plentiful around that way, head to Osmotherely and Cod Beck reservoir. Roseberry Topping is a nice walk and plenty tracks heading from there, you can bike some of the area as well plenty bridleways

These journalists don’t like a good light, they can only operate in the dark

Ive been saying for a long time that 1979 was the year society died and we became an economy first country. She wasn’t interested in looking after neighbours in your street or affordable public transport. Make money for yourself and then make some more money, sod the rest.

Radio is on (well streaming on the ipad), kettle is boiled, picked out some biscuits (won’t make the first over) work is thankfully quite quiet (jinxed myself now) I shall settle in for the day in my cushioned seat in the spare bedroom/office stand.

If my suppliers are to be believed I may have a fancy parasol and fancier bike on it, if doing more heavy lifting than the crane in that image.

Cougar, don’t give the fecker ideas for a new revenue stream!

Pub in Newcastle city centre, £7.40 for a pint of Magic Rock fantasma. Which for a 6.5 IPA was a tad rich but not far off the mark these days.

Can’t advise on upgrade of wheels as I ordered my endurance with the standard Askium, my bike is due in about a fortnight so will see how it runs with these before thinking about a change.

My brother is flying in from his home in Zurich via Frankfurt next week, he has to have paid for test 2 days and 8 days after arriving I think and needs to isolate for 10 days, which he can do at my dad’s who he is coming home to see for the first time in almost 2 years. He is also double jabbed.

I have Giro lids for road and MTB, recently had to replace the velcro pads on the road lid as they fell to bits with sweating and washing, took to wearing a cap on the road and that solved things a bit but this last week has been painful.

Also, never put sun lotion on your forehead and then forget and go out riding turns a sweaty bonce into eye poison.

Yes! Road cross or MTB love it.

Don’t think he bombed Iran but he definitely bombed Iraq and killed an Iranian military guy

My input to the STW comparison website

3 bed semi
2 adults
Mobile sex filth pond (or whatever was agreed as the official name)
Gas only heating/water everything else leccy

Went up to £140 in Jan after 12 months at £99
Sex pond thing to blame for the rise mostly and even that is efficiently run.

Not sure you can ride in Greystoke? I might be wrong. I’ve only done road stuff in that area, lots of quiet lanes. Fear you may need to drive places

LA Confidential

@devash thats the bike, cant recall the year I got it, replaced a stolen Stumpy. Good idea to make a day of it, plenty riding to make it easy enough to fill a day.

@northwind I’ve been 3 times and missed marker posts every time! Probably bits I’ve never ridden as yet. Went from 5 to 18 I think yesterday, did some big old long drag uphill the green route. Still, I need the exercise so wasn’t too bothered.

It stinks ( no pun intended) but its also the flavour of the month, sorry last 24 months.