Sunday 7th January 2024 I’m in Sheffield on cat-sitting duties once more, so before Christmas, in preparation I created a few routes starting from Bradway which were intended to gather some stray tiles and increase my cluster around the city. Now that I’m here, I think that perhaps I was a bit ambitious with my […]
This year was affected by an unfortunate accident in January which prevented me from riding for several weeks, and even when I was back on the bike, I was less able to cover long distances for some time. Consequently, the mileage is reduced, but I tried to keep up my fitness through walking more. For […]
This year’s reminiscences actually begin in 2022. I usually write these letters on a wet and windy day in late November when I don’t want to go out (I often have plenty to choose from) and last year was no exception. In mid December, after I’d written the letter, we heard that Geraldine’s Auntie Sheila […]
Thursday 9th November 2023 I’m back in Trafford Hall, a hostel near Chester, and I’ve just realised that it’s my fourth visit in twelve months. I first came in December last year when it was very cold going out to catch the ferry at Liverpool: the crossing was barely long enough for my hands to […]
Tuesday 17th October 2023. I haven’t cycled much in the Lake District. I’ve done a little bit in the Northern Lakes and I once did a sportive which started in Grasmere and meandered through the Grizedale Forest to Cartmel. The sportive doesn’t appear on my stats since for some reason the Garmin failed to record […]
Sunday 10th September 2023 Several years ago (in 1991) I was looking to buy a car and an Austin Montego was on my shopping list. The marketing for the diesel version played heavily on its excellent fuel economy; which was stated as being over 56 mpg which was remarkable for quite a large family saloon […]
Each year (since 2002) I have sent out a Christmas letter to certain friends (especially those whom we don’t see too often) to update them with what’s happened in our lives. I’m aware that this is a controversial move: such letters are often the subject of jokes on TV panel shows where a parody of […]
Monday 21st August 2023 Today’s trip was a Veloviewer tile-gathering expedition once more. I’d originally planned to go to Ingleton, but for some reason, the hostel there was quite expensive for the days I wanted. Of course, the term ‘expensive’ is relative: the bill for two nights’ accommodation was £58, whereas the YHA at Hathersage […]
I’ve been disillusioned with Facebook for some years now, but I feel unable to delete the app since it still holds many happy memories and details and contacts of several friends with whom I’d have no other easy contact. I now get very frustrated with all the adverts and posts from people I don’t know […]
Sunday 23rd July 2023 Yesterday I was having a conversation with friends about people with peculiar hobbies. They really couldn’t understand the motivation of bird watchers or train spotters but I kept quiet since I can boast my own very strange hobby: that of collecting Veloviewer explorer tiles. Regular readers will know what I’m talking […]