Those who have viewed the video at the end of the previous blog may have noticed that Trixie (the name I've chosen for my trike) has a system which enables the machine to remain upright whilst stationary without the rider's feet touching the ground. It's activated by a switch on the handlebar and can be engaged whilst coming to a complete stop. However, using it could cause a new rider to lose attention and there is a danger of losing balance - and, if that happens before the feet reach the ground, the machine could fall over. Sadly, that's what happened during my first attempt to establish a relationship with Trixie and, since she's quite a large lady (399cc) and - dare I say it? - quite broad in the beam (see video) I was lucky to get away with little more than bruised ribs, a few scratches, and a dented ego. Clearly, a re-think was necessary and my motorcycling neighbour (who has access to a nice level piece of land) found some gardening stakes and a couple of old traffic cones to set up a pretty impressive lay-out for a CBT training course.......
In addition to recommending practice - and conscious, perhaps - that it was over half-a-century since I last rode a motorcycle, he suggested I should become re-acquainted with two wheels by starting off with a slightly smaller machine than Trixie - and, to that end, he offered me a little 50cc scooter he uses to get around the grounds he looks after.
It's shown below (click to enlarge) together with another photo demonstrating the fact that I don't visit a barber as often as I used to before retiring. Having said that, I have to say that the sensation of wind blowing through what hair remains is quite pleasant.
After a couple of days practicing on the Peugot, I hope to progress towards being re-introduced to Trixie - confident in the knowledge that, should I lose my balance again, a lawn should be far more forgiving that a tarmacadam surface.
As is outlined elsewhere, although semi-retired, I spent the final years of my working life delivering buses, coaches, and an occasional fire-service appliance to all corners of the UK. Then, having completed the delivery, driving a hire car to the next job or back home. As a consequence, I covered several miles a week - driving five hundred miles, or more, in a single day quite often. It's hardly surprising, therefore, that - since retiring - I've become slightly frustrated by being 'housebound' and have been considering ways of addressing the issue. For a while, I toyed with the idea of getting a camper-van. When the boys were young, we had a couple and really enjoyed them. Nowadays, however, my better-half doesn't share my enthusiasm for 'travel'; so, returning to the concept of considering what had worked for me in the past, motorcycling came into the equation. Now, at this point, I have to say that I'm extremely conscious of how easy it is for my generation (especially men) to imagine that it's still possible to do what they did when they were teenagers. Furthermore, I absolutely understand that this isn't the case. For example, matters such as declining physical strength or balance need to be taken into consideration and, with this in mind, I doubted that I would have the control of a motorcycle that I may have enjoyed in the past. That said, however, I also considered the merits of adding a sidecar. Having had one when I came out of the army in the fifties, I wondered if the fact that they remain upright when stationary addressed my current concerns with balance and the need for physical strength. All of these ruminations, by the way, took place last autumn (2010) and as a measure of how serious I was, I had even gone as far as to speak to local training organisations about the various licenses required to ride motorcycles. In the event, however, since winter was fast approaching, I had decided to delay any decision until this spring; not least because an extremely knowledgeable motorcycling neighbour was due to return after a period overseas. He returned recently and, having listened to my points of view, came up with what seems to me to be the ideal 'package' to suit my requirements - and I refer to a three-wheeled scooter (not the mobility sort, by the way). What is particularly appealing is a capacity for these machines to remain upright whilst stationary (like a motorcycle and sidecar). What is even more appealing is that some models can be legally ridden using a car license - and in so doing, eliminate the need to undertake a quite expensive series of procedures to gain a motorcycle license. A further fortunate option to save a bob or two presented itself when I saw a new one (with only 55 miles on the clock) being advertised for significantly less than the list price. So, after my neighbour had given it a road-test, I decided to buy it. With a saving of that magnitude (nearly four figures) even if it turns out to be not such a good idea, I'm unlikely to make too much of a loss on the investment. Here's a video of the model I bought........
Bearing in mind where I live, it could be suggested that taking on the responsibility for collecting for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) might meet with about the same level of enthusiasm as Noah may have encountered when he set about building his ark. In other words (as one neighbour pointed out), there isn't likely to be much call for the RNLI near the top of one of the highest hills in the south-east of England. As it happens, however, I have been doing the 'job' for the past two or three years and, apart from the aforementioned neighbour, almost everyone has been very generous; so, this morning, as it was such a nice day, I decided to walk down to 'our' village (rather than drive) to return my collection box to the local administrator.On the way, I passed an impressive display of daffodils.......
On the way back from the village, although I didn't actually see the incident (it was behind me), I heard a car skidding to a rapid halt and I looked back to see that it had done so in order to avoid running into a mountain-biker who had failed to stop before emerging from - surprise. surprise - a clearly sign-posted footpath.
Since deciding to reduce the amount of time I spend on Twitter, I seem to have caused some confusion because the reasons I put forward were rather vague. Unfortunately, that failure to be more specific has caused some to imagine they (they know who they are) might have influenced my decision and I regret causing that impression. Accordingly, although trivia, political-correctness, and a tendency for some to present images which aren't entirely true were factors, a reluctance on my part to cause unneccessary controversy prevented me from being more direct (and truthful) by admitting that the real reason was a poor reaction to a suggestion that I had behaved in bad taste. What I had thought was a play on words was considered to be worthy of criticism because of the circumstances in which they were made. Paradoxically, although causing offense was the last thing on my mind, I have to say that, in my opinion, Twitter reveals far more disturbing behaviour - often from those of whom society would have expected better. However, I agree with Saint Matthew when he said something along the lines of, "Judge not lest ye be judged." and, "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone."So, to sum up, it should be no surprise to learn that my views pretty well coincide with those expressed by Barry Cryer in this article. I believe humour can be an antidote to grief. For example, when my mother died - leaving me a small legacy - I bought a much-needed new car; explaining that her dying words had been, "Brian, I'm dying for you to get a new car." To this day I can't quite understand why there were some who couldn't see that my reaction was a sort of defense mechanism. I know - with absolute certainty - that she would have seen the funny side of it.
The local badgers are getting quite cheeky.
FIVE arrived soon after I put out their evening snack tonight.
At my time of life, the years seems to pass rather quickly; so, I'm not absolutely sure when I was introduced to internet forums - but I do recall how I came across them - and that was in an attempt to contact those with whom I had shared a tent on Christmas Island - and, with that in mind, I discovered a couple of web-sites which were created to appeal to ex-service personnel (a military Friends United sort of thing). Paradoxically, the exercise was something of a failure. However, I did manage to get in touch with them by sending letters to local newspapers in the area where I thought they lived and, since then, we've enjoyed two or three reunions in the meantime. Anyway, having registered with the aforementioned military web-sites, I started to contribute towards their discussion forums and even administered one for a short while. However, I soon discovered that the internet is an environment in which it is very easy for unscrupulous individuals to present an image of themselves which might not be an entirely accurate representation of the truth. Now, this is deplorable enough in any walk of life - but within military circles, it falls marginally short of mortal sin. There have, for example, been instances where wearing inappropriate uniforms or unearned campaign medals has revealed blatant imposters - many of whom, as a consequence, were ostracised by friends and neighbours, vilified by the press, and in some cases, faced criminal charges. From a personal point of view, I contributed to the forums for a while and, despite developing a handful of friendships which have lasted to this day, the combination of bitterness and (IMHO) pettiness which existed within military web-sites was such that I began to distance myself to the point where, eventually, I abandoned them altogether. Subsequently, partly as a means of keeping in touch with my grandsons in the USA, I dabbled with Myspace and Facebook - but, not an awful lot. Some time later, I discovered a slightly different form of social-networking called Twitter - which has been described as place to be nice to people you've never met; whereas Facebook is a place to be rude to those you actually know. However, as outlined in two earlier blogs, although I had become quite enthusiastic, a growing suspicion that a few egos were being given an outing and, once again, not everyone was what they seemed to be has prompted me to draw away from it for the foreseeable future. Paradoxically, although I understand the resentment which was expressed towards the military imposters, I felt that the vitriol to which they were subjected was a little 'over-the-top' - especially since all they were really guilty of was vanity and, as has recently been revealed on Twitter, the same condition can apply in Civvy Street. Somehow, however, I feel significantly less inclined to be so sympathetic towards Twitterfrauds because it's unlikely any of them will receive any censure whatsoever.
Following yesterday's bright sunshine, I was prompted to dig out my walking boots and although today wasn't quite as sunny, it was ideal for my first walk for several months - and, since my younger son was driving to a neighbouring town, I asked him to drop me off at a section of 'my' hill which I hadn't visited before.
Later, as I walked through the car-park at the entrance which leads up to the bridle-path I caught sight of a couple of notices for the attention of mountain bikers.
n.b. 'Clicking' on any photo will enlarged it.
It's no secret that I've little time for mountain bikers - but I have to say that even I was surprised that, within a hundred yards of the notice asking them to refrain from "creating new trails or modify existing ones", there was evidence of them doing just that. Although neither is as revealing as I had hoped, these photos (below) are of an unauthorised trail created by mountain bikers. The enlarged section on the right reveals clear evidence of tyre tracks in the mud.
A little further on, I saw a couple of bikers who seemed to be preparing to lift their bikes over a wooden barrier (see previous blogs) which separated the bridle-path from a clearly defined footpath - i.e. not a cycle track. However, when they saw me looking - glaring, actually - at them, they seemed momentarily flustered and started to examine what looked like an Ordinance Survey map. Moments later, looking back, somewhat furtively, towards me, they cycled off along the bridle-path.
On a more positive note, is the extensive tree-clearing operation which is being undertaken (below). There was also significant evidence of new trees being planted; however, for some reason or another, that photo didn't come out very well.
Perhaps because it was my first walk for a long time, I decided to keep away from the more remote tracks and - especially during a brief spell of bright sunshine - I was struck by how similar (apart from the palm trees) bridle-paths (below left) are to the primitive roads I encountered on Christmas Island (below right) a little more than half-a-century ago......
Moving forward - and to today's walk, in particular - I was presented with two nice 'photo-opportunities'. On the left (below) a nice pond - access to which has been enhanced by the recent tree-clearance - and, on the right, a pleasant place to rest a while. The bench had been erected in memory of a lady who had been especially fond of the area. What a nice way to be remembered.
During an earlier blog, I gave the impression I was reducing the amount of time I spent on Twitter because of a reluctance to trawl through reams of what I considered to be trivial drivel. Subsequently, as if to discredit my reasoning, someone observed that Twitter provided the option to choose who to follow. However, since I had made it clear that I already limit those I follow or by whom I am followed to those with whom I felt some sort of a genuine connection, the observation seemed rather pointless.It did, however, prompt me to wonder who they (my followers) were and whether that might provide an additional clue to why I was becoming disenchanted with the forum and a quick analysis revealed that about 33% of them were fans of my son, Lloyd. Like him, most grew up when Mrs. Thatcher's government was in office and, as a result perhaps, developed political views somewhat to the left of centre. I, on the other hand, was born before WW2 and have experienced a significantly wider range of political leadership and, although my natural inclination is towards the right, I have become more eclectic in my views as the years have passed.Now, the reason I brought Lloyd's fans into the equation is that, were it not for the fact I'm his dad, it's unlikely many would be following an incongruous septuagenarian on a social networking forum. From my point of view, however, Twitter afforded me the opportunity to consider opinions somewhat different from my own - and, going on from that, I can't deny that I have enjoyed indulging in banter and playing devil's advocate with some a little more politically-correct (PC) than myself. During the lead-up to last year's general election, however, as Mr. Brown's government was losing control, some people with whom I had enjoyed communicating seemed to be losing their composure, too. Although, in one case, an apology was forthcoming, expressions such as Cuntservatives and fucktards (whatever they are) were being bandied about. Equally concerning, since the coalition was formed, I have observed even more vitriolic language being used by people who really should know better. Fortunately, only one or two have been excessively tiresome. However, having a little too much wine at the end of the day is no excuse.I understand, by the way, why many of those I'm talking about came to despise Tory policies of the seventies and the eighties. Their generation didn't witness the damage caused by the failure of successive Socialist governments to curb the influence of the trade unions. So, it's not their fault that they don't really understand that a lot of what Mrs. Thatcher did was an attempt to restore the United Kingdom's reputation. Turning to the present, the coalition have found themselves in a similar situation and, for my part, I'm becoming a little tired of the petty sniping I read on Twitter. Even Mr. Milliband, seems to accept New Labour's shortcomings and I can't understand why many of those who were responsible for keeping them in power for so long (their voters) can't bring themselves to do the same - especially those I would classify as Champagne Socialists.So, in conclusion, if it isn't already obvious, my original 'Leaving Note' doesn't tell the whole story. Although it is true that I abandoned my first visit to Twitterland because of trivia, the more recent decision to visit less frequently is a reflection of the fact that my thinking is not quite in tune with many of those with whom I've become associated. As a consequence, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to stop myself becoming aggravated. Blaming it on something else was disingenuous of me - and I HATE disingenuousness.
Rambling - but not mine.
Night-vision CCTV evidence of badgers feeding outside our back door during their nightly stroll around our locality..........
As winter (hopefully) draws to a close, I didn't have to walk any further than the drive down to our home to find evidence that spring has arrived.......
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