Boris Bikes saved the day

I'm busy at work, not just a little busy but mega busy. I'm so busy that I haven't even looked at Singletrack for about 2 weeks. (Not even Fresh Goods Friday)

Yesterday to combat this whirlwind of 'stuff'¹ to do I thought I'd get into the office early. Just after 8am was my aim; This has a number of advantages:

1. Free Breakfast if you get there before 9am (it's not the greatest but it's free)
2. It's a marketing company so nobody is there before 9:30 and it's nice and quiet (hence the free breakfast)
3. My brain is 25675538355 times quicker in the morning
4. I had loads of 'stuff' to do before a 9:30 meeting

So caught the 7:12, got to Vauxhall station, jumped on the Victoria line for a daily dose of being squashed up against other soulless commuters who don't move the down the carriage².

And then the train decides it's going to break down. Oh the joy, but the worst thing about a tube train breaking down is not the train itself it's pointlessly whining people tutting and moaning to themselves like it's the end of the world. It's not the end of the world it's just a faulty train that might make us all a bit late.

So about a billion sheep like commuters are exited onto the platform at Victoria station to await the next train, it took about 5 mins but the next train duly arrived. A quick glance through the windows showed that this train was very full and the only way you were going to get on it was if you were an anorexic circus dwarf related to Houdini.

Being that I'm pretty rotund at the moment and tall enough to ride the corkscrew at Alton Towers I gave up all hope and stood back to watch everybody else. As predictable as people standing up on aeroplanes as soon as they stop moving everybody quickly jostled to the train doors hoping the people inside were all about to apperate only to 'tut' some more when it finally dawns on them that even with the best will in the world and no matter how much they peer round the doors they ain't gonna fit.

So It's now 8:30 and my hopes of getting to work early are gone. All I've got to do now is make sure I get to my 9:30 meeting.

Plan B - Walk, a mini adventure walking through bits of London I didn't know. Plan B was going well until I walked up to a row of blue bikes standing there like King Dicky 3's horse. I'd been fancying ago on the Boris bikes for a while and this seemed like the perfect excuse. A bit of touch screen frustration³ and £1 later I'd got myself possibly the coolest and most uncool bike ever.

I didn't really know the way but knew if I headed NE I'd be okay and could always aim for the BT tower. My morning had gone from horrid tube to massive smiles⁴ as I mingled through the London traffic, down the back of Buck Palace, up to and through Hyde park with a quick attempt at a Danger Panda.

9:15 and I'm in the office⁵ with 15 mins to prep for my 9:30 meeting and the day is saved.

From now on I'm with Boris all the way and will be changing my commute from tube to bike.

¹ stuff are thing that are really important and need to be done now! yesterday! but in reality it's just 'stuff' - Quotes / Presentations / emails /Budget forecasts

² Sometimes I really want to tell people to move down but people who do shout "can you move down please" are of course correct but always end up looking like knobs, I just live in hope people will see squished people realise they are blocking the way and do it of their own accord.

³ I'm pretty IT savvy but the lack of instructions had me baffled for a while.

⁴ I look grumpy in the photo but that's my natural disposition I am in fact having the best commute ever!

⁵ A bit sweatier than normal.

Tarp tastic..but as Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman

Slippery little buggers.......

Just been into the big smoke for a meeting and only to be greeted by a brown package upon returning to my desk

Last week I ordered a new tarp. My old DD 3x3 tarp is good but it's massive and for my week of cycling from London to Wales I wanted something a touch more bijou.

After ripping open the packet like a six year old on Christmas morning I was greeted by a tiny packed stuff sack, much smaller than I had thought. It also has more scope for squishing. The bag it comes in is far too big for it. A bit of squishing and it will be a decent orange sort of size.

So here it is, my new integral SilTarp 1 (£45 from George Fisher Outdoors*)

But my word it's slippery..

I'll add my Alpkit Ti Pin as pegs, some guy lines and have a test and report back.

*It got here quick so thumbs up George Fisher and a great (relatively for a piece of cloth) price

EDC = WTF!!!!

I was searching for a new Leatherman as I've lost mine. Any way I'm going to order a Squirt PS4. They are nice and small and light and will do everything I need to do when out on the bike.

So I searched Youtube for a review and a slow Friday and few click led me to this video.


This guy for his trip to Disneyland takes ...

2 knives Rambo would be proud to own
a hidden knife,
a police baton,
a punching you in the face thing,
a 'tactical' pen
and 2 torches

to go to DisneyLand.......

He must be very scared of Dwarves!!

For more of the same search Youtube for EDC (Every day carry) and prepared to be scared....

Rome wasn't built in a day

and neither will my extension which started today.

Colin the enigmatic builder turned up and said nothing, just turned up and started. So 5 months of dirt and mess to go from 3 to 4 bedrooms and massive kitchen which will be perfect for bike servicing. It will even have a plumbed in parts washer (as long as I remember to take the dishes out first)

Food of the gods

I like Wales, it's hilly, I got married there, my wedding ring is made from Welsh gold (like Royalty don't you know) and I spend a lot of time there. It's also the place where I ride my bike the most. I like it because it reminds me of the Yorkshire and where I grew up at the foot of the Dales.

Now I've heard it argued that Flapjack is the ultimate riding food but I'm afraid the people who band this opinion around tend to be misguided at best or just plain wrong. Flapjack, it's just too dry, too heavy to be a great cycling food.

Jelly Babies are brilliant but I like home made stuff that doesn't contain ingredients banned in New Zealand.

There is one food out there that will power you past the bonk. Cover it in butter (as you're meant to) and I reckon you've got all you main food groups in one slice. It's got everything in it. Complex Carbs, Simple Sugars, Fruit, Dairy, Saturated Fats and best of all it includes an in built Cup of Tea.

It's also dead easy to make, even men can do it it's all based around cups. (Use a Alpkit 450ml Titanium cup for extra style)

So prised from the mother in law* and updated a touch here's the recipe for Bara Brith (with added Yorkshire).

*It should be noted this is not the dry bread 'real' Bara Brith type stuff peddled by shops, it's secret familly recipe that is much better.

Here's the recipe – Welsh (Yorkshire) Bara Brith.

Ingredients
• 1 cup sultanas ('real' bara brith uses mixed fruit)
• 1 cup boiling water
• Butter 1/5 to 1/4 of a normal block
• 1 teabag (Use Yorkshire tea - 1 bag makes 2 cups so makes the taste stronger or if your a heathen just use 2 PG Tips or other crap teabags and ruin it)
• 2 cups of self raising flour
• 1 cup soft brown sugar (real bara brith uses dark brown sugar)
• 1 egg

Method
• Put the sultanas, butter and teabag in a bowl and pour on the boiling water. Leave till cool (or at least luke-warm)
• Put the flour in a separate bowl, add the sugar and egg and stir well. It will be very floury. Add the liquid from the fruit mix bit by bit, mixing in until it is a wet mixture.
• Add the fruit (remove the teabag). Mix round and put into a lined loaf tin.
• Bake for 45 mins at gas mark 4 (or slightly under) then 45 mins at gas mark 3 (or slightly under). I like mine just about cooked but still very soft so it makes a gooey loaf rather than a dry one so I tend to undercook slightly. Stick a skewer in and if there is still wet cake mixture on it cook for a bit longer - if it's just about coming up dry then it's fine.
• Leave to stand, cut and spread with lots of butter.

A massive errection

 

Last weekend we thought we'd try out the tent, bit of dry run so to speak(apart from the fact it pissed it down).

With the car packed to the rafters (tent, travel cot, bedding, large black dog) we set off. We chose a nice little campsite somewhere near Stone Henge (or Stone Hedge as Lottie called it). We were staying just one night to see what camping with a 1 year old, a 5 year old, a Labrador and a hairdryer less wife might be like.

We bought a Vango Icarus 600 a bit ago as we thought this year for our family holiday we'd like to camp in France. So this summer it will be in the back of the car and heading for France to be used in anger. I'd had the tent up in the garden to test it, as you do, but the real test is not the tent it's the ability for the family to cope in it. (I was a bit sceptical).

I'd bought a few 'soft furnishings' to compliment the tent, fitted carpet and inflatable arm chairs.

Well quite surprisingly, it went well, very well in fact the girls loved camping. Lottie helped/hindered putting the tent up hammering pegs wonky and tripping over guy ropes. Amelia crawled around in the wet grass investigating things. Tired out they collapsed into bed at 8pm and slept in 'till 6am (not too bad). All in all we had a great couple of days of camping, adventure playground, mini trains and mud.

But what of the gear?... Well the tent worked well and it's certainly proven itself on the weather front. It kept the (almost biblical) rain off and the wasn't too flappy in the wind. The bedrooms are a good size for us as a family of four. The carpet made it a bit nicer inside too. The Tesco £7.50 blow up armchairs were great. The AlpKit Bulbs were great.

So all in all a success but as ever gear can be honed and improved and there are a couple of things we will need to change before an extended stay:

For all that I didn't want a massive 'lunar module' type tent as it stands the tent just isn't quite big enough for an extended stay with small children, especially if it's wet so an awning is on order. The awning should add that bit of extra space. If it's wet or windy outside the awning can be cooked in, it will keep the sun/rain off, we can leave shoes outside the main tent in the dry. I also found the Icarus 600 has a bit of a design flaw. Although it kept the rain at bay if you open the front door all the rain that has beaded on the door drips into the tent as the tent has no porch. An awning will fix this though and it should turn a good tent into a great tent.

We also need a fridge of some sort, quite fancy a posh Engel that can go in the Land Rover also but at £600 they are a lot of money to leave in a tent.

We only took a single ring stove this time and it didn't really work, I had my bivvy (divvy) head on and thought it would be okay. Cooking pasta, potatoes etc on a single ring in a single pan for a family meal is much harder than just boiling water and rehydrating each course. I think we'll just get a second stove like the one we have rather than a double ring affair. For about £10 I think they are brilliant.

Some kind of high chair would be handy, didn't think about babies and camping.

A wind break would also be good, as much for privacy and separation from other pitches as anything.

We need to have a think about bedding, I was cold under(ish) a household duvet. (should have brought my Xero 250 sleeping bag in anticipation of Sarah stealing all of the covers).

So there we have it, can't wait to get another weekend in soon. Hopefully we'll get two nights and take the bikes next time but already looking for spare weekends and campsites.

Hey, I put some new shoes on, And suddenly everything is right......

So as far as shoes go I'm fairly simple and as my Granddad once said. (in a thick Yorkshire accent)

"Spend your money on your shoes and your bed lad, 'cos if you not in one you in t'other"

Old Shoes!!

With that in mind I tend to have just one pair of shoes on the go that I live in, day in day out. For the past year my feet have been sporting a pair of North Face Hedgehog GTX II's. I go to work in them (just about smart enough), mow the lawn, go camping, walk the dog, do outdoors'y stuff etc. When I bought them I was slightly sceptical as NF always feels like a bit of a high street brand but bought them I did and I've loved them.




A year on and they look a bit tatty now, smell a bit bad, the soles are worn, the laces are all frayed but they are still holding together pretty well and much better than any other shoe I've ever owned. They are also superbly comfortable.

New Shoes!!

So I've just treated myself to another pair, same colour and everything, but now they are the III model. Hopefully just as good. Best price was £76 delivered from Webtogs and for a pair of shoes that will last a year of everyday wear that's a bargain!