What have I learned? – That the Oregon BDR has sand… I hate riding in sand… Listening to – This Years Model – Elvis Costello Reading – In the Cold dark Ground – Stuart MacBride For those who missed Long Way Down, or saw it and did not think “riding big motorbikes to dumb places looks fun” you can probably skip most of this. There…
One week down…
What have I learned? – That bad cars are still made Listening to – When I was cruel – Elvis Costello Reading – I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain – Anita Sethi I belong here is a great read, I finished over a few nights when I was struggling to sleep this week. It’s a wonderful story with a rough start:…
Lets see what 2023 has to offer…
What have I learned? – How to do a Monte Carlo Analysis in Excel (slow day at work) Listening to – Holy Bible – Manic Street Preachers Reading – Iceland Serow Saga – Helen Lloyd I’m fairly sure Holy Bible was the first Manic Street Preachers album I owned. It was a move away from their early material into a harder, more socially conscious time,…
It’s that time of the year…
What have I learned? – The Oregon Coast is stunning in the winter Listening to – Sounds of the Written Word, Eva Plays dead Reading – Cold Dark Ground, by Stuart MacBride This week was spent on the Oregon coast, just outside Depoe Bay. I first rode them length of the Oregon coast a few years ago on a Motorbike trip to Napa and eventually…
More Civil rights…
What have I learned? – The I worked just a few houses away from where HG Wells wrote War of the worlds Listening to – Live ’85 – The Alarm Reading – Still working through Time to Teach: A History of the Southern Civil Rights by Julian Bond Still working my way through the Julian Bond’s Time to Teach. Still a great read, detailed, and…
All over for another 4 years…
What have I learned? – That England are a really good side, but still lost to the French. Listening to – ÷ – Ed Sheeran (kinda late to this party) Reading – Time to Teach: A History of the Southern Civil Rights by Julian Bond So the civil rights movement is not something taught in UK schools, or not a school I went too anyway. I…
Bloody hell, it’s almost Christmas
What have I learned? – That Kauai-Metal is indeed a thing. Listening to – Tango in the Night – Fleetwood Mac Reading – Heart of Dartness by Ned Boulting With the way time seems to be accelerating I was rather surprised to see it’s already December, seriously when did that happen? I only got to see Christine McVie and Fleetwood Mac play once, a cool…
It’s good to be back!
What have I learned? – That Kauai-Metal is a thing. Listening to – Japanese band Lovebites live album: Heavy Metal never Dies Reading – Can I have my ball back by Richard Herring Last month went to see Japanese all-girl heavy metal group Band Maid, and quite frankly they were fantastic. Show was a sell out, and they were good and it was a really…
Filling the Lost Days – Stonehenge
When doing my turn on the night shift, sitting up and reading Douglas Adams to a comatose Dad through the night, I got to have some of the day to myself until it was time to relive my brother in the late afternoon. Sleeping, at least consistently, rarely felt like an option, so I would visit friends and find excuses not to be hanging out…
Why I ride
There is something that happens when you throw a leg over a motorbike, it’s difficult to explain, but you know it when it happens. It’s a deep familiarity with the idea of adventure, and quite simply: you either get it and feel forced to go out and play, or it just passes you by.
It can be faint, almost imperceptible, but when you back a motorbike out of the garage you feel it staring to kick a little, letting you know it’s time to ride. It may be too faint to be understood, but somehow you know you are part of a millennia old tradition, that you are following in the footsteps of millions who set out on a journey to discover what is over the next ridge. And it’s exciting, almost intoxicating, and there is no question that the need for discovery is important, vital even, and not at a personal level, but as a species.
3200 miles later as I pull back into the same driveway I’d left three weeks earlier, my thoughts are not focused on the mundane, but the excitement of where two wheels will take me next time I leave the driveway on two wheels.