stuff and nonsense!

MY NAME IS....

RRS Ernest Shackleton - British Antarctic Survey

We spotted this little boat on outr trip to Italy. If you look carefully, you can make our the former name:- RRS Ernest Shackleton. It seems that the vessel was leased? rented? from owners, Norwegian shipping company G C Rieber Shipping by the BAC for 20 years. Then it was punted out to the Italians.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER RIDE

Took this bad boy for a test drive today. A Yamaha tracer 9GT Sport Tourer. Yamaha dealer offered me a free entry into a £10k prize draw if I took a test ride, and as my ride was in their workshop for fitting of a topbox, I thought it better than sitting, waiting, drinking shit coffee. I asked the salesman where to go, & he suggested Brecon, so, challenge accepted!

Took me 1hour 45mins - I think I need to adjust google settings for motorbike riding :-))

VIIKON OLUT VIISIKYMENTä

RAG & RIDE 2026 ed 2

Allora, I've plucked up the courage to go on my first 'Run - Out' (I think that's what they can be called). My local Cafe owner, and incidentally the purchaser of my trusty old CBR600F, has organised a 150ish mile jaunt along some of South Wales's legendary biker routes. He's called it Rag & Ride, similarly to his Cafe, Rag & Bone, and this is the second edition.

From the deion:-

Firstly, thank you for signing up to the Rag & Ride. We have a fantastic day planned and can't wait to share some of our favourite roads with you.

The idea behind this ride is simple: good roads, good people and a great day out on two wheels.

We'll meet at Rag & Bone from 9:00am where we'll kick things off with a bacon roll and a coffee before heading out on an epic route through some of the very best roads Wales has to offer. Expect stunning scenery, flowing roads and plenty of opportunities to enjoy your bike in great company.

This is very much a full-day adventure, with stops planned for fuel, refreshments and a chance to catch up with fellow riders.

We'll eventually make our way back south and finish at The Three Golden Cups in Southerndown for a well-earned drink and a chance to relive the day's highlights.

Good roads. Great company. Ride safe.

See you at Rag & Bone.

It sounds like fun, and the weather looks as if it will be great.

If I have the chance to take snaps, I'll post them here later, so check back :-) Hopefully it won't include one of me on my arse.

The gathering

Take your bike to work day

How to fill a carpark

2500cc

125cc

Harley Wallbanger - All sorts came along

Proof we got to the Towy Bridge Inn , Rhandirmwyn

The Devil's Staircase - filmed by one of the lovely guys I met on the ride

Step 1 - Wst cross to Brynamman

Brynamman to Rhandirmwyn

Rhandirmwyn to Llanwrtwrd wells via the devils staircase & Llyn Brianne

Llanwrtwrd wells to Brecon, then I got lost & ended up in CrugArwell

then home

What I SHOULD HAVE DONE!

COFIWCH DRYWERYN!

Looks like some Welshie scamp has been trolling the internet by including the 'Slogan' Cofiwch Dryweryn in an article about Celtic words being used in English.

Firstly, in the word map at the head of the article, mixed in with other Celtic sourced words

Then again, later under the section about the etymology of the word 'Slogan'

I wonder how many Anglophones realise that this slogan means 'Remember Tryweryn'? A rallying cry for Welsh nationalists asking the reader to remember The Welsh village drowned to make a reservoir to supply water to English Birmingham.

From :-

10 English Words You Didn’t Know Had Celtic Origins | The collector

YACHTS & YACHTING

I have come to realise I will never have a yacht

ZUGUNRUHE

Closest I get to flying - Kim has forbidden me to retake up paragliding as a hobby:-)

FATHER'S DAY MODEL

Well I wanted to know what I looked like on my bike! A super Father's Day present from my Son.

TWO WHEELS GOOD, FOUR WHEELS BAD

It struck me today that sitting inside a moving box on something akin to an armchair, off-set to the inside, speeding along at a rate of knots is a strange thing.

Sitting astride a pretend horse, (with many more horsepower) seems far more natural.

To paraphrase Orwell, Two wheels good, four wheels bad?

TOP RUBBISH

There is a good article in the Grauniad, here, on EU regulation vs. corporate greed/lies.

How the plastic bottle cap became a parable for the value of EU regulation

But hey, we left that bunch of losers....

TO VOLUNTEER OR NOT

A story for all mankind.

One twat has spoiled it for everyone.

Some knob took the MCI to court, to claim more pay & benefits for Coastguard team members and ended up costing them all their remunerations.

BBC News - 'It's hit people hard': Coastguard volunteers no longer paid for callouts - BBC News

thousands of Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs), have been affected by news that they will no longer be paid for responding to emergency callouts following a court ruling.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it needed to make changes after the Court of Appeal upheld a judgement classing responders as "workers" while they were carrying out their duties.

What a dick! These guys have been giving up time & effort for years, for the unselfish desire to help others. In return, they happen to have been given a peppercorn payment to help cover wear & tear, fuel, and lost wages. About £11 per hour. They didn't do it for that, they did it for the desire to do the right thing. I know several of these guys, and can attest to this. Now this action is actually going to penalise them for helping out. What a shitshow.