Modern Vespa

Genie so so sorry for your loss and sending healing thoughts to you, his family and friends. It's so true that the good die young. There's a song with the line "only the good die young". Can't remember who sings it but it's so true. It really pisses me off that serial killers live to be old and even Charles Manson is still alive, While the person maybe gone your memories can't be taken away. Remember the good times. That helps me when someone close dies.

Coffee cake and pointing at things suits me fine.

Time and location to be arranged.

Bill X

My one single totally neglected raspberry bush has gone mental this year. I've been consistently picking over half a kilo of raspberries every other day for the last few weeks. OK, so we ate a lot of raspberries for a while, but that gets old after a bit when you *have* to eat them just to keep up.

So I've now made not one, but two batches of jam, with more to be done just before I leave for CA, which by the looks of things should be the tail end of this abundance.

Jim, making jam? Whatever next!

Think of all the alcoholic connotations Jim......

PTW parking is plentiful and free everywhere on Paros and Naxos. Just another reason for lots of Skoks to do the 2014 Greek Islands Rally.

Smuggle some of that jam into the USA when you come! I'll trade you some KY honey. No, it's not the same as KY jelly, another product entirely.

Jim Jam

I've been making epic quantities of pesto - in addition to eating it about three times a week i've been freezing hockey-puck sized blocks of it to eat throughout the winter.

and don't get me started on the tomatoes. i'm already buried in them and it's just the beginning of the harvest. cherry tomatoes anyone?

I'll have some tomatoes if they're going spare. I have some ideas for tomato preserves this year.....I'll put by a pot of plum jam for you

I don't eat tomatoes unless they've been thoroughly pureed, but I'm awfully keen on both pesto and raspberries. Just sayin'.

Incidentally, if you leave raspberries in vodka for a month or so you get something quite nice at the end of it. In fact two somethings, raspberry-infused booze and booze-infused raspberries...

They camped with us (Big7sc) on the I.o.W., really nice blokes and it was an honour to spend time with them.

We use ice cube trays to freeze pesto when we have a big batch of basil on hand. The small portions allow you to defrost the right amount for any occassion as needed.

woke this morning to discover that our lovely house cat felix (he nominally 'lives' in flat 5 but considers the entire house his territory) is starting to lose command over his back legs. he's the most senior of the cats, a beautiful tuxedo boy of about 14. i know they can't live forever but it still makes me very sad to think that he may be on his way out.

Oh, poor boy He probably doesn't realise there's anything wrong and might well keep going for ages. Here's hoping.

Rubbish news genie
((((((((((((((((((Hug))))))))))))))))
x

he seems back to normal now but he's going into the vet tomorrow anyway.

on my way to my osteopath this morning i was pursued by a woman on a 300 who seemed so intent on getting past me that she actually attempted to undertake me into a hard left hand turn. i was quite a long way ahead of her, indicating the turn as i approached it. as I glanced in my mirror just before making the turn i saw that she was about a foot behind me and attempting to force me to over to the right. i had to go wide and very nearly went up over the opposite curb.

at the next set of lights i told her what i thought of this behaviour. her response: 'what's the problem? I was just having a bit of fun.' then she took off. if i see her again my fist is going to have a bit of fun with her face. i'm not the violent type but never in my life have i wanted so badly to beat on somebody

bah. not a great day today.

Don't use your fist, use your elbow

It has a much more devastating effect

cheers for the tip i will bear that in mind if i see her again.

Make sure you have your armour jacket on though, those lids hurt///

Glad it didn't end badly.

When you and Birreh come for a visit my daughter can show you some of the nifty 'krav maga' moves she's been learning in the army.

Sent from my iPad

Nice

Cool photos.

it must be so weird to see one's offspring wielding a weapon

Smile for the camera or I will shoot you in the knee. Great pics Trep. Lovely girl even with the make up.

That's the least of the weirdness. Thinking about what she will be doing for a living for the next few years, and the potential dangers involved, will keep me up nights. I thought the sleepless nights ended when she started sleeping through the night as a baby. I asked her about that. The photo makes it look like the other M16 is pointed in an unsafe direction, but it is safe.

She has a precious weekend off. I picked her up at the bus station this morning and took her for breakfast at our favorite cafe in in Jerusalem.

Sod the rapberry jam n tomatoes etc, get scooting! I'm off to the Mersea Island rally in Esseex tomorrow, the second biggest scooter rally after the Isle of Wight. Usually 3,000 or so scoots from all over, including Germany, Holland , Italy. It's a great event, some good northern soul and plenty of top end oyster shacks on the island. Last year there were a healthy prescence of GTSs I'll see how many there will be this year. ... Then on tuesday I'm off to Spain on the silver machine. Boat from Portsmouth to Santander, south via Burgos - Segovia - Toledo - Valencia, boat to Majorca, then after 3 days boat to Barcelona - Tarragona - Zaragoza - Tudela - Burgos - Santander then Blighty. Spanish roads are fab, and varied, but usually well shod. South of the Picos the weather should br tip top. Will send a bulletin when I'm back and if I bump nto the real Don Quixote I'll post a pick.
Adios Donkey Amigos time to get on my Silver machine GTS 250. Gass

Sounds lush mate! Safe riding, take lots of pics and we'll view them over a decent pint when you get back.

Great pics Trepp, hope she keeps that smile throughout her service (though her instructor will tell her to 'cover that white neck up' too, and get to work on her 'war face'! )

The girls do a great 'range chicks' shot 8)

Pm sent

Island of Milos. After breakfast relaxation. Ride later.

What a nice weekend everyone is having! I've been into Greenwich to have coffee with a friend, and later I will be washing my bike in preparation for tomorrow's diner dash.

Well we had a lovely meet up with waspman in London. He bought us coffee and cake at a rather nice Italian restaurant just off Regent Street.
He mentioned that his LV pipe was sounding a little loud and the engine light had illuminated on his GTS so a precautionary visit to Scootech was called for.
Sadly a cracked header pipe was diagnosed as the source of the racket so there it stayed and our visitor made his way back to Stamford by train.
He was very philosophical about it. Still it was better than breaking down half way from home.

Bill X

Cripes, close call!

I HAVE WASHED MY BIKE. Turns out it's actually black under the, er, black.

we met a lovely dog today in 'Pets at Home' in Greenwich (where, ironically, we were buying cat food around the same time Kate must have been scratching her head wondering why none of us were at the Pilot). He was a cross between a Staffie and a Shar Pei, with a semi-wrinkly face and a very sturdy body. So sturdy, in fact, that his owner had a special spring-loaded lead so he didn't dislocate her arm when he decided to pull. We also smiled at guinea pigs and spotty rabbits.

I saw this lovely dog and I said "hello beautiful" at which the owner replied with" a beautiful pain in the arse more like"
My riposte " I wasn't talking to the dog, I was talking to you"
The owner then enters into a conversation as to how she can trade me for the dog.

Bing !

Bill X

I was also in Greenwich around that time and even considered popping in to Pets At Home to check out the small fauna.

They have rabbits.

B X

Thanks to Bill and Genie for being so welcoming on their "patch". What a splendid community we belong to.

I had errands to do in London and put feelers out for a meet. B and G obliged and we all turned up on cue in the NCP underground within 30 seconds of each other. Errands done coffee and cake consumed I tagged behind Bill's BV to Scootech. For those who haven't followed Genie as a pillion I have to say she has the most expressive arms I've ever seen! From her perch behind Bill we had different hand signals for "flying" over speed bumps, encouraging other drivers to make more speed, move over, and generally behave better towards the scooters! As long as I concentrated on Bill's indicators and NOT the hand signals I was OK.

So, my first day in London on a scooter.... Navigation no problem, my key land marks looked the same from the GTS as they did in the car. Company was great (although I'm sure B and G must have found it a bit spooky that I knew so much about them; all from this forum) and I ended up getting introduced to thoroughly nice bunch at Scootech. I feel "in good hands"

I even got a ride on the BV that Bill doesn't own!

A memorable day.

Why do you think I call her the Gobshite Shiva ?

Good to meet you Matey.

Bill X