Monthly Archives: May 2020

Right up yer kilt!

Posted on by
1

Today is the last full day for a while when I can sit on the old bog-seat in the garden, smoking my wotsits off. It may also be the last day for a while that I ride Nikita the folding bike. So here are some celebratory photos.

Bruce lighting a fag in the garden

lighting up

Bruce enjoying a fag in the garden

smoking the world away

the toilet-seat and Nikita the folding bike

the bog-seat and Nikita the folding bike

Hence some questions, mostly for my Napier and community council colleagues:

  • Should I bring Nikita back to Scotland with me?
  • Should I keep on wearing kilts in Scotland?
    •  If so, with or without tent-slippers?

RIP Lena Elisabeth Ryan (née Kessler)

Posted on by
Reply

Today was mum’s funeral. She was cremated at Wyre Forest Crematorium, after a service wonderfully led by Reverend Dr David Southall. Click either graphic to see the order of service at full-size (PDF).

front and back of LER order of service inside of LER order of service

The photo on the front is from my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding. The photo on the back is from when we arranged for mum to drive a coach for one of her birthdays. She had let slip that she had always wanted to try this when taking her pupils on school trips.

Thanks to lockdown, there were only 10 mourners: Ian and Pamela (my brother and sister-in-law), Susan (my sister), Elly (my wife) and I, two very close neighbours, two other family friends and Stephanie Senter of Worcester Scout Active Support. We all look forward to a post-lockdown celebration of mum’s life, to which we can invite her friends from all around the world. Continue reading →

Spinning through Worcestershire

Posted on by
Reply

Today I finally got time to go out on Nikita the folding bike. (Well, a bit further than to the local shop to buy tobacco, which I did yesterday.)

The first ride was to the post office in the next village, to post a large letter to one of my mother’s pension providers and to try to pay some cheques into my Smile (online only) bank account. I couldn’t do the latter because I don’t have any paying-in slips. However, it did give me time on my own to have acrylics about recent events.

Here are the cyclemeter maps: click the screenshots to see the data:

cycle to Hallow post office

Out

cycle from Hallow post office

back

This evening, LifesCycle had one of their regular online (Facebook live) spins. Elly used the exercise bike here at the ‘circus’, while I took Nikita out into the lanes just outside Worcester’s northwest corner. I only managed 7·68 miles, partly due to setting off slightly late and getting home before the class finished, and partly due to stopping to adjust the saddle. Oh my bahookie! But it was lovely cycling in the sunshine, seeing the trees, fields, old-style farmhouse and freaking people out by wearing my camouflage kilt, Lifescycle cycling jersey, a buff and grunting by on a small folding bike. Hah!

cycle route through Worcestershire

spin-cycle!