The slow and the furious
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Category Archives: Amuse-Bruce
Extending the range
The jaunts from North Berwick to Edinburgh last weekend and the weekend before that were fairly flat. We both wanted to see if we could go further, on more undulating terrain. So Elly suggested cycling via Kirkliston to Linlithgow and back. We’re just back, and despite a few grumbles, my legs kept going. The Rose SPD sandals worked well too. Here’s the inevitable cyclemeter map:
click he graphic to see ride details
Pack up your troubles?
So this weekend’s jaunt was a repeat of last weekend’s run from North Berwick to home, but this time carrying luggage. Lev’s panniers weighed 1 stone 8 lbs (9.8kg), and contained most of the things I think I’ll take in August. I have no idea how much Fidel’s panniers weighed, but rather than faff with packing lists, Elly quickly filled them with old copies of the London Review of Books.
Here’s the inevitable cyclemeter map, and below is Lev’s panniers’ contents. There’s a PDF of my packing list here just in case you’re really interested.
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Slow progress
It’s been fairly challenging recently. I won’t go into why here – let’s just say that a combination of issues has led to full nights of sleep being conspicuously absent. I’d not been spinning for at least two weeks, so endorphins have been in very short supply. This culminated yesterday in a spinning session that was an exercise in fighting myself, followed by a painful cycle home and a ‘cultural’ event that I should have body-swerved.
Elly has also not been having a good time recently, and we’ve both missed burning up the miles together. So I’m pleased that we were both able to cycle from North Berwick to Servants’ Quarters, taking a longer route than strictly necessary. Here’s the obligatory cyclometer map:
Click to see full-size map on cyclometer website
Keeping the rubber side down
It being sunny and all that, and the ever-wonderful Elly both not being at work, and us needing to get some miles under our belts in preparation for this summer’s wee jaunt, we took to Edinburgh’s somewhat patchy cycle-paths. Because this was our first cycle together in far too long, we didn’t push hard, and we had a wee pause at the Beach House after fighting through the crows on Portobello promenade. So I’ve just had my first doppelespresso of the year. You have been warned!
Click the graphic to see the cyclometer data.
I’d forgotten how much I enjoy being out with Elly, Fidel and Lev!
How to plan a honeymoon #firstworldproblems
Don’t spend most of an afternoon gathering intermediate stops from Eurovelo route 15’s website, then mapping your proposed ride on Google Maps to compile distance data like this:
How to book a honeymoon #firstworldproblems
Go to a physical travel agent and pay for a normal all-in package holiday of sun, sea, sangria and anything else you like beginning with ‘s’. Do not attempt to book a complex, unusual journey yourself. In particular, do not…
My wallet is bulging – with paper receipts
I prefer to pay for nearly everything using my debit card. (The exceptions are the snack vending machines at work, because they talk back to lusers with an annoying Sirius Cybernetics voice. I prefer to receive receipts, and keep them to check that the entries on my bank statements are believable. However, this means my wallet tends to bulge with valueless pieces of paper.
It struck me tonight that this is a huge waste of resources too: paper, printing ink, electricity, whatever the printer is made of, people’s time putting rolls of till receipt into machines (been there, done that, bought the t-shirt with the image of trapped fingers) and so on. And there is no need for any of this! Continue reading
What has Bruce been up to (late March to early April 2018)
Last week
- Monday 26: I missed The Independent Commission on Referendums: who, what, why and how – Edinburgh Seminar because the calendar appointment shifted in my calendar, probably because of the change to summer time.
- Tuesday 27: working on a report for Napier; Leith Harbour & Newhaven CC meeting
Digital evidence that Bruce might have a life 