If you’re sick of the schoolboys knocking verbal lumps out of each other and simplifying to the point of lies*, and of all the other adversarial shite around the independence referendum, then I can heartily recommend a day of independence dialogue centred on respect and reconciliation.

Run by Collaborative Scotland – a brainchild of John Sturrock QC, a tireless worker for mediation and a lawyer combining brains and compassion – this day brings conversations with

• Douglas Alexander MP, shadow foreign secretary
• Andrew Wilson, former SNP MSP and journalist
• Peter Lederer CBE, Chairman of Gleneagles Hotel
• David Melding AM, Deputy Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly
• Conor Murphy MP and former Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Dan McDonald, businessman and sponsor of N56
• Alastair McIntosh, ecologist and writer
• Rev Richard Frazer, minister of Greyfriars Kirk

More details here!

*I had to walk away from the TV this evening. Elly had to suffer through it because it’s ‘work’.

I’d devised a few cycling ambitions for this year. Because Elly and I will be cycling in Bavaria at the time of Pedal for Scotland, it looks like I won’t achieve a 100-mile cycle (preferably a sportive) this year. Nor will I get to do a triathlon. But yesterday I achieved the third ambition – cycling to Glasgow and back.

There was a nasty headwind on the way to Glasgow – I think I turned it blue swearing at it as I struggled to maintain 10mph. As ever Uphall was nasty – why is the main street made of concrete slabs with huge expansion gaps? Despite wearing two layers of padding and copious arse-cream, I had severe arse-pain between there and the West Lothian/North Lanarkshire border. (I don’t know how entering NL cured it: maybe the nerves in my backside just gave up, maybe entering NL meant the end was in sight.) Whatever, I’m very grateful to West Lothian Council for the smooth cyclepath beside the A89 from Dechmont to Bathgate. Having cycled that stretch of road a few times, I know that that stretch of tarmac – which looks smooth – is a real bum-breaker.

My only stop on the way, except for traffic lights, was at the far side of Blackridge (so I was over halfway there) to water a farm gatepost and munch a couple of energy-chews. Here’s the cycle meter link, and here’s a screenshot of the cyclemeter map:

At Glasgow, I couldn’t cycle to Queen Street Station – there were some barriers and crowd. Has something unusual been happening there, apart from the usual partying?*

So I walked from Merchant City to Queen Street, bought some fried carbohydrate and a diet fizzy drink, had my photo taken by a random passer-by** and set off again.

This way I had a much-appreciated, which took almost an hour off the ride time (cycle meter link). Most of the way I was fearful that I’d need to drop out and take a train back to Edinburgh. Not because I couldn’t make the journey but because I had a meeting at 7:30. However, after an energy-chew stop at Bathgate, I realised that if I pushed hard enough, I would be home by 6:30. So pushing happened.

Given the cycle to and from the meeting, I did 90 miles. It might have been nice to cycle to Musselburgh and back to break 100 miles in a day. Next time – no stops! And I know this is nothing compared to racing 100 miles non-stop in the pouring rain but I’ve got 20 years on the winner and ride a hefty mid-price touring bike, not a carbon-fibre road-beast (yet!).

*yes, I know. But I’m a cyclopath – I generally plough my tarmac furrows alone.

** I was dressed something like this but with SPD shoes, swirly tights, a black long-sleeved base layer under the cycle jersey and a helmet with high-visibility cover.

(Several links in this post are to Facebook pages. They’re marked ^F)

A wee jigger of coffee before spinning^F, led by the always infectiously energetic Andy^F. I can’t remember all of it but there was lots of climbing and out-of-saddle action to a dance mix of New Year’s Day* at about 20 minutes. Just right to transition into the length of the session when we might be coming down from the initial post-warm-up mayhem. Then lots of runs – I’ve still not got the technique to stand and turn the pedals at high cadences without holding myself rigidly to the handlebars YET. Thanks to Elly^F on my left, Colin on my right for the good examples, and to Jeannie^F in front of me on the stage for showing how it’s done. Jeannie – it was great to follow your feet! All in all, ace – and I left with a wild grin on my face.

Then home, wash, change into fresh lycra and to Hendersons to meet up with friends from St Andrews. They cycled to Edinburgh on their tandem yesterday, and will return the same way tomorrow – respect! Al is a complete cyclopath, full of ‘see cyclist, chase cyclist’ stories from all around Scotland, including 250 miles across Scotland’s widest, hilliest bits in 2 days. His fastest recorded downhill speed – 52 mph – beats mine by 20mph, and he says he wasn’t pedalling when he did it. I was when I did mine. However, he thinks that Elly and I were insane to do the A82 south from Fort William. I just think it’s tarmac, we’re not banned from it, so I’m going to use it. And I have the right to do so – see here.

More stories and laughs with Al and Sheena over soya-milk lattes, vegan tiffin and tea at Affogato and back at Servants’ Quarters. After Al and Sheena left, Elly and I tiptoed through the raindrops to go shopping – en route I phoned my parents, who seem to be doing OK. The only current issue is that their washing machine has broken down after many year’s faithful service. Back at Servants’ Quarters, I washed steaming and sweaty kit from this morning while Elly cooked. After dinner my endorphins and caffeine ran out and I into a post-prandial torpor. My revival was aided by a delicious mango – juicy and just a little bit tart.

OK, so this is all very trivial but I’m in a happy mood and so I’d like to share it – maybe it will help someone else know there are good times to be had. Roll on next week’s Tour o’ the Borders!

* something like this, only even more storming

beer, snacks, tech, talk (not pictured)

I’ve just come across this website error-message.
Opinions here in Servants’ Quarters are divided: one of us thinks it’s rude, one thinks it’s funny. Both of us understand it may well be true: techies need sleep too.

What say you?

Far too full of vegan chocolate cake and soya-cheese scones. (Cake made by the rankin’ Ms J and the scones by lady E.) Ms J and Ms K say they wouldn’t have known the scones are vegan. Lady E and I thought the cake was to die for – covered in molten Divine bar with raspberry bits for extra pleasure!

Cake recipe here.

Scones recipe here, but with dairy ingredients replaced with Tesco soya milk, Cookeen cooking fat and Sheese smoked soya cheese.

Your probably know that I’m a bit of a cyclopath. I like to use navigation apps and map my rides using cyclemeter on my iPhone. But even with wifi switched off, the iPhone’s battery lasts less than 4 hours. The first solution I tried was a simple external battery. But this isn’t very convenient because for a long time, my iPhone has been in a LifeProof case, and nestled on my bike’s handlebars. The Lifeproof handlebar mount doesn’t allow the case’s charge door to open to allow a charging cable to reach the phone. So I’ve needed to dismount the phone from the handlebars when charging it – not much use for navigation.

Another potential solution is a hub dynamo. Some online research suggested that the best model is the Schmidt Original Nabendynamo (SON). There are many models of SON to suit the large number of combinations of hub types and spoke numbers. (My bike has disk brakes: the disks are fixed to the wheel hubs using 6 holes – an ISO standard.) About a year ago I bought the right type of SON and got my favourite bike shop to fit it into my bike.

But there are still issues: as well as needing to be able to open the charge door, dynamos produce varying AC voltages. iPhones and other USB devices need 1V DC. SO a transformer/regulator is needed between the dynamo and iPhone.

The first transformer/regulator I tried was a USB-werk, which is a special version of the e-werk transformer The e-werk has variable output but the USB-werk supposedly just gives out USB-style power. The first one I received didn’t work at all, while the second one failed after a week. I’m relieved to hear I’m not the only one who has had problems. I’m very grateful to the supplier, Rose Bikes, for taking them back with no quibbles.

Another solution – I forget the name – I tried did give out power, but the iPhone decided this was an unauthorised device and wouldn’t charge from it.

Over the last year I’ve been unable to afford to risk losing more money on failing ‘solutions’.  I’ve been aware of the Biologic Reecharge brand for a while. They sell cases for several iPhone models but until recently didn’t sell a case for iPhone 5/5s/5c that attached to bike handle bars. (They do now.) Anyway, if I couldn’t afford kit for things I didn’t have, I certainly couldn’t afford to replace a working phone.

But thanks to being paid last month for writing some code, I’ve recently bought the Biologic kit needed to connect my phone to the handlebars and to the dynamo:

• a case
• a handelbar mount
• a transformer

The case adds a lot of bulk to the phone. A lot of the bulk is an extra battery, so that the case can charge the phone even when it’s not connected to the dynamo:

Lifeproof case and Biologic case
naked iPhone 4 and Biologic case

So today’s tests show that the handlebar mount works, and doesn’t fall apart when cycling over Edinburgh’s rubbish road surfaces. The case will charge my iPhone 4 or another external device, whether or not connected to my mac’s USB port. (Just now the case battery is charging – it’s still flashing an amber LED to say it’s less than 50& charged.) All the cables needed to connect external USB devices and the transformer to the case are present and correct. BUT I still have no idea whether the dynamo will charge the case or a phone within the case because I can’t connect the transformer to the dynamo!

The cables that should connect the transformer to the dynamo have bare wire at their dynamo ends. The manual assumes that my dynamo has Shimano-style connectors into which I can twist these bare ends.

Apparently I should also have ordered two wee connectors to connect the cables to my SON dynamo:

These cost €0·95 each, but shipping will cost €8·95 on top of that! I refuse to pay shipping that’s 4 times the price of the products. I’ve not yet found a UK online source of these connectors so I’ll go and bug some electronics stores in the morning.

For now, time to sleep – and see whether the case battery is fully charged in the morning.

I’m strongly against all death penalties. While I have no informed opinion on Egyptian politics, I believe 528 executions will be 528 too many. If you feel the same way, go here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_mass_execution_loc/?bHPscdb&v=37970