Saturday 23 May 2020

"Lockdown" Exercise last weekend (with Katya)

We just took a short spin out along the Waddesdon Greenway and back.
We left a bit after 8 am in order to avoid most folks (who were still in bed at that time on a Sunday morning).
Anyway, I will let the pictures tell the story ...

Not many folks about - which is good

... Checking it Twice - Lockdown Cycle Camping Planning

...
Section 2 (the camping stuff) is starting to sound a bit like "taking everything except the kitchen sink".

Time for a quick check to see what that lot weighs!
I nipped out to the garage, and, using a scale designed for weighing holiday suitcases, started weighing stuff.

Tent (the small, single-skin "fishing shelter"), including carry bag - 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs)
Airbed - 2 kg (4.4 lbs)
Holdall (the strong bag I intend to put all the stuff in, and then strap it to my luggage rack) - 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs)
Lightweight groundsheet/poncho 400g (a bit under 1 lb)

So the "camping" stuff comes in at 5.2 kg (12.5 lbs) not including the chair.
The chair is 3.9 kg (8 1/2 lbs).

There is also LOADS of room in the holdall for other kit - cooking gear, clothes food, etc. etc.

Thursday 21 May 2020

Making a List, Checking it Twice - preparing for "Lockdown Cycle Camping"

Planning.
Planning.
Planning.

A good plan, plus some improvisation, gives one a fair chance at success.
A bad plan (or no plan), and you are just making a rod for your own back.

So here is the first draft of my plan, specifically the equipment list.
(it will be revised as I think of things, but best to get down an outline first, rather than trying to get it perfect in one go).

There are several sections to the list:

  1. the bike
  2. camping gear (tent etc)
  3. eating gear (and food)
  4. water
  5. clothing
  6. entertainment/relaxation
  7. special items


Wednesday 20 May 2020

Lockdown Cycle Camping Trip Next Week (involving my Back Garden, because all the campsites are closed!)

Talk about "the title says it all"!

I have vacation time booked next week, and I was hoping to go cycle camping in the South Downs
(a hilly bit, in the South of England).

BUT

Well. you know, real-world stuff and all that.
All the campsites are shut by Government decree.

So I will just have to pretend:
  1. load up my bike with camping stuff 
  2. cycle about a bit
  3. pitch my tent at the "simulated" campsite
  4. cook up some food with the campstove I will have just cycled about with
  5. sleep overnight in the tent.
  6. repeat steps 1 - 5 as required.

Monday 6 April 2020

His and Hers Vivoactive HR watches - how are we getting on?

Update 5 April 2020:
Anna's Vivoactive HR watch is still going strong, although the battery life is dropping off, and it needs charging perhaps twice a week now, rather than the once a week it was before.
My Vivoactive HR watch is still soldering on, cracked screen and all.
Yeah, it has lost some functionality, but it still does most of what I want.

Sunday 5 April 2020

Lockdown and future planning

Hi folks.
I, like a lot of you, am on "Lockdown".

I am actually a minor key worker, so I still go to work.
(I am at the practical end of logistics - I actually move things from A to B by vehicle, and it is not a job that can be done from home. And, like I said, I am officially a key worker providing an officially essential service - indeed, for the corp I work for, our most important contract is probably the one we have with the Government!)

However, I do not try to "stretch the point" or abuse my position.
I go to work the short way.
I come home the short way, stopping only for a bit of shopping once or twice a week.

Monday 13 January 2020

Recap of 2019

A couple of weeks into 2020, so it is a bit overdue that I review last year.

One thing that stands out is just how high I seem to have set my personal bar for "success",
Last year, I turned 55, and "only" jogged several 13 milers ("half marathon" distance), and "only" rode one 100 mile (160 km) and one 125 mile (200 km) distance.

Taking a step back, and viewing this from the perspective of my workmates, of the 120-ish of us, I am the ONLY one to have cycled anywhere near those distances in one day!
A few of my work colleagues are occasional runners, including a little guy that runs 3 hr marathons (!), even though he is in his late 50's, so my running performance at work is merely "better than most" rather than "exceptional"!