#204 Split Ends in Barcelona

Took my low-profile bike frame to Barça, met up with Tom, jumped on a bicing (Barcelona's public bike scheme) to cross town.






















Then train out to Blanes to have the frame's ends changed by very nice chap called Tomás of Alkonfactory.


















Pic of Tom, Tomás and his daughter Fani.


















Then in the evening to a cocktail do at another bike shop called espaibici who were launching their own folding town bike. Drank wine. Ate tapas.














Called in on Dirk at imensajeros and organised new rear wheel for said bike. He and his Mrs run a bike messenger company and he has a bike workshop in his gaff. Need deliveries in Barça? click here.













Had a snack at Sandwich&Friends then dined out with Tom & Carrie and the rest of Barcelona's beau monde.

Next day we called in at Santiago Bagué SL which is a little workshop down a narrow side street off the Passeig de Colom. I asked for advice on polishing cranks. The boss gave me a big lump of polishing compound for free and showed us his polishing machines and how to use them. Need polishing? try restauraciondemetales.es here is a pic from their website.


















. . . . and just before catching the EuroMed home went to see where Carrie does pottery.

#203 eBay sales

Sold! stem$81 and wheel $710

#202 flor-i-col

Beatriz, Sally, Chelo, Jose Luis having sunday lunch. Chelo prepared a traditional paella at home with cod and cauliflower - delicious.

Cauliflower is coliflor in Spanish but, I think, the nicer translation is the Valencianan (our local language) flor-i-col.

#201 New seats for old

We bought this beautiful Josef Hoffmann sofa 20 years ago and as you can see it *did* look its age. Now! de-greased, de-siliconed, de-waxed, re-coloured with matching leather dye, re-sprayed, creamed, polished, highlights and a blow dry it's ready to accept bums once again!

#200 Langster Highbury

I've submitted my new bike to www.fixedgeargallery.com/
It can be seen on the thursday 28 Feb postings.
(but it's just the same as here).



















Originally this bike was a Langster London which I bought to ride the 20k round trip to the swimming pool. However, I've changed it so much that I think it should now be called a Langster Highbury. The bars have been flopped and chopped and covered in transparent tape. Saddle and pin swapped for a vintage white Concor together with a Campag record pin and the black collar changed for a chrome one.















I couldn't get on with the graphics, a bit-mapped plan of the London Underground and a Specialized logo which looked to me more like the stars and stripes than a union (jack) and also, who really really wants "God Save the Queen" plastered on their chain stays? So, I sprayed them out and put an Arsenal FC home-made sticker on the top tube. Probably does want something on the down tube . . . . . . . (thinks).















Lastly, I replaced the white chain, varnished the blue Sugino chainring a distressed red and then fitted Speedplay's Frog pedals.














I need some advice from you viewers. As you see I have two tyre options. Red or white? Could you please send in your votes; if you prefer the red, press the red button on your remote, if the white Zaffiro's is your thing - press white (btw: bought them direct from Tsukumo Cycle Sports in Japan - and only 8000Yen including shipping).













It's an excellent bike for the money, a big ¡gracias! to Cicles Extrem in Denia who don't fall about laughing when I come in for weird bits . . . . . . . . . . they wait till I've gone out ;-)

Oh, one more thing, I've just found an Arsenal bidon on their shop website, so that's ok, but I still lack a red cycling jersey with white sleeves, preferably in merino wool, to complete the pose, anyone any ideas?

#199 New White Zaffiros

I just got a pair of white Vittoria Zaffiro tyres which came all the way from Tsukumo Cycle Sports in Japan - and only 8000Yen including shipping. Excellent!

Now, which bike shall I put them on . . . . . . ?



















. . . and they sent this nice badge :-)

#198 Guapas!

#197 Six Books

So that I won't go hungry in France while watching football,
I bought six books from Amazon at Christmas (they arrived to-day).


















The Discovery of France Graham Robb
Speak the Culture: France Andrew Whittaker
Further Adventures in Search of Perfection Heston Blumenthal
How Football Explains the World Franklin Foer
Football Against the Enemy Simon Kuper
No Reservations Anthony Bourdain

#196 Beefheartian Mastermind

Actor Paul Bradley appeared on Celebrity Mastermind answering questions on Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Did I grin? Yes!

Was just able to pip him to the answer to question 4 - which was, of course - Winged Eel Fingerling. Hurray!

#195 . . . . . its a tetrahexahedra! (I think).

Christmas gift from Mascha's dad.

#194 Christmas Paella & Boxing Boxes

Christmas with all our family (including Dutch division).
at el Mena restaurant by the sea.















Boxing day - ten for dinner!
In our casita (and we've only got 8 chairs :-)

#193 Hot

Some months ago I was cutting up hot chillis for a spicy curry and I planted some of the seeds. Here is the result, ready for the pot!

#192 A Week in YooKay

Friday: We flew Alicante - Bournemouth. I hired a car and drove to Air Canada Cargo at Heathrow and gave them my Merlin Newsboy for shipment to its new owner in Vancouver. After an hour filling forms I cruised down the M4 to visit Kev & Lorraine (and Ryan) near Swindon. Kev has been storing my old Low Profile TT bike in his loft for the last 20 years, so packed it in a box and I'm taking it back to Spain.














Saturday: After breakfast (note Ryan in very chi-chi dressing gown) I drove down to Broadstone to rejoin Sally and see her dad, Arthur. Stayed the night at Judy's (Sally's sister).














Sunday: Pat (seen here photographing me photographing her) and Timothy came down from Norwich, after another breakfast, we all met up for a family pub lunch. Then by car to London. Dropped bike at Jay's in Tooting and continued to Muswell Hill to stay with mum. Had v nice tapas with her next door neighbours.


















Monday: We went shopping and lunching in Covent Garden. Here we are hanging outside the Addict flagship store. It was very, very cold.














Tuesday: On our way from Muswell Hill to Tooting dropped in on Sally's friend Janet in Highgate (who we've known since the 60's) for a drop of soup.


















Wednesday: Pilgrimage to the Emirates Stadium to see Arsenal play Steaua Bucharest. We won 2-1, grin, btw Jay is not saying 2-2!














Thursday: Flew home and unpacked bike ready for a rebuild.

#191 Pimp My Ride (bicycle division)

As I've just sold my Merlin Newsboy (sob) I've cleaned polished and pimped my Marin Team Titanium (circa 1992). Same old frame but new tyres, chain, chain rings, cables, bars and stem. Plus 'punk' black and red grips :-)

#190 Reunion 2008

I've been trying to organise a reunion, together with two of my mates, at a cycle race in Guérande, France which we three all rode 45 years ago. I'm hoping to get permission to turn up at the same event next year and have a bit of a knees-up.

I've dispatched several letters with no response - so now I've written to Madame Annick Mahé (the mayoress of the ville) hoping for some action! After much sweating over French dictionaries I came up with the missive (below).
Zut Alors!















Chère Madame Mahé
Je m'appelle John Lillie, je suis l'un de trois coureurs cyclistes britanniques qui courions la course cycliste de guérande en 1963. Les autres sont Brian Wilkins et David Lancaster (qui a gagné la course).

Comme nous sommes toujours amateurs du velo, nous voudrions arranger une réunion en mai 2008 au même fois que la course cycliste en guérande.

Je vous écris pour demander si vous pouvez m'aider?

Je veux contacter le président ou la secrétaire de l'us guérandraise cyclisme pour demander le date de la course l'annee prochaine. J'ai déjà écris à M. Y Piquet, 18 bd de la Fraternité 44420 La Turballe et aussi us guérandraise cyclisme a la marie de guérande, et aussi j'ai envoyer e.mail a pascalvaillant@wanadoo.fr. mais malheureusement j'ai pas reçu une seule réponse.

Si vous avez le temps de découvrir le contact et il ne vous déragerez trop je espére d'avoir bientôt une lettre de vous (ou, si vous le trouvez plus facile, e.mail a johnlillie@easy.com). Merci en avance.

Ci-inclus une photo prise à guérande en 1963. Pensez-vous que la fille et le jeune garçon sont toujours dans la région? Il ferait beau de recréer cette image.

Avec tous mes sentiments distingués.
John Lillie

#189 :::::::::::::

I have added book reviews to #178.

#188 Merlin Titanium Newsboy

For Sale £2000 or 3000 euros or $4000.

Merlin titanium Newsboy mountain bike.
Built, I believe, in 2002.
Number 99 of only 100 ever made.
Medium size.
I've cut down the carbon fibre bars and added Specialized bar ends.

I bought the bike new in England in 2003, I've not used it much:
2003 Tour of Spain's Vias Verdes (Greeways) 350km
2004 2 separate weekends following Valencia Greenways 200km
2005 Ruta del Cid - Burgos to Valencia 650km
2007 Parc Natural de Els Ports 100km
. . . . . various other rides, not more than 200km
About 1500km on the clock (940 miles).



Click on the pic for a super big image,
and for more info mail me: johnlillie at easy.com
More pics at http://flickr.com/photos/menfot

#187 Ma bouillabaisse (recette)

Stage 1 (60 minutes)
Make a fish stock by boiling bits of fish (heads, tails, shells, etc) for an hour, keep the liquid, throw away the bits - or buy ready-made fish stock.

Stage 2 (15 minutes)
Sweat vegetables: In a frying pan with a lid, gently cook in olive oil; carrots, red peppers, onions, celery. Add salt and pepper, crushed coriander seeds and paprika. Then add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a spoon or two of orange juice. Cook a few more minutes.

Stage 3 (5 minutes)
Whizz the stock from Stage 1 with the cooked vegetables from Stage 2 to make a soup. Then add a bottle cap full of Pernod - this is important!

Add a big slug of olive oil, and more salt and pepper and paprika if required. If you make twice as much as you need, now is the time to freeze half for another day.

Stage 4 (10 minutes)
Re-heat the soup and in it gently cook bits of fish. I used cubed Monkfish, big Prawns and some Mussels. Also, I added some cubed boiled potatoes that I had cooked earlier. Then serve sprinkled with fresh coriander or parsley.

In France they sometimes serve croutons on the side - cubes of fried bread together with garlicky mayo.

Bon Appétit.

#186 Bouillabaisse

Sunday lunch - Salad and Bouillabaisse.
Tom refills wine glasses. I'm standing on a chair and Sally is . . . . . ?

#185 Six days in Els Ports

We went to Horta de San Joan in the Parc Natural de Els Ports for six days. Sally went mountain walking with her friends. I went off mountain biking. Tom came for two days and he rode with me one day and we all walked the last day.

Some of the bike routes included Vias Verdes, old railway lines that have been converted to tracks. These Vias, particularly the Via Terra Alta had a number of tunnels, some short, some long with lighting and some unlit, long and black and rather unpleasant (even with a bike lamp).

#184 Sea View

The view from our terraza - I should have put a jug of sangria and a couple of glasses on the table to complete the picture . . . . .

#183 Billie Holiday - Fine and Mellow (1957)

click if your hip (and can spare 9 minutes)

There's an introduction, then a bit of chat from Billie Holiday. You can see a very young Gerry Mulligan in a 'sport' coat jigging to the rhythm - and he hasn't even started playing yet.

First solo from Ben Webster, smooth and cool (and so is his hat). Then 'The Prez' (Lester Young), he's so laid back he's probably playing and meditating in his yoga class at the same time. More solos from the all star group. My favorites are the saxophones of Mulligan, Young and Webster.

Dig.