#333 Med - No Snake

Due to popular demand I have replaced the rather boring picture of the Mediterranean with this Snake Scene, taken during a recent ride.

#332 Alan Mecurial Pro - another bike.

I liked my cyclo-cross bike (#314) so much that I went to my spare parts bin and dragged everything out; stems and bars and wheels and cranksets and saddles and pins - nearly enough to make another bike. I only lacked a frame and some odd bits, so I searched the interweb and came across this Alan Mecurial Pro Cross frame, bought it from the man in Italy and built it up for Sally to ride.

Cyclo cross bikes are good for touring because you can fit great big fat tyres and go off-road down tracks and trails that would shred a road bike's wheels to bits.

Now we both can go zooming up and down the Vias Verdes in Spain or the Voies Vertes in France to our hearts content :-)

#331 Money grows on trees in North london.

I couple of weeks ago I was walking through Highgate in N London when I saw a woman standing at a Barclays cash machine (rather strangely, it has to be said, she was leaning forward on the machine with her legs crossed) this reminded me that I too needed some cash. As I arrived at the ATM and was about to put my card in, I saw that she had left her money behind. I took it out and quickly zipped up and down the road looking for her - but to no avail.

I then took the money into the Barclays (100 pounds) and handed it in, thinking that she would be straight back once realising her loss. I suppose I could have kept it, but having actually seen the woman and also wanting to maintain my good karma I did the right thing.

A week later I rang the bank to ask if it had been collected. No, the manager told me, and it seems that they were not about to make any effort to find her, even though they had her card details. It seems it is up to her to claim it back.

I felt a bit miffed that I had taken the trouble to return the money but Barclays couldn't be bothered to do their bit.

Next day I was in Sainsburys supermarket at a self check-out till. The electronic voice wouldn't let me start but kept telling me to take my change. What do you know? The previous customer had left a fiver in the slot.

********Update************
The local newspaper The Hampstead & Highgate Express printed this piece, almost word for word :-)

#330 Shoes - Take 2

Back at #325 I got a new pair of shoes - but - they came out a bit too small :-(

I was disappointed and my cobbler man was mortified, to such an extent that he made me a new pair. Not having any more of the original leather I chose this reddish leather and my man took it on himself to spend three hours punching a few million holes in the top section, because in Spain you need a bit of aeration in the hot summer months.

Now I have the most beautiful pair of hand made, made to measure, not expensive shoes in Denia - if not the whole of the Iberian Peninsula :-)

#329 Come the Revolution!

. . . . and in other news; As I'm still in London I went to the Tate Modern, saw a load off stuff but liked a set of photos taken by Simryn Gill of Malasian house interiors (oddly hypnotic in their sameness) and even more, a display of Russian Revolutionary Graphic Art, mostly posters, some seemed to have been printed on brown wrapping paper with bold red and back inks, poverty and power all on one piece of paper. I liked the display so much I went back for a second look.























Then to the very best curry restaurant in London the Mirch Masala in Tooting. Even as you come out of the tube station at Tooting Bec you can smell the curry sauces wafting from the dozens and dozens of restaurants in Upper Tooting Road.

Went with Jay and Marcel & Karen (pic ©Karen) It's difficult to describe how wonderful the Mirch is, busy, noisy, friendly, excellent food. We shared Ginger Chicken, Saag Paneer, Masala Karella Daal Burji, Lentil Daal, Nans and BYO beer. If you are in London - go there!


















And finally, another thanks for my birthday gifts, some of which included; a bell, a book, v nice jacket and some portable scales.

#328 Art and Ribs

Met up with Jay in London. Should have been Art and Dim Sum but we couldn't get into PingPongDimSum so went round the corner for Ribs.



































Earlier went to the Saatchi Gallery for my once a year visit, met up with our friend Janet, and looked at The Empire Strikes Back - Indian Art Today. Liked the big pic of Bindis, those little dots Indians put on their foreheads.

#327 Three days to get to London

Saturday: Denia - Valencia - Barcelona - paella with Tom & Carrie - night train to Paris.

Sunday: Walk from Gare Austerlitz to Gare St Lazare (didn't stop for ice cream with Laurent at Grom Gelatori - they were closed) - train to Cherbourg - went to dinner at Le Panoramique with Bernie & Marie Therese.

Monday: Car to Caen - train to Paris - RER to Gare du Nord - Eurostar to London St Pancras - tube to E Finchley - walk to Muswell Hill - big glass of red wine.
















Bernie coming out of the Klink du Piercing in Caen. Can't say exactly what he had done, but he seems quite happy ;-)

#326 Mum

My Mum just had a hip replacement but came out of hospital, not only with a new hip but also a nasty bug that made her very ill, so she was sent back in for different anti-biotics, drips, injections and what have you.

Here she is making a good fist of some solid food. Steak and chips soon!

#325 Cobblers!

I have a very old pair of shoes that I love but . . . they are very old shoes.
Just round the corner a tiny little shoe mender's shop has opened, run by a nice Bulgarian man. In the window he put a sign "shoes made to measure". I asked, more on the off-chance than anything, could he copy my old red shoes?

Yes, he said and he has made me a pair of the most wonderful, elegant, chic shoes you could wish for. But - the most wonderful part was the price - €80. Excellent! He did say that this was his very special, first time in Denia price and if any mates want similar the price might rise to €120.

Do you want some new shoes? I can pass on any enquiries.

#324 Chewing Gum Man

Coming back from the Post Office in Muswell Hill we came across the Chewing Gum Man. He's an artist who lies on the pavement and paints pictures on discarded bits of chewing gum. A bit like Banksy (see #321) making ephemeral art in/on the street.

He hasn't got a tag, I suggested Wrigley. He was very much against that - too commercial!





























I also bought an adjustable spanner in a 99p shop.
I was so pleased at the price that I gave the cashier a Pound coin and said "Keep the Change!" :-)

#323 More Friends

We went out and about visiting friends.
Zoe & Annie and Jasmine & Sally.
You have to figure out who is who.
One clue: Jasmine is the most co-ordinated ;-)

#322 Brick Lane

Went down to Brick Lane in the east end of London. Stopped at the famous Brick Lane Beigel Shop. It's open 24 hours a day and serves amazing salt beef bagels and smoked salmon and other typical Jewish bakery goods. Their bagels are the business!


















Not only that my old mate Alf Engers (see #298) still works part time in the bakery making all their good stuff. We dropped in on Alf, said hello and had a salt beef bagel, with gherkins and plenty of mustard, followed by a piece of cheesecake. (Here he is half way through making a tray of apple pies).
















Replete with salt beef I shopped in Brick Lane Bikes (which is not in Brick Lane) and bought this rather snazzy pair of red Vittoria cycling shoes. You know what they say "Red Shoes, No . . . . . . Comment?"

Then popped in to Whitechapel Art Gallery for a look around. They have nice a big Picasso Guernica tapestry hanging on the wall - actually it looks more like a carpet than a tapestry, too big for our front room, though.























(Yes I agree, white laces are just too much, they will be changed asap).
. . . . . Black . . . . ?

#321 Banksy

Went to the Odeon Cinema in Camden Town to see Exit Through the Gift Shop a spoof documentary about graffiti stuff.

Bizarre to have actually paid to see it rather than nick a free torrent. Quite good, enjoyable, a bit long.

#320 London

Visiting 1:
Me and Alan Rochford in front of his bike shop full of . . . bikes!

#319 6 in search

We went to Barcelona to see Carrie in a play - Six Characters in Search of an Author. Encore! or ¡Otra! if you are Spanish

#318 Boeuf Bourguignon

I opened this bottle of Vega Pati red wine from the Castilla y Leon region of Spain. It *should* be ok, aged in oak barrels and all that, but it had a sort of woody taste and not quite my cup of tea.

What to do? Go back to the cellar and select a different bottle to drink.
And the Vega Pati?
I used it make a Boeuf Bourguignon for Sunday lunch :-)

#317 Fallas Orchestra

The view from our balcony . . . . .

#316 Elite Bidons

Kudos to Elite. I bought three of their nice red bike bottles - but two subsequently cracked :-(

After an e.mail to them in Italy, appraising them of the situation, they wooshed me a couple of replacements immediatamente :-) Grazie!

#315 Klick Fixed It!

I like living in Spain but one drawback is that Spanish retailers are not that good at customer service. I was trying to buy a different clamp for my handlebar bag but after a couple of e.mails to our Spanish agent (without repl) I gave up in exasperation and sent a mail to the head office of Rixen & Kaul, the German manufacturers.

Immediate reply, "What's your address? We'll send you a pair".

Excellent service (and FOC). I shall now be a KLICKfix loyal customer and if you need a bicycle bag or clamp, point your browser here.

#314 Chili and Chili

I've built a new bike, specially designed for off-road touring. It's a sort of comfortable cyclo-cross bike. The frame is a Salsa Cycle's Chili con Crosso and it's got gurt big tyres for riding over rough stuff.

On this year's planned rides, Edinburgh to France and Sevilla to Salamanca, I'll be looking for less asphalt and more gravel.

To celebrate the Chili con Crosso I cooked a Chili con Carne!