You know how it is, you’ve worked umpteen weeks at break neck speed and at long last get a few days off where you can go to visit the family and do your own thing a bit.

Having family who live ver close to Southampton, I thought I would reserve a day for just having a few hours walking round the city looking in shops and generally doinf what most people do.

Having a bus pass helps and so I made my way down to the Bus Stop to catch the first available bus and enjoy the route into the City. When I got on the bus I was feeling quite healthy and really up for it, but I forgot I was getting the first ‘Pass Bus’ and was accompanied by many people of my age and above.

This is obviously quite a social event for many and gives them a chance to catch up with all the latest news around their particular neighbourhood. I heard about Jim who passed away last week. Apparently it all started about three months ago with a pain in his side, he saw the Doctor who sent him for an x-ray, the rest of the story is obvious. This doesn’t bear too well, especially when you yourself have a had a recent pain in the side and wondered what caused it!

Then there was neighbour Nancy’s daughter. Oh dear, she’s had a hard time of it. Apparently three kids and the husband has to work away and they sold the car, so she has to take the kids to school on a bus and so on.
Maybe I joke and to be fair, much of this is fairly common to many. You hear ‘the real live’ travelling on a Bus.

Upon arriving at the City Centre, I alighted and made my way into West Quay, the large and modern Shopping Centre where you can buy just about anything you don’t really need etc. As it was a kind of treat day, I thought I’d have a breakfast, something I rarely do when I’m out, but thought I would throw my frugality to the wind for half an hour and gorge myself with a ‘Full English’.

That was good and set me right for going around the shops. I have quite a lot of clothes to wear at home, but about 75% of them have ‘Kent County Cricket Club’ written all over them. A quick in and out of Primark saw me fork out the amazing sum of £4 on two T-Shirts, silly really, they’ll last me about five years and I spent more on a Breakfast which lasted me five minutes!

This was followed by a walk round a few other favourite shopping venues, two Bicycle Shops, a Camping Shop and Maplins. I didn’t buy anything as I didn’t need anything, but it’s nice to see all those things you’ve already got or wonder at the Tent which is six times more expensive than yours but you know you’d only use it about two days every four years and calculating my age and how long I’d be having camping holidays in the future against that, the only good to come out would be for the person who finally gets it!

What I thought would be a five hour outing down to the Shops, resulted in just over ninety minutes, I’d become bored and just wanted to get back to the House where I could be myself again and not have to pay £2 plus for a cup of coffee.

I guess I would sum up by saying that we all have this tendency to want on what’s on the other side of the fence, but all too often, after we’ve been over it, it’s not really something we truly want deep down.
Sure it would be nice to have a wad of notes occasionally to buy things with, but even then, I think I’d only buy things I need at the price the item is of value to me.

The bus ride home was a pleasant one, full of people with their bags of shopping and a look which said they were going to put the kettle on as soon as they got in. If anything it showed me that an Englishman’s home really is his castle. The outside world is nice, but there’s no place like home!

I’ve been quite excited for some while to using my Forerunner GPS with the Bicycle. Work commitments at home haven’t allowed me to use it before coming to Southampton for a few days.

Knowing there’s a spare Bike down here, a good one at that - a Dawes, I brought it down to give it a go.

Now, as with all slightly tech gadgets, you are supplied with a 400 page manual which, after sorting out the language pages, narrows it down to around fifteen. Upon seeking these out, you find they are designed for those with good lateral thinking, but after some in depth perusal I felt ready to go.

All seemed relatively easy; switch on, switch to ‘Bike Mode’ and away you go.

I turned it on inside the house, did a few bits, went outside, got the bike out and just as I was about to set off, thought it was now time to push the ‘Start / Stop’ button.

Off I went on a good 12 mile ride with my daughter along roads, through woods, along the edge of Southampton Water and ending up back at Netley some 80 minutes later.

As soon as I stopped I pressed the ‘Start / Stop’ again to ensure I got all the timing right.

Well, the lessons learnt…….

1. When I turned it on, I actually pushed start, so when I actually started, I actually stopped it

2. When I returned and pushed ’stop’, I in fact started it again.

After plugging into my Laptop, I got the map on right.

This map shows me efficiently walking from the Front Room Office, through to the back of the house closing a couple of doors on the way, walking down the garden, picking up the dogs toy three times to throw it up the garden, going into the shed and taking the bike around the side of the house to the road.
After that, a more or less repeat performance the other way round.

So my 15 mile bike ride became 0.09 miles at an average speed of 0.7mph and ascending a height of 7 feet.
My fastest speed was 1.6 which must have been when I tried to pick up the dog toy before he got to it.

After lessons learnt I have since just about got it right and tried it again when the Grandkids and myself had a little bike ride the following day.

Oh yes, my jaunt around the house before the cycle ride used up 2 calories apparently, so one small bite of a Flapjack should soon replenish my obvious health needs.

Summary - Do not switch on the GPS until you’re sitting on the Bike and ready to go. This may incur a few seconds waiting for it to pick up a satellite signal, but it is somewhat more efficient and won’t show you that quick trip to the bathroom before you start!. Also, leave anything with digital screens to people under the age of ten!

Maybe getting the new bicycle made me into doing this, cycling gives you a little more opportunity to stop, get off and view some of the wonderful countryside around you.

So, the other day I was driving home from my job with Kent County Cricket Club in Canterbury and thought I’d make a few stops on the way.

The journey is a very rural and pleasant one, sure you have to drive half of it on the sometimes busy A28, but just a few meters or so off of that, there are scenes to please the eye.

First there’s the up and down route along Chartham Down between the road from Canterbury to Folkestone and Shalmsford Street.
There’s one field in particular I often glance at. The view from the road down the hill shows an area of cereal but four round clusters of trees. Looking at it closely I can only assume it’s where some unused fifty pounders from WW2 were dropped from a plane on the way back reaching the the Channel, but a pleasant view, especially in the evening when there’s a decent sunset.

Driving from Shalmsford Street itself down to the A28, you cross over the River Stour. Along the side of the road at this time of the year are the occasional wild poppy and in the field adjacent, some lucky sheep saved from the chop for breeding next year.

The view from either side of the Bridge is one which could only be England, the hanging branches, the green and the Fisherman patiently waiting for a Trout to tickle, or is that around the other way!

From there you go to the Ashford junction just short of Chilham. If you look carefully to the left just after turning, you will see a signpost to Chilham Mill. Go down there, over the Level Crossing, park your car, walk a couple of hundred meters and you are presented with the glorious view of Chilham Lake.

The picture is not large enough to quite spot the swimming Heron and naturally does not show the sounds of birds not far from going to their nests for the night.

I used to take Leo there quite often when he was younger. A fine place indeed.

Lastly and just a couple of miles closer to Ashford, there’s the lovely Church at Godmersham. Tucked nicely into an inlet of the Downs, it could be in Wales or the Lake District.
There are walks behind it up onto the Downs themselves where on a good day, you can see the River Thames reaching it’s destination of the English Channel.

These of course aren’t the only places to stop and wander and it must be the same on any route wherever we are travelling. Then there’s the detours, why not!

It’s easy to drive home, to speed along for that evening meal and a favourite TV programme. Maybe it’s age, but it’s nice to stop off once in a while, take a few moments of solace and just respect what and where we are.

Route…

From Canterbury, take the Old Dover Road to the St. Lawrence Cricket Ground. Immediately after the Cricket ground turn right into the B2068. Go along for approx 2 miles and just past the The Granville Pub on the left, turn right signposted to Chartham and Chilham, the view at the top is about one mile along there.

Continue on that road through Shalmsford Street and descend through the Village, the River Stour runs under the road just before the A28 junction.

For Chilham Mill and Chilham Lake, continue along the A28, turning left at the signpost for Ashford, the narrow roadway is just off the junction and next to the Van Salesroom / MOT Garage. You can park in the free Parking spaces just the other side of the railway crossing.

For Godmersham, return to the A28 and you’ll see the Church on the right hand side just after you’ve entered the 50mph speed limit. If you’re going to visit the Church, turn right at the River bridge and park along the narrow lane.

I ventured down town on my new bike a couple of times last week, but this Monday I had time on my hands and thought I’d venture further.

The plan was a gentle 10 mile jaunt to the Co-Op, not the Co-Op about half a mile away, but the one in the village of Wye. Wye as the crow flies is only about two miles, but by road, it’s about five miles down and around the Lanes eastwards of Ashford.

I have to say that after one mile I was finding it hard; a pain in the groin I hadn’t felt before and a more worrying pain in the side of the knee cap. The funny thing is they went after about 20 minutes.

It was a very hot afternoon and being not far from the river brought out a nice selection of flies all making a beeline for the mouth, not the river mouth - mine!
But like the good Boy Scout I once was, I was prepared with cotton scarf around my neck and wide angle sunglasses. Both together this gave the impression of an old git trying to look trendy. Did I care about that - NO!

One thing I have found with the new Bike is the difference a couple of hundred pounds make. For a few years I’d been riding around on a bicycle of less than £100 from a well known bike superstore and finding it quite hard work.
Suddenly I am thrown into the world of Aluminium Frame, 700 wheels and 27 gears. On the flat I was fairly cruising at 16 - 17 mph!

After some advice from a proper ‘old style’ type Bicycle Shop, I steered away from the custom Touring Bike. Not only are they priced beyond my reach, but it appeared that like the word ‘organic’ puts an extra few pence on a bunch of carrots, ‘touring’ seems to do the same with two wheels!
It’s a Trek FS-7, £300 and with the same specs as some double that price. Fair enough, it may not be exactly the same thing, but it’s not I’m using it like some do, well I guess John O’Groats to Lands End is a fairly big ask, but the Dealer seemed to think this would do all I want it to do and that was good enough for me.

Anyway, after arriving at the Co-Op in Wye, rather than cycling back the shorter route and being as I felt reasonably good, I came back home a longer way via Smeeth, a total of just over 15 miles in a leisurely One hour and forty minutes (with two packets of biscuits on the back).

I’m still unsure if it were all a dream or not, because when I did get back, I cut the grass, did the weeding and even after that felt OK - I must be ill!!

What I will say is that it’s been a long time since I used the Bike for something other than going to the shops or going to work and I enjoyed it.
The old flow of air through the hair (sorry, accross my head is better) and the freedom to stop and start whenever you want was fun.

Sure there are car drivers who think that leaving a two inch gap between bike and hedge is fun and by overtaking you on an anti clockwise blind bend is the done thing - but as they said to me on the railway when I joined, ‘just have eyes in the back of your head and cover your ****!!’

Watch out on the main Website for the launch of the Down the Lane John O’Groats to Lands End Solo Bike Ride 2010

I remember the Beatles releasing ‘When I’m 64′ quite well, I was 19 years old and gallivanting around West Kent without a care in the world.
Saying that, I recall having a discussion with a friend about where and what we would be when we’re 64.
After assuming we’d actually get out of our teenage years and go on to what seemed at the time, an extortionate number of years to survive, we felt we’d be at the end of our working career, a couple of old has beens and with not much to do.
What we did decide upon was that we should do at least something special when we’re 64, just to show we could.

It had been one ambition of mine to visit Mt. Everest, not to climb it, but just to see it. That started on a Hospital Bed just after having my Tonsils out. It was a few days after the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth 2nd and news broke out about the amazing event.

As the years have rolled on, I missed my chance of that on a few occasions, opportunities came, but for silly reasons of thinking about taking time off, money etc. it never materialized. Now, I think to try that trek would probably not be the greatest challenge, but the last one!! Also of course, unless there’s a sudden windfall, it’s out the question.

The 1950’s and 1960’s were great times for ‘the first person to’, ‘the fastest journey to’ projects and challenges and this intrigued me, not to the first or the fastest, but to fulfil a challenge, a dream if you like and it was during this time there was much publicity about John O’Groats to Lands End; walking, cycling, backwards etc.

So to fulfil and finalize that conversation I had in 1967, I feel it’s about time I pulled my finger out and round off the conversation I had with my friend that day.

So, when I’m 64 in 2012, I have decided to make a bicycle ride from John O’Groats to Lands End.
Why that way? Well, there’s the psychological side of by going North to South, it seems like downhill (although both ways, you have 34,000 feet of ascents - but the same descents of course) and should I not feel like cycling back to Penzanze Railway Station to catch the train back home, my daughter may like to meet me and give bike and me a lift back to at least Southampton!

They do say that by starting off at John O’Groats, you have the harder cycling to start with, for some a disability, for others, getting it over with sooner!
Needless to say, I’m not going for the 13 day option. I intend to go at my own speed and if that takes 13 or 30 days, I don’t mind, in the words of the song ‘I’ll do it my way’!

I should say at this point that my original plan was to walk it, but 70 days is a bit of a chunk and there’s the cost involved as well! Well, I guess I could run it though!!!!

Planning and costing is going quite well. I’ve seen a Bicycle I want which is reduced from £499 to £340, I have a small very lightweight tent and sleeping bag from my various walking and mountain holidays, just a few other bits to get.

I don’t intend sleeping out every night, don’t think the back would take that too well. Where there’s a sensibly priced B&B at the end of a days travelling, I shall stay in that, if I’m worn out before one, I’ll camp.

I shall also take a day off once in a while. It seems a bit silly not to stop and see what will be some most picturesque and historic places in the Country and probably the only time I’ll get to see them.

So, watch this space, it will happen, because it has to. I’ve often said I don’t ever want to look back and say “I wish I had…..”. There are some things you can’t maybe ever have done, but this one is a positive!

Before I carry on I should say that being a Senior isn’t always much fun. In the last two month’s I have been asked by the girl in the Optician if I was over 70 and whilst having a tour of Dover Castle War Tunnels, the Guide picked me out from 30 people and asked “Are you alright doing Stairs Sir”.
So, already you can see this getting older thing bugs me somewhat.

Now, on the books. Many Bookshops have books called things like “Learning PC for seniors” and “Seniors PC, a guide for the over 60’s” etc.
Well having done extensive research on these books I have found them to be exactly the same as ordinary ‘Learn PC’ books, but the type is bigger!

Example (normal book)=

Learning to use your new PC is simple

Seniors version=

Learning to use your PC is simple

It seems there are three stages in learning from Books; 1. For the Youngster (about aged 5 - 15), 2. for the ‘normal’ person (aged 15 - 60) and 3. The Senior (60 plus).
Now, although there are three stages, Publishers take it as only two because they see the over 60 as the same as the under 15 - a bit slow on the uptake!

It was really pleasing to hear a chap being interviewed on Radio Kent a few weeks back.
The man had taken PC lessons at the age of 96, never had a PC before.
His best remark of all was that where he explained that it was all quite easy except ordering his Tesco Shopping which he found a bit confusing at first!

I’m only 62 but have to admit that things aren’t all they could be on the memory side, but this is natural progression of age and not something saying you’re a complete has been and gone off your rocker!
Long term memory is great, you can remember the names of all your School mates, but forget the name of a big film actor who was on a chat show two hours ago. So be it.

Also, why should all over 60’s be known as ‘love’ or ‘dear’, they aren’t my love nor are they necessarily dear to them and vice versa. ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ is a lot better.
Not only do they call you those, but they shout as well. They wonder why you haven’t taken any notice of them but don’t realise that because of the shouting, they’re speaking to someone behind you.

One thing is for certain though, we can’t turn back the clock. You get used to going to Specsavers and hearing that one eye’s got slightly worse, the other, a lot and the cateracts are coming along quite nicely. You get used to knowing where evry Public Convenience is between Ashford and Southampton and in the town centres you frequent.

But do I care, no, well yes I guess !

Sure we’re starting to get on, Lord knows what it’ll be like at 70, touch wood of course, but don’t see us as purchasing a one way ticket to the Knackers Yard just yet - please !

In this new TV Documentary series, part-time Vicar, Peter Owen Jones shows us his quest to live and survive on what amounts to zero money.

First it has to be said that with his job he gets a free house (grossly too big for one person) and being a ‘village hopping Vicar’ in West Sussex which obviously makes him a fairly central person to communities does afford him a pretty good start, but his concept and experiences can certainly be taken up and learnt from.

The basic idea seems to be that rather than actual cash money, he receives payment from his ‘customers’ in kind, a bartering system which supplies his material needs such as food and other expenses. One assumes his Council Tax etc. is paid for by the Church.
He is also lucky enough to have free use of a walled Vegetable Garden in a local Manor House and his car expenses are given to him by his Parish members.

Throughout the programme Peter refers to the ways of St. Francis of Assisi (good bloke) with phrases such as ‘poverty brings meaning’, ‘take only what is necessary’ and on once being an Advertising Executive, he refers to how St. Francis himself was once a ‘playboy’, although I’m unsure where he got that information from!
Of course, a big argument could be that back in those days there weren’t Mobile Phones, Plasma TV’s, Cars and Supermarkets selling convenience food etc., but all in all, you can see where he’s coming from and it all seems to make a lot of sense.

In some ways I see myself in this programme. I too have a part-time job and rely on oddjobs such as decorating, gardening and anything else to make ends meet. It is a simpler life, you are your own destiny, but it’s not always easy! The difference is that I need the money as in cash, I pay rent and taxes and as much as I’d like to, without becoming a drop out, I have no other option - maybe one day!’

One other sentence he came up with of interest was that he and others are ‘looking to find home’ and indeed, from the point that we are only here for a very short space of time, we need to get it as right as we can and live in our own comfort zone whether that be a wealthy one or not.
This maybe is the most important part of the programme, being a Vicar, he can bring more the spiritual issues of our mind to the fore whether they be religious or not.
Certainly all the Villagers seem on his side and it does show that if we really want to we can bring back some of those community values we seemed to leave behind during the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s.

You can easily see some glimpses of the original River Cottage series, but what this one adds is that it’s not self-sufficiency, it’s leading a simpler lifestyle to bring more happiness into your life.

What I’ve found in my quest for a simpler life is that it’s hard work and you need a lot of understanding and generous people around you. Luckily both he and myself seem to be in that position. I wish the Vicar well and look forward to seeing the rest of the series.

and how I can’t master it!

They said that the new Digital TV System is great, it will revolutionise home entertainment and take us firmly into the 21st. Century.

Well I have to say that much of that statement is true; we have a huge range of Channels to choose from, far better pictures, better sound, the ability to play games, plug our Laptop in, extra space because of the new slimline models, what else do we need?

1. We need a Zapper which we can understand, emphasis on a Zapper and not three or four.
In fact, was it not easier to say “Turn it over to ITV” than “I think it’s on TV Guide > Movies > 2nd page Dad”.
A Zapper where the ‘remind me’ button isn’t next to the info button and half way through a dramatic scene in a movie you get told to switch over because Lazy Town is about to start on CBBC.
Finally, one that is completely the opposite colour to all your furniture and fittings so you can find it and not try ringing someone up on it because it looks like a Mobile Phone.

2. A Box and TV combination where the sound of the person speaking does not arrive 2 seconds after the person has opened their mouth. Good ness knows what a documentary about voice throwing would come out like!

3. An Entertainment system where there are not 200 cables squeezed down the back of the curtain. This leads to when you buy a new Accessory not being able to decipher which of the cables is the old one, so you just take the plugs out, leave it and you’re up to 201 cables.

Then there’s the outside of the house. A fine row of Victorian or Edwardian Houses with everyone sporting a different colour / different shape Satellite Dish. Fair enough the old aerials were an eyesore, but now we have to have both because some digital comes through one and Analogue comes through the other. Our houses are becoming homes the other side of the technical bits!

Like the Mobile Phone, it is hard to imagine life without one. We have now become a society where to get up and switch a TV Channel over manually would be such a bind and even to think we are overstated with just four Channels - oh what disaster!

Thank heavens that someone has now decided we can purchase Televisions which have Freesat, Freeview inside them without the need for extra boxes and cables, but interesting to note that these come out not long after we have taken out a small Mortgage to buy the one’s without that.

At least the clamber for buying the new forced upon us technology has brought competition into the market and prices are pretty good and I have to admit that my HD TV (also wired up to the Internet), DVD Player and Freesat Box serve me well - until I need Blu-Ray of course.

I love the new age technology, the diversity of choice and the clarity of picture etc. but I’m not 13 years old anymore and apparently that’s the age you need to be to actually work the things efficiently.

Oh how I love being miserable!

It was just another day really, I woke up (thank goodness), the sun was shining so I thought a perfect morning to get on and do some urgent gardening jobs.

All OK and off I went into the Garden. Being a nice chap and thinking they would help out a bit with the weeding, I let the Chickens out.
I went back into the house to fetch my gloves and realised I’d just walked over one of the cats breakfast. I regret to say, it was the breakfast he or she had eaten earlier on I walked into.

Blimey, forgot the seedlings are all open on the window sill. Result = Photo top right!

After that it was all pretty plain sailing really. Whilst one chicken was dust bathing in one Greenhouse, one of the other two had successfully trapped itself behind the Flower Pots in the other, where the third one was I didn’t know, but was to later find out it had been in the Kitchen and I think, got through one or two cat biscuits by the look of it.

Time moved on and the dog next door started barking at one chicken this side of the fence. Needless to say the chicken couldn’t have cared less and just continued, as the dog did.
This came to an abrupt end when Ronny, our 1stone 6lbs sack of potatoes, got fed up with the noise and weighed in accross the garden at high speed scaling the chicken and almost giving the dog a coronary.
That sorted that one out anyway. Oh, the chicken still didn’t react!

By that time I had two chickens in one Greenhouse accompanied by Ginger the cat sitting on his cushion on top of the shelves and refusing to move because I wanted the tin of seeds behind him.

Anyway, in between all the goings on, I managed to dig a whole strip 8 feet x 1 feet. I mentally calculated that, at that rate, it would take me three weeks to dig the rest.
The turfs I had dug and piled into the wheelbarrow for distribution to the chicken run was hindered by one chicken constantly jumping on it even when I was moving it along.

Enough was enough, I got the chickens back in the run and rolled the lawnmower out of the shed, this is guaranteed to get at least Ginger back in the house at 10.02 seconds to the 100 meters. Ronny however doesn’t, he just makes himself a nest in the long grass and dozes off. Not only have I nearly had Chicken Pie for Supper when strimming in the past, I’ve nearly had Cat Pie as well!

Somehow I got my Beetroot seeds in, tidied up the outhouse and came back from behind the Barn with some reasonable compost. All was well, I covered the new seeds and let the chickens back out.

I sat down in ‘the Summerhouse’ and watched all the creatures roaming around in harmony. I then noticed two of the chickens were seemingly having a good meal under the hedge - ah, that’s where I thrwe the cats breakfast.

Not sure if I want an egg this morning!!

What Man or what organization run by man has ever managed to close down every UK Airport and many in other north west European Countries? - None !

With the eruption of the Icelandic Volcano we once again see the wrath and the ‘nature’ of nature is greater than any Human on this planet.
Every year, the very thing which gave us life reminds us that it can also take it from us just as ‘easily’. Earthquakes, Floods, Hurricanes and Volcano’s are things we cannot stop and as far as I can see, never will.

When we do interfere we usually get it wrong and it’s through out own ignorance and selfishness that future generations may well pay the price of that and live with less of the things we love so dearly now.

Of course I have every sympathy for those travellers waiting for their flights either for business or pleasure, but somewhat displeased with the fact that some of them moaned because the Airlines couldn’t do anything about it or supply more information.

In many ways the closure of Airports and cancellation of flights is positive simply because it does bring us back down to size; we are here for 60 or 70 years maybe, but that Volcano and other geological faults will always be, they are everlasting and immortal!
In fact, what is a fault, for nature it isn’t, it’s simple something still developing like us developing from childhood to manhood. The Planet is still growing up.

Nature is the most beautiful and mystical thing, it will survive almost anything. I recall the Hurricane of 1987. Toys Hill, close to my birthplace of Sevenoaks, was totally desolated, hundreds of trees came down. The following day I drove to see it and cried.
However, some parts they replanted and they are now stood in regimental rather artificial fashion whereas the parts they left completely alone are now a wealth of greenery and wildlife.

Nature is best left alone to it’s own resources.

One thing’s for certain, it never stops teaching us a lesson and putting us well and truly in our place.