Yay, it's cheery Friday.

[RIP]

Started off not so cheery had a email in the week that my new build was delayed as they couldn’t get hold of a fork till September, so I had a little think and asked those nice people at alpkit if it could be swapped out for a carbon fork , helpful as ever Neil replied they are having a new carbon fork in stock at the end September if that was ok , so although it’s gonna be 6weeks later than expected I’m getting what I want instead of swapping at a later date , so all in all good service off alpkit and a cheery end to the week

Just in time to christen it on our October jape .

Cheery here too - am hiding in our cellar this afternoon at a pleasant natural 16degC. A couple of beers in the corner are also at 'cellar temperature' for later. Also after a rather stressful day yesterday trying to sort badly blocked drains at aged parents I had to admit defeat. Hesitatingly called up megacorp Dynorod, but I have to say the same day service was 5-star. V impressed.

When my Trailshot gets blocked during WRT I know who I'm going to call out.

[fatbikephil]

Stop with the pics of the savage dogs already
Pretty cheery for me, up the local hills for a walk (it rained, hey ho) to recover from my lengthy rides of the previous few days. Few beers tonight then off to parents on motorsickle tomorrow

[middleagedmadness]

Here you go Phil a real softy for you

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[RIP]

Softy?? Isn't that a chunk of your hand sticking out of his mouth there Stu . "He's only playing, honest".

[RIP]

.. you told me there's only one lifeform your local ne'er-do-wells fear and it resides in your house .

[Verena]

Deerhounds Peter.

O wow, gorgeous, love those

[BigdummySteve]

Cheery here! WTB refunded the FULL cost of my carbon rim, considering it was 2 years and 10 months old I’d say it’s an example of outstanding customer service
Other cheery news involved someone else, had a good chat with a friend, a freelancer I work with. He used to be rigging manager at the NEC but told them to stick it due to corporate bullshite, got to admire that! I thought he’d be struggling as the entertainment business is on it’s knees, like many freelancers he’s a limited company and sole employee, his master stroke has been paying himself a proper wage and taking a variable dividend, many take a tiny wage and big dividends thus saving lots of taxes. The furlough scheme pays 80%, not much help if you’re ‘official’ wage is £500 a month

Also I think I’ll have the Fargo back together again tomorrow

[RIP]

paying himself a proper wage and taking a variable dividend... master stroke....

Good for him. I used to do that when I was scumbag contractor filth (mainly used to get jobs by being picked up by HR Managers' shoes on their way to work). Everyone else used to laff at me and I used to sit in the corner with hunched shoulders looking depressed. So now, what goes around comes around. a/ stuffed when it comes to furlough bung thingy, and b/ many also used to do the "loan myself my own income that I've rumuneration-trusted but never pay it back therefore avoiding income tax" ploy which looked very jolly at the time. In the case of b/ the ladies and gentlemen at HMRC are now getting quite frisky about the loans eventually being paid back (I mean it's a loan right?) or taxed appropriately leading to some rapid trouser-changing moments amongst the smug brigade. They have playfully long memories too - 20 years is nothing, blink of an eye. A couple of years ago I received the pre-Bank-Holiday (nice touch that) brown envelope enclosing a letter exceptionally politely and cordially inviting me, if I could possibly fit it in during a spare moment, to furnish a nice lady with a few odd bits of inconsequential information (merely all my bank statements, full set of accounts, all receipts, all invoices, inside leg measurement etc etc). The 31 days that I had to bring it all together saw daily, no hourly, deliveries of new leg coverings from Marks & Sparks. It was almost as character-building as the time the VAT lady with the mohican haircut and nose-ring came round to my house (in my own drawing-room for goodness sake, nowhere is safe) and I tried to bribe her with a chocolate digestive. Still, on the bright side, the meals provided at HM's pleasure are apparently quite plentiful and tasty these days. My name's Ben Elton, goodnight.

Er, where were we? Oh yes, those cuddly (*) canines .

(*) This does NOT apply to ANY of MaM's brood

[BigdummySteve]

Quite, not only is he a top bloke and sensible, he’s also very friendly but HUGE, and lives in a very nice part of Wales. As soon as found out these any combination of these things I decided he was a candidate

[RIP]

As we were saying earlier - get him down to buy his round in the Dyfi Valley Hotel on WRT

[RIP]

sensible

Just re-read this. Hang fire for a while, that might be a problem

[whitestone]

Of course a Friday isn't complete without a couple of £150 pizzas

[Bearbonesnorm]

I bought my first ever pair of glasses, they were a full £4.99

[RIP]

I had to do that when I was fifty as well. Almost overnight it was.

Oooooohhh bugger! Damn, damn! Don't mention the F word!!! Sorry Stu! <sheepish grin> .

Mine were £2 reading glasses from Wilkinsons or somewhere. £5? Ripped off there Stu.

[BigdummySteve]

I bought my first ever pair of glasses, they were a full £4.99

Hmm, just wait. Soon you will need some graduated varifocal lenses so you can see yer map/gps AND the view without stopping ti change glasses. Obviously now sunglasses become an issue, either you carry a separate pair and let them get mashed in your frame bag or go for photo chromatic lenses. By now you lenses are making wireless shifting look cheap so obviously you’ll need the anti scratch coating as well sir? I only bent over once to SEE and I’ve been shafted ever since.

[BigdummySteve]

Oh and before Reg chirps in, you could buy two cheap pairs, one sitting in the tip of your nose and the other in the bridge.

This approach also saves money on eating out

[RIP]

Hang on, "£150 pizzas"?? Do elaborate further Mr W. Have we missed summat here. Does that include the wood-fired oven delivered to your garden as well??

[RIP]

Oh and before Reg chirps in, you could buy two cheap pairs, one sitting in the tip of your nose and the other in the bridge.

This approach also saves money on eating out

Shurrup!

[Roobell7]

Cheery day really started yesterday when I collected the Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty from a LBS between Toronto airport and Peterborough, ON. That in itself was an achievement as it took a few emails to convince Myles that a guy in Africa really did want to buy a new bike, with all the accompaniments and pick it up 4 hours after landing into Canada

After I convinced him that I was genuine and didn't need to go into 2 weeks quarantine, a quick apple pay after a ride around the parking lot, produced this

by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Despite 30 hours of travelling and near 40 on the go, I took in a lap of the mariner and a few glasses of Olde Oak Stout at the local brewhouse. So today saw me refreshed an cheery https://www.strava.com/activities/3876101905

I completed the setup after a trip to Wild Rock in Peterborough and am all ready for a weekend reacquainting myself with the Kawarthas gravel roads.

Untitled by Andy Wright, on Flickr Topstone Lefty on rails by Andy Wright, on Flickr

The rail track is a great test of the Topstone's suspension and it works. Time will tell the longevity of rear flexy frame suspension. Hopefully if I can get into Namibia in December, the Topstone will be my ride for the Desert Dash

[whitestone]

Hang on, "£150 pizzas"?? Do elaborate further Mr W. Have we missed summat here. Does that include the wood-fired oven delivered to your garden as well??

Actually £162.50 but I didn't like to brag

Yes, Cath decided that our life wasn't complete without a pizza oven No doubt the cost will be amortised over the coming months, just another 49 firings until we achieve financial parity with a Co-op pizza.

[RIP]

Hang on, "£150 pizzas"?? Do elaborate further Mr W. Have we missed summat here. Does that include the wood-fired oven delivered to your garden as well??

Actually £162.50 but I didn't like to brag

Yes, Cath decided that our life wasn't complete without a pizza oven No doubt the cost will be amortised over the coming months, just another 49 firings until we achieve financial parity with a Co-op pizza.

Brilliant! I thought it was a typo . This Place never ceases to amaze and astound me . " No doubt the cost will be amortised over the coming months, just another 49 firings until we achieve financial parity with a Co-op pizza"

[whitestone]

Mid-life crisis? Blokes buy fancy sports cars, Cath buys middle class garden accessories.

We've got bloody candles on the patio now!

[RIP]

[Cath]

Hang on - candles are out cos it’s effin dark & the outside lights don’t work

[middleagedmadness]

.. you told me there's only one lifeform your local ne'er-do-wells fear and it resides in your house .

Yep your right Reg , but she’s away in Dublin