All Hail the Ale

My social diary is full in the run up to departure. A lazy afternoon by the duck pond at the Rose Inn Baxterley with Ian was followed by a beer induced afternoon snooze. Totally OK! That was only three days after Graham and I spent a convivial evening there catching up on news. Then the next day, Saturday, Alistair arrived for a stop over that included an al fresco lunch and an inevitable long walk to the Rose for more beer. Ali often comes over at Spring break, and usually brings Mediterranean weather with him. We ate Greek. Ali was relieved when it turned out to be Moussaka. He feared that it would be bread and water. The evening was still warm when we got to the pub, so I took up residence by the duck pond again. Tribute is a beer to wax lyrical about, maybe later. Light and hoppy. Not too strong. Not too weak. It doesn't affect my conversation (a lie), and it doesn't make me snore (a bigger lie). The waist band on my shorts tells me I cannot maintain this life style. Short of having breakfast there I don't think I could have visited the pub more this week.


See the pubs website http://www.roseinnbaxterley.com/


Sober eventually and after a four mile constitutional, Alistair left me to the company of my Cousin Rob and wife Jeni, visiting from California. No pub visit today. I am slipping. A couple of hours to catch up with family. I am in a different place to when I last saw them, thankfully. Three years ago when I was exploring the dark side of the moon, they looked after me nicely. Good people.

Elsa has new boots that I am scrubbing in. I am preparing to leave in earnest now. nine days to go. My hair is cropped short and the red beard is back. Next week I put my cares behind me and go out to play for the summer. I am looking forward to spending time with friends in Northern Europe very much. Catching up to do. Music to dance to. Roads to ride with friends. Favourite places to revisit, and pastures new to explore.

Thoughts of leaving

Five weeks to go my friend Andreas reminds me. I have my ferry tickets booked but otherwise am behind. Here is the danger. This is my third summer inhabiting the roads of northern Europe with Elsa. For the third time I will return to Bankeryd, Jonkoping, Sweden but this time to take my place as a full member of VMCK motorcycle club. It won't take me long to get my shit together, but I actually have to do it. Elsa is serviced and MOT'd. She needs new boots before I go. I don't want to get caught having to replace at Swedish prices. Better to sacrifice a little good tread in a trade off.

I met Andreas two years ago. His bicycle circumnavigation of the Baltic crossed the path of my solo motorcycle journey to North Cape, on the arctic coast of Norway. His trip was circular, mine was one way. There was that point on the map where place time, and two people coincide. It would happen many times in many places with many people. Travelling alone facilitates this. It is the good side of the coin that is also loneliness. We both broke our journeys in Gavle (Yevle) on the Swedish Bothnian coast to catch up on sleep and eating. I was starving in the saddle day upon day, as was he. Between sleeping and eating we explored the town together as tourists, and somewhere along the way we became friends. He is a good guy.

I'm weekending with Andreas in Germany en route to Sweden. This year I am taking the Hook of Holland crossing with Stena. Even with an extra day of miles, petrol, food and accommodation,  I still save hundreds over the DFDS Esbjerg route. Stena are OK. More than OK actually. Their customer service is very nice indeed. Andreas is putting together an itinery including a brewery visit and a night out with the couch surfing club. More on that later. I'm thinking it's almost time to regrow the red beard. I'll leave this me behind and wear the confident explorer persona again. Time off from the mundane. Everyone should try it.

A Very British Drought

Rainfall across England through the last two years has been well below average. We have had two record breaking dry winters. Reservoirs are at their lowest levels since 1976. Hose pipe bans are in place for eastern England already. So here I sit sheltering from a very unseasonal storm. Howling gales, lashing rain, and it's cold. It's been wet and cold for nearly two weeks now. Last week we were barbecuing at the village hall for a wedding reception. The couple prayed for summer temperatures, which can happen at the end of April. Sleet and hale was a nasty surprise. Is this the wettest coldest drought ever?

We cooked 80 steaks in the open, in the gale. The wind blew away part of our canvas field kitchen and repeatedly blew out the gas grills. The father of the bride apologised for putting us through it. We had advised strongly against a barbecue wedding breakfast on the 21st April. Wet and cold we got the job done, and honestly they were the best steaks we ever cooked. Dinner was a little late, but we got through. Then we cleared down and started again for the evening party.  

The wet drought continues into week three with wide spread floods now. April is the wettest on record for England. NO SHIT! English people have webbed feet you know. Everyone's mood is dropping. The rain continued but I had my own sunshine arriving from Gothenburg in the shape of Anders and Maria. They had a horrible drive across eastern England from Harwich. Once they arrived and the domestics were seen to, we installed ourselves in Rose Inn for great food and ale, and a warm welcome. It is their 2nd wedding anniversary and they are celebrating with a soggy road trip around southern England. For my part I contributed to their big day with a guided tour of the Cotswolds, followed by dinner at my place complete with canapes and champagne. The next morning included a long lye in no surprise, and a lot more rain.