The Life and Times of this Old Git

Name:
Location: Teignmouth, Devon, United Kingdom

I'm married with two grown up children and four grandchildren, My wife of 47 years is Sue and we are the same age. My two children are Pamela (blogging occasionly under Pam-bigbustybikerbaby.blogspot.com and Roy,who was recently Paralysed from the waist down due to an Absys on his Spine. My 4 grandchildren are (oldest first) Gavin, Hayley, Thomas,and Zoe. Sue and I are both retired and we're disabled too, her with a badly Arthritic back and spine, me with lung (COPD) and Heart problems.I have always loved Fishing (all sorts) Sue started fishing with me about 8 years ago, now she really enjoys it too. We both love m'cycles and m'cycling, Sue owns and rides her own bike which is a Custom 1981 250 Honda.I own a 1979 Honda CX500. We are both members of this motorcycle club ( view or join our club on http://www.cx-gl.org.uk/) or see my blog post Dec 2007 blog "Getting old, never", of course we're badly resticted now due to our illness, only riding in really good weather.Just over three years ago we lost our best friend and Baby Mojo the border Collie, Gone but never forgotten. Please feel free to use any of our photo's but do let me know you have used them, thank you.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

SIDMOUTH (DEVON) REVISITED..

WITHDRAWL OF LAST POST, Blogger has now decided to again let me post pictures although in a very different and harder way, so I'm afraid i will be here a little longer.Apparently its problem with Picasa.


Hi all, This post is all about the lovely seaside town of Sidmouth.I originally did a post on Sidmouth during the early spring before all the flowers started blooming,(March 09).Sidmouth has won lots of best town in bloom awards (for both Devon and the whole Westcountry)cups, plus loads of highly commended ones too.The town has just over 15,00 inhabitants (Resident) of these over 40% are over 65, a real retirement retreat as these figures show.Of course in the summer, this figure much more than doubles when all the B & B's and holiday camps, hotels etc fill up with people flocking to the Mild summer climate and lovely beaches.One of the things Sidmouth is famous for is it annual August Folk festival, every year thousands of people come to hear and see Folk musicians from all around the world play here.Most of this music is played in the open air, on street corners, outside (inside too) Pubs, also a special outdoor Arena with a stage set in the centre of a steep sided valley.Groups you may have heard of include "The Yetties", "The Wurzels", "The Temperance Seven" etc, also lots of ceilidh music & dancing.
So back now to the Wonderful flower gardens called "The Connaught Gardens" which are on high ground overlooking the Western end of the town and beach.
This is quite a long post I'm afraid as i've found it impossible to edit the dozens of pictures posted here.
Most of the pictures were taken by us, although a few were not,these may not enlarge as ours do when double clicked.
Please do click on most pictures to enlarge them.

























Joke of the day.
PLEASE NOTE
No offence is intended to anyone in this joke.
The Irish Millionaire.

Mick, from Dublin ,appeared on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'
and towards the end of the program had already won 500,000 pounds.

"You've done very well so far," said Chris Tarrant, the show's presenter,
"but for a million pounds you've only got one life-line left – phone a friend.
Everything is riding on this question.....will you go for it?"

"Sure," said Mick. "I'll have a go!"

"Which of the following birds does NOT build its own nest?

a) Sparrow

b) Thrush,

c) Magpie,

d) Cuckoo?"

"I haven't got a clue." said Mick, ''so I'll use last lifeline and phone my friend Paddy

back home in Dublin."


Mick called up his mate, and told him the circumstances and repeated the question to him.

"Frekin hell, Mick!" cried Paddy. "Dat's simple......It's a cuckoo."
"Are you sure?"

"I'm fookin' sure."

Mick hung up the phone and told Chris, "I'll go wit Cuckoo as my answer."

"Is that your final answer?" asked Chris.

"Dat it is, Sir."

There was a long - long pause, and then the presenter screamed, "Cuckoo is the correct answer!


Mick, you've won one million pounds!"

The next night, Mick invited Paddy to their local pub to buy him a drink.

"Tell me, Paddy? How in Heaven's name did you know it was da Cuckoo that doesn't

build its own nest?"


"Because he lives in a frekin' clock!!!"

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A bit of Nostalgia (bikes)



Over the weekend Sue and i went just a mile up the road from our van to an old fashioned Scramble meeting in Berrynarbor, Devon. Most of the bikes there were those of the early 60s 70s and 80s. Bikes like BSA Victors, Cotton,Matchlesses, Triumph Metisses, Czs, Jawa, Greeves,AJS etc etc. These Scrambles usually go under the name of "Classic" or "Pre 65" events, they bring back so many memories of early TV scrambling days (with Murray Walker) when Legends like Jeff Smith, John Banks, Dave Vickers, Aurthur Lampkin,Chris Horsfield, Badger Goss, Dave Thorpe,Dave Curtiss and loads more were riding. Just the fantastic sound as 25-30 Bikes (mostly 4 strokes) roaring off the line, the awesome, long lasting smell of "Castrol R"is just wonderful. Although this event has a british championship status it is fairly "Laid back"and because it is by modern standards comparitively cheap to compete in, it attracts a different class of rider. A lot are up and coming, maybe young sons of ex scramblers or garage owners sons, or in a lot of cases ex good scrambers who are perhaps getting a bit long in the toothe, this class allows lots more good years riding, in some cases well into their 60s.
Click on any picture to enlarge it.
This picture was taken at the highest point on the track overlooking the beautiful village of Combe MartinThis picture shows parts of this long (over a mile) exiting track, with natural hills and jumps, none of those "Yankee Whoop de doo's" !!!!



I have to admit a couple of the pictures on this blog were taken at the same meeting last year.




This is 2009 Classic scramble champion Scott Hayworth in action.He was riding here today, scoring a couple of victories.
I would love to be able to post the results of some of the races but i left the Programme with the results back at the Caravan. I can say there were some fantastic racing with one set of races, featuring one of the youngest competitors in the shape of 20 year old Tim Dalloway against the oldest in the shape of 70's-80's ex British champion Andy Roberton (63), in the end honours were even with a win apiece.

Joke of the day.
Then the fight started.
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run,
my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed.

But, somehow I always had something else
to take care of first,
the shed, the boat, making beer . . .
Always something more important to me.

Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.

When I arrived home one day,
I found her seated in the tall grass,
busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors.

I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house.
I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again
I handed her a toothbrush.

I said,
" When you finish cutting the grass,
you might as well sweep the driveway. "

The doctors say I will walk again,
but I will always have a limp.

===============================================

Saturday morning I got up early,
quietly dressed, made my lunch, and
slipped quietly into the garage.

I hooked up the boat up to the van,
and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.

The wind was blowing 50 mph,
so I pulled back into the garage,
turned on the radio,
and discovered that the weather would be bad all day.

I went back into the house,
quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed.

I cuddled up to my wife's back,
now with a different anticipation, and whispered,
" The weather out there is terrible. "

My loving wife of 5 years replied,
" And,
can you believe my stupid husband
is out fishing in that ? "

And that's how the fight started . . .


===============================================

After retiring,
I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security.

The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License to verify my age.
I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home.

I told the woman that I was very sorry,
but I would have to go home and come back later.

The woman said,
' Unbutton your shirt '.

So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair.

She said,
' That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me '
and she processed my Social Security application.

When I got home,
I excitedly told my wife about my experience
at the Social Security office . . .

She said,
' You should have dropped your pants.
You might have gotten disability, too .'
And then the fight started . . .