Check-up went well

I had my six-monthly check-up at Christies in Manchester last week; the evening before I spent a very pleasant couple of hours in the pub with Nikos after first drooling over his accessory-loaded GS (I want one!); anyway, the examination went well, should have at least another few riding seasons left in me, so that cheered me up considerably.

On Sunday went for a walk in the park with LF, lots of blossoms out, it was almost like spring.

The spring weather has even infused my ride to work; this morning I challenged my co-worker Jim to a race to work, we were sitting at the traffic lights at Chiswick bridge, me on the trusty trumpet and Jim on his 125 Vespa. I took off like a lunatic, Jim getting smaller in my mirrors, weaved in and out of the traffic around Shepherds bush, up and on to the Westway where I could open her up for a minute, then down into Paddington – 8 miles in double quick time. You guessed it, I parked up, took off my helmet, and here’s Jim arriving all cool on his Vespa not one minute after me. I felt like Dick Dastardly.

Oh, and I’ve hired one of those BMW GS’ for a long weekend tour of northern France, off in a couple of weeks…need to get the ferry booked, route to plan.