View across the Rhine, Duisburg-Ruhrort. The orange steel pillar is called Rheinorange and marks the point where the river Ruhr flows into the Rhine.
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Well I showed Dan this a couple of weeks back - guess there’s no reason to feel too embarrassed now. I don’t like to think about it too much. This is my outside ‘ride’ now - but it is an excellent bit of kit!
bit blurry - sorry - it’s “All Terrain” 
It doesn’t ride very well over the nasty bumpy & cracked paths around here. I was hoping to be able to keep walking the dog using this - but apart from the fact that she drags me off in all directions, I can’t keep enough control of the chair even without her attached. So Mrs Bodge is walking the dog now 
It’s great on smooth surfaces like supermarkets, though - and people are so much nicer to me! 
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Soon you’ll have arms like a motherlovin gorilla baby!
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I was really surprised that my arms didn’t ache from the start. There was once when the chair was trying to do its own thing that I felt some ache, but it was gone as soon as I was back under control.
I reckon it’s all the years of archery I’ve been doing in VR. When I started that my arms were killing me, but I stuck with it for at least an hour every day (since 2018) and after a few weeks all was fine and has been since.
PS - in the wheelchair, a lot of it depends on weight distribution (leaning mostly) according to the situation. Makes a big difference.
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The last week before Christmas has begun…
It’s usually the most hectic week of the year, at work. Lots of passengers and mail combined with predictably unpredictable weather.
But today we were treated to a beautiful sight of some high clouds, basking in the sunlight, coming from below the horizon.
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What do you fly?
Hey Johnny, I hate that you are in that contraption. Hoping that it’s temporary. Do you mind me asking the reason? It seems like not too long ago you parked a beautiful Triumph Speed Twin in your garage.
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The Dash8-1/2/300.
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Yes indeed. At the time I bought the Speed Twin I wasn’t too bad at all. I was hopeful I’d be riding like normal before long.
However, when I got put on physiotherapy after an initial improvement, things suddenly got very bad - and even when i stopped the therapy they just kept getting worse.
This is why I got the bike on PCP - so I can take it back any time up to 3 years from the date I got it, and am likely to not owe anything (my two previous PCP deals ended in me getting credit when I took the bikes back - both Triumphs). The guy at the dealer is fully aware of the situation and has been very supportive.
I have some days where I really think I could ride without too many issues - in any case, actually riding is not the problem - it’s getting the bike out and putting it away, plus getting on and off the bike (which is hardest of all).
I should have got the wheelchair long before I did but first I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do and second, I felt a bit of a ‘cheat’ because I would be using a wheelchair, but with a 1200cc bike in the garage!
When I walk or stand, after just a few minutes my legs start going numb - right one first. I have pain all the time, but it gets worse when walking and I have a real risk of falling - it happened several times this year - just walking along and out of the blue I’m heading for the deck. Also, walking the dog every day was making things worse - as was driving the car.
So I got the wheelchair. Thanks for the concern 
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Mate, that has got to be rough. I have no frame of reference but you seem to be coping much better than I would.
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@troll is this new eruption in Iceland going to cause you any issues, like that last big one did a few years back
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That remains to be seen…
Last time, in 2010, the lava melted a lot of ice that caused lots of steam and smoke, that lifted the ashes, allowing it to spread over a large area.
I don’t think that’s the case this time. But we’ll see…
The eruption of Eyafjallajökull occured the day after my daughters birth. A birth that lasted 74 hours from the water broke… We were basically locked inside the hospital for days and when the ordeal was over, the news headlines made us think hell had broken loose!
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Picture from back in November
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Thanks but I’m not coping as well as I used to - and I’ve had issues for a long time (over 20 years). I’m determined not to give up my motorbike as it’s the last thing I have that I can (just about-) still do outside.
I miss my running, swimming, rugby and motor racing so much but I’ve been able to keep biking until this year. I’m not going to let it stop now - not yet. I got the bike in July and have ridden it 4 times - last in September. I will ride it again next year when the road salt has cleared. Plus, I’m determined to participate in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in Peterborough. After that, we’ll see - but if that goes well, I will still hold on to the bike, even if I can only ride it once every couple of months, it will be enough.
This year has been depressing enough without having to give that up as well. Just like now I’m determined to start using my sim racing kit again and if it causes me issues, I’ll find a way to do it that doesn’t (and not using a gamepad!).
I’m not ready for the pipe and slippers just yet! It may end up that I have no choice at some stage - but that time is not now.
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Sunsets keep topping themselves over by me
This cloud (which I thought was an attack helicopter) made me realize I should take a little break from sims!
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so the new bike shed is finished?
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The new uniforms are sick*!
(*If I were younger that would come across as a compliment as intended)
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