From the Dummy Jim website; In May 1951 a profoundly deaf 30-year-old Scotsman called James Duthie – known to his local community as ‘Dummy Jim’ – cycled solo on a return trip from the small fishing town of Cairnbulg in the north-east of Scotland to the Arctic Circle. The journey of over […]
This is becoming a little bit of a tradition. It took me a while to take today’s picture as the traffic was a little heavier but as you can see, the spring has unmistakably arrived. Such a difference from that shivery day back in December. Today was sublime. […]
Now, what do you make of the following email? It is, I suppose, in response to the post about Lisa Baum and her plans to cycle to the Arctic Circle. The weirdest thing is that the man himself – Dummy Jim – was killed “in mysterious circumstances” in 1965. […]
Lisa Baum has been in touch following my post below about her trip to the Arctic Circle this summer; x Hi Andrew, Thanks again for your kind words and add on your blog. Your trip to the south of Italy sounded awesome, there are so many good trips […]
Mary Ann Coupland and her friend Sally are about to head off on the Eurovelo 5. They have set up a Just Giving page to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Here is there story in their own words; We are cycling from Boulogne sur Mer in France […]
The article below is from this week’s Times Educational Supplement. Interesting choice of a bike. Her website is here. This summer, geography teacher Lisa Baum will cycle from her school, Ernest Bevin College in south London, to the Arctic Circle, with the aim of encouraging more pupils to […]
…because you never have the opportunity to do what I just did; stop and take in the view on your way to work. Those of you who travel from Reading to Henley-on-Thames in a car missed this wonderful sight as you sped past me at high speed on the country […]
Seems such a pity to shunt the picture in the previous post off the top of the blog; I may well fiddle with the dates so that it stays there for a few more days yet. 🙂 Not everything is always as it seems on the blogosphere… Anyway, […]
There may be an “after” shot later; reunion tonight of my ex-colleagues from Prospect College.
I have just refitted the bike computer back on Reggie. Now that I can see the digits (the days are finally becoming a little bit longer after the short days of winter), let’s see how fast I can get to and from work. I will be assisted a […]
Earlier this week I received a friend request on Facebook from a certain Tom Hooker. I like to think that his second name is Jasper, James or Jeremy and that his friends call him TJ Hooker but as he only looks as though he is in his 20s, […]
Perhaps they will be a little less tabloid when they become “independent”…
Of all the unsettling but jaw-dropping images coming out of Japan, this one struck me the most and really speaks volumes about the magnitude of the power of the Earth. Amazing.
My commute was so much better than this guy’s… As was my commute back home this evening. Wonderful day. Just a bit chilly.
It is bloody freezing outside the Back of Beyond pub in the Kings Road, Reading (there were no seats available inside that gave me a sufficient buffer zone between myself and a pissed old bloke doing nothing but drinking; such is the clientele of your average Wetherspoons pub), […]
You wait all week for a blog post and then four come along all at once! Sorry for the flood but remember that I am a teacher and only function on other levels on a weekend… An interesting nudge from Iain Harper earlier this week (see Iain’s own […]
The Bicycle City. Trailer from Greg Sucharew on Vimeo. This video is so beautifully filmed… It’s a bit like watching a sequence from Human Planet.
Why so many visitors yesterday?
A bit of a milestone (kilometre stone?) this week; I have received an email from someone asking me about Eurovelo 8 rather than Eurovelo 5. Clearly I am more of an expert on Eurovelo 5 and my ability to say much about number 8 is limited but this […]
Sitting on the sofa, iPad in hand typing this post, I am in two minds. My serious, professional, teacher head is telling me to get off my backside and make a start on the large bag of exercise books that I brought home at the end of last […]
Mark Easton’s blog
‘When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race’ ‘Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia’ …or was it Nigel Mansell?
I paused en route home from work last night (it is now 12.30am) to replicate the photo that I had taken on the final day of term 2 just before Christmas. It’s been a long term and there is a decidedly spring feel as we edge towards the end […]
Kind of… It looked a lot bigger through my eyes.
…nearly. Only three lessons to go and we are half way through the academic year 🙂 And Spring is just around the corner. Well, not this corner… Lovely still morning in Reading. Great day for cycling! Errr… Oh yes, Reggie stayed at work last night as I got […]
When I was a student at York University back in the late 1990s, a series of revolutions spread down through eastern Europe. Poland had been rumbling for years but in 1989 successive regimes crumbled. It was an exciting period of recent history but many students in York had their […]
A strange week of extremes on apsykes.com ; from last weekend to mid-week I was getting around 200 hits a day… and in the second half of the week under 100. Could this be all the Year 11 kids at school who had discovered that Reggie has his […]
Not me. I’m still stuck in Reading on a grey and dreary Saturday morning but hey! It’s Saturday morning so I shouldn’t complain. I’m a bit of a shandy cyclist compared to some; earlier this week, Jim Rawnsley invited me to join him and some friends on a […]
How about stopping labelling them as “bottom sets”?
Article below from the TES; deciding to walk or cycle to school, or work or anywhere really is a decision you make because you believe it is the right thing to do, not because of some glossy advertising campaign or some green do-gooder. Luckily, some of us have […]
Joe Durnall has emailed; I hope you don’t mind me emailing. I intend to ride the Eurovelo 5 to Rome this coming summer, and wondered if you could give me any indication of the costs of such a venture? I have all the kit (Bike, tent, etc..) and […]
It’s like a sweet shop…
…to London (in theory). Day in London; here is the plan. 10am: BETT Show at Olympia, 1pm: meet niece in Kensington High Street for lunch, 3pm: The Outdoors Show (incorporating The London Bike Show) at The Excel Centre in Docklands. The last bit – The Outdoors Show – […]
http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/ To investigate…
Strange though it may seem, my trusted steed, Reggie Ridgeback, has set up his own Facebook account. Don’t believe it? See for yourself by clicking on the picture below…
And he is shining like a new penny. I only took him down to the repair shop to investigate a wobbly back wheel due to another spoke becoming loose… but when I collected him earlier today they had cleaned him, replaced the brake pads and cables, a worn […]
I’ve been playing around with the following idea in my head for the last couple of days; don’t cycle from Athens to Cadiz, cycle from Morocco to Gibraltar / Cadiz, i.e. a full circumnavigation of the Mediterranean sea by bike. How cool would that be? Clearly it would […]
Following my appearance on Radio 5 Live this morning and discussion with Shelagh Fogarty (@Foggyon5), author and ex-BBC correspondent Misha Gleny (@MishaGlenny) responded to a Tweet that I had written about the goings-on in Ambridge (The Archers that is) and it was “re-Tweeted” by Linda Grant (@lindasgrant) who is a Booker short-listed […]
The debate this morning on the Radio 5 Live phone in is whether “motorists are the country’s cash cow”. I texted in saying that I cycle from Reading to Henley every day and that people are far too ready to trot out the adage that “I can’t live […]
Please note: I didn’t write any of this… The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow. Crunchy numbers About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every […]
…and a very Happy New Year. This blog is now entering, believe it or not, its fourth year; 2008, 2009, 2010 & now 2011.
It is the mathematician in me that comes to the fore in this post. Some of you will find what follows mind-numbingly tedious; I find it fascinating… It seems appropriate at the end of the year to look back at the statistics that are thrown up by WordPress, so, […]
Toby writes… I am an eighteen year old student who is looking for inspiration and perhaps a few suggestions from an experienced rider such as yourself. Me and my friend decided, a while ago, to do a trip from where we live on the south coast to Brussels. […]
As I did with Eurovelo 5, I have taken all the places mentioned on the official description of the route and plotted them onto a Google Earth map… France seems to be lacking in detail bit it gives you an idea of the route. I have added the […]
…just a pity that WordPress can’t cope with non-YouTube videos being embedded on the site! Watch it here instead. Bah humbug. Apparently you can if you pay for a $60 “video upgrade”…
Labour MP Paul Flynn, a member of the Commons public administration committee… “The blogosphere is not an area that is open to sensible debate; it is dominated by the obsessed and the fanatical…” He was talking about government proposals to allow debate in Parliament of online petitions. He’s probably […]
…in a Hyundai. Driving is not my favourite occupation but at least if I hire a car I usually have a bit of luxury to make the most of the experience. The Hyundai doesn’t really offer that as a compensation. As for the progress northward, it is slow. […]
These are quite good (although probably a bit basic for some of the regular readers of this blog!); I really should learn how to look after my own bike a bit better…
From the London Cyclist blog… I think in this case, it really was an “accident” – the driver was not travelling at speed and the conditions were not good. London Cyclist does give a good link to another of his blog posts about helmet cameras. Interesting. I’ll come […]
…well, it is nearly Christmas! For a full explanation see the Fresh Networks blog. Thanks to Ed Thompson for the email.
Darren from ??? (his Facebook page only gives a few clues – Australia? Camden town? Somewhere where it has been snowing recently from his picture so anywhere in the UK?) has messaged me on said social network… Hello Andrew, I am a complete novice cyclist and am considering […]
My pictures of the Kennet & Avon Canal in Reading and The Oracle, posted here two days ago and yesterday respectively have made it to the BBC Website! I replied to a Tweet from BBC Berkshire earlier this morning while still in bed while wondering if my water would ever […]
What is this? The website for the Reading Tourist Board? Snow effect will look good here as well… The Oracle has thankfully got a real Christmas tree this year and disposed of the horrible metal thing.
The falling WordPress snow should look good on this one.
The following is from the back of the ECF Eurovelo Map; Cadiz-Athens-Cyprus 5,888km “The Mediterranean area is very popular for tourists, but until now not so much for bicycle tourism. However, various initiatives have improved facilities, especially in Spain & Italy. And similar initiatives are in the pipeline […]
Ready for Christmas. Now, where was that chimney so I can hang up the stocking? Damn! I live in a flat..
Christmas finally felt like Christmas at about 12.15 this afternoon. It started snowing and barely a quarter of an hour later, the children had left school for the two-week break. Two weeks and three days in fact which take in three glorious Sunday evenings when I don’t need […]
Thanks to Iain for the link (see previous post and Iain’s comment). Depressingly shocking video… You’ll be glad to know that the yob behind the wheel got 5 points on his licence, a £175 fine and a police caution for assault. What a Jeremy Hunt.
The following is from the BBC News website. It’s a pity that the guy concerned hasn’t put his videos on YouTube for us to watch although I would imagine if he did it might prejudice the chance of a prosecution which is what he is hoping for. I […]
Writing the previous post got me thinking about “The Next Adventure” again and I have updated that section of the site with a potential idea… In fact, I have even renamed it!
A group of soldiers is taking on the Eurovelo 5 in (what I consider to be) reverse. This is what it says on their Virgin Money Giving site; In March 2011 team Tartan Cassino will start their arduous challenge. The team will cycle from Monte Cassino in Italy […]
Peter Dickson, the voiceover man from the X Factor has just been on Radio Five Live. It was hilarious! He mentioned his website where, for a modest outlay, he will record personal messages. I’m tempted to fork out the £20 it would cost me to have my tutor […]
After the Any Questions experience last Friday, the subsequent few days were a bit of a wash out. I wasn’t feeling wonderful on the Friday of the radio show visiting school – I noted in the post here that I only went to school because of their visit […]
When I cycled to southern Italy along the Eurovelo 5 last summer (remember that?), I spent a relaxing hour or so in the French city of Metz on the morning of the 27th July. I sat in a café and knocked back two espressos to fortify me for […]
If it had been any ordinary Friday, I would have called in sick. The weather, to a certain extent, beat my efforts to cycle to work last week. Reggie is currently locked up in the MFL office at Gillotts, stranded by the ice on the roads; he cycled valiantly […]
…as long as they can get past the snow and ice. I’ll be in the audience!
I bought this pint about 20 minutes ago but when handing over my £1.79 at the bar, a 50p piece that I was intending handing over to the barman dropped in the beer itself. It makes a metaphor more literal…
Not my next adventure I hasten to add, but it is someone’s; Hello, I stumbled across your site whilst researching this famous pilgrimage route. My name is James Anderson. I am an extreme sportsmen and adventurer and next summer I plan to run from Canterbury to Rome in […]
Head of Modern Foreign Languages is on the list…
More popular than the “British Royal Wedding”
It puts life’s problems into context…
Nothing happened of any importance in my life this weekend. I didn’t even make it down to the gym. I certainly didn’t learn how to juggle. Someone has, however, linked to this website recommending it as a source of information about the Eurovėlo 5. I just spent a […]
Trying to juggle the two responsibilities I now have – Head of Languages and Assistant Head Teacher – is certainly making me earn my money. I have just worked two consecutive 60-hour weeks and it’s the main excuse for not having written anything on here since the end […]
Whatever my next “adventure”, whether it be in winter or summer, 2011, 2012 or beyond, I need to be a bit fitter than I was for the last one. I wasn’t at the peak of fitness when I set off for Brindisi on the 18th July but by […]
Iain Harper has just commented on the previous post and reminded me of his experience in Switzerland in September. I went to look at his pictures of Facebook again and found this one taken at the Oberalppass. Brrrr…. Where is your tent Iain? Ah yes, you stayed in […]
This article on the Travelling Two blog makes me wonder; should I plan something for the February half-term holiday? The picture here (from the article) is beautiful but I’m sure if I were to wake up in one of those tents at 3am and start shivering violently, I […]
Shocking news from NewsBiscuit.com; Education Secretary Michael Gove today used his speech at the Conservative Party conference to outline radical plans to scrap modern foreign languages as part of the National Curriculum. Under new proposals children will instead be taught to speak slowly and loudly, as if the […]
I caught the first five minutes or so of this programme last night on BBC HD… I was falling asleep at the time, despite the fact that the programme started at only 9.30pm! I blame the red wine that I had consumed in the afternoon with Johnny (see […]
I have many work-related things on my mind this week, despite it being half term; I have developed a complete lack of ability to switch off my school thoughts when I am on holiday. This isn’t helped by the fact that most of the people that I know […]
I have just spent the day fiddling with computers at work. This has been nice, especially as it involves new kit (although the new Smart Document Camera is refusing to work!) but a touch disappointing; it was my plan to come in and spend the day marking three sets of exercise books. […]
Not quite a Simon & Garfunkel song title but it does put this post into context; I can’t sleep! You would think the first Sunday evening of a half-term holiday would lead to a seamless night of sleep that would last until perhaps the clock was back into […]
I need to read this. In the meantime, I’ll watch this…
At some point today, the counter over there on the right will tick over to 50,000 hits on this website (plus the 7,500 when it used to be hosted by Blogger). It could be you! That’s 50,000 in about 10 months! Here are some fascinating (!) facts about those […]
My pan-European cycle continues to generate a fair bit of interest. Andrew from Leicestershire writes; A friend and myself are planning to cycle from Rome to home (Leicestershire) next year for the Loros charity. I was wondering if you could send me the exact route you took (plus […]
Here’s something interesting from the Department for Education (why not go the whole hog and just return to the “Department of Education”?). Michael Gove has decided to stop separate funding of the Specialist School programme; the £450 million will, instead, be redirected through the “Dedicated Schools Grant” that gets […]
I didn’t realise it would be a name badge affair; here is mine, complete with my justification for inclusion on the ‘VIP’ list, the ‘EuroVelo 5 blog’. If only they hadn’t chosen to employ a deaf DJ for the evening…. The music blaring from his speakers was so loud that […]
I’m at risk of soon appearing inside the covers of Heat magazine! Not only have I been invited to Decathlon’s VIP opening on Wednesday and have a potential visit to Siena on the cards to talk about my cycling adventure, I now have in my possession a ticket […]
I tweeted earlier that I hoped this year’s Language Show would be better than the last and, much to my delight, it was! Even I, the master of refusing to take pieces of paper that just happen to be thrust in my direction, have a nice CILT bag […]
