Done a couple of 20 mile rides recently. However, been hit by tiredness, lack of time, an attack of vertigo and then a bloody cold! Therefore, riding time has been seriously curtailed. Now I seem to be getting a bit better, I'll try and get out over the weekend but the weather looks shit. Now the weather is supposedly going to be summer-ish, I need to get mote riding in.
I have been spending again though! I've bought myself a new camera, a Panasonic LX5. Its a great bit of kit, allowing point and shoot as well as much more advanced controls than I'm used to. I have been shotting in aperture priority mode alot which is a first for me. The results have been quite pleasing but I need to get the hang of focusing on moving subjects i.e. Posey!
The pictures are very sharp and vibrant and the prints I've done for display look very good. I've added a filter tube and a UV filter for protection and to reduce haze and I may add the viewfinder but that is rather expensive. What I will be buying is Billingham bag, more on that soon. I can see myself really getting into photogreaphy again. Some years ago I had a Canon 500n SLR that I loved but unfortunately had to sell. I may upgrade again soon ;-)
Done a couple of gigs with the Nightwires that went well and we keep getting great feedback. Pity no one will give us a record deal but then again who is getting those apart from arse licking scenesters. I am struggling to get gigs which is the most frustratiing thing. I'm giving it until the end of the year and then will assess things. I still want to do some session work as a route to doing music full time but I haven't got time to do that and the Nightwires. We shall see.
All the usual frustrations then!
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Thursday, 14 April 2011
A windy ride and no punctures
Went out Tuesday just gone. 18.84 miles 10.9 average mph
Felt reasonably good again even though I'd been up with Posey since 4.15am that morning! After I'd dropped her off I got home at 8.40am so thought fuck it, and work, I'm going for a ride as it would probably be the last chance before I go away for Easter.
It was quite windy but not too bad and the trails were quite dry. I did both my "fall off" hill at Strelley and the desent down to Cossall from Cossall. Neither was that muddy which was nice. I'd not been that way for a while so it was nice to ride somewhere slightly different. And no punctures!!!!
Felt reasonably good again even though I'd been up with Posey since 4.15am that morning! After I'd dropped her off I got home at 8.40am so thought fuck it, and work, I'm going for a ride as it would probably be the last chance before I go away for Easter.
It was quite windy but not too bad and the trails were quite dry. I did both my "fall off" hill at Strelley and the desent down to Cossall from Cossall. Neither was that muddy which was nice. I'd not been that way for a while so it was nice to ride somewhere slightly different. And no punctures!!!!
Friday, 8 April 2011
What a puncture!
Ride commenced today with a slow puncture but I was hopeful it would seal, given the wheel has a self sealing inner tube.
It was warm, dry and I felt good. And then I heard a clattering noise and I got the mother of all punctures. a 4" nail through the tread and out through the sidewall! No way that the tube would seal that and the tyre is fooked!
Was looking for a reason to buy some new summer tyres and now I have one.
13.8 miles 11.1 mph average.
It was warm, dry and I felt good. And then I heard a clattering noise and I got the mother of all punctures. a 4" nail through the tread and out through the sidewall! No way that the tube would seal that and the tyre is fooked!
Was looking for a reason to buy some new summer tyres and now I have one.
13.8 miles 11.1 mph average.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Another ride
Not weekend just gone but the one before (26th March) 17.63 miles.
Use Endomondo on my Blackberry which tracks me by GPS. Got a route map and stats so worked well.
Put the 16t sprocket back on and it was fine. In fact I felt really good until my stomach cramped half way round the route. Then had 2 days off work with a bug!
Didn't get out this weekend due to getting over that and my wife being ill. Also trying to get The Nightwires new cd finished. But once thats done, I'll be riding alot more often.
Use Endomondo on my Blackberry which tracks me by GPS. Got a route map and stats so worked well.
Put the 16t sprocket back on and it was fine. In fact I felt really good until my stomach cramped half way round the route. Then had 2 days off work with a bug!
Didn't get out this weekend due to getting over that and my wife being ill. Also trying to get The Nightwires new cd finished. But once thats done, I'll be riding alot more often.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Blimey, a bike ride took place!!
Finally got out for a ride at the weekend. 15.93 miles SS.
This was the first ride for exactly 2 months and I felt terrible afterwards!
I have put a 17 tooth Surly cog on the back and its amazing what difference one tooth makes. Better on some loose and hilly bits but what a pain on flat tarmac. It helped my legs as they had very little in them about half way round, but the 16 tooth will go back on after a few rides, once my strength has come back a bit.
Reasonably dry but the fucking horses have made my favourite bits in Cossall, unrideable.
This was the first ride for exactly 2 months and I felt terrible afterwards!
I have put a 17 tooth Surly cog on the back and its amazing what difference one tooth makes. Better on some loose and hilly bits but what a pain on flat tarmac. It helped my legs as they had very little in them about half way round, but the 16 tooth will go back on after a few rides, once my strength has come back a bit.
Reasonably dry but the fucking horses have made my favourite bits in Cossall, unrideable.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Welcome : The Nightwires
Russell and I have a new project:
The Nightwires
We are currently putting the finishing touches to our debut EP. We agreed not to do a 12 to 14 track album first as it would kill me! The last 3RC album took 200 plus hours and I cant do that again yet. Plus A. I dont think I have the time and B. I cant take another year of dissappointment if another album didn't take off.and C. we cant really afford to spend a grand again for next to no one to take notice of it.
So an EP gives us a foot in the door but I will make it as good as it can be. We need it to get gigs and get the name out there. It would be my dream for the EP to get us a deal so then we can do an album where someone else pays for it and records us. I'm really struggling to get enthused to do another album ourselves. Well I mean me record and produce it as it so time consuming. At least if we got a deal, someone else has the initial expense and does the hard work so I can just write the songs and perform them in the studio.
Was that a pig I just saw.........
New Stratocaster at last
So, the rosewood necked strat came and went. The nut on it was so badly cut that the g string jumped out of the nut when bending the string! Utter shit and doesn't say much for Fenders quality control.
So it went back and they were sending me another rosewood necked strat but they decided it wasn't saleable for some reason. I've therefore ended up with a maple necked version in black. I'm actually happy about it as I think solid colour strats do look better with a maple board.
It sounds like a strat! Setup on this one is much better and the action is probably a bit too low for me. 9 guage strings too but I cant be arsed to mess about with the action to put 10s on so the 9s will stay for the time being. Stange playing the PRS DGT after thought as that has 11s on it!!
I've bought some locking tuners for the strat which will make it alot easier to re-string and also a short tremolo arm ala Dave Gilmour, as the stock arm felt ridiculous to use.
I'm looking forward to recording with it and also trying out the David Gilmour patch on my Guitar Rig software.
In other news, still no bike ride since January 11th. I convinced myself I've been having a rest whilst the weather has been bad but I am now jonesing for a ride to let the cobwebs go and clear my head. My head has got blocked up with so much shit and I've realised the reason is that I've not been able to get out for a ride. I've always said that bike riding is the only thing that clears my head, alot more than guitar playing does. Which is strange given how much I love the guitar.
Sx
So it went back and they were sending me another rosewood necked strat but they decided it wasn't saleable for some reason. I've therefore ended up with a maple necked version in black. I'm actually happy about it as I think solid colour strats do look better with a maple board.
It sounds like a strat! Setup on this one is much better and the action is probably a bit too low for me. 9 guage strings too but I cant be arsed to mess about with the action to put 10s on so the 9s will stay for the time being. Stange playing the PRS DGT after thought as that has 11s on it!!
I've bought some locking tuners for the strat which will make it alot easier to re-string and also a short tremolo arm ala Dave Gilmour, as the stock arm felt ridiculous to use.
I'm looking forward to recording with it and also trying out the David Gilmour patch on my Guitar Rig software.
In other news, still no bike ride since January 11th. I convinced myself I've been having a rest whilst the weather has been bad but I am now jonesing for a ride to let the cobwebs go and clear my head. My head has got blocked up with so much shit and I've realised the reason is that I've not been able to get out for a ride. I've always said that bike riding is the only thing that clears my head, alot more than guitar playing does. Which is strange given how much I love the guitar.
Sx
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