Christmas Eve Ride 2014

I sneaked out of the house at 8am with a Fiat full of mountain bike and a radio full of Planet Rock. Half an hour later, I met up with Deadly Dan and Craig and we headed off to the Lickey Hills. Dan was riding a 10-speed fat bike (VERY similar to the one reviewed by RocketDog here) while Craig was astride his trusty Beast (Orange 5!). Today, I was testing my first pair of mountain-bike specific cycling shorts. I've only ever worn roadie Lycra, cut-offs or running shorts on a mountain bike. I was eager to see if this new kit suited me.



Our 26s ain't dead!

Thanks to my shoulder injury and this horrible cold that everyone has, I haven't been training properly since I turned 40. As a result, I'm almost a stone heavier than I was in the summer and my fitness levels have suffered dramatically. I'm at the end of my cold now, thank goodness, and so is Deadly, but Craig was still suffering big time.

We got stuck into (literally) the muddy conditions at the Lickeys and were thankful for a dry, sunny day without much wind. The Lickeys were beautiful - sometimes deserted, silent apart from the clicking of Hope hubs, and always full of life.

"This is Nature," I thought to myself.

By the time we had skidded down 'Bono' we were sweaty happy chaps, cheerfully covered in mud and not minding our colds so much any more.

In the Waseley Hills, Dan was kind enough to let me try his fat bike. What a revelation! I only rode it for a short section (Badger) over rough but flat terrain, but my word, the difference was astounding! I felt as though I could ride over anything! It also felt as though the bike was pulling me forward, like it was desperate to keep going, over, through, on and on. As soon as I win the lottery, I'm getting one!

The café stop was most welcome. Cake, bread pudding and tea was consumed whilst chatting about the important things in life (you can guess what they might be).

We slowed things down on the way back, taking opportunities to take photos and finding the most fun way to go. Dan even spotted a baby tree that someone had decorated for Christmas.

The shorts were great. How could I tell? Because I forgot all about them for the entire ride. Comfortable and functional, I wish I had purchased mountain-bike specific stuff earlier. The shorts themselves are budget-priced Muddyfox kit from SportsDirect.

Back at Dan's house, we were treated to homemade mince pies while Dan did a great job of cleaning all our bikes!

Another great Christmas Eve ride with the AMBS/NWAlps.

Merry Christmas!

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

How to annoy your Local Bike Shop (and its customers)

It was a fantastic start to a Saturday - a cold, crisp, bright morning; singing along to the radio on the motorway; being the first to the dojo and warming up with a few laps of the hall. I realised that I was still suffering the effects of the cold that I'd had for the last two weeks, but not badly enough to stop me from training.

I was asked to take the warm-up for the class which I always enjoy doing. I managed to do it without succumbing to a coughing fit. Sensei Jim took us through Heian Yondan - the kata I will need in order to get my purple belt. Heian Yondan used to be my competition kata so I was pleased to find that it didn't take long for me to get the hang of it again. There have obviously been some minor changes to the kata since I was first taught it - but nothing I can't adapt to. (EG after the first kiai and turn into back stance, I was taught to push the opponent back before kicking. We don't do this anymore.) We finished the lesson off with some good old-fashioned sparring. Perfect.

I left the dojo feeling wide awake and ready for action. Back at home, after second breakfast, I climbed onto the mountain bike and headed off to Birmingham for some Christmas Shopping. It felt great to be back on two wheels - the first time I've ridden a bike in two weeks. Surely some sort of record for me! I cycled into the city centre, passing the queues of cars sitting angrily together before they started fighting over parking spaces. I did some shopping (some great deals in Forbidden Planet at the moment!) and then headed back on the A34.  I noticed that my back brake wasn't very effective so I thought I'd stop in at Scott's Cycles to see if they could supply me with a brake pad (and maybe some GT85 for the gears).

This is where my Saturday started to take a turn for the worse...

Upon entering the shop I saw that Pete was the only member of staff present. He had three customers already: a mother and daughter buying a new bike, and a miserable cyclist with his bike literally in pieces on the counter. The cyclist was in his cycling gear with his arms folded standing motionless at the counter with his broken machine. I waited for a couple of minutes while Pete explained the differences between the children's bikes. I had a good look around the shop and couldn't see any brake pads for hydraulic disc brakes.
I interrupted Pete when he paused for breath. "Sorry Pete, you don't have any disc brake pads do you?" I fully expected him to just say "no" so I could then hop back on my bike and pedal up to Halfords.

"What kind?" he asked.

"Hydraulic disc brakes," I tried, ready for him to shake his head and release me on my way.

"Yeah, but what kind?" Silence in the shop now. Miserable Cyclist staring at me and I could feel the mother and daughter boring holes in the back of my head with their laser stares.

For some reason I could rattle off the disc brake pad I needed exactly: "Shimano BR M445," I managed to say.
At this, Pete made his way around the counter and started pulling things off hooks. I hadn't considered looking behind the counter...

"Sorry to interrupt, " I offered sheepishly to Pete's back.
Then Pete mumbled something, almost to himself. I couldn't hear all of what he said, but the last word was definitely, "...rude."

Rude? RUDE! Uh-oh, I've managed to piss-off my local bike shop repair dude by pushing in front of three customers who were about to spend a lot more money than I was.
Pete now began to make things worse. He started flicking through manuals. Shimano manuals, running his finger down columns: "Yeah I think the 445 was replaced. Yep. This one. No. Yeah, definitely this one." Then another catalogue came out from under the counter...

In desperation, I turned to Miserable Cyclist. "Sorry, chap. I thought it would be a 'yes or no' question." Then I tried a smile. Miserable Cyclist simply made a noise. The kind of noise that Tom Hardy makes in the film Lawless. It meant nothing. Miserable Cyclist gave the noise no more meaning than Tom had. I didn't know what to think.

Finally, Pete turned around with a pair of brake pads.
"Thanks," I said. "I'll wait my turn."

Pete looked at Miserable Cyclist. "He's alright...mumble mumble women," said Pete. WHAT? What on earth does that mean?! Then Pete looked at me "Twelve ninety-nine," he said.

 

HOW MUCH?! I can get a pair of brake pads from ebay for about £5!. Oh crikey, there was no turning back now. The weight of the silence in the shop was threatening to collapse in on itself as I dug my wallet out of by backpack. Oh crap, I had no cash! Out came the debit card. A breathy sound like a punctured tyre issued forth from Miserable Cyclist.

Finally, the world's most expensive brake pads paid for and packed away, I turned to head towards the door. I tried again to get Miserable Cyclist on my side. "I'm sorry about that, chap." I offered. All I was met with was silence. Utter silence.
I managed to get out of the shop without screaming, "Fuck you, I'm going to Halfords next time!" which I think is a victory in itself.

I forgot the GT85.

ComicCon Birmingham November 23rd 2014

We've been looking forward to ComicCon for ages.
Actually, we've been looking forward to ComicCon since the last time we were there in March! The Birmingham event takes place over two days at the NEC and features traders, speakers, signings, Robot Wars, the Star Wars parade, comic book artists doing live work and the famous cosplay performances at the close of day.


Vicky



Martha

Cosplay is fans of films, comics, manga, anime and/or computer games dressing up as fictional characters. More often than not, these costumes have been painstakingly created or pieced together over several weeks/months before the event. There were some 'off-the-peg' costumes in evidence but these don't command the same respect as an impressive homemade effort! Three of the gang were cosplaying today: Martha as a hunter from video game Left 4 Dead, Vicky as Eren Yeager - a character from Manga/Anime Attack on Titan, and Mouse was the Mad Hatter!
However, Martha purchased a fine looking mask and eye-patch combination and suddenly became Kaneki Ken from Tokyo Ghoul!

The queue was, as usual, a lot of fun as we spotted the many different costumes being worn by the fans. I spotted Batman, Robin, the Stig, a Borg, loads of Star Wars characters, an army of Jokers, a creeper from Minecraft, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, loads of Adventure Time characters (including male and female Finns) and countless Japanese characters that I simply hadn't seen before!

I made some comic books purchases, Harry found some sweets, Mouse found some artwork for her bedroom walls and Tilly bought a postcard for herself. Everyone managed to find something to take home!

The Cosplay performance at the end of the day could have been better timed - the winners were announced after ComicCon had ceased business, which meant that people were in a rush to leave. Start the performance half an hour earlier next time please, MCM? The performances themselves were excellent, and very brave of the young people involved - we saw Final Fantasy X characters, The Penguin from Batman, and Zap Brannigan from Futurama to name but three of the 25 acts involved!

But enough from me, here are the rest of the pics!



It's the cyclist in me...



New tyres, animals attack, and the 15 minute bonk

A couple of weeks ago, Jonnie and I were heading south (mainly downhill) through the lanes towards Wilmcote. Jonnie was leading on a descent and came to a muddy corner. Riding behind him, I witnessed his back wheel refuse to follow the front and start to slide out around to the hedge. Jonnie managed to hold it together and got around the corner. We discussed the incident (over cake and tea) and decided that wet weather tyres were required - the 23mm pair provided with the Trek were decidedly slick!

Sunday
After a trip to Red Kite Cycles in the week, Jonnie was now using a pair of Continental 25mm Gatorskins. I had a quick look at these tyres before we set off - they didn't seem to offer much in the way of extra tread. There were a couple of triangular shaped areas evenly spaced along the tyre - the rest of it was quite smooth. Jonnie told me that the staff member at our LBS had explained that it was the amount of tyre in contact with the road that was important - not how much tread you have available. Hmmmm, I wasn't convinced...

A cold morning, but not windy. The lanes we very wet and muddy, however, often with standing water. What better day to test the new tyres?

During the descent of the 1:6 Widowmaker in Langley, a chap passed the both of us (overtaking Jonnie at a very steep corner) without saying a 'good morning!' This is against the rules! I sped after him for about a mile and a bit. I was catching him on a hill but as soon as we reached the flat he rode away. Next time...
Earlier in the ride, about 5 or 6 miles in, a squirrel darted out of a hedgerow and attempted to run between Jonnie's wheels. Unfortunately, he didn't make it and was promptly run over by the back wheel. I was riding at the back and witnessed it all. Our furry friend did a bit of breakdancing in the middle of the lane and then sprinted off into the opposite hedgerow. Hopefully, he'll be okay. So, the new tyres passed the squirrel test...

About 15 miles later I was leading into a descent from Snitterfield and towards the Stratford Road. A bird (looked like a crow to me) shot out of a low tree and directly at my head. A quick duck by me and a sharp change of direction by the bird prevented disaster. I was then overtaken by Jonnie...

After nature making it quite clear that we weren't welcome in the lanes today, we eventually reached our cake stop at Jane and Eric's home. We were 24 miles in and I was feeling good. The average was low (14mph) but Jonnie and I had were mainly chatting and spinning and simply enjoying our favourite hobby.

The remaining 15 miles were all at a steady incline. After about 10 minutes of starting back out in the lanes, I started to feel decidedly strange: I developed a bit of tunnel vision, quickly followed by a hollow leg feeling. then the all too familiar sensation of weakness and feeling sick that means only one thing: The dreaded bonk! (Those unfamiliar with the term can read about it here.) I confessed to Jonnie that I was feeling rather unwell and he sportingly let me hang onto his back wheel for a while.
After 15 minutes of this, a minor miracle occured! The cake must have started to take effect because I started to find my legs again! Indeed, by the time we reached the infamous Farm climb, I was back to my old self and doing my best Froome impersonation [at about 10% of his speed] up the hills! I've never recovered from the bonk before. Not without a big meal and plenty of rest. Will wonders never cease?

As far as the tyres are concerned: Jonnie was careful today. The lanes were in a right mess - water and mud everywhere. I did notice that I was able to keep up with Jonnie on the descents which is a rarity. The fella was obviously being sensible. He said he was pleased with the tyres and didn't feel them slip at any point. This can only be a good thing.
Deadly Dan did some internet research on them and was surprised to find that most people would not recommend the Gatorskins for wet weather riding. When it comes to winter rides, it would seem that the 4 Seasons tyre are the popular choice from the Continental range as far as the internet is concerned. Still, the Gatorskins are a vast improvement on the slipping and sliding slicks that Jonnie was skating around on the last time we were out in the lanes!

Training Targets for 2015

As some may know, I've had some injury problems recently :
A suspected broken finger, a painful right knee and a VERY painful right shoulder.


After today's gentle 32 miles in the muddy lanes.

These injuries eventually stopped me training (except for a few road bike rides) and no weight-training, no Karate, no running and no mountain biking made me rather frustrated. I substituted training with beer and junkfood and set about being a happy slob for the last month. I even ended up getting amazingly drunk one Friday night and making an idiot of myself on social media...(Note to self: I must make sure I don't get left alone in the house on a Friday night ever again.)
I'm now happy to report that, although the finger and knee are still a little sore at times, the shoulder seems to have righted itself!

With this in mind, I did an MOT on myself to assess the damage done:

Start of September:

10st 2 lbs

Blood pressure: 125/76

Resting heart rate: 51

 

Today:

10st 1 lbs 

Blood pressure: 127/75

Resting heart rate: 40 [checked twice on both arms!]

Erm, so what does this mean? That cake and beer and no exercise lower your heart rate? Isn't a low heart rate an indication of fitness? Why have I lost weight? Could I have lost muscle mass through lack of exercise?
Confusing stuff. I suppose that 6 weeks of inactivity isn't long enough to have an adverse effect on the body.

Anyhoo, the serious training starts tomorrow and I've got a simple plan:
Cut out the sugary foods, dramatically cut out alcohol (aiming for 2 or 3 ales per week), and exercise every day. I'll be emphasising the running and cycling and cutting back on the weight-training in an effort to keep the shoulder happy. At least until Christmas.

So what am I training for? I have 5 definite targets with 2 others that I'd like to do:

• The Cannock Chase Winter Classic - a mountain bike race that hasn't got a date yet. This year it was in February but I didn't ride it.

• The Mad March Hare - 65-75 miles of road riding on 1st March. It will be cold and probably wet. With a massive hill somewhere along the route it has been a challenging but enjoyable ride for the last 2 years!

• The Dynamic 100 - I enjoyed riding this road cycling event with mates this summer and raising over £200 for Macmillan. As the name suggests, it's just over 100 miles long!

• Race the Train, Tywyn - My biggest challenge this year will be running 5.5 miles off road in Wales, chasing a steam train!

• 3rd Kyu - A brown belt in karate. I'm sure that Martha will be able to achieve this with me next year.

My 2 other targets are both mountain bike races:

• The Cannock Chase Summer Classic - a great race with a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed it this year even though I was badly (and painfully) hampered by injury.

• Forest of Dean Enduro - I've entered this race twice and enjoyed it both times. Quite possibly my favourite thing to do on two wheels.

If anyone would like to do any of these challenges with me, get in touch! The more the merrier. I'd love to train together with you too.

So that's the plan. I'm aiming to complete at least 5 of these 7 next year, but to do that, the serious work needs to start now. I'm in my forties and living on beer and cake. Things have got to change!

HAKEN at the Robin 2, Wolverhampton. 27th October 2014

My fantastic girlfriend surprised me with tickets to see my current favourite band - London's HAKEN. The show coincided with the release of their RESTORATION E.P. so I was doubly excited at the thought of getting my hands on some of their new music and seeing them live for the first time!
HAKEN are a six piece band playing what many would describe as progressive metal, producing music of a complexity I've only heard before in bands like Yes, Genesis and Tool.
 

 
The group started with 3rd album opener Atlas Stone - a rising and falling sea of sing-along sound that does a good job of showcasing their individual talents:
Raymond is a powerful and versatile drummer, able to handle HAKEN's complex time signatures and changes and still infuse the songs with his own characteristic style. My girlfriend was actually concerned that his drum kit was going to fly apart mid set, such was his ferocity at times! Very impressive talent.
New boy Conner on the bass looked at home with the group, confident on his five-string and with the backing vocal duties.
Diego on the keyboards, perhaps the most jazz-influenced of the six, had a really good gig. He was visibly enjoying himself whilst creating the intricate washes of sound that bind the complex songs together. I was surprised to learn just how many solos Diego plays on the keys - solos that I had assumed were played on guitar. This in turn reminds me of the early Genesis tracks when it wasn't always clear where the sounds were originating from - Steve Hackett or Tony Banks?
Richard the multi-instrumentalist and primary song writer (certainly on the first two albums) spent the evening switching between keys and guitar. I felt a little sorry for him having to have his keyboard facing away from the crowd on The Robin 2's tiny stage. He impressed me with his soloing skills tonight.
Main guitarist Charlie, sporting scary-looking beard, played a stormer. His incredibly fast fret work on his Strandberg 53 ripped through the sound system, especially when working closely with Diego. I tried to count the strings on his headless guitar but it was never still long enough for me to do so - I reckon it was about 8 or something... My girlfriend was slightly concerned with Charlie's facial expressions and wondered if he might be a murderer in his spare time... I think he was just rocking-out in time-honoured heavy metal tradition.

Singer Ross has more in common with David Coverdale than Jon Anderson. In full rock-god mode, he never lost enthusiasm when faced with the Robin 2's quiet, sensible crowd at less than half capacity. Ross's voice was in top form, moving through HAKEN's demanding songs and harmonizing flawlessly with his band mates'. His gesticulations and facial expressions helped to explain the narrative of each song almost as much as the lyrics.
Next came In Memoriam, again from the band's 3rd album The Mountain. This album provided the majority of the material for tonight's show. Not as eccentric as the band's first offering, Aquarius, nor as heavy as their second album, Visons, The Mountain is their most accessible CD and has won them more fans than the other two albums put together. It is also their only album that doesn't tell a story from beginning to end (for example, Visions can be compared to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son in terms of storytelling). It makes sense that this is the album that they showcase to their fans tonight.
Darkest Night is next - the first track from their newly-released Restoration E.P. and one that I have played several times a day since it was first posted up on the band's Youtube channel! It's a real riff-fest which makes me think of Mastodon (no bad thing) and is sure to be a fan favourite for many years/gigs to come.
Pareidolia, the song that introduced me to HAKEN via Planet Rock, sounded fantastic tonight. If you've never heard the band, start with a youtube search for this track.
The big surprise of the evening for me came in the form of The Cockroach King (again from The Mountain). Possibly my least favourite song by the band but very popular with the fans because of its sing-along qualities and sense of fun. Tonight, however, my opinion of it was totally reversed: in a live setting, the song is ferocious and uncurls from the stage as a sonic onslaught! The power of this track actually inspired some of the middle-aged crowd to lift their voices and get closer to the monitors.
Drowning in the Flood was the only track taken from the band's 2010 debut album Aquarius. The song, while not my favourite from the LP, suits the live setting perfectly - good choice chaps. I was surprised to learn that the electrifying, ear-blasting ending to this song is actually provided by Diego's keys and not a guitar!

The highlight of the evening was Cyrstalised: their new twenty-minute track from the Restoration E.P. which I'm listening to as I type this. I hadn't heard it before (so I was glad to purchase it at the gig) and enjoyed hearing it for the first time in such an intimate live setting. A real privilege. The song itself has its roots deeply and unashamedly in the prog-rock movement of the late 60s and early 70s. Gentle Giant being the obvious comparison, this track combines beautiful keyboard work with clever vocal harmonies. It is divided into sections much like Supper's Ready, but still maintains its heavy-metal sensibilities. On its third playing, it's already shaping up to be one of my favourite songs ever...
After pretending to end the gig (why do bands still do that?) the guys quickly returned to play Visions (the title-track from the second album). How can this track be explained? Voted as the fans' favourite track on a recent Facebook thread, this song sounds like the ending to an epic film, or a journey, or a life...Awesome.

Ears ringing, throat sore, a silly grin plastered on my face, I went home happy clutching my new E.P. and T shirt ready to tell everyone and anyone about HAKEN. The band deserve to be famous. They deserve to fill Wolverhampton Civic Hall and be interviewed by every serious rock publication in the world. They need an hour long documentary on Sky Arts. They should be allowed to upload their next album directly onto your iPod...
In a world of Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus, HAKEN find themselves playing to 120 middle-aged blokes in Bilston.
They deserve more.

Ganja and The Nissan Micra bus

My cycle commute is normally a 17 minute flat, traffic congested, traffic-lighted, nerve-shredded brake-fest. The only reprieve is the last quarter mile of the journey which I do in a bus-and-bike lane on the Stratford Road. I enjoy cruising past the cars that had earlier overtook me as we went through Hall Green. Now the cars are all queued up, one behind the other, the drivers trapped in their cages peering at mobile phones or looking wistfully at the cyclist free-wheeling past them.

Two incidents of note have happened on this little stretch this month:

As I was coming past the Bulls Head on the Stratford Road, a black Golf nearly swiped me off my bike by driving dangerously close and almost forcing me up onto the pavement. Nothing new there. As usual, I caught him up when we reached the bus lane and he joined the queue. I stopped next to his car for a chat and he immediately, guiltily rolled the window down. He was very apologetic and also very very...sleepy. It was then that I noticed that he smelled like Bob Marley's beard and was clutching a spliff! I suggested to him that he shouldn't be smoking weed and driving. To my surprise he agreed! But then he drove off again...
I wish I'd taken his registration number - the guy is a danger to others.


The second incident involved a little Nissan Micra that decided it didn't need to join the queue, but was entitled to drive all the way down the bus lane, driving past almost 100 cars! I caught up at the lights, parked my bike against a fence, took off my backpack, got my phone out, stood in front of the car and pretended to take a photograph of the number plate. The occupants, two Indian ladies staring at me open-mouthed, will hopefully be worrying about that for the next week or so!

My 26 ain't Dead

There aren't many blokes as nice as Deadly Dan.
When my hardtail mountain bike seemed to be done for in the middle of August after doing its best to get round Penmachno, Dan told me that he could repair it. Apparently, it needed a new headset.
Right, I nodded, blinking at him in the bright Welsh sunlight, unsure of what a headset was.
Upon returning to the internet, and some confusing searches and conversations online, I discovered that what I needed was a FSA no11. What I actually ended up with was a small cardboard box labelled INTENSITY UNLIMITED steel semi-integrated aheadset (yes, aheadset, that's not a typo.) Inside was a collection of differently sized steel rings and some bearings. After quickly deciding I wasn't going anywhere near it, I patiently waited for Dan to have some spare time to fit it for me...
I didn't have to wait long: Dan gave up his Saturday morning and appeared at my front door, before he had even had breakfast, with a very heavy toolbox and a determined attitude. He didn't even flinch as my dogs barked and jumped around him, such was his focus on the task at hand.
After brief pause for homemade cake and redbush tea, we went to examine the patient. I had already stripped the fork as much as I could, removing the brake, stem and handlebar.
After some confident bashing with a rubber mallet and 'The Persuader' (Dan's granddad's wooden mallet), we had removed all of the rusty mashed up bits of headset that Penmachno had chewed up and spat out. Dan then had me clean and grease the headtube before he put the new headset in.

We then took the opportunity to drop my stem down a little bit - Dan assures me this will help stability when descending!
After a celebratory second helping of homemade cake and tea, Dan shot off to work and Lucy and I went round to visit a newborn addition to the family (welcome, Sidney Joe!)
Upon returning home, Tilly helped me set up the brakes after I had put in new pads. I also put on a Bontrager saddle - replacing the old Halford's own model that had split. Then I set off on a test run.

After about three miles, I realised that the bike was painfully slow - I was still running Penmachno pressures of 20psi! I popped in to Uncle Jonnie's place to bring the pressures up to 50psi and then turned the bike towards the canal towpath. On the canal, the bike was running beautifully and I could have quite happily carried on right down to Stratford! I didn't notice any difference with the dropped stem but I did notice the Bontrager saddle - that thing is hard!

Proper Gander in Tywyn

The priority for this weekend was to fetch the mountain bike from the caravan so it can be repaired in readiness for my 40th birthday cycle at Cannock Chase on the 27th of September.
Lucy and I drove to Wales with the dogs on Saturday morning and arrived at about 3pm. Lucy was suffering the effects of the night before and opted to read the Times in the caravan while I walked the boys down on the beach.
At about 6, Lucy and I walked into Tywyn for our dinner. I had reserved a table at a high-street restaurant called Proper Gander. Neither of us had visited the place before but had read good things about it on the interweb.
We received a friendly welcome from the owner who was manning the tiny bar downstairs. He advised me on ales and kept us up to date with the Villa v Liverpool game.
He was serving bottles of local Cadar Ales which are brewed less than 20 miles from the restaurant in Dolgellau, and I was eager to tell my story about climbing Cadar Idris. I tried two ales during my visit: TPA and Cader Gold. I was surprised to see that the owner was storing the bottles in a fridge and was even more surprised to see that the label of the Cader Gold recommended that the ale is to be served chilled! However, I will be sampling the bottles of Cader Ales which Lucy bought me at room temperature I think (Lucy was kind enough to buy a selection of the ales and a pint glass for me as an early birthday present!)
The TPA was too bitter to be classed as one of my favourite ales but was still an enjoyable pint. The Cader Gold, however, was a wonderfully tasty, smooth beer and one I'll be on the look out for.
The meal was fantastic. Everything was freshly made, without a hint of a packet or tin anywhere. The bread was hot, the soup was steaming. For my main, I chose liver and onions - a meal I hadn't tasted since I left university. It was the best meal I have ever had in a restaurant. Ever. Everything about it was perfect - tender pieces of liver served with mustard mash and a rich onion gravy containing strips of bacon. I ate slowly because I didn't want it to end.

Lucy went for the chicken and the portion was beautifully presented and there was lots of it! Her roasted vegetables came in a cloth bag tied with string. We don't know why, but it looked very nice. She couldn't finish her dinner.
The staff were helpful and friendly and the prices were a little cheaper than I had anticipated. We had two courses and two drinks each, for a total of £44.
The only criticism was the décor - The place was a bit tatty (but certainly not dirty) with some terrible wallpapers. It did feel as if you were sitting in someone's front room! We enjoyed the singing voice of the chef from the kitchen next door.
We emerged from Proper Gander with a strong desire to return there again next year.
Highly recommended.

Family Holiday 2014 - Tywyn, Wales.

This blog is about our 18 day family holiday in our static caravan. It does contain a bit about cycling and RPGs but it's mainly about our adventures in a small part of Wales. As such, it's probably only of interest to friends and family. You have been warned!

Day 1
We set off fairly early, around about 10am. I'd already walked the dogs. It was a bright morning, even sunny at times. Mouse sat in the front of the car with me while Lucy did the motorway driving. Mouse and I laughed our heads off talking nonsense with me doing my Lumpy Space Princess voice [a character from Adventure Time TV show]. Martha and Tilly zoned out in the backseats.
At the big Welshpool Tesco, Mouse came with Lucy and me to walk the dogs on the picturesque canal there.

The canal at Welshpool

Freddie the dog fell in the canal and I hauled him out. He smelled. We went to Tesco and bought the first of the recent Planet of the Apes remakes on DVD.
I drove the remaining 53 miles along the winding country lanes, and Mouse fell soundly asleep.
Upon arrival at the caravan, we unpacked the car and then walked the dogs along the beach.
In the evening, Lucy cooked a marvellous dinner of meatballs (what she can create on that little caravan stove is simply amazing) and then went to read in the bedroom. The girls and I tried to play Dungeons and Dragons...
Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring the players' folder which contains the character sheets and maps which they've been using for the last 2 years! Instead, Tilly looked at her tablet device [Samsung?] while Martha, Mouse and I played a game of 21 with Martha's Adventure Time cards. It was a lot of fun. Then we passed the time making up hilarious one-minute stories with each other and reading them aloud. After that, we did lots of drawing and colouring - very relaxing.
Finally, as Mouse completed her artwork, Martha listened to me read Blue Exorcist to her.  The Blue Exorcist manga is one I would recommend although I sometimes find the story a little hard to follow. For example, it's not always obvious [to me] which character is speaking as some of the speech bubbles don't have the 'tails' on them that Western comics do. The artwork, and general plot, however, are top notch. One more thing - the books themselves are excellent value when compared to the cape comics, although we have to bear in mind that the Japanese stuff is without colour.
The girls and I hadn't stopped talking and laughing for about three hours.
I eventually went to bed to read Full Moon by PG Wodehouse. While I prefer his short stories to the novels, this book was probably the best full-length story of his that I've read so far. Recommended.

A good first day!

Day 2
A wet and miserable start to the day. Lucy and I walked the dogs on the beach in the rain. Freddie found a dying rabbit and Monty barked at stones. Lucy and I later heard that Aberdovey Golf Club had allegedly released myxomatosis into the rabbit population in the dunes at the beach in an effort to stop them burrowing in the greens.
After this soggy excitement, we hung up our wet clothes and then took Martha and Mouse to the library. We all tried to access Facebook without much success. I played on Travian for a while and looked at the depressing weather report. When it finally stopped raining, I leapt onto the Specialized and rode up the hill in Llanegryn. I don't know what the hill is actually called so I've named it Nemesis on Strava! It's 1.3 miles of steep non-stop climbing. When I first rode it 2 years ago, it took me 5 attempts to get up it without having to walk!

The view from almost the top of Nemesis (as far as a road bike can go anyway)

Anyway, I climbed it first time today and then the rest of the ride was very pretty, but hard work for some reason. I rode 17 miles at 13.2 mph. Very leisurely!
At home, I discovered that everyone had gone to the beach. I spent an hour planning something different for D&D. I crated a scenario for higher level characters within the same campaign - allowing the girls to play in familiar settings but with new, more powerful characters. After this, I opened a cider and watched the Commonwealth Games!
When everyone returned, we played D&D with the new characters while I drank cava. The game was a great success despite me being a rather tipsy by the end...
We watched Kung Fu Panda after dinner. I enjoyed the film but it wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be.
Martha and I read some more Blue Exorcist before I staggered off to bed a bit drunk!

Day 3
When I went to the shower block this morning there was a man AND a young woman in the men's block. The woman was walking around in only her pants. I didn't know what to do so I went back to the van.
Lucy and I went to the carboot sale today - except that it wasn't on...It was very wet during the night, maybe it was rained off? We went to the library instead and I uploaded my Strava results from yesterday. I discovered that there is a Strava segment for Nemesis coming from the other direction - and it's slightly steeper and longer!

Cycling on holiday - just to keep fit, you understand...

The sun came out so we packed some sandwiches and went to the beach. It was still too cold and windy for me but the girls spent an hour jumping waves. I read Wodehouse and drank cider. The sun went in and the rain came out so we dashed back to the caravan. When the rain stopped, I jumped on the bike and did a variation of yesterday's ride, including the big climb. I got up the new longer, steeper segment first time, but it was hard work! I went back via country lanes and the New Bridge (which used to be an old bailey bridge). I met Lucy who was on the way to the bridge with the dogs. The ride was 18 miles at 12.7 mph. Sounds slow, but the hill destroyed my average. I was at around 16.5 mph before I got to the climb.
Back at the van, I had a shower and washed my Lycra at the same time!
In the evening, we watched the Commonwealth Games. Lucy and I shouted at the TV a lot and Martha said she was never watching the Commonwealth Games with us again.

Day 4
Today, the five of us went to Cadair Idris. This beautiful place is actually the 19th highest mountain in Wales. Today, we stayed in the picturesque area at the bottom. There was a big pond (or small lake) with little fences and stuff. I got to play with Martha's digital SLR and talk to Mouse about D&D. Everyone was in a good mood. We had a picnic on a bench and then the girls had ice cream at the café there. There was a visitor's centre that had bats in the roof. You weren't allowed to go up to see the bats...
On the bike, I approached Nemesis from the hard side again and managed to get up it in one go - although I don't think I did it quite as quickly as I did yesterday. 18 miles at 12.7 mph.
Lucy made sausage and mash for everyone and we all watched Hercules (an animated Disney musical). Afterwards, Lucy read in the bedroom and the girls and I played a rubbish D&D session which Tilly quickly lost interest in. The girls are missing their original adventures and characters.

Day 5
We all piled in the car and I drove us to Dan's caravan. The drive was hair-raising at times because the coast road (A493 and A496) is so narrow with lorries coming the other way and villages reducing the road to a single lane. There are some stunning views of the sea, however. We had to cross a toll bridge - a low wooden contraption - but it only cost 70p.
When we arrived, Dan drove me and our mountain bikes up to the Penmachno trails. It was a hot and sunny day and the views from up in the woods were smashing. And the trails themselves were some of the best I've ever ridden! Sometimes fast, sometimes technical, but never too difficult to ride, it was split into ten sections. The best section was the seventh - slow and technical but a real challenge to ride well. I loved it. This being Wales, there wasn't much in the way of roots and compacted dirt, the trails being made of rocks - sometimes smooth, sometimes those jagged ones. It meant that it was very important to pick a line before you commit yourself. By the end, my 4 years old Halfords bike was battered - both brakes failing and the headset loose and grinding. We tightened up the headset as best we could but then it was so stiff it was almost impossible to ride.
Back at Dan's, Fiona  cooked a lovely pasta and salad spread and the girls played with Blake until the Blondies (Mouse and Tilly) found out that they could get Wi-Fi. They had all spent the afternoon on the beach. It was one of those beaches where you had to keep the dogs under control and Freddie is a bit of a handful. I think Lucy was glad to get back to the caravan!
We got back at 9, and discovered that Sally, Jess, Jess's friend Liv and Harry had arrived! They were staying the Lucy's parents' caravan which is on the same site as ours and about a 30 second walk away. Very convenient.
We all gathered to watch the very solemn BBC programme about the 100 year anniversary of the first World War. We had to turn out the lights and burn a candle. It was alright if you're religious and/or a fan of upper-class politicians and celebrities.  I couldn't help feeling it was a million miles away from the experiences of the average Tommy in the trenches.

Day 6
I woke up with a bit of a hangover. Everyone else went crabbing and then to the beach.

The gang after some successful crabbing

I went to the library and then took the dogs on a walk along the beach. I eventually met up with everyone and we enjoyed the weather and the waves for a while. We all drove back to the caravan and Lucy made a chilli for all of us. I spent the evening playing games with the kids - D&D was a great success because Harry had fetched the maps and character sheets from Solihull for us! We played a great game with the original four players with Harry the Thief, Kane, and Hunter all moving up to level 4.
Tilly then joined Sally, Lucy, Jess and Liv  in watching the Sound of Music in our caravan so Martha, Harry, Mouse and I remained in Jane's caravan to play more games:
21 with the Adventure Time cards and then Top Trumps with the DC and Marvel cards. We discovered that Top Trumps was more fun if we ignored the ridiculous stats on the cards and just had a discussion about which character would win!
It poured down with rain when it went dark.


Day 7
The whole gang got up early to go to a trampoline activity in a  mine. Yes, going down to have 'fun' underground in an old mine. They were very brave. It sounded like my idea of Hell.
I took the dogs on a long 2hrs and 40mins walk. The weather was fine and I walked barefoot at the edge of the sea for nearly all of the walk - trying to get of bit of colour in my white feet.
After leftover chilli for lunch, I did a good fast bike ride (even though the average was slow due to it being very lumpy at times. I went up Nemesis the hard way and took my pulse at the top - 138 bpm. Trouble is, I have no idea if that's good or not!
I arrived back at the van in time to see the kids walking into Tywyn. After I showered, Lucy and I walked into Tywyn to find the kids. Eventually, everyone except Tilly (Lucy, Sally, Martha, Mouse, Jess, Liv, Harry and me) was in the Buccaneer amusement arcade gambling our 2 pence pieces away! We all had fun wasting our money and winning tat.
Back at the vans - Lucy knocked up fish fingers and chips for the kids and Sally made a marvellous frittata for the grown-ups and me.
The whole group gathered to watch British Bake Off which is basically Masterchef but only using ovens. We loved it and I don't know why.
Early to bed.

Day 8
Up at 7:30.

Sally, Martha and I went to climb Cadair Idris.

Cadair Idris

Sally drove us to the bottom and it was a beautifully clear sunny day without much wind. I had everyone's food and water (2 bottles each) in my backpack so it was quite heavy but after a while I hardly noticed it.

One mile done

The climb was a lot harder than I expected! It was so steep in places that we had to use our hands to scramble upwards. We were incredibly high up - 2,800 feet according to Strava. We even saw fighter planes flying below us!

 

It took 3.5 miles of walking to get to the top. It made me a little dizzy if I looked over the edge.

Two miles completed

At the top, I saw a pair of mountain bikers suddenly appear! I hadn't noticed them making their way up and I knew it was simply impossible to ride a bike on the route we'd taken. I ambled over to the bloke and asked him how he'd got to the top.

Three miles!

He replied moodily, "We cycled up." His girlfriend, however, was much friendlier (which may explain why he was so grumpy!) and she told me that there was another, much longer route that comes up from a car park near a castle. She told me that they could ride about 90% of that route. I still don't know where it is, but I WILL find that route next year!

At the top!

We had lunch at the summit whilst looking at the sea at Fairbourne.

On the way down - four miles of walking done!

The route down was really steep and rocky, very technical. Martha was very sensible on the way down and Sally was bravely suffering with her ankles and knee.

Fifth mile completed!

Both ladies did very well indeed. After about 6.5 hours, and over almost 7 miles, we reached the café at the bottom. We had ice cream, tea and flapjack.

Six miles!

We then did a bit of shopping and met Lucy at the caravan. The rest of the gang was already at the beach. We headed back to the beach and all us kids (except Tilly) played in the sea (it was hot enough for me to put my head under and jump waves with the gang.)

 

I then barbequed some sausages and Lucy had cooked some chicken drumsticks and made salad. It was a good party on the beach and I was sad to go back to the van!
In the evening I watched the Lego Movie with Martha, Mouse and Tilly. It was a really funny film and had us all laughing out loud. "Everything is Awesome!"

Day 9
I woke up hungover and stayed in bed for the morning (hey, I'm on holiday!) Then Freddie decided to get far too excited with the kids and ended up biting Harry on the lip. It was a proper wound with blood everywhere. Harry was very brave and went back to see his mom to recover. Lucy took the girls crabbing again and I stayed in to watch Monuments Men - George Clooney's film about Nazis stealing art during WW2. I enjoyed it immensely, particularly the way the leading actors played off each other. It's basically a wartime buddy movie - like Ocean's 11 with uniforms.
I went to the library for a while.
I ended up doing a longish but slow bike ride until about 6pm.
Jonnie showed up at 8:30 and the grown-ups had pasta in our van while the kids were banished to Harry's van. Jonnie was in particularly good form and we arranged to go riding in the morning.

Day 10
Woke up feeling lazy. I sent a text to jonnie to tell him I'd be even later than our agreed 10am starting time. After brekkie, I discovered that the Specialized had a puncture (its first). Jonnie came over and it was he who discovered that the tyre had an inch long gash in it! Useless! We leapt into Jonnie's Land Rover and he drove us down to the Tywyn bike shop. I found a 23mm Vittoria Rubino Pro Intrepid tyre in the bargain bin for £8! Result! We went back and fitted it and then went for our leisurely ride in the sunshine. Jonnie very wisely decided against riding up Nemesis today - it was his first time back on the bike after he completed the 105 miles of the Dynamic 100 on July 13th. We stopped off at the Railway Inn in Abergynolwyn to refuel.

Jonnie at the Railway Inn

We had Cumberland Ale which was a decent thirst quencher and then the discovery of the holiday: Rev. James ale! It's brewed by Brains and tastes not unlike a richer Newcastle Brown Ale. Highly recommended.
We completed our ride in the sunshine and then got changed ready for the next event: a visit to the Talyllyn Railway Beer Festival!

Spoilt for choice

We went there with Lucy and Sally and met Dave, another guy from the caravan site (and keen mountain biker). Talyllyn Railway Museum is a great place to be - one I always enjoy visiting. Grown up toys and railway memorabilia for sale in the gift shop are just added bonuses. I managed to pick up a wonderful hardback book of colour photographs about steam trains for just £1!
Then the highlight of the afternoon: while I was supping a local ale at the station, we witnessed the steam train chug in, only a few feet away. Bliss.
Back to the van again to get ready for a grown-ups' night out. We went to the Britannia Inn in Aberdovey. Good beer and smashing food in huge portions. I had a massive piece of haddock and it didn't contain even a single bone! I followed this up with cherry crumble and chocolate ice cream - a unique mix I requested myself. It works, try it! Afterwards, we rolled into a taxi and were home by 10. I went back to my van and let Lucy, Sally and Jonnie get even drunker in theirs!

Day 11
Sunday.
Howling wind and rain for most of the night and morning meant that nobody went anywhere (apart from Lucy who bravely walked the dogs on the beach.) The kids eventually went to the cinema. Jonnie and Sally came round and we stated drinking again! We cooked Sunday dinner together with Jonnie doing most of the work. I was in charge of frying sausages. The dinner was great - all 10 of us scoffing in Lucy's parents' caravan.
The grown-ups got smashed again while I played boules with Harry, Martha and Mouse until it was too dark to see outdoors. Liv and Jess did the washing up, while Tilly went back to our caravan to be by herself.
Back at our van, we started watching Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. Not an easy film to understand if you haven't played the game but I was able to help with the details as I've completed it three times.

Day 12
Today was a good day.
Jonnie came round to announce that he wasn't in the mood to ride the bikes today (anything to do with last night's festivities, Jonnie?) He drove back to Solihull shortly afterwards. Then Sally, Jess, Liv and Harry headed back too. I rode to the Co-op to get milk.
After breakfast, Martha, Mouse and I went to the local market in Tywyn. Lucy and Tilly joined us a bit later. We bought lots of sweets and biscuits. Martha bought a box of loom bands.. We went to the library for a while and then headed back.
At the caravan, Martha and I made loom band bracelets in silence which is possibly one of the most relaxing things I've ever done!
Lucy's parents (Jane and Eric) arrived! Jane came with us to the beach. It was violently windy. Mouse and I went in the sea but Martha wouldn't today because she thought she saw a jellyfish. It was great fun in the sea but really cold. At the end, Mouse said to me, " Let's get you out of here," because I was shivering and had goose bumps. I had started to lose feeling in my fingers. Mouse was perfectly fine, however. That kid is hard! Lucy told us that we had been in the sea for almost an hour but it didn't seem that long.
As soon as we got out, we decided to get home out of the wind. Back at the vans, Jane made a fantastic Shepherd's Pie which she served with vegetables. We scoffed that and I had some of her homemade cake too.
The kids and I played D&D and then watched the rest of FFVII: Advent Children. We had a giggle and all went to bed happy.

Day 13
Robin Williams has died. I know everyone has their favourite film of his and I am no exception: I think Good Will Hunting stands head and shoulders above everything else he's done. What sad news to wake up to.
I had Hobnobs for breakfast with Mouse. I did a fast cycle ride including Nemesis the hard way. I remembered to take my pulse again at the top: It was 162 bpm which was higher than the last time I did it. However, it returned to below 100 a lot faster this time. What does this all mean!? I had to ride really hard to keep my average above 13mph: 18 miles at 13.1 mph.
I stopped off at the library on the way home for the Wi-Fi. Strava didn't work properly again and missed out loads of segments.
The girls were at Gaynors when I got home. Gaynors is, in my opinion, the best shop in Tywyn. It has lots of useful stuff in it that interests me: It's a hardware store and also has a good stationery section. You find lots of useful stuff in there, like bike locks and dog leads and graph paper.
The only trouble is, the woman who works there is the most miserable in existence. Example: last year I was in there while she was on the phone to a customer who was asking about sledgehammers: She was describing the sledgehammers that she had in stock. Meanwhile, I swear this is true, on radio 2, buzzing out of a little radio behind the counter, Peter Gabriel was singing his 80s hit 'Sledgehammer'. After her phone call, I excitedly informed the shopkeeper about this coincidence and gave her my winning smile. She merely grunted at me without changing her expression, which is similar to that worn by a person eating a sprout sandwich. On stale bread.
I went off to send a postcard to the parents. When the girls got back, we went to Dolgoch Falls. We've been there twice before but we always enjoy the place - it's just such a nice environment to be in: with the cascading water, lush greenery and the beautiful little railway, it's one of the most relaxing places I've ever been. Plus the dogs love it too! I drove us out there (I'm starting to get to know my way around our part of Wales now) and we had our picnic at the top.

Picnic at the top of Dolgoch Falls

On the way back down - we encountered a chap who had obviously fallen - he had a bandaged knee and head and was surrounded by ambulance personnel and mountain rescue bods (with more on the way). There was even a helicopter.
We saw some Orthodox Jews and the steam train station.

Railway at Dolgoch Falls

I drove us back and then Martha and I went to play golf with Eric. I had never played golf before. We were just hitting a few over at the old bailey bridge. Martha and I were hopeless but Eric was awesome, even at 76!
Back at the vans, I did a barbeque with lamb burgers and sausages, Lucy cooked some marvellous chicken and other bits too. After a feast, Lucy and I retired to our van to watch the Rise of the Planet of the Apes (the first of the recent remakes). We were very impressed by it - a good story which makes full use of the rapidly developing CGI technologies. Martha came over a bit later too and she enjoyed it. The blondies (Mouse and Tilly) came over to watch the end of it, but Mouse soon gave up!

Day 14
Rain.
Jane smashed her way through our caravan to take the dogs for a walk early in the morning. When the rest of us woke up, we took Jane to Machynlleth to visit the Wednesday market. It carried on raining when we got there but it didn't spoil the day. Disappointingly, a lot of the market stalls were the same ones we had seen at the market in Tywyn on Monday. I enjoyed the charity shops.
The highlight of the day was an art gallery displaying the works of amateur artists. We were asked to vote for our favourite piece on display. I think the grown-ups all really enjoyed doing this. The kids did some drawing there too.
Lucy had bought a Foo Fighters Greatest Hits CD so we listened to that while I drove us home carefully in the pouring rain.
Back at Tywyn, Lucy and I took the dogs for a walk in the wind on the beach. Freddie managed to catch rabbit in the sand dunes behind the beach. We told him to let it go and it bounded off. Nice work, Freddie!
The kids and I played D&D while Lucy made two meals: a wonderful curry  and sausages and mash. Jane and Eric came round so Lucy managed to feed 7 people with her tiny caravan stove. We watched some of the European Athletics and then British Bake Off.
By 9, the kids were in bed and it wasn't long before Lucy and I called it a night too.

Day 15
In the morning, I went to Tywyn with Jane to visit the charity shops. I ended up buying a pair of waterproof walking trousers - but they were too big, if I'm honest.. I walked home via the library after Jane met Lucy in Spa. Then we all went crabbing .
Except nobody caught any crabs.
So we sat on the beach and had a nice time until 3pm.
Back at the van - I decided to walk the dogs. Then Mouse decided to come with me. Then Martha did. Then Lucy. And then Tilly! We did a big walk on the beach and took loads of family photos. We finished with ice cream and slushies on the sea front. It was windy but very sunny - I got a sunburned head again!

Monty at Tywyn

 

Tywyn Beach

 

Martha on the beach

 


Ice Cream and Slushies!

At the van, Lucy and I got smartened up and then went to the Aberdovey Golf Club to meet Jane and Eric and to scatter her uncle's ashes. There was a good turn out at the 12th hole with beautiful sunshine and beautiful views. Some people toasted him with Guinness and wine.
After dinner in the van, we watched the Lego Movie again.
It's still hilarious.

Day 16
A disastrous walk on the beach!
I walked the dogs on the beach with Jane while everyone else was asleep. I left my trainers in the car...
We walked for about a mile, maybe more, along Tywyn Beach. When we turned around, the tide had come in a lot faster than I had expected it to! I had to walk barefoot all the way back on the rocks at the top of the beach. It took a very long time and it was very painful.

Jane on the beach, just before my barefoot walk of pain began!

Lucy and I walked to the library to use the computers. Then I drove us all to Fairbourne. We left the car there and got in a little boat across the harbour to Barmouth.

Crossing to Barmouth

 

On the boat at Fairbourne

Barmouth is chav heaven! Crap tattoos and leggings everywhere, in fact, everyone there looked like an extra in Eastenders!
We enjoyed all the tacky shops and the girls liked the fair and chip shop. We had our picnic on the seafront. We got another little boat back to Fairbourne and then I drove us all back on the windy winding coast road.

The girls at Barmouth

Enjoying the fair!

 
 

Arousal Cafe

We played D&D for at least an hour, had a marvellous dinner of stir fry vegetables and noodles, watched some more athletics and then settled down to enjoy Monsters Vs Aliens.

Day 17
I had a fantastic dream: I was a member of Team Sky! I went riding with Dave Brailsford and Jens Voigt and then chatted with Peter Sagan in the changing room. It didn't seem to matter that Voigt and Sagan aren't Sky riders!
I went to the Saturday carboot sale with Jane and Lucy and Jane's friend Eileen. Jane bought me one of my favourite films on DVD - The Thin Red Line. Unfortunately, I discovered when I got back home that I already own it.
Lucy and I had a walk around Tywyn and saw people getting ready for today's Race the Train run.
Back at home - I replaced a long bulb in the reading lamp above our bed and put in a pull-switch in the bathroom. I bought the stuff from the hardware store in Tywyn - the guy who runs it told me he was a caravan site manager for 22 years. A useful man to know!

After this, I did a bicycle ride and saw lots of runners coming back from Race the Train. Lots of people were out cheering them on and it was a good atmosphere - I'm going to have a go next year. I hit Nemeis from the easy side and clock 13.7mph for 20 miles. My heart rate was 126 at the top and only took 4 minutes to get below 100 again.
Back at the van, the little ones were in Jane's caravan. Tilly, Lucy and I watched Captain America on DVD and I drank a beer.
That evening, Eric bought everyone a Chinese takeaway and I bought the booze! It was a nice night. with lots of giggling. Finally, we watched Star Trek: Nemesis before bed. It was strange to watch Tom Hardy in a film before he got massive (both physically and in terms of his fame!). The man is one of the best actors alive today. It's a matter of time before he gets an Oscar - in my opinion, he could have been considered for both Warrior and Bronson.

Day 18
Today was our drive home. We stopped off at the canal at Welshpool to walk the dogs for a bit.
It was good get home and I even went to train at the dojo in the afternoon.
Already looking forward to going to Wales again next year!


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