Charter trains, mainly steam hauled, running, more often than not, from London to various cathedral cities in the UK. Union of South Africa was actually photographed in York (have just noticed that it says so on the wall!).
Been playing geetar and playing footie as long as riding bikes. Had more injuries on a pitch than roads, so decided at 62 it was time to give up the football (Veterans league at the time) So i could stay fit for the other two like @stevehill played in bands for years and do the occasional gig now; But rehearse every fortnight with the band (up until lockdown) for fun and noise P.S. I also like women and alcohol to keep a balanced lifestyle Am I allowed to say women or has that changed too
@Sandi T. I also love cycling and being out in the country. At what level did you race? A good mate of mine was local 10 mile time trial champion for two years and I will always remember the time I destroyed him on a ride!
My main hobbies are bikes, working dogs and keeping fit, over the years I’ve owned all kinds of hunting dogs from lurchers to terriers and gun dogs,I’ve just a terrier and a cocker spaniel now which I use to hunt rabbits, up until last year I had a shotgun & firearm license for over 30 years ,guns were never really an hobby to me more a necessity to help train dogs and keep vermin down,I love dogs but they tie you down so the plan is to stick to one dog in the future.
@Dawsy, I have a few state championships to my name but that was a long time ago and really I was a big fish in quite a small pond. There was a great contingent of women road racers back in the day but there really weren't that many of us, especially relative to how many men were racing then. Nowadays the pond is even smaller as more cyclists are racing mountain bikes or riding the new(est) hot thing--gravel bikes. Or just riding, as I now do, for fitness, fun, and friendship. I did do my fair share of times trials--bicycle racing for masochists! I far preferred the "chess matches" and strategy of road racing or the sheer speed of crits.
Yes, my tractor looks exactly like the pic with rubber tyres. I am in awe of your brother’s John Deere, I have not seen them with soft tracks. I have the auto (originally 186i) that has been upgraded, the 205i manual is a stroked v8.
When I was a kid we'd visit my Grandparents in Devon and they would always have something called Hogs Pudding on a Saturday, it was like a sausage but had Barley and other stuff in it, it was gorgeous and I've just decided that when the weather clears up I'm riding down to South Molton to buy some
Golf, golf and a bit more golf. Stopped running after balls years ago. Just take a leisurely stroll after one now. Used to do a fair bit of mountain biking until 2 ops on a busted hip killed the enjoyment somewhat. Should really move my 3 mountain bikes on instead of dusting off the cobwebs every now and then. Tempted to try an electric one.
To add in a bit of my own. At school and college and for a short time after i used to play rugby. Prop to be precise (i weigh less now than i did when i was 15). That was back in the days when it was a sport for all shapes and sizes and those attributes determined your position more often than not rather than the roid ridden body builders of today. I found my niche as a lack of ball skills or hand-eye coordination was overcome by enthusiasm and a lack of concern about getting punched, gouged, kicked, stamped on and other such things that are a props lot in the 80's amateur game. I always liked going fast but was banned from even discussing motorcycle when i was young. My dad had a all encompassing hatred of them after his cousin was killed riding one in rural Gloucestershire during WWII. I had to make do with cars and finally got my dream cars in the form of Subarus. I detested the giant rear spoilered "look at me" ones but loved the sound and performance. With that in mind i had 2002 WRX wagon and in my garage i have a 2008 STi which has been tastefully modified to a safe (without spending 15-20k) 375bhp and 381ft llb. It has a complete custom suspension set up. 0-60 a smidge over 3 secs. Having said that it is 12 years old now (i bought it new) and has 20k on the clock, 10k of which i did in the first 4 months so it is vastly underused but i wouldnt like to sell it as i bought it to cheer myself up when my dad was in hospital losing the battle to prostate cancer. Sadly he never saw it but had a picture up in his room. I love being out in the countryside walking the dogs and it is a source of sadness that their age is catching up with them and they cant walk all day like they used to. I have also been a hobby runner for over 35 years, i like getting out in the countryside on my own, meeting as few people as possible. I like it especially out in country lanes and footpaths, being by myself, looking at the countryside, encountering wildlife. This is mainly a weight loss / controlling tool as suggested by other threads relating to that subject. I think that in general it appeals to my nature of not being bothered about feeling uncomfortable or in a bit of pain. I have never been tempted to compete or engage in the mass participation events beloved of so many. When the dogs were younger (up until 2 years ago) i used to take them out 5-8 miles a day and go out again on my own if i wanted more miles. The disadvantage is you end up with very fit dogs that takes real effort to tire out! Many years ago i did do what today would be called a "tough mudder" at the behest of one of my cousins who was putting a team together. It was only nine miles and i tried to run with the slowest members of the team for the first 3 miles but found it too frustrating and told them i would push on at a more normal pace. At the end i finished 174th out of 2500 entrants so seeing that we were stone last at the 3 mile marker that has always satisfied any sort of competitiveness i have about my running. These days running to achieve times is quite clearly 25-30 years too late anyway.The other mass participation things i think are really just to say "i did it" or "i can run run X miles". I don't feel the need to say i did it and i already know i can run the miles. The only real lingering ambition for running i have is the thought i might like to run the Cotswold way non-stop. They do this as a formalised event but that is obviously not for me and i would have to prevail on people to meet me with some supplies so hence it as the "i think i would like to" rather than the definite stage. It is nothing i have ever told anyone in real life about just something i think about when i am out running. I also read a lot of books, i'm usually reading 2 or 3 at a time. Spent quite a few years competitive computer gaming but cannot be bothered any longer to put the practice in that such teams demand. My claims to fame on that front are being ranked 3 in the world out of 50,00 ranked players back in the days of Combat Flight Simulator but also training a friend until he managed to get to to 6th was very satisfying. Being accused of cheating in nearly every game you played because you were so much better than anyone else was very tiresome though. Also winning a small UK league and then a European league as part of Counterstrike teams was gratifying though not very lucrative.
Like this .. though strictly speaking i live in Doddington being about 100 yards outside the town boundary
No it's not white, it's sort of beige if I remember correctly, but it's definitely a sausage and definitely delicious