Nano time cometh ... again

Signed up and raring to go! How about you?

All I gotta do now is think of something to write about, then find 50,000 words on a month.

Last year I completed the challenge with The Longcase Clock. The main character was Ivy Watts, a young witch who wanted to got to university to polish her craft. She polished off the university, together with the evil cult that resided there.

Well, I've got until November 1st to get it together and make sure the old laptop is fired up and ready for action!

A month of miles

A month on and 500 miles on the clock, and biking is good! OK, I know it's not a real bike, not like Ducati, or Buell or Harley Davidson, but, as an economical commuter it ticks all the boxes.

It's returning around 70 miles per gallon (mpg Imperial not US), has achieved a speed of around 80 mph and saves me £2.50 per day in parking charges, and 10-20 minutes each way on travelling time.

... and it's fun! (is that allowed?)

Vultures!

If you are in Hampshire with nothing much to do, I can recommend a visit to The Hawk Conservancy near Andover. The Hawk conservancy is basically for saving rare birds of prey. They are currently working to save a species of vulture from India that have declined from 30 million to a few thousand in about 15 years, due to the use of Voltarol in cattle. Apparently the drug kills them within 72 hours of eating a carcase. Their decline has caused a huge increase in the wild dog population, rabies and other diseases as they are basically nature's dustmen and undertakers.

They do three flying displays of various types of birds, the most impressive
being 'Valley of the Eagles', where there are about 10 vultures swooping low
across the audience. The finale is calling two American bald eagles back from
over Thruxton race circuit some 2+ miles away.

A good day out, and as far as attractions go, good value for money. Don't forget to 'Gift Aid' it!

Motorbiking

Suzuki AN 400

Well, this is what it looks like. I'm quite impressed with the performance and it handles quite well for a scooter. The weather has been awful for riding, but Wednesday's torrential rain was a good test for my wet weather gear - made by 'Frank Thomas'. A twenty mile journey in heavy, continuous rain and I stayed dry.

There was one slight faux pas when I parked it at the Fareham office and left the parking light on all day. I had to call my wife and get her to bring jump leads to get it started. I certainly felt like a proper numpty!

So after 120 miles in three days I'm pleased with my new wheels, and it certainly makes going to work a more pleasurable experience! Hopefully I'll remember to turn the light s off!

New wheels

Back in March we exchanged the car and camper for a Freelander and caravan. A much more suitable arrangement for our kind of camping.
This week I have added a Suzuki AN400 'scooter' the collection - just for commuting to work. If any of you have ever used the Park and Ride you will appreciate the extra time involved in travelling as well as the extra cost. But I suppose for a daily 'white knuckle ride' it wasn't so bad.

Anyway tomorrow is my first commuting day on the Suzuki. I'll let you know how it goes.

Crikey! Bit of a long break!

Things going well with the new job - lots of places to visit and people to see. Writing of newsletters continues apace, and I have started a new blog for writing things. It's http://scratchypen.wordpress.com - Scratchypen's Blog. Go visit!