Personal entry

In 1973 I left home and joined the Air Force as an Aircraft Electrician, moving to Blenheim for the year. Having had an interest in taking pix, I joined the photographic club and acquired my first SLR, which was an old dunger (even then) but took some great photos...and taught me how to take photos because it didn't have all the trimmings and automatic features of todays cameras...although I continue to function on the basis that if I take enough photos, I'm bound to get one or two good ones! ...

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About ten years ago the business bought a scanner. It was bloody marvelous to be able to scan documents for filing and emailing....and of course I bought a CanoScan 8000F that just happened to be able to scan slides and negatives as well. At that time I embarked on a project to digitise the hundreds, or more like thousands of photos I had taken myself as well as those inherited from my parents and grandparents.

I made a good start capturing many old family prints and made a huge dent ...

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I've had a couple of rides in the last two weeks.

Last week seven bikes (2 were spyders) of us went over to Masterton to support the the Wai'rapa Ulys on their Life Education Trust Charity Ride. The weather was great and I left home at 0805 (a little late) for an 0830 depature from Caltex Rimutaka....so we were only 10 minutes late. After a scoot over the hill then a sedate pootle up to Masterton, we arrived at the Copthorne at 0930, registered and socialised until departing on the ...

I don't think I was supposed to do the TT this year (again!!....I missed last year due to hip, conditioning & ping problems). Steve and I were all booked when he managed to get taken out by a 4WD on the Molesworth... “Oh well”, I thought, “No one to share the cost, but she'll-be-right, I'll just do it myself!”... but not so! After my wee altercation with black ice last year, she-who-must-be-obeyed advised, “Like Hell! You're not doing a ride like that by yourself!”, so I advertised for another riding ...

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I've done little riding this month but I have been busy on bike related business and signed-up for this year's TT2000. ( http://www.tt2000.org )

The TT' is a great event and has evolved over the last 4 years, offering a broad spectrum of riding opportunities in that one could just do the basic 2,000Km in 48Hrs, or get really serious and up the ante to different levels to do up to 3,000'ish Km to achieve the various levels of awards, and along the way, those that were inclined could ...

One could be forgiven if they thought that I am about to launch into a tirade about the New Zealand Cricket Team...but no, this weekend I've managed to do my first three rides for 2013!

When I got back to the office after after Christmas, I was pleasantly surprised to find the replacement stebel horn had arrived so that was fitted straight away....works good, but I didn't get to go for a ride, then had to work Thurday and Friday and didn't expect to get any riding done this weekend ...

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Thank God that’s over!!

2012 has been another ‘short’ year where I feel I’m just getting used to writing ‘/12’ for the date and it’s already time to start on ‘/13’!

Highlights for the year were:…..Bugger Me! I don’t think there were any!!

Lows:

• I missed the TT2000 due to a lack of pingers (couldn’t sell the old red, painting flats and too many trips), plus the dodgy-hip and lack of conditioning. That was a bummer because I was planning to do

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That time of year again so let's have BBQ.....nah!!! We had a slow ride and subsidised meal at the PWMC (Petone Working Mens Club) instead. I guess one could say, “the Christmas BBQ you have when you're not actually BBQ'ing!”

The Christmas BBQ is normally held at Kaitoki....which is somewhere near Rivendel, and we slip down to the somewhat tranquil setting for a feed. But last year we managed to combine a BBQ with a slow handling event at Karori West School. On enquiry, we learnt ...

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