A balmy Autumn day meandering among the hedgerowed lanes of the Kentish Weald with members of the Veteran-Cycle Club - about a 25 mile circle with the village of Headcorn at its centre. 18 out - riding up and down the column chatting to various about various. Lunch at a 16th century country inn. Cakes and coffee at the end, watching vintage aircraft doing stunts at a country airfield. "Jus perfick" (as a local character would have it).
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About Me
- Avus
- Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom
- A retired local government Road Safety Officer, I am a widower who had been married for 63 years. My constant companion now is a Jack Russell bitch. I have 3 children (all long since flown the nest),6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. Daughter lives in Western Australia.
11 comments:
Which one is you?
I just notice how you spelled motorsickles. Hee!
Oh! Is it Autumn?
Your countryside sounds lovely. How does it stack up in the winter?
You mean you didn't run back and jump into the pic?
I note the careful insertion of a hyphen in V-CC, proving that it's the rolling stock and not the power units that are of a certain age. And there's an equal precision to your profile summary. I have often poked fun at Americans (As a Brit magazine sub-editor over there I was - as it were - paid to do so) for their tendency to add unnecessary qualifiers to self-explanatory words. Tuna fish, for instance, to avoid confusion with tuna birds. However you're right to include "dog" in the summary. Living with a wife and a German shepherd would otherwise be misconstrued.
Going back to bikes I raise the subject of weight. In my youth I used to tour Britain in what now seems like unbelievably ambitious daily stints of 100 miles between YHA hostels. These days a tenth of that distance would be beyond me. My present bike (a far cry from your gleaming Rudge) is pared down and I am obsessional about not carrying anything that isn't vital. I take it that the V-CC is concerned with style and nostalgia which I certainly approve of. But do your outings avoid hills?
Vita:
Ain't that the way you Yanks say it? Yup - Autumn is upon us. It used to be my favourite season, but now I seem to prefer Spring. Is it that autumn is the ante-room to winter, but spring heralds the warmth of summer? Does this change of preferences have anything to do with the fact that I am in the autumn of my life, I wonder?
Granny:
What is winter like here? Well, it will soon be upon us, so I guess some frosty morning rides could figure in the near future.
HHnB (&Vita):
Someone had to take the photo and I draw the line at taking along a large tripod - at least I got my bike in the pic (standing on its own to the right and front of the road sign) I took the Raleigh Record Ace on this run.
Barrett B:
Nice to meet you! Well observed on the strategic use of the hyphen - although a good few of the "power units" could also qualify. I laughed at your observation regarding the "German Shepherd" - a very necessary qualification to avoid such a "menage a trois".
As to the ethos of the V-CC - yes to preserve and restore is important, but our rides can include hills. On those days most bring out their classic lightweights (like my RRA - see mention above), but we have some masochists who will still insist on riding vast and heavy ancient uprights. We also have a classic race day at the Herne Hill board track.
Rides and terrain are "themed" so we know the type of bike to suit. (We even have a "rough stuff" ride especially for WW II foldable parachuters' bikes)
Looks like fun. And sunshine too! A rare commodity this summer.
Where's benjy?:)
It really does sound "Jus perfick", riding around the English countryside. Darling Buds of May was one of my favourite series.
It looks very orderly fun and not like Bedlam at all! A fine use of glorious weather.
HHnB
Benjy wanted to come out to play but his mistress was not out on this ride and he could not find a bike small enough.
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