Road Trip.

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The riverside birds have things organised well.

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The church has a bit of modernisation that I'm not sure about yet...

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Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
On the way back to the car, to leave for my next rendezvous, I encountered these kids in the throes of an emergency - only a hundred yards from where my haversack nearly strangled me, all those years ago.

The smallest lad had demonstrated his accuracy in kicking a rugby ball - vertically up and straight back down into his hands. Great. But, the accuracy had not been imparted to his shoe, which had come off and flown over the wall into the garden of the Big House.

The gate was locked, but I assured them that I had been over and back a few times in the past and I couldn't have been more than ten years old the last time. So we flung him onto the top of the wall - at which point he lost confidence and decreed that the drop was too much - even if he wasn't injured, he wouldn't be able to get back. Climbing onto the wall with him did reveal that the garden is about three to four feet lower than the path and, with fruit bushes, stakes and wires, it is a dodgy drop. Without ropes, which were a few minutes away in the car, we were not going to get him back over. It did seem a lot further than I remembered

At this point, I suggested that the girl was probably the lightest and we might lower her down with two blazers tied together and, if we couldn't get her back, she would be treated more leniently than a male trespasser - but she wasn't stupid.

So, we had a vote and decided to drop the tallest lad in, whether he liked it or not.

Preparing the mission from the top of the wall - we spotted the shoe and some movable items in the garden, which made it look plausible for him to stand on to be pulled back onto the top of the wall.

He was lowered without incident, dropping the final two feet between a couple of fruit bushes. He threw the shoe back over and an old galvanised bath was placed on the step behind the gate and I could just reach his hand to give some support as he pulled himself up the wall, making use of the bracing on the back of the gate, a facility which we had spotted during the earlier discussion of the process.

I was in full retro mode by this time, having listened to Round the Horne all the way down in the car.

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From there, I went past another of my old houses - no longer a Co-op, but now a veterinary surgery.

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Although, I suspect they don't get a lot of dragons in.



A good day out.
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
A nice quiet ride around the quaint stonewall lined roads of the Isle of Man. Guaranteed to settle the stomach and cure constipation. :eek:

 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
A nice quiet ride around the quaint stonewall lined roads of the Isle of Man. Guaranteed to settle the stomach and cure constipation. :eek:

I have only ever been on a bike once, as a passenger of course. Loved it.
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Can't deny I'm a very poor pillion rider too. One night, coming home from the Prince of Wales to Sheridan Street I got a lift from Paul Downing (Dobbin) on the back of his BSA Rocket 3. Along the length of Westhead Avenue ... I aged about three years. :eek:

(Who says there's no such thing as time travel ?)

Dobbin only had two speeds: Stopped with the side stand down. WARP factor 10.
 
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Glam

Mad Cat Woman
I have only ever been on a bike once, as a passenger of course. Loved it.
The one and only time I've been pillion my mate took me for a ride via Crooked Bridge Road, at speed. I was certain my life was going to end.
We went round a corner, somewhere in Birmingham, I leaned as far as the driver, we nearly came off.
His language was a bit colourful after that.
 

Mikinton

Well-Known Forumite
The one and only time I've been pillion my mate took me for a ride via Crooked Bridge Road, at speed. I was certain my life was going to end.
Mine almost did.

As pillion, I fell off a Honda 250 on the A1(M) in 1975 while holding a theodolite between my knees and resting the tripod across my lap. The driver had fallen asleep and just edged towards the side of the road until we hit it. (We'd been doing some land-surveying in Sedgefield for his university project and were heading back to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.)
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I once fell off the the back of my own 400/4, outside the old Post Office. I had been persuaded to let a mate use it to run us down into town. We had proceeded along South Walls and the right turn into the Greengate Street was prohibited at that time, so I assumed that he would go up Mill Bank,

He wasn't from Stafford - or the type to inspect road signs closely - and he surprised me greatly by dropping it so quickly for the right turn that I had no option but to get off. He had stopped to park it by the Midland Bank before he realised that I had gone...
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
I once fell off the the back of my own 400/4, outside the old Post Office. I had been persuaded to let a mate use it to run us down into town. We had proceeded along South Walls and the right turn into the Greengate Street was prohibited at that time, so I assumed that he would go up Mill Bank,

He wasn't from Stafford - or the type to inspect road signs closely - and he surprised me greatly by dropping it so quickly for the right turn that I had no option but to get off. He had stopped to park it by the Midland Bank before he realised that I had gone...
Would never have had you down as a 400/4 chap.
I had the use of a Mocheck Harrier 460 version. Dunstall can, half fairing, rear sets, clip ons etc. For a summer season. What a tool, light weight, a decent chassis (for its time) and a petite pillion to keep the back end in shape, great fun.
 
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