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Continue reading →: Broken-down Britain? Nah
So, there I was, broken down. Before we all forget what Winter looks like, I thought I’d just scribble a few words about one of those oh-so-typical winter breakdowns… Despite how rude people are about Russian motorcycle combinations (and they are rude), mine seldom protests the lack of care I…
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Continue reading →: £300k for a 0.85mph speed reduction?
You might have spotted that Oxford now has a blanket 20mph limit. You might also have spotted the hacked-off Transit van hugging your rear bumper, flashing his full beam and leaning on the horn as you attempt to comply. That’s SO much fun when you’re on a motorcycle on the…
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Continue reading →: It’s been quiet around here
It has, hasn’t it? Not much scribbling. That’s because the day job over at communication agency Freeman Christie (how I love cheesy SEO copy) has been, well, a tad busy. We’ve written more proposals in the last month and a half than in the last six months. Now we simply…
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Continue reading →: Where the past still touches the present
This has nothing to do with motorcycles or combos. It hasn’t really got much to do with WWII airfields. Actually, that’s not quite true. It has a connection with RAF Manston. That’s because the person I’m writing about went out with many of their pilots and even married one of…
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Continue reading →: Maggie Smith in a sidecar?
Now Downton Abbey’s finished its first season, I can spill the beans. You probably noticed lots of splendid vintage machinery running around the village of Downton – Model A Fords, the odd Rolls Royce. But one vehicle that never made the screen was a certain Ural 650 motorcycle and sidecar…
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Continue reading →: Sitting in my old choirstall
I was back in Frome today, where I grew up. It’s not often I visit. I wanted to spend a few minutes in St John’s church on Bath Street. I was a chorister there, then, when my voice broke, a choirman as I worked my way from alto, through tenor…
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Continue reading →: Flash, bang, wallop. Again.
So it would seem that Oxfordshire County Council are about to turn on the speed cameras again, just a few months after they were turned off. I wonder why? I suspect yesterday evening’s BBC news story explains a lot. The bulletin featured a 9 year old girl from Nuneham Courtney…
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Continue reading →: Training is bad for you. Apparently.
This year sees crashes at their lowest level since records began. We’re killing fewer people than ever – although the rate of fall has slowed markedly since the mid 1990s. Cars have airbags, side-impact bars, seatbelt pre-tensioners, anti-submarine seats, ABS, TCS, TSB, SOS and probably even BBC too. If your…
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Continue reading →: Serendipity and sausages
Yesterday – in case you missed it – was one of those autumn days that’s cold enough for the jacket liner but bright enough for sunglasses. Pip was off to London for a course, so I had the whole day to ride. So I sat down and tried to see…





