Gentlemen....start your engines....

So here we go, my very first blog post. I've always thought blogging was for people who were a bit "up their own arse" and it may be that this is actually the truth of the matter, but, having at various points embraced Facebook, Twitter et al, I thought "bugger it - let's give it a go". 

So what's it all about? Well....bikes really, and what it's like being a biker in the challenging environment of London and the South East - with it's horrendous traffic, "safety" cameras every four paces, shite roads, zero parking and "assertive" road users. The Lake District this ain't....

As a biker, I'm keen but no Barry Sheene. I'm not the fastest, I'm not the slowest and quite frankly, I know precious little about how it all works - so it's really just about trying to stay alive and having a good time on two wheels whenever I can. When it all comes together, there's nothing quite like it.

However, having a good time on two wheels wasn't what came immediately to mind this morning when I looked out of the window. It's not everyone's cup of tea (especially in midwinter) but I don't mind commuting on the bike ordinarily - but it was absolutely tipping it down this morning, with no let up in sight. I searched in vain for my wet weather gear but gave up, assuming the wife had "tidied" it and so had to brave the weather in leathers and textile jacket. Big mistake. I was soaked before I got to Morden (2 miles down the road). Of course, most normal people would have reflected on the weather and taken public transport to work instead, but being a biker in London does give you a somewhat masochistic streak, so that was never really a serious consideration. So the morning has been spent feeling "moist"....

Of course, I should have known that the weather would turn - I cleaned the bike yesterday.... 

But onwards and upwards, weather permitting, there's a rideout on the cards for Sunday, so fingers crossed for that.