Post Lockdown holidays July 2020.

We started our first holiday of the year with a bike run on the Saturday taking in Tyndrum, Connel Bridge, Glencoe and a fuel stop at Tyndrum again on the way home. But first we had to take them for their MOT's. The bikes are well maintained but its still a nervy time at best never mind not being able to put a bit of weight on the brakes when they were getting tested, the bikes were checked over by two testers while we had to sit it out, thankfully they both passed with flying colours, now we could relax and enjoy the run.

The bikes ready to go again

A food stop at Ben Lora Café in Benderloch, worth a visit if you are passing

On the Tuesday we fired up the bikes again, this time for a run round some of Perthshire's beautiful lochs and the Fife coast.

The analogue Gps route

Wee stop in Comrie for tea and coffee, not from the chemists

A stop for dinner in Falkland

Last stop at Crail.

At night we were treated to views of the Neowise Comet and the ISS both passing overhead.

On the Wednesday we headed to a Shoei stockist in Edinburgh to try on new helmets, as a virus restriction we were asked to buy balaclavas to wear before we tried the helmets on. Great helmets with the integrated Sena comms system that actually work, Lesley can now hear my inane chattering, or maybe she hasn't got the hang of  muting me yet.

The shop asked us to pose for a photo for their F.book page

On the Thursday the forecast wasn't the best for bike runs so we went for a look at the Japanese Gardens in Cowden near Muckhart. The rain and mist brought out a film like feel to the place.

Beautiful muted colours in the mist

Needing some exercise and wanting to get back in the hills, on the Friday we drove up to Glenshee to climb the Munro Glas Maol, pretty easy as Munro's go with a stony track to follow for most of it.

Great views from the top on a clear day and not busy. A pity about the scarring on the landscape with the ski tows but it brings in the money to keep the centre going.

Heading up to the hill Meall Odhar

View back down the A93

Lesley at the Glas Maol trig point

Me breathing in for the photo

View over to the Munro Creag Leacach

The route as tracked on the Viewranger app

On the last day of our holidays we fired up the bikes again for a run to Rannoch Station, always a cracking run and the platform cafe serves good food and hot tea. The train runs on the West Highland Line which goes from Glasgow with the line splitting at Crianlarich to either Oban or Fort William and Mallaig. We were on the train with Sitka briefly in 2018 when we got off at Corrour station to walk the 12 miles back to Rannoch station.

http://jeg569.blogspot.com/2018/10/corrour-station-rannoch-station-walk.html

The train leaving the station with views over Rannoch Moor

Lesley heading back over to the bikes

The bikes ready to head home after our warming tea and coffee stop.

A classic bike gathering.

 I eventually got round to developing an old roll of CineStill Bw XX black and white film, a derivative of the old Eastman Double-X motion picture film which was used in Raging Bull, Schindler's List and many others. The photos are of an old bike meeting.

After the gathering finished we went round by Andy's to have a look at his Buell X-1 Lightning which he gave me a shot of, endless amount of torque with enough vibration at low revs to rattle your fillings out. The huge front brake disc had a great feedback and stopping power.

Sitka Flick Book.

As it would have been Sitka's birthday weekend, I thought I would share one of my lockdown projects. To make a flick book for Lesley of the photos I had taken of her and Sitka on Dornoch Beach in 2017.

The photos put together in a Youtube video.

Lesley and Sitka on Dornoch Beach 2017
https://youtu.be/Ug1HrXS0eG0

Editing 45 photos for the flick book on Adobe Lightroom.

The photos were all printed on Fotospeed paper using the Qimage printing programme, including leaving a margin for the hinge. Thankfully I numbered all of them in case the got mixed up, which they did several times.

They were all sized then cut on the guillotine.

They were then covered and put in the vice to drill them for the hinge, I used a proper paper drill as a normal drill will chew the paper up.

I designed the cover and the gift card using the Adobe InDesign programme.

The Qimage printing programme set up.

The cover being printed.

The photos and the cover with Chicago screws for a hinge.

The finished Sitka flick book with the gift card.

Scottish Bike Show Ingliston 07/03/20

As we have done for the last few years, we headed to Ingliston for the bike show. I was looking forward to seeing the new Triumph Rocket 3, it didn't disappoint as far as pure size, presence and the price. Wish I could have taken it for a blast, 2500cc, 221nm of torque and 176 bhp would have been fun. We weren't short of folk we knew to blether to as we wandered around the stalls although the attendance seemed to be down from previous years.

Unfortunately we had to say our goodbyes to Sitka recently, our faithful black lab and great friend, our hearts have been broken but he will be with us forever.

Lesley trying out the new Triumph Rocket 3 out for size

 A mere snip at £20'200

 A great showing from the Edinburgh Norton Owners Club

 Nice line up of Nortons

 Great looking Scott

 Some nice classic bikes on show

 A fast looking Kat

 Tricked up LC250

 A couple of classic RD's

 Nice looking Guzzi Le Mans Mk 1 with a set of Lanfranconi's

 Clean Mirage

 Alan's BSA Rocket Three on show

 Dundee Ian

 Lesley, Laurenne, Marion and Bert gathering around the X-75

 Beautiful Triumph X-75 Hurricane, it was really a BSA according to Alan

 Big turbo GSX-R 1100

 From one famous John, studying the tea van menu

 To another, John McGuinness not looking happy on the Scott

 Jeff's tidy Harris

A very colourful metalflake BSA chop