The Last Generation to Give a Monkeys

I had the bottom off the tumble dryer today oiling the bearing, which had been squealing for a few days, when my neighbour called to borrow a saw to cut some MDF he had been given.  He was going to use it to line the inside of his shed.  I mentioned to him that my eldest daughter (14 years old) had just given me the sharp side of her tongue because I had asked her to tidy her bedroom.  Not an unreasonable request, considering she has just ordered clothes from the Internet and yet there is not a single item of hers folded in her bedroom and most of it seems to live on the floor or under the bed.  He said he had asked his lad (15 years old) to help him saw the wood and, although he had made a half hearted attempt, it was clear that he would have rather sawed his leg off then help.  It was then that my neighbour said he and I (46 years old) are the last generation that can actually fix anything or actually give a monkeys about anything.  Do you know what, he was bloody well right.

Just to prove a point, today my lad (12 years old) got up late for a hockey match, skipped breakfast because he didn't have time, took half the stuff he should have done including the wrong colour shorts and arrived late to meet for the match.  And do you know what he was the second to arrive.  Kids and anyone under about 30 years old always arrive late for everything including meetings,  They don't tidy their stuff up, they have little respect for themselves or their possessions or anyone elses for that matter, they keep their clothes on the floor and none of them could fix anything simple like a puncture or a broken shelf.  They are from a throw away generation who are happy to buy crap stuff made in China from metal with little more structural integrity than butter and would rather replace something or get someone out to fix it than actually do anything themselves.  They would rather work 3 hours to pay for a replacement than spend half an hour fixing something.

In the end my daughter did tidy her room but it took 4 hours and she watched TV all afternoon while she did it.  Can't wait to retire so I can squeeze all these little bleeders for their hard earned cash fixing the stuff they can't be bothered to do and putting up their shelves because the only tools they posses come free in Christmas crackers.

Rant over.....and relax....!!

Newark to Lincoln or Lincoln to Newark by Bike (catch train back)

Today I went on a really pleasant bicycle ride in the early autumn sunshine.  My route took me along National Cycle Route 64 from Dry Doddington to Newark on Trent and then on to Lincoln.  The route could easily be done from Newark to Lincoln or vice-versa and you could catch the train for the return.  The train fare is £4.50 and bikes are free; however, beware if you go on a busy day because they wouldn't let me on this afternoon.  I suppose it was Friday and the platform was full of students from Lincoln University.

I didn't clock the mileage but I would estimate it at around 25 miles.  The route is clearly marked although you will need to make sure you keep your eyes open for signs as it does snake a little in places.  At least half, if not more, of it is away from the road using old railway lines and I did it today on a road bike with only one minor section being a little muddy.  As you would expect from Lincolnshire there were few hills or ups and downs.

The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and the route passes through several quaint villages and woods and enters Lincoln along the bank to Brayford Marina.  I took my time and plenty of photos and in all it took me a little under 3 hours.  The route is easily followed on the 3 maps below or on your own ordnance survey, but make sure it's a up to date one, as the route has changed over the years.

There are plenty of places to stop and eat and benches along the route to just sit.  I finished in Brayford Marina and went to the Square Sail (J D Weatherspoon) on the water front and had a cheese and pickle multi-grain bloomer with lettuce, red onion, tomato, chips and a pint of lager for £3.99.  how do they make a profit for that?

All in all a great ride easily accomplished in a morning.


  

The extra leg to Newark from Dry Doddington

Leg 1 - Newark to Collingham

Leg 2 - Collingham to Eagle

Leg 3 - Eagle to Lincoln

The starting point in Newark at the Stn

The village of Winthorpe

All the road sections are along quiet lanes

A horse chestnut in autumn colour

An unusual name for a pub

The last 6 or 7 miles are along a disused railway

House boats on the approach to Lincoln

Brayford Marina

Brayford Marina

Looking towards Lincoln Centre along the Witham

East Midland Trains - Worst in UK

I have just come back from Lincoln Station and think I may have been teleported back to the 1970s whilst there.  To a time when British Rail ran the railways for their own convenience.  Let me explain further.  Today I decided I would cycle from the village I live in South of Newark on Trent to Lincoln and catch the train back.  The cycle ride was brilliant and will be the subject of a separate post.  The train journey never took place....!

I bought a ticket at Lincoln well in advance and waited for the train.  A single carriage train pulled up fifteen minutes later and off stepped the guard already huffing and puffing and shaking his head.  One of Bob Crow's finest jobsworths I have no doubt.  It was a little busy so I waited in turn to board the back of the train and he said, 'you'll have to get on last with that.'  I was happy to wait, and to be honest, I expected to get on last anyway.  Everyone boarded the train and then he said to me, 'you can't get on with that we're full.'  He then promptly shut the door and the train went.  Despite complaining to the conductor on the platform and the manager in her office neither could give me any explanation except the carriage of bikes is subject to availability.  Yes, I know that, the carriage of passengers is too.  Additionally, the Manager couldn't even guarantee that I could get on the next train because, 'it's not up to her' and she couldn't even give me a refund because, 'that's up to the Ticket Manager.'  The Ticket Manager wanted a full explanation why I should have a refund and why I didn't get on the train....incredible.! 

Faced with no alternative and no guarantee of getting on the next train I had no choice but to cycle the 25 miles home.

Every person I spoke to at Lincoln Station and especially the guard on the train could quite easily have stepped straight back in to the 1970s and joined British Rail without any training at all.  The only saving grace is the fact that the guard was quite 'big' and had such a bad attitude I am fairly certain he won't be using up a lot more of the oxygen if you know what I mean. 

Right I'm off to slag them off on few train forums now.

River Trent Circular Walk

Sensing we might be experiencing one of the last decent days of sunshine and mild weather this year, the wife and I set out yesterday afternoon on a circular walk following part of the Trent Valley Way just north of Newark on Trent.  You should be able to follow the route from the map below:

 

 
Parking was easy in the village of Winthorpe and we followed the road through the village to a dead end with a large turn around point on the south side where National Cycle Route 64 crosses the A1. 
 
  

From here we walked through the picturesque village and past All Saints Church, which stands out from those in surrounding villages being constructed as it is from brick. 

We turned left at a fork in the road opposite the Lord Nelson Pub and continued through the remaining houses and out to a level crossing.

Just beyond the level crossing the route leaves the road on the left and follows a raised embankment running parallel to the river.

The route is rarely very close to the river but still offers some great views particularly back towards Newark where the sugar beet factory could be seen in its first full weekend of production.



 




As the route approaches Cromwell Lock and Weir it becomes less obvious and there is a temptation to move close to the river where fisherman's cars are parked; however, the actual route follows the embankment in order to stay the right side of a small tributary.

Just beyond a kissing gate the route emerges from the long grass and turns back in towards the river where a good view behind to the actual weir can be had.  Although the river was low there was still a good flow of water over the weir and we could actually taste the water vapour in the air.

Five hundred metres or so further on and the route turns east along a much used and sadly littered farm track.  The track winds a little before turning south near Westfield Farm.  Beyond the farm the tarmac drive changes to a grass track and follows the hedge to a footpath T junction.












A left turn took us along a path skirting the long disused gravel pits, which now team with wildlife. 

Through a short section of woods and we were on National Cycle Trail 64. 

The trail then snakes towards a country lane and follows another lane for 2 miles before entering the village of Winthorpe near the level crossing where we originally set off along the Trent.


 

 

 

 And the last stop on the way, The Lord Nelson Pub in Winthorpe village.





On the whole a very pleasant walk, which was relatively well signposted, with the only exception being the section before Cromwell Lock and Weir where careful reference to the OS map will need to be made and the going can be a little difficult over the long grass.  Total distance 9.75 miles.

Observing Creeps

I have been at a conference all today and have had a brilliant time observing people creeping, right up and down the hierarchy.  The conference itself was fairly middle of the road and the food was quite good.  These are the types of creeps I observed:

The hanger around.  This one lady arrived early and by that I mean several hours early.  She has a middle management position and spent the morning hanging around greeting others as they arrived and entering in to conversation with anyone above her in the organisation.

The senior percher.  One gentleman in a senior management position crept that much that he was sitting perched on the edge of his seat all the time even during the meals making sure everything went how he thought his senior would like it to be and looking very worried all the time.  He looked a little like a cross between a budgie and a meerkat.

The blatant creep.  This sort of creep is the sort I hate most and the one managers seem to like most especially the more senior they get.  These are the ones that stand right by their boss laughing falsely at everything he says and agreeing no matter how much tosh their boss is talking.  They also rush over to buy drinks for seniors and know everyone within the organisation and how to creep up to them.

The Snide.  This is another nasty one.  The sort that not only blatantly creeps, but also spends a fair amount of time belittling his contemporaries in front of their collective bosses.  

Personally I've not time for any of them or their creeping, but it is very entertaining to watch.

Oh How the Darkness Creeps Up

I'm sitting at home, half watching television and half surfing the internet, when I think to myself, better get up to bed.  A quick look at the clock reveals it's only just gone ten o'clock.  How can that be when it's been dark for so long, already.  As i'm not heavily engaged in anything I have a quick look for an online sunrise and sunset table for the month only to find, to my amazement, that it's getting darker by nearly four minutes per day.  Four minutes per day, That's a lot.

In ten days it will be nearly forty minutes darker per day and by the end of the month over an hour less of glorious autumunal sunlight will be falling on us each and every day.  Check out the table below, then follow this link to see for yourself.  Call me nerdy but I found it fascinating.


Think on the bright side, it'll be four seconds lighter on 22nd December than on 21st.

Ah those light nights........

			Length of day		Solar noon
Date	Sunrise	Sunset	This day	Difference	Time	Altitude	Distance
							(106 km)
1 Sep 2012	06:14	19:46	13h 32m 28s	− 3m 48s	13:00	46.5°	150.945
2 Sep 2012	06:15	19:44	13h 28m 39s	− 3m 49s	13:00	46.2°	150.910
3 Sep 2012	06:17	19:42	13h 24m 49s	− 3m 49s	13:00	45.8°	150.874
4 Sep 2012	06:18	19:39	13h 20m 58s	− 3m 50s	12:59	45.4°	150.837
5 Sep 2012	06:20	19:37	13h 17m 08s	− 3m 50s	12:59	45.1°	150.801
6 Sep 2012	06:21	19:35	13h 13m 16s	− 3m 51s	12:59	44.7°	150.764
7 Sep 2012	06:23	19:33	13h 09m 25s	− 3m 51s	12:58	44.3°	150.727
8 Sep 2012	06:25	19:30	13h 05m 33s	− 3m 52s	12:58	43.9°	150.690
9 Sep 2012	06:26	19:28	13h 01m 40s	− 3m 52s	12:58	43.6°	150.653
10 Sep 2012	06:28	19:26	12h 57m 47s	− 3m 52s	12:57	43.2°	150.615
11 Sep 2012	06:29	19:23	12h 53m 54s	− 3m 53s	12:57	42.8°	150.577
12 Sep 2012	06:31	19:21	12h 50m 01s	− 3m 53s	12:57	42.4°	150.538
13 Sep 2012	06:33	19:19	12h 46m 08s	− 3m 53s	12:56	42.0°	150.499