July 2025

 

July 2025

 

The third Tuesday of the month is the LE Club night. It was just me and Anthony or was it June? I now have to write things down or I forget when I do things.  Anthony has newly passed his test for a big bike and it was opportune to discuss riding techniques. I was horrified at him being told not to use his front brake. I recounted an incident I saw in Delhi where I saw a guy desperately trying to stop on back brake only and promptly collided with a car ripping its front bumper off as he failed to control his skid. Tossing himself and his passenger into the middle of the road. Totally avoidable, had he known how to use his front brake he would have stopped in good time and avoided an incident. My advice to Anthony was to practice using the front brake. I question the training practices of some of those who are trying to make competent riders. After passing on some of my knowledge we parted with Anthony having to great deal to digest.

July started on the Tuesday. The first Sunday of the month is Observed Sunday with the Wey Valley Advanced Riders. It is also Bike Day at Brooklands. I spend the morning at the shop and leave early to join the Wey Valley stand at Brooklands. There were lots of road closures around Cobham and messed up my route to Brooklands. It took me ages to get across Weybridge and finally to Brooklands. When I got there the test hill was being used so I could not get to the Wey Valley stand straight away having to wait for everyone to go up the hill. I was great to see the junior trials club taking turns in blasting up the hill. What an event to be at for those kids!

As the stand is to encourage new members I talked to many people, but I am not sure if my talking achieved the objective. I went off to find some food and found old friends and colleagues. Before I got anywhere I got asked a question “Do you remember me?” If someone is out of place it takes a little while to recognise them. A biker a bike event it is almost instantaneous but someone who is not normally associated with bikes takes a bit longer. It was Cammie who I had worked with at Ashford before moving to Hillingdon. “I catch up after I’ve eaten”. She was on the Junior Trials Stand doing her bit for that club. I was well past one and there was limited choice. I ended up with a burger. While waiting for it to be cooked I was accosted by a mobility scooter with a familiar face. It was Steve a former member of the LE Club. We exchanged Covid medical history and complained of the damage the vaccine had done to us. From fitness to invalid in a few short years. He said he would come to a club night soon. It started to rain and we both headed for cover but in different directions.

Junoir trials course behind stands.

After the rain and most of the burger I went in search of Cammie. I continued to eat my burger while doing catch-up. She had a new life with a ten year old son. A family keen on motorcycles. The young lad was in the group doing the test hill when I arrived. What an introduction to Brooklands! We spent an hour talking when I realised I should be back on the  Wey Valley stand. No sooner I was back there Phil from the LE Club stopped by. He was on his way tom find John, also a Club member, on the Royal Enfield stand. At the end of the day everything from the display was packed in our van by the time I was ready the heavens opened and I took shelter in the Cambell garage until it stopped. Just to keep me dry I wore my waterproof two piece bike suit I bought from Lidls. A £25 bargain to replace the useless one I used in India earlier in the year.

July was the time to see my dentist. A crown to repair a broken tooth and an extraction to remove a broken tooth that could not be repaired. I got a job lot over three  appointments and I suffered for it. The first appointment was preparation for the broken tooth. Just a little anaesthetic outside of the gum and inside into the roof of my mouth. This injection was not that successful as more anaesthetic came out than went in. I swallowed most of it. The rest of the procedure was fine and I went home feeling OK. The next morning when I woke I was feeling a bit off and when I tried to speak I could not string two words together and I had numbness in my face. Gita phoned for an ambulance. Have I had a stroke? The ambulance arrived then I was duly carted off to Northwick Park hospital to be checked by the Stroke Unit. I spent all day waiting to be assessed. At around 10:30 after many tests it was announced that I had not had a stroke and could go home. It was also LE Club night that I missed. I know where I would rather have been. I still do not know what caused the episode. A few days later I had a wisdom tooth out. No real problem except for pain and I took antibiotics to get that under control. A week later I had the crown fitted and that was OK post anaesthetic. The only real problem is with the anaesthetic in that it affects me for three or four days making me feel lethargic. After this episode I did a little investigating and found the method of clearance is via the blood and liver. To clear it from the body it requires to get into the blood stream first. A number of unanswered questions arise among them are how does the anaesthetic react with stomach acid? How is it absorbed and where? What does it do if it is in the wrong place? Your answers on a post card please?

Drawing

                           Reality                                     

In spite of these hindrances I have done lots of tidying up in the garden moving plant and stands around and doing an interesting plant stand from two folding chairs replacing an old cat ladder. I have replaced the downstairs extractor fan that stopped working and changed the kitchen sink from a modern material cast one to a conventional double bowl stainless steel one over a couple of days. With the help of plumbers' grease and silicone sealant gaps were filled and leaks cured. After this month I wait to experience the delights of August.