November 2016 be like ...

Pretty quiet .... some pictures of the kids




And picking up some Champion Beer Of Britain while dropping off some free pint glasses from the Ascot Beer Festival and a copy of my CAMRA branches Mad Cow magazine

October 2016 be like....

After having my old mountain bike nicked from Bournemouth train station I got my hands on a new (aka second hand from Ian at work) Cube Analogue 26" Hardtail mountain bike.  Took it out for a 25 mile test ride up and down the Kennet canal path to and from Newbury... it was a wet day !

September 2016 be like ....

I did the Palace to Palace cycle ride with 6 other chaps from work and raised over £300 for charity...

 

August 2016 be like.....

Popped to Norfolk to visit my parents with Haydon; tried VR games for the very first time at Great Yarmouth

Also purchased an original oil painting from an old school friend of mine



Partook in food and music at the Wokingham food festival



And somehow got caught up in Pokemon ! (no, I dont play it anymore !)



And my little girl turned 18 :-)

  

Maidenhead Beer Festival

Worked the bar at Maidenhead beer festival, small but perfect venue, some great beers on offer, but no soft drinks for drivers (me!) that is minus 1 point... still, i'll be back next year to pull pints, so can't be all bad !

Reis naar Amsterdam

Spent a long weekend in Amsterdam away from the kids, used my Wyndham rewards to stay in the rather nice Ramada Apollo (Amsterdam Centre), just a short tram ride into the town centre, but with lots of local shops and restaurants (and a hash cafe!) if you wanted to stay local.

Great view from the hotel.

The plan was to keep off the touristy bits, and to also grab the train and spend a day at Zandvoort, unfortunately all train lines between Amsterdam and Zandvoort were closed while we were there !, so caught the tram to one the urban beach's.

 
Afraid to say we did do a canal ride, but it was good... spent a lot of time in the "outer rings", well worth an explore if you are bored of the red light district.

  Why?... who would buy such a thing?!

Missing the moo moo

So, June, and finally my time in Bournemouth is over, on my penultimate week I book my mountain bike on the train, only to turn up at Bournemouth station and find all trains cancelled!, I lock the bike up at the station and get the bus replacement service.

A few days later I am back for my final week.... and my bike is gone!... thieving gits !

Still, I have my hybrid bike, and decide to sign up for the Palace to Palace charity bike ride in a few months time, I have never cycled more than 5 miles at a time! (between home and work) so start going a longer 12 mile route home after work.

Also did the 35 mile Wokingham Bikeathon, my legs held up surprising well!, it helped that I made friends with a group of 4 similar aged, IT background, guys to tag along with... helped the time, and miles, fly by.

Popped over to Hickstead to try and watch the jumping, and it rained, and rained, AND RAINED... and then there was thunder and lightning and wind.... Claire and I got soaked.... that explains the empty stands !

Also said a sad goodbye to Muttley, 11 years young, leaving a hairy 35Kg hole in my life 😢

Chewy also misses Muttley, but not enough to stop photobombing Cracker and ball killing !