The concrete floor in my garage is 40cms thick. I know because the builders have drilled a trench the length of it out to the drain in the middle of the drive. This is just a reminder that the space is clearly off limits for now until the building work is finished, maybe at the end of September. I am looking forward to building a work bench and shelves and inhabit the kind of space I have wanted for the last twenty years. There will be electric sockets just where you’d want them and fantastic lighting. Tools will be ready to hand. But in the meantime…
Summer 2017 will be the summer of motorcycle rides from Cambridge out to the Norfolk and Suffolk coast. There is something slightly zombie-ish about my returnings to that city, my shock at the re-developed station and walk down past the house that I used to live in to my secret place where my motorcycle lives. It is like those dreams where you are in the house you moved out of. It feels so familiar but you know you don’t belong there. Interestingly an old neighbour from my 10 year visit to Stone Terrace hailed me and we talked for a while on the street about neighbourliness and house prices.
This Saturday was beautiful: sunny and around 23 degrees. I told the GPS to take me to lovely Long Melford and from there typed in Orford. I’ve never been there but had heard of Orfordness. Suffolk villages must be among the most beautiful in the country and its buildings, whether small cottages or large grand halls are stunning. So many times I was grateful to be riding behind slow moving cars to enjoy the view. Orford seems a bit more up market than Dunwich, but a small place with a view across the river there, with a cool breeze and a tea room that was a little too crowded to visit.
The way back involved 20 or 30 miles of beautiful gently curving roads before leading back to the A14 to get back to Cambridge.
I bought 10 litres of water from Tesco (£2.20) to wash off Belinda’s collection of dead insects.
I am using my brand new Conti Trail Attacks, fitted at the last (first) MOT:
Before I knew it, and a train ride later, I was back in the heart of EC1 where I am staying while the house it being done.
The ride was 150 miles.
More detail:
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nglia.
as a more practical alternative to my nice but relatively pocketless and tight fitting Hideout Leathers jacket for my next tour across northern Europe. It seemed to keep out the wind and rain – though ended up a little soggy hanging up in the garage. I plan to re-proof it and maybe upgrade the armour before my trip starting at the end of August.