Showing posts with label Tomorrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tomorrow. Show all posts

Sunday 25 February 2018

My First Mobike


Well today I completed 340K steps for February, with three days to spare. This is just before the really cold weather sets in, so I am very pleased with that.

Today for the first time I used a Mobike. I kept wondering where I was going to use so went from St. Andrews Church round The Grainger Market and parked up on Clayton street. I was berated for not wearing a helmet but given they are a jump on jump off type of thing you don't carry a helmet around with you so I am not sure what the solution is bar being extra careful like I as as a teenager. These are not racing bikes, they have baskets on and are meat for going short distances. I found it difficulat as my legs were too long for the back and when I got off I realised that I could have ajusted the seat. I'll know that for next time.

One of my problems is that if I'm going to go by baike then I will potentially not do the number of steps that I need to do , but that is something that I will deal with in the coming weeks. They will be great for nipping across the Tyne Bridges to places like Arch 16.

So what to play on thsi Sunday night, the obvious one for me is "My White Bicycle" by Tomorrow refering to the Dutch in the sixties who stole bikes and painted the white for people to use for free.

According to drummer John 'Twink' Alder (Pink Fairies), the song was inspired by the Dutch Provos, an anarchist group in Amsterdam which instituted a community bicycle program: "they had white bicycles in Amsterdam and they used to leave them around the town. And if you were going somewhere and you needed to use a bike, you'd just take the bike and you'd go somewhere and just leave it. Whoever needed the bikes would take them and leave them when they were done." The band also featured Steve Howe later of Yes and Keith West who had a hit with "Excerpt From A Teenage Opera". I'm not sure about John 'Junior' Wood.

The free is a good concept but the stealing is not , but if we all used bikes or walked instead of using cars the world would be a much better place.


Thursday 11 January 2018

Mad Dreams and Orange Bicycles


After waking up after a series of dreams that wer so mad I wouldn't know where to start describing them, and they are fading now. I think part of this may be the slight surreality of the current phase of "La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman that I am on the run in the the finale of.

I'm actually not too tired either although I went to bed relatively early last night so that was probably a reason for feeling reasonable awake, although honestly I could have still stayed in bed for a few more hours but unfortunately one has to get up for work if one does not want to lick rocks for sustenance.

I don't know if I'm setting off earlier or what, but mornings seem to be darker longer (I know that can't be true) but so far this year I haven't seen a decent sunrise. A lot is the overcast cloud when I'm walking in, but at least the last couple of days there hasn't been much ice and it's a bit warmer than it has been.

I'm also surprised that I have more than maintained my required steps every day this year (usually once a week I let it drop off), but the have been no freezing cod wet and windy days that make walking difficult. Also part of my mind is what I have to in February , effectively increase my steps to 12K a day (almost a 10% increase) , though it's funny if you don't have to do it it's quite easy, but when you have to do it it suddenly becomes more of a chore. This pales into insignificance with my friends efforts of 5 and 10 mile morning runs and 50 mile bike rides.

I've seen the Orange  Mobikes in Newcastle (follow the link for five free rides) and thought that would be a great idea but most of the time I can't think of a reason to use them, if I'm going round town I'll walk and if I'm going further I'll use a bus. I'm sure I will use them one day as they look quite good and you don't have to maintain them. I've seen the odd charver trying to nick one and alarms go off .

So maybe on that I'll leave you with Nazareth's cover of Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle" about when Dutch students stole bikes and painted the white for everyone to use for free (I think , but look it up.

Have a great Thursday everybody.