MooN

they've easd the lock down rules here a little as of today. much stays the same but all shops are now allowed to reopen but restrict access to 1 client per 3m2 i think. restaurants and bars remain shut. we're now allowed 20km and 3 hrs recreation as opposed to 1h 1km last week.

it all seems to react marginally quicker here. so all good. though I half expected to be stranded on a ghost board somewhere in the ether...

no riding for me this month. but i'm open to bribes when it comes to voting...

amazing isn't it. My father, who is an intelligent man ( or was ) is still convinced that the whole thing is blown out of all proportion ( though he doesn't actually deny it is a problem). In His defence, he has reached an age where he has nothing to loose, thinks the world has become a horrible place and doen't really want to be a pert of it anymore anyway. I just have to remind him gently that that by not obeying the rules on this, though he might not be bothered, he may well infect somebody else who doesn't feel the same way...

still in confinement here. weather clear but cold and we had the first frost of the season this morning. Had to send No. 1 out for supplies this morning as Madame MooN is not well. I don't think it's the dreaded lurghy but she does so as a professional hypochondriac she is is busy preparing for the worst .

I'm going slowly loopy, forced idleness due to kneee op. can't even buy any more books cos the book shops are shut... I think I should change my internet pseudo to " Beau Nidle" ...

they also appear to be relatively honest about what they're for, i mean they openly admit that this one is aimed at newer riders, getting them into the Triumph brand. I have seen soooo many makers trying to convince us that their bike is perfect for beginners but so technologically advanced that it's also perfect for advanced riders and race circuits if you just change the exhaust pipe and RTW trips if you just nail some panniers on the back and stunters if you take the lights off etc etc etc. this presentation at least seems to be fairly upfront about what this bike is for. I like that. Not sure about the pillion seat though... but as with the truncated rear end, it's down to aesthetics i suppose.

I couldn't tell you Pete, cos I'm obeying the rules and not going out... It is a French national passtime though, finding ways of geting around the rules and regs, they call it " systeme D" and became a national sport during the occupation. I, however have a wife who works in the medical profession and a number of friends who do also at differing levels. They all insist that keeping social interaction to a minimum is the best defence. Me being idiot and obedient, am staying in.

the gvot and press here are subtley leaking tiny hints that lockdown may last beyond Christmas, vague suggestions of the possibility, cannily avoiding questions on the subject etc which to my mind means they already know it will but are letting the idea permeate slowly, almost subconsciously, so that when they have to make the announcement publicly most people have already assimilated the idea and will just say " I told you so" rather than have an uprising. I knew this would happen any way due to SOD's 3rd rule of holiday. i was in confinement from march to mid june. 3rd week June to last week october I worked my nuts off pretty much 6 days a week so that all the other "W"anchors could have their annual holidays, my annual holidays in september were cancelled to enable this. I got my annual holiday end oct 1st half november and will have 2 weeks imposed from mid dec to 2nd jan. Sod's 3rd rule enters into play and guess what? Confinement from 1st november probably lasting till 2nd Jan when I am due back to work... I do sometimes think that I mast have been akin to Ghengis Khan in a past life... still, if it goes on for longer than that I'll be on holiday permanantly I expect, so I might actually be able to go riding.

not antisocial, Asocial. I'm not against other people, I don't need other people. Nuance.

the whole of France went into "if we just ignore him he'll go away" mode that day ?

busy playing with the new heating system yesterday, it's programmable over 7 days for both for hot water and central heating, is linked to t'internet and an app on my phone and has more computing power than Nasa used to put Neil Armstrong on the Moon. Maybe we should organise bets on how long it will take me to fuck it up and have to phone someone to come and restore the original settings? Today the highlight will probably be going out to buy essential supplies, everything else being Verboten.

You have a French number plate!? ??

I just remembered that I did once meet up with a group of strangers for a multi day ride, back in 2013 I rode down to the Vercors to join up with a group of Aissies from austouring forum run by glitch.oz I joined them for 2 days on the northernmost section of their "Tornanti III" alps tour. the meet up timingwas fucked up but for the rest it was a case of just slotting into the group who were superbly welcoming and made me feel like I'd known them for years. They have abviously ridden together a lot and Pete ( Glitch) had obviously put in a LOT or planning and work prior to the trip, it was all very well organised and slick and throroughly enjoyable, no stress, no whining, no stragglers everybody just doing whatever was needed to keep it all together. As Pedro says, it is a rare thing, which is what makes it worth mentioning.

With a few exceptions I prefer to ride alone. I have always preferred boating solo and am perfectly content in my own company. I like to think that this is because I have nothing to prouve, am capable of looking after myself and making my own decisions and don't need other people. ( but it's probably selfishness, that and the fact that nobody else will put up with me for more than an hour...?) If Other people want to only ride in groupes then fine, "chaqu'un sa merde" as they say over here. I have ceased trying to understand other people.

Ham with ketchup AND mustard. ( ain't I livin' the life !)

allo, allo, ?

I should keep quiet about that if I were you Lone ?

erm... nope

I have this mental image of you riding into that water shouting " AAAOOOOOGAH, AAAOOOGAH, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE !"

people are f'kin idiots.

yeah, I have a givi pocket thing and its zipped in which means taking both gloves off, if the phones plugged in then it becomes a real palaver to put it back in again. I'll need to change phone soon so I'll revise the mounting system anyway cos there are no phones available now that are small eenough to fit in the same system.

Well you'll not be getting much competition from tigrou this month Michelle, we be locked down and confined to quarters at least untill december.

nope, too old now.