Rok Straps Work!

Need I say more, these wunnerful straps from Oz just work.

No hooks, just loops, no stretching around and around objects, just locate connect adjust! For securing motorcycle luggage there are no better straps. We lurve our Rok Straps so much we even bought extra sets. We keep converting others that we know and meet when they see how easy they are to use and how secure they are. In the UK contact the luverly peeps at TravelDri-Plus.

Just one of the beauties of motorcycle travel, we find out so much by talking with other travellers that we meet. There is a mutual bond between riders , and amongst long distance ones even more so. The further you are from your own soil, the easier people find to talk to you.

Always be a traveller and never a tourist.

Pulling the Pin

I am a great fan of cheap and cheerful Russian photographic gear for creating atmospheric images.
A couple of years ago i bought a Zenitar 16mm Fisheye from a German company on eBay, and initially thought it was great until I realised I could not make it stop down using the adaptor mount on the EOS film cameras.

A quick poke around on Flickr in the Zenitar Group Discussion turned up this handy fix it involves junking some of the hardware, which is worth keeping in a safe place if you want to sell it on.

I can now step down through the f-stops from 2.8 to 22! Hurrah.... will post some pics up quite soon.

Tar Barrels Ottery St Mary 2005

Been having some issues sending posts from Youtube... hmm all Google owned but cannot talk to each other ... So embeded this.

This is a "folk tradition" in Devon , that appears to havce started in the late 17th Century. The real reason for it has been lost in antiquity , so to speak, but makes for a great Bonfire Night.

Sadly it has become very popular with the "backpacker" crowd and students. I got to know about it as Jules is from the next town over and went when she was a child. You cannot take children into this crowd now.

Sadly the event is in peril every year as the "safety nazis" and "nanny government" try to stop people doing things tio harm themselves. Humans love danger, and this is the closest you could ever get in this country to running with the bulls in Pampalona.

People often ask us why we prefere to tour Europe rather than the UK, and the reason is , it's more fun! Bikes are given respect on the road and are allowed to be reasonably parked anywhere. Businesses welcome bikers, and events are not regulated to the point that the fun is drained from them.

So this year the tunnel tickets are booked and our second trip to Europe will be to the Stella Alpina Rally on the French/Italian border.

Convoy - Strawberry Fayre 1988

Convoy - Strawberry Fayre 1988
Originally uploaded by Scouse_and_Jules

So what ever happened to that great "second summer of love" that ran for most of the late Eighties ?

Did it all implode into Heroin and cheap cider and Special Brew as the crusties went mainstream, or has it all become mainstream ?

Eco warriors now wait outside school gates and feed organic food to their offspring , all while wearing designer combats and hemp jumpers.

Did it take the CJA to make people stop and realise that the people they reviled were right after all. That raping the planet could not go on forever ?

Too many questions and no real answers. Me I wish it was 19 years ago again, and I could once again lose myself in that innocent hedonisim, that I learnt so much from and took so much pleasure in.

If you go down to the woods today...

Not The Major Oak - Sherwood Forest 2007 - GC2024
Originally uploaded by Scouse_and_Jules

be sure to take your GPS if you venture into Sherwood Forest to see the Major Oak.

Not far away is a rather wonderful geocache , which is better than being surrounded by gawping chavs expecting Robin of Sherwood to pop out of the Major Oak.

The entire park is a wonderful place, almost magical in the stillness you can find as you wander through it. Recommended as a great place for a quiet day out.

Poppies near Elvaston June 2007 - Revisited

Poppies near Elvaston June 2007 - Revisited
Originally uploaded by Scouse_and_Jules

Sometimes you need to go back again... first time we only had the cheapo emergency digi cam - went back again with the better digi cam , and a film camera.

Hope the "analogue" shots turn out as well as the digital.

Poppies near Elvaston June 2007

Poppies near Elvaston June 2007
Originally uploaded by Scouse_and_Jules

No matter how far you travel, sometimes things you find on your own door step can fill you with joy and wonder.

Complaint against police – Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom, North Wales Police

As a keen members of MAG we get regular e-mails about campaigns and issues affecting us riders. Check this out and sign the petition if you ever want to stay able to ride a bike to tour North Wales.


Dear Sir,

I am the campaigns manager for the Motorcycle Action Group, (MAG), which represents the interests of approximately 50000 motorcyclists in the UK. On behalf of MAG, and the wider motorcycling community I wish to make a formal complaint against the actions of the Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Richard Brunstrom.

The compliant is in relation to a media briefing, given by Mr Brunstrom, on Thursday 26th April 2007. At this briefing Mr Brunstrom showed journalists photographic images of one Mark Gibney who had been fatally injured in a motorcycle accident in 2003.

The images concerned included the decapitated head of Mr Gibney and was so graphic as to include views of his wide open eyes staring out from the visor of the helmet which was still on his head. Richard Brunstrom also showed images of Mr Gibney’s mutilated torso.

It is accepted that in some circumstances the use of shock tactics to drive home a powerful message can be legitimised if the family and loved ones of the deceased have been consulted and are in full agreement that such images can be shown where it might be considered in the public interest.

However in these circumstances no such consultation or consent had been given by Mr Gibney’s family. Indeed, the first the family were aware of it was when news broke of the press briefing.

I have no idea what Chief Constable Brunstom was intending to achieve by such a crass, insensitive and wholly unethical shock tactic.

In subsequent press releases he appears to blame the media for ‘leaking’ this information as though the private showing of such gruesome images without the consent of the family somehow legitimises the decision to show them in the first place. Clearly it does notI am in receipt of well over 100 e mail letters of complaint at the time of writing this letter to you and should you wish I can provide these as written evidence supporting this complaint and the strength of feeling against the actions of Richard Brunstrom.

I cannot emphasise enough the sense of outrage and abhorrence which Richard Brunstrom’s actions have caused. One cannot begin to imagine the distress he has caused the family and loved ones of Mr Gibney which includes his young children who had hitherto been unaware of the traumatic circumstances surrounding the immediate aftermath of his death.

I am aware that the North Wales Police authority have referred this matter to you for your investigation and that you will be receiving representations from Mr Gibney’s family’s solicitor, Mr Paul Beck of Quinn Barrow Solicitors, Liverpool.

I trust that this matter will be fully investigated. The breaches of the deceased family’s human rights and the dignity of the deceased has been brought about by the totally unethical conduct of Richard Brunstrom. His actions bring into question his suitability and judgement for such high office in the British Police Service.

Yours Faithfully

David Short B.Sc, MIRM

Campaigns Manager

Motorcycle Action Group



I have forwarded copies of this letter to;

Mr Kelvin Dent

Chief Executive, North Wales Police Authority

Glan -y-Don, Colwyn Bay, LL29 8AW



HMIC Wales & Central England Region

165a Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 ODJ



Mr Peter Hain MP Welsh Secretary

House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA



Mr Martyn Jones MP Clwyd South

House of Commons, London, SW1 OAA



Mr Paul Beck

Quinn Barrow Solicitors

15-17 Stanley Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 6AA



MAG Campaign website : http://tinyurl.com/2q2ssm

Includes link to Petition: “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Remove the North Wales Police chief from office as soon as possible.”

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/RichardBrunstrom

Perverse Beemers...

DSC_6820
Originally uploaded by RockBurner

We love 'em , this one in particular screams out to me...ride me like you stole me!

Hmm... instead of a travel blog may have to dedicate this blog to the revival of Heinz... Jules' "big boy" half R100RS and half Yamaha SRX600 ... keep watching this space.

Here is the old version , prior to the clutch seal going and a rebuild.

Clean it up...

Found a tool called Neat Image that cleans up noise on digital camera and scanned images.

It can also be used with Photoshop , will be playing with this and will update with a review as and when.

Yellow Spider

Yellow Spider
Originally uploaded by Scouse_and_Jules

A bright bright yellow spider was on the washing line eating greenflies. Now it seems to be hiding in the spring in the middle of the peg, so maybe it has turned spring coloured....


We think it is a Chameleon Spider

Belper East Mill - from inside the Belper Nailers football ground

Belper East Mill - from inside the Belper Nailers football ground
Originally uploaded by Mark Berthelemy

Crawled out of a tent in the grounds of Belper Football Club this morning. We spent the night at a wedding reception in the football club.

Was more like a mini rally with the bikes dotted around and the "undead" staggering to the toilet block.

Pity it was so close to home, only managed to get us lost once on the way :)

The Crying Lamp

The Crying Lamp
Originally uploaded by Scouse_and_Jules

Took up geocaching last week , this was my first find... now if I can just get Jules interested , after all it is just another form of trainspotting :)

Or was it which Right ?

Welcome to our travel blog! As a quick explanation, I , Scouse, have an issue with my left and rights, despite owning two GPS's and having an obsession with mapping software and maps and navigation tools of all kinds.

Jules is often heard to heard to call out in desperation " Which left do you mean?" when I am navigating.

So there you go... a concise explanation, which is also a bit of a first for me.