First ride out on the new Santa Crux Heckler SL

Man, it's stupid O'Clock in the morning—4:53 a.m., to be exact. I've had a restless night. I'm not sure whether it's these prednisone steroids I'm taking, which increase cortisol levels, or maybe I'm excited about going out for a ride on my new bike after not having ridden in a while.

Getting out of bed with a rather frustrated sigh, I decided to just leave my bedtime shorts and t-shirt on. Getting ready into my bike gear was a bit pointless, as I wasn't meeting my friends John and Peter until 8:00 am. I popped my everyday prosthetic leg on and was set for a bit of breakfast.

As I came out of my bedroom and switched the landing light on, I could see my bikes at the bottom of the stairs. My Orbea Gain and my new shiny Santa Cruz. I then had this thought, and memories came flooding back of a time when I was little and those Christmases when I was very fortunate to receive a bike.

Reminded me of Christmas as a kid, with a shiny new bike

My Dad doesn't particularly enjoy Christmas; in fact, we have become accustomed to not celebratingas. She would take great joy in putting up the decorations and wrapping various presents. There is not long to go now, so maybe instead of following Ern's "Baa Humbug" attitude, I should take a page out of my Mam' it. My Mam used to make Christmas book and make more of an effort.

I always ask Ern, "What would you like for Christmas?" to only get the reply,"There's nowt I want or need". Ern's so hard to buy for.

Anyway, heading downstairs, I went into the kitchen and opened the cupboard to retrieve my concoction of various medications. I'm down to five prednisone, an Ad-cal, a sachet of Salofalk granules, an Atenalol for my high blood pressure, and an Iron tablet. I always take the Salofalk granules first, as I find them difficult to swallow.

First, I have to pour the tablets into my mouth, and then I have to try to wash them down with a drink. You are not supposed to chew the tiny bead-like granules. They always get stuck between my teeth, and I'm left wandering around trying to dislodge them with my tongue. The rest of the tablets I pop in my hand and take in one swift swallow along with a drink.

All these different medications I hate taking.

Following the taking of my meds, I decided to make some breakfast. I'm not usually a big eater. However as I have been on the steroids, boy, I just can't stop eating. It's weird as although most days I tend to have an upset tummy, and sometimes feel lethargic and nauseous, I still have this urge to eat. I am now at my heaviest, being over 14 stone, according to our scales. Obviously, I can lose weight pretty quickly. I just take my prosthetic leg off, Lol.

"Mmmmmmm, what to have? Upon checking out the fridge, "Damn it, no bacon", plus the eggs we had in were out of date. "Sausage sandwich it is then". Popping three sausages into the Ninja air fryer. Not long after the sausages were done and I placed them in a bun with tomato sauce, they were gone. A nice cup of tea, and I felt relatively satisfied, well probably until about an hour's time.

Mmmmmm Sausages

Yesterday, I did well in preparing everything for today's adventure. Usually, you can guarantee that whenever I'm going out for a ride, I can't find something I need. The only thing I had to do this morning was go for a quick ride around the block to check the alignment of my cycling socket, knee and foot.

Yesterday, I set up the Santa Cruz Heckler's suspension, following a guide on Santa Cruz's website and a YouTube video. I also made sure everything was charged, including the bike, the SRAM AXS battery, the Beeline GPS, and, of course, my phone. Oh, and I also completed the warranty on the bike and the Reserve carbon wheelset, which I am chuffed to bits with. The model bike I ordered would have normally arrived with Reserve Alloy wheels.

That first part of my blog I wrote whilst waiting to get ready and go to meet John and Peter. The next part I will complete after I get back.

Okay, I am back. Thoroughly kanckered, aching and sore. My good leg, which is my Left, well, the cleat in my shoe must have been positioned slightly wrong, as man, after 37 miles, my achilies is killing me. I also have a blister on my butt from where my socket has been rubbing.

Bike-wise, the Santa Cruz Heckler rides great. I opted for a size Large, I am just a tad over 6 feet tall. My Specialized Turbo Levo, which always felt massive, was an XL. The Santa Cruz's suspension feels stiffer than the Specialized's, too, however not uncomfortable. I did notice a huge difference in power, going from a full-power bike to a mid-power bike. The Santa Cruz Heckler has a "Fauza motor", which only pushes out 60 nm max, whilst my old Specialized would fly along in Turbo mode, pushing out 85 nm from its Brose motor. That said, I rarely used the Turbo mode on my old Specialized, and I kind of knew what to expect with the mid-power bike. You see, my intention is to get fit once again, and I don't want to be relying on battery power alone. 

Santa Cruz Heckler SL Gloss Magenta

I really like the Fauza "ring controller". This is the switch to turn the bike on and off and operate the various modes. I have heard a lot of peple say it is "plasticky", possibly, but I still like the way it works and feels. I know that Santa Cruz, with itts Fauza setup, doesn't have an all singing all, dancing display on the bike, but at no time did I not know waht mode I was in. The only thing I was disappointed with, and this may have been my fault, was that the Fauza app did not record my ride. I have yet to have a good look at the app, it doesn't exactly look like rocket science, and I like that. Sometimes you find on these apps there is far too much information and stuff going on.

The Beeline Velo 2, on the other hand, worked very well. I love this little gadget for its simplicity and ease of use. I intend to write a review, so I will only go into a little detail here.

Beeline Velo 2 mounted with a K-Edge Adjustable Stem Mount

On today's ride I tried to keep the bike in the Breeze and River modes, only using the Rocket mode on some of the hills and a little when I was coming to the end of the ride and approaching home. After 37 miles and being out almost six and a half hours on my return home, the bikes battery only had 3% left. I'm going to try and play around with the app and see if I can get some better range. However if can't, I would love to see a range extender being developed or the bigger 480-watt battery, which  I have heard may be coming out soon.

So, although todays adventure was a bit tougher than expected, I really enjoyed getting back in the saddle. My fitness has really dropped off, and it doesn't help that I am on all this medication. I am looking forward to my next outing on my bike.

Getting back to today's ride with the boys. I rode from my house up the back of Durham Road to John's. I experimented with the River and Rocket modes. Upon reaching John's, I have to admit, man, I was out of breath. John and I didn't have to wait long for Peter to arrive, and then we set off. We had only covered a few hundred meters when I realised my prosthetic foot had turned and was in a horrible position. I am sure I had tightened up the bolt this morning. Anyhoo, after a quick adjustment and a tightening of the bolt, we were off again. Mind you, it was only to the top of Wear Road, where John had to stop to adjust his wonky handlebars. He hadn't aligned them properly after tightening his headset the other day.

Soon, we were heading along by the bypass towards Oxhill, heading towards the Morrison Busty, to then go down Lanchester Bank and get onto the Lanchester Valley cycle track. The sun was low in the sky heading down the track, and even though I was wearing my sunglasses, it was very difficult to see. 

The sun became a lot brighter as we rode down the Lanchester Valley

On the Lanchester Valley Cycle Track

John on his new bike on the Lanchester Valley Track

A good way down the track, we tuned left and cut through the farmer's property to head up the bank towards Bear Park. As Peter pedalled hard to gain some momentum for the upcoming hill, his chain suddenly snapped. I had a chain tool in my tool kit, so attempted to take the damaged link out and repair the chain; however on inspection, the chain was worn in other areas. So we had to resort to a plan B. I asked John to have a quick Google for local bike shops, and it was a choice of either Evans, which was quite some way away near the Arnison Centre or Infinity Cycles down by Meadowfield.    

Peter and his snapped chain

We chose Infinity Cycles and proceeded to try to follow Google Maps. The Google Maps lady wasn't exactly helpful as we rode, or rallied in Peters case, down the wrong road for about a mile before having to turn around and come back. John gave Peter a helping hand, pushing him whilst he rode in Turbo mode on his bike, and I went off searching for Infinity Cycles. I was way off finding the bike shop, then got a call from John saying, "Hey we have found it; come back past the way you went". So I turned around and followed Johns's instructions. How the hell we had missed the bike shop, I don't know, I mean, there is this giant sign at the roadside, plus I have been to the shop on numerous occasions with my dad.

Infinity Cycles

Getting a new chain fitted at Infinity Cycles

It didn't take long for one of the mechanics to fix Peter's bike, and we were soon on our way with the goal of getting to Finchale Priory. Heading back up towards Nevilles Cross, then down into Durham City Centre, we rode to Greggs. I had been hankering for a nice cup of tea and something to eat, as my sausage sandwich had been ages ago. One of us stopped outside with the bikes at all times whilst the others went into Greggs. I got a lovely large steaming cup of tea, a large chicken sandwich and some Large Chocolate chip Cookies. The sandwich, tea, and cookie went down as a treat.

Peter and John outside Greggs

Peter and me I was so looking forward to that cup of tea.

I then attempted to use Google Maps to find the way to Finchale Abbey. Again, we rode through Durham City Centre and headed towards Milburngate and then up the street as if going to the old Durham Ice Rink. Once back over the river using the footbridge the route was straightforward all the way to the Abbey. Peter was a little in infront of the road and had stopped to have a tab, and I got my eye on some beautiful ravens in the field, so I began talking to them, hoping they may come closer. I even offered them some of my chocolate cookies, but they didn't appear interested. I love ravens and crows and have been considering getting a tattoo. I can relate to the symbolism of a Raven.

Ravens in a field

A short ride down another road and onto a trail soon brought us to the Abbey. John and Peter had arrived just before me, so they were already looking around the ruins. I whipped my phone out and took a few shots.

Finchale Abbey as you approach it from the car park.

Finchale Abbey

Finchale Abbey

Finchale Abbey

Naughty Boys at Fichaler Abbey

We then headed across the river on the narrow footbridge. As I was going over, there was a man with, I take it, his young son. I moved over to let them pass, and the man thanked me. I jested that in days gone by, we probably would have had a duel on the bridge and he laughed and then gave me a fist bump, lol.

Looking across toward Fichale Abbey from the bridge

More pics are at the end of the bridge, and then Joh said that he really must put a spurt on, as his lass was playing hell about him being  out for so long, as they were supposed to be going out to see some Christmas lights. I told John to just crack on with Peter, as there was no way I could keep up, especially if he was riding his new bike in Turbo mode. So John and Peter left me down by the river as I took more photos'

Looking across toward Fichale Abbey from the bridge

My bike waiting patiently at the end of the bridge.

The ride along the river through Cocken Woods with all the leaves was beautiful. Soon, though I had to cut up through the wood on this somewhat steep and muddy incline. Rocket mode required for this section. I was impressed with how well the Santa Cruz rode up the bank, mind you, by the time I got to the very top, I thought I was going to cough up a lung.As I came out onto the road, I had to rely on Google Maps once again, and it took me going in the wrong direction some 400 to 500 meters to figure out I was going in the wrong direction.The Google lady kept sayijg "Make a U turn". U-turn completed and now going the correct way, I headed down Cocken Lane.

As I rode down the road, I saw John and Peter standing at the side of the road. John was on his phone, probably getting bollocked off his lass. I shouted, "Are you lost?" and just continued on, heading as directed towards Great Lumley. Not long after, John and Peter caught up, and we headed through the parkat Chester Le Street near the riverside, and this took us eventually to the bottom of Chester Le Street itself. Going from Chester Le Street, we rode up past the Police station and headed to the junction where all the traffic lights and the roundabout is. John suggested just going up by the dual carriageway on the path; however, I told him I was just going to ride down towards Birtley and then come up the C2C, so this is the way we went. Once on the C2C, John must have popped his bike into turbo mode, as Peter and I didn't see him again. Peter, who is fit as a lop, rode with me for a little while however his pace was a lot quicker than mine. I couldn't pop my bike into Rocket mode as I was down to one light, indicating my battery was just about out of juice.

When I eventually got to Beamish, I cut up by No Place and the Beamish Mary Inn, taking the off-road trail that would lead me to the farmer's trail just. At the bottom of there is the Famous Ladies' estate, and then I would be almost home. My battery was just about dead by now, and the trail was challenging to ride heading up the hill. All the rain lately had caused the trail to wash out, and there were huge gouges in the ground, with big stepped areas. I was thoroughly exhausted, so I pushed my bike up the hill until I got on the flat bit, then rallied down the other side. 

I was so tired that I struggled to hold and bend my Bartlett Tendon Knee with all of its resistance, so I couldn't manage to get clipped in straight away. I had a few choice words, then had another attempt and heard my cleat pop into the pedal, so I mounted my bike and then enjoyed the ride down the hill.

Reaching the Famous Ladies estate, I made my way through the houses, and I was home. I went to open the back gate and realised my dad hadn't been out all day, and his car was parked next to the fence, so there was no room to get my bike past. So I fumbled again with my prosthetic foot and rode around to the front of our house. I am ashamed to say I was so tired I couldn't be arsed to wash my new bike, so I pushed her into the house even though she was all clarty.

I was desperate for another cuppa, and made a chicken sandwich, and once I had finished, that had the last cookie I had bought, plus a bar of Turkish Delight. I got my bike gear off, popped it in the wash basket, and went upstairs to have a well-earned soak in the bath. Jeez, that sore bit on my arse didn't half smart. Once out of the bath, I decided to connect my Google Pixel 9 to my Mac so that I could upload the files and edit them for my blog. Dear me, I must have been on an hour trying to figure out why my phone wouldn't speak to the Mac. I hate technology. It rarely makes life simpler. Anyhoo, I figured it out, and that's about all folks.

Ooh just a little side note from today, Sunday. When I got up this morning I could hardly walk on my good leg. I'm not sure what I have done to my Achilles but it's proper painful. I have had to hobble around all day. It's not good when what is supposed to be my good leg is acting up and my other leg is a prosthgetic one. Hopefully it will improve over the next few days. I am going to investigate my shoes and the positioning of the cleats. The only thing I have changed is that I have placed new TIME pedals on my bike. They are TIME Speciale 10's. However I have used the same TIME designs for years and never experienced any sort of issues like I am having at the moment with my achilles. I can't figure it out. The centre axis has to be exactly the same and the cleat mech is the same, its just the pedal bodies that are slightly bigger, with small studs in place for extra grip. Hopefully I will be ok by Thursday as I would like to head out for another ride when I am off.

Super Clarty Super Fun

 

Playing on my Silverback Synergy Fat Bike

Everything pre-sorted the night before for this mornings mini adventure. To be honest when I checked the weather yesterday I wasn't sure I would be heading out for a ride with John & Peter, I'm getting soft in my old age.

I messaged John telling him I would have a look out my window early on and make a decision based on A. The weather and B. If I could be arsed. Anyhoo I was up relatively early, peered out of the window and thought it didn't look bad and I felt up for it.

I had already chosen my weapon of choice, and as such had fitted the tendons to my Bartlett Tendon. I had decided to take my Silverback Synergy Fat Bike. My other bikes are in need of some TLC, my old Ibis is a bit of a dog and needs pulling out of the shed and servicing. My Sandman Hoggar, which I love hasn't been used in a while either. Not sure I would have got all the way around on that bike, as man the Surly Tires fitted drag like hell.  My Orbea Gain gravel bike wasn't suitable for where we planned, so it came down to the trusty Silverback Fat. You see now that I am down to 6 bikes it's very clear I need to restock my stable so that I have a choice dependent on conditions and what I intend to do LoL.

And to that I am still on the fence about a Santa Cruz Heckler SL and recently I have been looking at an Orbea Laufey H-LTD 2024 which is an analogue 29'er.

Orbea Laufey H-LTD 2024

As I mentioned the tyres on My Sandman I may as well tell you about the Shwalbe's fitted to the Silverback. These are absolutely terrible in the mud, how I never fell off today is just pure luck as I was sliding and loosing traction all over.

On to todays mini mud fest. Well 9:00 am arrived and no John or Peter. There I was waiting outside and trying to see up the bank, the fog becoming thicker in the 10 minutes I stood waiting. John then called saying Peter had a puncture in his back wheel and was on trying to fix it. I took the time I was waiting as an opportunity to go across over on to the green opposite our house to clear up a black bin bag which had been left by some scuffy git, the contents strewn all over the grass, empty beer cans and pizza boxes and other various bits and bobs of rubbish. Ern came out to help and  gave me a pair of gloves and one of those picky uppy thingies. After completing my community service John rang again saying Peter had now tried fixing the puncture 3 times, but it just kept going down.

Time to call on the services of Super Ern. Ern and I had a quick rummage in our shed and found two 29'er inner tubes, jumped in Ern's car and headed up to Peters. After inspecting his tyre and wheel and handing Peter one of the new inner tubes he went about installing it. "What do you mean Peter you don't have any tyre levers"? Peter then tried using two spoons. Upon going to inflate the tyre "Psssssssssss"! "Ok lets go down to ours and try the other tube down there as we have more gear"  

Yay it stayed up

Down home Ern removed the tube Peter had just put in, Peter must have nipped the tube a there were two small nicks... Damn spoons. Ern and I then had a go at putting in another new tube and although it was a faff and really hard to get the tube in without being nipped, the tyre appearing to wide for the skinny little rims, we eventually managed and the tyre stayed up. Moral of the story "get some tyre levers, oh and a track pump".

Ok we were off, heading down the street and going up to the farmers trail. 

Heading to No Place and then Beamish.

Farmers Trail 

Me and Peter coming up the muddy farmers trail

Going into Beamish Woods and having a little play. I took John & Peter to where the jumps and berms had been put in. Quite a bit of pushing up the hills as they were slippy as hell with mud and  roots.

Pleased I put my long Endura pants on today

The Stream was pretty high today 

John

All the fallen leaves looked pretty

I had a quick bash at coming over one of the drop offs and John who was acting camera man with his fancy Apple phone got some decent shots today. 

Beamish Woods

Love not acting my age

Useless Fat Tyres with no grip at all

Following on from Beamish and having traversed the trail at the top of the woods, we then got on to a off road section that would bring us to the main road, and we headed as if going towards Sunnyside. I was pretty tired, however just kept plodding away, until we got back on ayet another off road trail that would take us towards Tanfield Railway.

A little plays in the puddles at this point.

Nowt like playing in puddles

Don't think the old dears where impressed with me playing

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Peter having fun

Once opposite Tanfield Railway's car park, we headed along the Causey Arch Road and to the picnic area and took the trail towards Tanfield, riding along past the Industrial estate and  up on to the C2C and from there home.

This burn was hand dug out and is really steep at yon side

I said my goodbyes to the lads and when I got home was he my bike. Ern and I had a Quick Look at my Race Face dropper seat post as it had been sticking throughout my ride, then. went indoors. My dad had got me an allay breakfast. I had a  lovely hot shower got me clothes back on and the wolfed down the breakfast which I was really ready for.

A very enjoyable ride, even if my old bones are slightly aching a bit.

First Ride Out of 2024 Prosthetic woes and time to reflect.

Proper enjoyed the first ride out of 2024. Yes it was a tad chilly, yes my prosthetic leg was constantly coming loose and annoying me, and yes I had to wear a pair of gigs because my eyesight has continued to get to the stage where if I don't wear them everything is just a blur.

I went out for a ride with my long time pal John and he introduced me to one of his friends Peter. We had discussed earlier in the week via WhatsApp where to go and decided a short venture up to Hownsgill Cafe would suit us. John hasn't ridden for about 6 months and whilst I have been riding everyday, it's generally just 30 minutes or so indoors on my turbo trainer.

Usually my prep for heading out is a case of rushing around in the morning and trying to find things I have always mislaid, however lthe night before I had prepared my stuff, so this morning was a nice relaxed, well semi relaxed, as I was aggravated and stressed over my leg not fitting sort of morning.

I had made sure my Orbea Gain eBike was full charged. Deciding to take this, as it makes life a little easier, especially as I wasn't going to be wearing tendons on my Bartlett Tendon Knee. I am down to my last 2 shouldered studs for the cams, as I have been finding they have been snapping for some reason. I didn't want to risk snapping the last ones, until some replacements have arrived. So not taking my Fat Bike and therefore having to fit the tendons and cams, was the plan. As we were just going to be riding mostly on the C2C route and no muddy woodland trails. Ern (my Dad) has measured the shouldered studs and been able to source a place on line to get some replacements, almost £60 for 10, so quite expensive So hopefully I get out with tendons on soon. I have sold my `Specialized Turbo Levo and would dearly love a new E- mountain bike, it's just they are expensive and what with having my current leg issues I think I am going to have to put future plans on hold.

A nice steady ride up Durham Road and onto Wear Road and John's, yes I cheated slightly and had the bike on Level 2, however apart from coming up the bank I didn't have the bike turned on throughout the rest of the ride. I met John at his house and he introduced me to his new wee dog "Bruno", he is a Pomee something or other breed, definitely doesn't look like a Bruno, `I think `I am going to call him Frank. Nobbling after Peter rode over and John introduced us.

  

Glenn, John and Peter

We had a quick ride to Asda so I could get a few quid outdoor a breakfast then off we went heading to Consett . As we rode up towards Consett in certain areas single file, it gave me time to think, of how much I enjoy just being out in the fresh air and try to reflect on yeah things are not great prosthetic limb wise, nothing is fitting and a lot of stuff needs replacing. I have just been back to the Disability Services Centre, this is where I get my NHS funded bits and bobs. I attended yesterday to take delivery of a new socket.

I am currently on wearing it to see if I can get away with it. So far the jury is out, it feels uncomfortable compared to my old socket. When I fit a seal it feels like I am being pushed out of the socket and when I sit down I lose the vacuum seal which keeps it on. Im feel like Bambi on Ice walking. It is soooo! stressful and frustrating, I just want to get on and do day to day normal stuff, however at the moment almost every thought from getting up to going to bed is based somewhere around " Aww F@$king hell this poxy leg" or lack of it. So many people take for granted just being able to climb stairs, run, dance or even trip up but be able to catch themselves. I can deal with having my leg amputated, it's the fact of when my prosthetic leg doesn't fit, it just brings me right down. Anyhoo getting back to the reflection bit, I just thought "Glenn count your blessings, your out, your trying to make the best of a bad situation, and give yourself a little credit, you haven't given up". Maybe I am getting a little better at not being So hard on myself all the time.

  

Glenn on the Orbea Gain

My prosthetist from the DSC rang me in the afternoon following my visit to inform me my Rheo XC microprocessor knee is about buggered, so she is ordering me a new one, and would I also like a new foot. "Sure what ever you think best" I replied. Just a shame I cannot get a new Bartlett Tendon knee and socket from the NHS, as both of those need replacing. 

I can't imagine not being able to ride, it is so much of who I am, it has kept me going, given my opportunities and I have met so many awesome people through cycling. Being disabled... weird as I have just subconsciously stopped typing whilst writing this sentence and thought to myself " What I'm disabled ? I don't think of myself as disabled, I am just different". Yet being different is very expensive. Again it makes me realise how fortunate I have been in the past to be supported by various people and companies.

Moving on I guess I am going to have to look at approaching various foundations fort grants and doing a lot of saving if I want to continue cycling.

For the time being it's going to be a case of trying to prolong the life of my worn out bits n bobs, with replacement bolts and possibly some Gaffa tape to keep my leg attached LoL.

 

Parked up at the cafe

Anyhoo back to the ride, we ended up at Hownsgill Cafe, each of us ordered the full English breakfast and a cup of coffee. Not badly priced I think, I don't go out much for meals so not sure of the current cost of stuff, but £5.70 for the breakfast and £1.60 for a coffee which certainly hit the spot on a cold morning seemed like a good deal.

  

The ride back was as pleasurable as the ride there, a little easier coming back I would say, with some good craic, so all in all a canny morning.

 

Me and Peter

I couldn't be arsed to get my phone out and take pictures, so relied on John to send me some snaps through. John is like Inspector Gadget what with his new fangled Apple Watch and phone Lol.

Cheers John for the few pics.

The End.

A Wee adventure in Myrtle to Druridge Bay.

 John and I had thought about heading out for an overnighter, taking Myrtle on a kind of road trip, just for a few days. Thing was that we had left planning a little late, and as I explained to John, Myrtle hadn't really been on any far-flung road trips since having her fuel starvation issues sorted. I am pleased to say, that this does appear to have been remedied by the fitting of a fuel regulator and a Facet electric fuel pump, which my dad very kindly installed and plumbed in. In mentioning the Facet fuel pump, I do also have to say "Man it's loud". I can hear the bloody thing "Tick, Tick, Ticking" away, hopefully when I get around to fitting the sound deadening and rugs this will quieten things down a fair bit.

  

Myrtle looking all shiny

Oh! And as John and I, had talked about wild camping, which isn't so bad when taking the bikes, as you can go covertly, when thinking of taking a small car, it's a little bit harder to be inconspicuous, so Scotland would have been the best option as you can wild camp, within the law. I did a little research, and you need to apply for a permit for Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, however if we were to go over to the Forests of Galloway there is no permit required, it's a canny old trek, especially in an old car, and we would need a lot more planning.


I know I have posted a lot in the past about all the problems my dad and I had with Myrtle's suspension. I lost count of the amount of times Myrtle was up on stands with her wheels off and both my dad and I removing, and then replacing, her various suspension components and then measuring stuff. Anyhoo you know what I think was the cause of all her suspension problems? In fact, I now know. It was a faulty Air Lift manifold. I bought the complete setup from Limebug, brand new and had it fitted by professionals, however the car never felt right from day one. It always rode, how can I put it, "Wonky". It wasn't until a few months ago, upon having to use Myrtle for work as Tango, my beloved Wee Smart car was off the road for repairs, that I started getting an error with the driver's side, rear bag not fully deflating, when using the remote control. A long story short I contacted Air Lift, sent a few videos and within about a week I had a brand-new manifold. Now that the manifold has been installed by my dad and I, Myrtle has been spot on, and I am no longer stressing about every time I come to a speed bump, or in having to worry about her looking and feeling "Wonky". Now when I get in Myrtle and I check in her glove box, looking at the Air lift controller her pressures all remain where they should be, and she goes up and down, on the touch of a button.


My dad and I have been out for a few short trips in Myrtle now, mainly going shopping or to pop to Costco for fuel, over at the Metro Centre, and she has driven spot on. So I was quite confident taking her for a drive up as far as Druridge Bay yesterday
 

I awoke relatively early with the plan of giving Myrtle a wash and trying out this new Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax that I had looked at on YouTube and then bought from Costco. I quickly read the instructions which are pretty straight forward, wash the car, rinse the car, apply the wax whilst the car is still wet, turn the hose on again, and allow the wax to spread over the car, then using a micro-fibre duster dry the car and buff up the paint work. I am actually quite impressed with the stuff, it's so easy to use and Myrtle was all washed and polished and gleaming in under an hour. Apparently the first application is the most difficult, and then you can just use a liberal amount of the wax as a top-up. Any water on Myrtle no just beads off her, and she feels slick, and looks glossy.

 

Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax Good Stuff This

Myrtle done, I popped up to Stanley for a quick haircut, then came back home and got sorted ready to go and pick John up. I popped my cooler box into myrtle and the vintage boom box Ern and I made which was connected to my Mp3 player which had loads of songs on for the day.


Once I had picked John up we headed to Stanley and Home Bargains and bought a few bits and bobs for the day then we were off, following directions using Google Maps on John's phone.


The A1 North bound was as frustrating as ever. Even though it was stop start for a while and a very hot day, Myrtle never flickered, she just kept plodding away. She did stall on two or three occasions, however that was more to do with me and still not having the semi-auto clutch control down.


The drive on the lonelier country roads with the windows down was awesome. It can be really pleasurable just to drive an old classic car with no mod cons, you know a simple dash, with one clock, no air con, no electric windows and the sound of a little 1200 cc air cooled motor plodding away, yeah not for everyone I know, but for me, now that Myrtle is running sweet, it's a relaxing experience. John and I also noticed just how many people smile as they see Myrtle, well most, I mean you can get the odd irate driver who has to be somewhere that is really important, and you know getting that one car space ahead of you will make all the difference.


Once at Druridge Bay, we discovered it was really busy. I had to park Myrtle on the grass and there wasn't any great opportunities for photo's, hence not many here. We took the cooler box and headed down to the beach.

  

Druridge Bay Beach sea fret coming in

John and Me

Me on the beach

 

It started out really hot and then a weird sea fret blew in. We decided to have a walk along the beach, and before long you couldn't see more than about 20 to 30 meters in front of you. 

It was like walking through a cloud. In fact, that was what it was, as we soon discovered we were quite wet. I am not sure how far we walked, however it must have been canny far, as it felt like it took ages to get back to the trail where the steps took us off the beach and past the Highland Cows, which we had seen in the field as we approached the beach. I was thinking to myself, "poor things, they must be so hot", what with their long fury coats.

Poor cows must get so hot

 

We then had a walk right around the lake at Druridge Bay, it was a lovely stroll. 

 

Druridge Bay Lake

At one point, two robins came within about 3 feet of us and sat perched in a tree nearby. They appeared unfazed and sat as if waiting to be hand fed. I have never actually seen a wild bird this used to people. One of them actually sat whilst he/she had their picture taken, which John captured, such a pretty, happy looking little bird. We continued our walk around the lake and then headed back to Myrtle.

  

Pretty little Robin

 

   

Walking around the lake trail

Myrtle started first click, and we were soon on our way back home, again with no dramas. Myrtle plodding away, showing between 50 mph and 60 mph on her clock, which I think was more like 40 mph to maybe 50 mph, lol. She is what she is, not a supped up race car. Now she is more like a reliable tortoise that will get you from one point to another. And so goes another mini adventure.

Ooh! I did have one little problem. I think when we have fitted Myrtle’s steering wheel on, or the steering column, that the indicator stalk mechanism is getting stuck as I put weight on the steering wheel, like say turning a corner, Myrtles indicator tends to come on unexpectedly. My dad was on the case upon my return when I told him, he loves working on the old girl LoL