Isn't it good when you feel you have hit on a bargain?

 Having sold my old small tripod along with my GoPro Hero 5 the other week I had been looking to invest in a new tripod to go with my newly ordered GoPro Hero 9 (well you have to move with the times)

I needed a tripod that was small, light, durable and also adjustable so that I could either pop it on the ground, or hook it around say a tree branch to capture those scenic and exciting shots.

Small Tripod & Accessories

The internet is always the best place to check out first, so I started looking for reviews and trying to find a tripod that matched my criteria. Oh another big factor in purchasing a tripod is that it had to be fairly cheap. I have this habit of leaving stuff on trails, so purchasing some £50 bit of kit was out of the question.

Anyhoo I came across this review on Youtube of a small tripod with a link to Amazon. Everything appeared to fit the bill. I gave Ern the £11.99 to purchase the tripod because he has Amazon Prime so gets free delivery.

A small box arrived today it was, my order how exciting I do enjoy the buzz of receiving presents to myself.

The tripod only measures 7.5 inches, this will increase to just over 8.5/9 inches as you add either the GoPro mount or the mobile phone mount and the adjustable swivel mount which are all provided.

The tripod looks to be pretty sturdy I particularly like that the legs  are covered in a sort of rubber, as in the past I have had small tripods which have had those knuckle joints and over time the knuckles wear due to dirt which accumulates and wears them out, making the tripods slack and wobble all over.

 

Adjustable with bendy legs

I didn't but the tripod for the Bluetooth remote, which came in the kit, however I was actually very surprised at the ease of connecting the remote to my mobile phone and that it worked first time flawlessly. All I did was turn on the remote by the small switch on the side, it flashed blue, then I searched for the device on my phone, using the Bluetooth scan, hey presto it connected, and I was able to take a photo using my camera and the remote.

 

Bluetooth Remote

Having just received this new tripod I have not had a chance to try it out in the real world, however for £11.99 I am very happy with my purchase.

It does everything I want, it's light, adjustable and small enough to fit in my backpack, plus if I lose it on the trail it won't cost me an arm and a leg to replace.

Here is a link if you are interested Amazon.co.uk

Such a lovely day even got Grandma out

 Yesterday I bought some Lego off Facebook marketplace. I have been looking for sometime for a reasonably priced Yellow Lego Storage brick and when 2 came up, a 4 peg and a single peg box I got in touch with the lady selling them and arranged for Ern to go and pick them up, at £10 they were a bargain.

Following this morning's ride with my mate John I quickly got changed into some old gear and went and got Grandma my new shape VW Bug GSR.

Upon getting in Grandma I knew her tyre inflation light would be on as I have a slow puncture in the rear passenger side tyre. So I drove her up home real careful and slow and Ern inflated the tyre when I pulled her into our yard.

I popped her bonnet and Ern and I got busy modifying the Lego storage box, to make a cool looking battery cover.

Lego Novelty battery box cover

 

We tried various methods for cutting the plastic, ranging from a Stanley knife, to a junior hacksaw. We discovered the best bit of gear was a Dremel with a cutting blade on it.

We kept measuring the box and removing small amounts until it looked like it would fit and once all the cutting was done I tidied up the finished article with a rough file, some sand paper and then polished the box.

I don't think it looks half bad, and I am happy with the novelty result.

Lego battery box cover

Won’t be long now before I get some new tyres popped on to Grandma's brand spanking new 20-inch rims, and she will be sitting pretty once again. I have also got some cool stealth black tail Miltek tail pipes to pop on her.

A memorable day...What a laugh

Wow! My second outing of the week with my good friend John. Following on from Tuesdays adventure we had decided to meet up for a ride somewhere on Saturday morning. John almost always leaves the route planning to me and with us both living in Stanley all our lives we kind of know pretty much every trail, so it can get a bit tedious riding the same old places. Saying that due to this whole covid situation anywhere other than in the house is an exciting prospect for me.

I amazed myself by having everything pretty much ready before John arrived or so I thought. As when I went to grab my Specialized ebike and connect the bike to my phone, the bloody bike just wouldn't turn on. Well by that I mean when I pressed the button on the top of the top tube, the battery power meter came on flicked up, then flicked down and then the bike switched off. I could feel a bit of "Tourette's coming on" and the words beginning with "F" "Hell it's every time I plan to go out". I called for back up "Ern, Ern what's up with this bike?". "Well I don't know" he replied. I had already bollocked poor Ern in the morning, actually waking him up and dragging him out of bed, not literally mind you, more figuratively. No you see Ern had been up to his usual tricks and was playing "hide the bike lock keys". Turns out he had hid one set and locked the other set in his car. Naughty Ern!.

Anyhoo Ern saved the day,  he simply came along and said "what does this button do?" to which I replied "Huh what button?"... Hey presto my dad had discovered a special button and my bike started working.

Just then John rocked up, he had ridden down the bank carrying my dads electric plain which he had borrowed to carry out some DIY.

After a very quick discussion we came to the agreement

Farmers trail it is then!

Farmers Trail

John at the start to the Farmers Trail