New friends,new places and unforgettable memories.

                           Well I'm back from my holiday's and what a holiday. Actually it's funny, as in weird saying holiday as my last one was when I was around 14 or 15 and that was only a school trip to London. This time around I ventured a little bit further afield and chose The US of A as my destination.

I'm going to try and write not so much that I bore you all, however enough to tell you about the fantastic time I had.

I took the 4th of September off work, this was my get everything sorted day, packing my new hard case and trying to get it under 23 kilo's was errrr interesting. I had already done a dry run a few days earlier and discovered that  the new size medium case I had purchased wasn't quite big enough after I bust the zipper... Oops! So I had to go out and buy a larger case.

On the morning of the 5th my dad took me to Newcastle airport. My flight was quite early and we got there in good time. I said goodbye to Mr Hinks and my dad came with me into the airport. I headed for check in. Everything went according to plan, which is quite unusual for me lol. And so I said bye to Ern and I set off up the escalator to departures.

I found my way around Newcastle airport reasonably well,finding where I would board my plane without incident and just waited to be notified when it was time to board. Boy I was nervous, though not as much as I expected. I mean this was a huge thing for me full of firsts. I've never been abroad,I've never flown (well apart from a quick jaunt in a helicopter doing some ariel military type manoeuvres) and I've never been away from home for quite so long.

My plane arrived I got on,stowed my bag in the overhead compartment,strapped in and prepared for my first flight, which was to be Amsterdam and Schiphol airport. The take off was scary yet exhilarating and after the initial buzz I soon settled in feeling comfortable and excited about my  adventure. It was a very pleasant flight over and the landing was nice and smooth, a slight bump as the plane set down on the runway. Hey there's nothing to this flying stuff I thought.

Newcastle Airport and me messing with my phone

Hedley Hall Woods, experimenting with my WizMount

Had a really fun ride out today. I didn't go too far just over to Hedley Hall Woods, thought it would be a good place to try out my new WizMount Backpack. I have to say whilst the day was fun I was very disappointed in the footage I got.Oh it wasn't the WizMount it was my new GoPro Hero 3. When I got it home and had a chance to look at the video it appeared quite blurry and washed out. I haven't experienced this with my GoPro Hero 2, well apart from when it used to get misted up, however I bought some little de-mist pads and haven't encountered the problem since.

I've read a few forums and they suggest updating the firmware on the GoPro, so I have done that tonight. Guess I will see how it preforms on it's next outing.
Back to today, the woods were great fun, mind you I should have had my Surly Nates on as I was slipping and sliding all over on my worn Larry's, guess it added to the fun in a way got some nice skids and kind of made me work harder on the hills.

Not a bad day for a bit play on the Sandman

 I managed to fall off twice today, once whilst stationary and not paying attention. I couldn't clip out and was over on my prosthetic side and once as I leant under a tree branch and my camera mount got stuck. It was canny funny really as it pulled me straight off my bike. No harm done to either rider or bike, Oh and my Bartlett Tendon stood up to the fall as well as being caked in mud.





 






















 Got home around 2:30'ish I think and gave both my bike and BTK a hose down. I then re-lubed my Bartlett Tendon. Trying to really look after this one, not that I didn't with the other. It's just I think sand got into the main shaft of my other knee and destroyed the frame. Brian was good enough to replace my knee with one of his own whilst I was away so I can continue to ride and have loads of fun like on today's adventure.

Looking through my Oakley's

A little video riding in Logan Utah with fantastic friends

I know this isn't the best video in the world, it wasn't planned. Basically my friend Mark strapped my new Hero3 on to his bike and we just rode and enjoyed the day and boy did we enjoy the day. This was one of those days that I will forever cherish, great trails,beautiful scenery and terrain and awesome friends.

Rode to Hedley Hall Woods and had my breakfast

I haven't been up to much this weekend the weathers been a bit pants and I've been feeling shall we say a little less motivated.

Anyhoo got up this morning and seeings as I'm off work and the gym is closed so I can't fit in my regular session I decided to head out for a short ride over to Hedley Hall Woods, take a spot of breakfast and try and get used to taking a few shots with my new camera.

Excuse the helmet hair...

Neglecting my blog

It's been a while since I blogged, this isn't because I have been busy doing nothing, No it's more a case of I've been busy doing lots of stuff, however most of it I haven't got images of and well it's rather boring just reading.

My holiday is just about all sorted, off for a rather exciting trip to the U.S.A. I have a few minor things to do, stuff like getting my phone unlocked...well actually seeing if my phone is unlocked in the first place, as I bought it from the Carphone Warehouse and the nice girl I spoke to in the shop said 99% of their handsets are unlocked when you get them. I need my phone unlocked so that I can pop a US SIM card in, and this will allow me to use my phone at a cheap rate. I'm useless with directions so will no doubt need Google Maps to navigate around, and the data usage can be ever so expensive. 

Looking forward to my trip away, all sorts of emotions going on, mainly excited, however also a tad nervous. Just hope my fitness level will be up to the demands of riding in the U.S with my friends out there. 

Completed a 47-mile ride to the coast and back today on my Sandman, boy I was wrecked when I got in. Just trying to improve on my fitness. I'm trying to ride as much as possible, and I'm also attending the gym 3 days per week. I don't appear to be putting on much muscle, however have shed a few pounds, though from where I don't know. I still have more of a mini keg, rather than a six-pack lol. Maybe it's off my stump, as my bloody prosthetic leg keeps coming off. At the moment I have had to put some laminate flooring underlay inside my socket, and it's stuck in place with Duct Tape lol.

Anyhoo onto something with pictures. Last week I met up with my friend Ade down at St Mary's, and he very kindly took some shots of me out playing on the beach and splashing around in the water on the causeway. As usual, my Bartlett Tendon was up to the job and preformed flawlessly.

Messing about on the rocky outcrop just before the tide came in

WoW! The rocks were slippy where the seaweed was

It was a beautiful day, nice cooling breeze blowing from inland. Bonus, only fell off my bike once today, slight scuff on my elbow. It's murder when I fall to my prosthetic side, as I just can't unclip to get my leg down and save myself. Worst thing is when I know it's going to happen. Usually you just hear me say "OH Crap"... then I'm off, falling on whatever lol. Actually fell off today when coming back from today's outing. My own fault, I was too busy looking around to see where the ambulance siren was coming from and hit a kerb, lol.

Splish Splash

This was so much fun Wheeeee!!!

More Fun

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

On the causeway as the tide was coming in

Playing in the water

Huge thanks to Ade.the.Tog and his lovely wife Amanda oh and my support team (Ern my dad) We all  had a really enjoyable day.

Photo's property of Ade.the Tog

Nice ride out on my Soda...

I must have done well over 30 miles today on my NS Soda. I've been having a bit of a nightmare with various gps cycling apps on my phone, problems with them not saving my workouts/routes. Strava being the most annoying app so far. It tells you to click save, however when you tap the icon the bloody thing won't save. So that got deleted for the 2nd time. I then gave Map my Ride a go and same type of problem. I had rode 13.33miles when I stopped in at my aunt and uncles for a nice can of pop and a little bit of something to eat. It was then I noticed the Map my Ride app had paused and when I went to restart it the dam thing didn't save my previous route. Needless to say I wasn't going to fanny on with it so just hit the trail without monitoring my mileage, who cares anyhoo I wasn't in a race, just out for a nice ride out and a spot of fun.

AyyyyUp!!!

Maybe I need to man up

So hey Hi there. It's been a while since I posted, not because I haven't been doing stuff, or because I don't love you all. No it's just I either haven't taken my camera or I've felt it wasn't terribly interesting the stuff I have been doing, well apart from my first experience at canoeing up in the Lake District  at Lake Ullswater on Sunday with friends. That was rather enjoyable and a real giggle.

I've also started back at my local gym after a pretty long lay off, when I say long I mean years. In fact I think I still had my own leg last time I visited a gym so it must be at least 8 or 9 years. WoW it was hard work going back. I'm definitely getting old as I ached for days afterwards, feeling better for it now and starting to get the swing of things. My aim is to trade in my mini keg for a six pack, so at the moment I'm eating healthy, visiting the gym regularly and continuing to ride my bikes at least twice per week, oh and of course doing my new job, which I'm continuing to love by the way.

And so we get to the title of my latest blog... I've been informed at work I need to think about putting some holidays in, before March next year. Now this is pretty alien to me I don't really know what a holiday is, the last one I had was a trip to London when I was like 14 or something with the school. I can remember getting terribly homesick lol. As I got older I found myself in a relationship quite young and had children and the whole having to pay bills and work so never got round to taking a holiday. And then as most of you know I was ill for a long period so just couldn't go away.

Now however I have no real ties and whilst I don't have a great deal of spare money I could treat myself if I really put my mind to saving for a little while. I have my passport and I dare say they would allow me to leave the country with my fake leg, so I could quite literally book a flight and be off. Now to the tricky bit, where to go and what to do. I'm a singleton who has never travelled. The only flight I have had was in a MOD helicopter which was doing manoeuvres at the time when I worked for a casualty simulation agency and that scared the hell out of me. Now I don't expect some Boeing flight Captain to be doing loop the loops, that's not what really scares me it's the fact I'm going to be going all by myself, yep that's right just little old me, on me todd, uno, yep 1, ALONE... Errr Hello. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a kind of walking disaster area and anything that can go wrong, well most probably will. In a foreign country I can't just ring Ern and get him to come pick me up. So maybe if I do decide to take a trip it will help me man up as it were,any problems I come across I will have to solve myself, well me and Google as I intend taking my phone of course.

Anyhoo really all I'm doing here is kind of talking out loudly to myself and letting you in on a few of my insecurities...This is just floating around in my head at the moment. Who knows I may find myself a brave girlfriend who will help me over come my fears and hold my hand on trip away... Either that or it's just me and Teddy off on a really scary adventure lol

Ern's cunning and devious plan failed!!!

       I was in two minds as to whether to go for a ride on Friday, you see I haven't exactly been feeling motivated at all this week, no biking adventures or any other kind of adventures really, well not unless you count taking 2 wrong turns, one on the way to the Freeman hospital on Monday when I had to attend the Limb Centre and then another on the return back to work.Omg my sense of direction is atrocious I really hope I don't get reincarnated as a homing pigeon. I have just been coming in from work and lounging about. I know I shouldn't do it as it leads to me beating myself up over not doing enough and being lazy. I quite often feel like I'm not only letting myself down, but also all these people that have this perception that I'm always up to something or another.

Anyhoo I decided I was going to go out, it was Global Fat Bike Day after all and my good friend Ade had offered to very kindly take a few shots of me out riding.

Looking through my rear

I ask myself why???

As the title says I ask myself WHY? ...Why when I go for a night out with friends do I end up drinking alcohol, when I know the consequences. I readily admit I can't handle my drink, after a few bottles I can start to feel the effect and inevitably theses effects then go on to stay with me for days afterwards. It's not just a hangover, oh no I always end up feeling like crap,dehydrated,feeling sick, lethargic and generally just Urrggghhhh!!!.

On Friday night I had been asked to a surprise night out for Annie a friend and work colleague. Now I know this will sound strange as the night planned was a hen do that wasn't a hen do for Annie. You see the majority of people I work with are female and I was asked to come along as it was everyone from work. It was weird, yet very entertaining sitting amongst this large group of women, who I have to say are all absolutely lovely, yet at times can be a little bonkers, in a good way of course.

Initially I had planned to be sensible and just drink coke. I mean I can have just as much fun without being intoxicated, however everyone else was drinking so I decided to let my hair down and cave in to peoples requests to get myself a "proper" drink. So off I trotted to the bar and bought myself something that though I don't enjoy the taste of I can tolerate and has the desired effect of getting me off my face and that was a pint of cider.

And so my downward spiral began. In the back of my mind I steeled myself and told my subconscious "don't give in to the temptation of hitting the shorts" as when I start on the Red Bull and Vodka's well that's it game over. I was very well behaved and actually managed to stay on cider all night. Well that's not strictly true as Alvin a very nice lad who joined us later in the evening bought us all a round of some absolutely terrible concoction. I think it was Absinthe,quail egg,chocolate liquor and some sort of stout...Omg it was foul...no pun intended on the quail egg. I necked it as quick as I could and held my nose whilst doing so, then had a quick swig of my bottle of cider. Within a few minutes I swear I could feel the effect of that yucky drink,as my head was swimming.

All in all had a fab night, really enjoyed meeting some new people and having some very interesting conversations. Oh and Annie's puppy Badger who she had brought along was so cute and I have to say very well behaved. I feel very lucky indeed to have been welcomed into my new job, my work colleagues treat me as if I have been there years and it's great being part of the gang.

Night almost over we all arranged our way home, phoning for taxi's, or in my case I rang The Ern. We said our goodbye's and I headed off down the pub's stairs. It was a kind of winding staircase and as I got to the bottom flight of roughly 6 to 8 steps I don't know what happened but I missed a step and ended up stumbling and then jumping around 4 steps, landing at the bottom. A quick look round to see if anyone had noticed my errrrr moves...Phewww that was close, got away with it. Well apart from the barmaid who was trying to keep her laugh in as she sat on one of the sofa's. A quick confident smile which was like "I meant to do that" and I quickly made my exit. Ern picking me up just over the swing bridge and off home and straight to bed.

Saturday saw me not getting up until around 13:30 and feeling as I knew I would like Poo. So just a day of lounging about.

Sunday which is today as I'm writing, well I got ready and headed off out on my NS Soda. Boy I'm struggling. I'm sweating like hell, have no real energy and though I have my camera with me I can't be arsed to really set it up proper. I have a little bit play down my local woods and try and use my Go Pro to take a few pictures, rather than a video. 

Not the best shot in the world, but hey you get the idea :)

The pictures come out about as well as I'm feeling. I then head off to do a short 7 mile circuit, taking in a few hills. 

Heading up towards the wind turbine on the top road at Craghead.

Some beautiful foliage and flowers about at this time of year

I get home and I'm knackered. You see this is what drinking alcohol does to me, hence why I usually only drink once or twice every 2 to 3 years, it takes me that long to forget how bad it makes me feel lol.