A beautiful old moss covered tree |
“Those who dream by day are cognisant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” Edgar Allan Poe
Thursday 5 July 2012
Edmondsley Woods
I like to go out for a nice walk,along with my dad and Mr Hinks and on occasion with friends. It's always nice to see a bit of our beautiful countryside, especially at this time of year what with all the different flowers,trees and other plants and there array of wonderful colours, sure beats sitting around in the house.
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Playing on my Sandman on some local trails
Decided to have a look out and play with my bike and GoPro see if I
could get a little bit of riding footage. This making movies is a lot
harder than it looks, but it is fun riding, taking in the beautiful
countryside and nature we have around where I live, then getting home
and looking to see what I've managed to capture before deciding what to
pop in a short video.Hopefully my movie making skills will improve and
I'll try and capture some different angles and places to hook my camera
onto try and make more interesting video's to watch. Anyhoo hope you
enjoy my early attempts.
In the Woods |
Wor Kyle, he's handy for helping me up when I fall off |
Shot with my GoPro |
A Spot of Fish Eye with the GoPro |
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Wasabi GoPro Charger and battery kit
So I got my new GoPro Hero2 back after sending it away for a replacement as the charging circuit wouldn't work in the camera. It looks like the replacement camera is exactly the same. It won't charge the battery through the camera when plugged in to a PC via the USB cable. After checking out various forums it seems this is a common problem with the newer GoPro Hero 2's. Well I don't want to be keep sending my camera back and forth as it means I can't get out there and shoot some videos, so my dad bought me this neat little kit. It's a stand alone battery charger with 2 spare batteries and a car charger all to fit the GoPro Hero 2......Cool..... Now I can have spare batteries ready to go and rather than charge them up in the GoPro just pop them in the Wasabi charger.....Sorted.
Wasabi charger and battery kit (got it from Amazon.co.uk) |
A few more snaps of me riding local trails
My son and I had a ride out around some local trails yesterday I loaned Kyle my Ibis and I ventured out on my Sandman. Since getting my Sandman it's the only bike I've really used, it's just so much fun. We had a ride over to Iveston as I haven't actually rode up Iveston bank since I did the Durham Big Ride back in 2009 and I have never attempted it using my Bartlett Tendon so wanted to see how I would get on. It's not the fact the bank is all that long,but boy has it got a pretty steep gradient. Anyhoo after much huffing and puffing I'm pleased to say I got up it without having to get off and push.
Decided to venture home via Chapman's Wells Nature Reserve, found a new trail through some woodland which was quite fun, a bit boggy in places after last weeks downpour. All in all a canny ride out and I only fell off once lol.
Decided to venture home via Chapman's Wells Nature Reserve, found a new trail through some woodland which was quite fun, a bit boggy in places after last weeks downpour. All in all a canny ride out and I only fell off once lol.
Local Woods @ Chapman's Well |
Riding trails @ Chapman's Well |
Playing in the Mud |
Monday 25 June 2012
The Castle Keep Newcastle
Decided to have a ride to Newcastle so it was a case of up over what we call the "farmers field" trail. this brings you out at "No Place" yes that really is the name of the village, down to Beamish and get onto the C2C. I then followed this down to Birtley and got off the C2C and made my way up Birtley High Street, heading for Lamsley and onto the Team Valley. It was then a case of reconnecting onto the C2C and eventually coming out to ride along the River Tyne. I then crossed over the Swing Bridge and made my way up towards the Castle Keep. A few quick photo's and then a leisurely ride back home, roughly a 27 mile loop.
The Castle Keep of Newcastle upon Tyne was built by Henry II between 1168-1178, it is one of the finest surviving examples of a Norman Keep in the country.
It stands within a site that also contains: an early motte and bailey castle built by Robert Curthose, the son of William the Conqueror: an Anglo-Saxon cemetery and a Roman Fort (Pons Aelius).
The Castle Keep is a Grade 1 listed building, a Scheduled Ancient monument, and is open to the public 361 days of the year as a heritage visitor attraction. Owned by Newcastle City Council it is leased to and managed by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, the second oldest antiquarian society in the world.
The Castle Keep of Newcastle upon Tyne was built by Henry II between 1168-1178, it is one of the finest surviving examples of a Norman Keep in the country.
It stands within a site that also contains: an early motte and bailey castle built by Robert Curthose, the son of William the Conqueror: an Anglo-Saxon cemetery and a Roman Fort (Pons Aelius).
The Castle Keep is a Grade 1 listed building, a Scheduled Ancient monument, and is open to the public 361 days of the year as a heritage visitor attraction. Owned by Newcastle City Council it is leased to and managed by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, the second oldest antiquarian society in the world.
It's nice to see bikes are available for hire so visitors can checkout the area. |
Sandman at the Entrance to the Keep |
Friday 22 June 2012
Monday 11 June 2012
A Ride Out to Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
Looking at Durham Cathedral through my Sandman's Front Wheel |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham (usually known as Durham Cathedral) is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093. The cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green.
The present cathedral replaced the 10th century "White Church", built as part of a monastic foundation to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The treasures of Durham Cathedral include relics of St Cuthbert, the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede. In addition, its Durham Dean and Chapter Library contains one of the most complete sets of early printed books in England, the pre-Dissolution monastic accounts, and three copies of the Magna Carta.Durham Cathedral occupies a strategic position on a promontory high above the River Wear. From 1080 until the 19th century the bishopric enjoyed the powers of a Bishop Palatine, having military as well as religious leadership and power. Durham Castle was built as the residence for the Bishop of Durham. The seat of the Bishop of Durham is the fourth most significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and he stands at the right hand of the monarch at coronations. Signposts for the modern day County Durham are subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."
There are daily Church of England services at the Cathedral, with the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except Mondays and when the choir is on holiday. The cathedral is a major tourist attraction within the region, the central tower of 217 feet (66 m) giving views of Durham and the surrounding area.
Monday 4 June 2012
A Day out Playing @ Ajax Woods
I decided to get to grips with my GoPro,after having one or two
problems, notably when I got my camera the spare battery being buggered
and running out after 10 secs or so!!! I thought today might be a nice day to experiment. I had been out for a ride last week on the Derwent Walk and got my eye on a nice place just to practice with my camera. Here's some various shots of the day. |
Saturday 2 June 2012
Tanfield Railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives.
The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all year round, as
well as demonstration freight trains. The line runs 3 miles (4.8 km)
between a southern terminus at East Tanfield, Durham, to a northern terminus at Sunniside, Gateshead, with the main station, Andrews House situated near to the Marley Hill engine shed. A halt also serves the historic site of the Causey Arch. The railway claims to be the oldest working railway in the world.
Causey Arch, the World's Oldest Surviving Single-Arch Railway Bridge in the World
Causey Arch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Causey Arch is a bridge near Stanley in County Durham, northern England. It is the oldest surviving single-arch railway bridge in the world.
It was built in 1725-26 by stonemason Ralph Wood, funded by a conglomeration of coal-owners known as the "'Grand Allies'" (founded by Colonel Liddell and the Hon. Charles Montague) at a cost of £12,000. Two tracks crossed the Arch: one (the main way) to take coal to the River Tyne, and the other (the bye way) for the returning the empty wagons. Over nine hundred horse-drawn wagons crossed the arch each day using the Tanfield Railway.
At the time the bridge was completed in 1726, it was the longest single span bridge in the country with an arch span of 31 m, a record it held for thirty years until 1756 when a bridge was built in Pontypridd, Wales.
An inscription on a sundial at the site reads "Ra. Wood, mason, 1727". Use of the Arch declined when Tanfield Colliery was destroyed by fire in 1739.
The Arch was restored and reinforced in the 1980s. There are a series of scenic public paths around the area and the Causey Burn which runs underneath it. The quarry near the bridge is a popular spot for local rock climbers.
Causey Burn itself flows into Beamish Burn which then flows into the River Team eventually
discharging into the River Tyne.
Powered by Jam
My dog Mr Hinks & where i got his name from
A Happy Pooch |
Mr Hinks knows there's biscuits on the go |
HuH!!! |
Posing at the Coast |
1,2,3 coming ready or not...... |
Angel of the North
Had myself a ride over to the Angel of the North with a friend the other week and took a few snaps, here's one.Angel of the North
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
It is a steel sculpture of an angel, 20 metres (66 ft) tall, with wings measuring 54 metres (177 ft) across.[1] The wings do not stand straight sideways, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward; Gormley did this to create "a sense of embrace".[2] It stands on a hill on the southern edge of Low Fell, overlooking the A1 and A167 roads into Tyneside, and the East Coast Main Line rail route, south of the site of Team Colliery.[3] Construction Work began on the project in 1994 and cost £1 million. Most of the project funding was provided by the National Lottery. The Angel was finished on 16 February 1998. Due to its exposed location, the sculpture was built to withstand winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Thus, 600 tonnes of concrete were used to create foundations which anchor the sculpture to rock 70 feet (21 m) below. The sculpture was built at Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd using Corten weather resistant steel. It was made in three parts—with the body weighing 100 tonnes and two wings weighing 50 tonnes each—then brought to its site by road. It took five hours for the body to be transported from its construction site in Hartlepool, up the A19 road to the site.[4] The Angel aroused some controversy in British newspapers, at first, including a "Gateshead stop the statue" campaign, while local councillor Martin Callanan was especially strong in his opposition. However, it has since been considered to be a landmark for the Northeast of England[4][5] and has been listed by one organisation as an "Icon of England".[6] It has often been used in film and television to represent Tyneside, as are other local landmarks such as the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. The sculpture is known locally as the "Gateshead Flasher", because of its location and appearance.[7] The sculpture was decorated in 1998 by fans of the Newcastle United football team who paid tribute to local hero Alan Shearer by putting a giant team shirt over the Angel, complete with Shearer's name and famous number 9. |
Friday 1 June 2012
Now are you sitting comforably ? Once upon a Time....
I'm a right above knee amputee (RAK) as of September 11th 2007.
Here's a little bit of a story and hopefully some info you might like to read about.
One of the most important parts of a prosthetic limb is the socket (that's the bit that your stump or residual limb if you want to be more technical sits in) If the socket doesn't fit or is uncomfortable you could have a £50,000 knee,or other component for say an upper amputee and at the end of the day it would be useless as you couldn't wear or use the limb for very long. Imagine wearing a pair of really uncomfortable shoes for hours on end, ones that make your feet sore and get blisters. You can't wait to take them off and relax yeah!!!?, then imagine having to go through it all the next day and so on and so on and that will give you a small idea of what it's like to have to wear a prosthetic socket that is painful and uncomfortable.
These shots were of me at Hamsterley in 2010
Thursday 31 May 2012
Playing on my Single Speed in a local skate bowl
I know my Blog looks a little disorganized, just bare with me as I have a lot to share with you. I'm trying to go back from 2007 when I first had my amputation, right up to the present and beyond. So there will be a mixture of pictures,video's,stories and hopefully other stuff you find interesting. It won't be all bikes, even though that plays a huge part in my life. Anyhoo hope you enjoy my Blog.
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Mr Hinks
Here's one of my best m8's,Mr Hinks my English Bull Terrier
A few pic's of my bikes
My NS Analog single speed, this bike is so much fun,planning a route and zig zagging around town, reminds me of my BMX days :) |
This was my Propain Rage. I sold her to help fund my new bike, my Sandman Hoggar Ti. Was really sad to see her go,she was a cracking ride :) |
Here's my Ibis Mojo SL when she was new way back in 2007. I still have her, she's a bit rough round the edges but still a great ride :) |
Here I am meeting my hero Mr Brian Bartlett at Hampden Park Interntional Football Stadium
WoW not often you get to meet your hero :) |
For more details of the Bartlett Universal Knee System visit
Me alongside Jamie Gillespie of Pace Rehabilitation and Ollie Smith of Ossur
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)