Motorbikes, planes and Trains

I think the past week at work caught up with me and I managed an extremely long Saturday morning lie-in.  I was lazy all morning, had a bit of lunch and then biked out to the wood recycling place on the north side of town.  I wanted some nice pieces of a dark coloured wood, and some light coloured pieces, to laminate and make into an elegantly carved shelf to carry my internet router that is still living on the stairs, eight months after the work on the front door.  I came out clutching six magnificent pieces of mahogany and a big hunk of oak.  I resisted buying any more tools though!  But I was heartily dismayed to learn that the place is due to close for good in only a few weeks' time.  That is a crying shame.  All the wood for my outdoor workbench, and most of what I lined my garage workspace with, came from them.

I rode through town to the motorbike shop where my Africa Twin was born, two and a half decades ago.  They had an open day I didn't know about so the place was stowed out.  I had a pretty fruitless time of it trying to find motorbike jeans in long length so in the end I left and went to buy milk, then headed over to Mum and Dad's.

After mince and tatties we drove out to Shawfair railway station to see English Electric class 37 37403 Isle of Mull hauling the latter stage of The Grangemouth Growler railtour that started at Bo'ness, went to Ayr, Largs, Grangemouth, Edinburgh, then down the Borders Railway to Tweedbank and back, and finally home to Bo'ness at nearly midnight.  The throaty, clattery sounding class 37s are all 60 years old now but like the 47s, have proven themselves as thoroughly dependable and capable machines, and consequently quite a few are still on the go.

Back at Mum and Dad's for the rest of the evening, then I rode home and had a good video chat with bestie who was in the middle of her night shift.