Facing my fears

Today I've been out on my Yamaha FJR 1300 motorbike. I've travelled a long way. With the sun in my eyes, the throttle between my fingers and the roads beneath my wheels... I've had alot of fun. Today I went to Warwick in Warwick shire- a beautiful county. With endless winding roads to open her up and work my way up and down the gears. I did decide it would be rather brave of me to take her down the motorway, the last time I did that I frightened myself BIG time, today, however.... was easy. My previous bike didn't have the pull that this bike's got;if I want to move away with this bike I do-she has such shear power, she's awesome. I couldn't have chosen a better day for roaming around the countryside, the only down side is, in this heat... I get very hot n sticky in my black leather trousers.... but as I have a fetish for 'black leather' I can put up with it. The clue to riding on a three lane motor way is to keep your cool, concentrate and have eyes in every direction. You need to remember that every body on the road is wanting to get to where they're going as fast as they can... sometimes having little regard for the other users on the road ie: us motor bikers. I did at one stage of the journey find myself relaxing and actually starting to enjoy it, finding myself positioned in the outside lane whilst overtaking. Each and every time I go out on Black Thunder, every time I sit on her and turn the key in the ignition I'm risking everything, but I know what I have to do, I know there are idiots out there, drivers who don't see me, us... other road users who couldn't care less if they cut us up. But, you have to give them a wide birth, I have to know what the car in front of the car in front of the car in front is doing before the two cars behind 'that' car have realised and start to either slow down or start to stop. I have to read every one else's moves, if I don't then I in Big trouble. It's hard work, but I have to do it, for my safety. My safety is paramount to my survival.. and anyone who I take out with me, the pillion passenger is my responsibilty too. I read some where that you have to do some thing every day that scares you. I did that today, and I'm very proud of the fact that I faced my 'fear' and survived. I'm looking forward to going out again and going back on to the motorways, knowing now that they don't scare me anymore. I've faced my fear.

Time to say goodbye

Tomorrow I will be handing over my dear friend Dragonfly, my trusted friend my Honda deauville 650cc motorbike, in a part exchange for my new bike. I'm kind of sad, I always get attached to my bikes, like my cars, but I don't name my cars-just my bikes. Well you've seen the photograph on my blog... I actually get to bring the new bike home tomorrow. I would like it to be a nice day, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a dry journey. I shall say my goodbyes tomorrow just before I ride her for the last time, she's been a great piece of mechanical brilliance and never let me down, pitty people can't be like that.. never letting us down! I have to make room in my life for new beginnings. I know that once I get to grips with the Yamaha FJR 1300 aptly named ' Black Thunder,' I will love riding her. I will have to run her in, go steady for at least the first 200 miles, that shouldn't be too difficult, I'm not a stupid rider, I'd like to class myself as a sensible rider. I had a near miss the other day in the car park at work, some silly bugger didn't stop to see what or who was coming around the corner, it happened to be ME!! I slammed on the brakes, she kind of hit her brakes and we managed to miss one another... her explanation was " Oh sorry duck I didn't see you!" ... That's the main problem with prats in cars, they have tunnel vision and don't look out for any other road users..
For god sake it's a big enough bike ad I was wearing bright yellow fluorescent jacket, how the hell could she MISS me? Anyway, I can't make excuses for the idiots on the road who don't recognise us bikers, they should be given a test to see how they would cope in an accident with a biker or better still how to avoid having the accident in the first place! I will love and care for my new baby, she's brand new. I've had an alarm fitted, data chipped,heated handle bar grips, top box suitable for two crash helmets, and the addition of intercom, so I can talk to any passengers I decide to take on board. I'm quietly excited, tired more likely. I've been up since 5a.m-having started work this morning at 6a.m.

Tattoo

We live in a world where nothing shocks any more unless of course it's your daughter or your mother or your cousin who's done some thing wrong. I remember the first time my dad saw my 1st tattoo, I was 38yrs old and he went ballistic at me... 30 fucking 8 and he went of his head at me???? What's with this parent thing? Doesn't it fuck you off? It did me, so I went into rebellious mode, and over the years have graduated to 6 tattoo's, unbe known to him..Ha! Ha! Am now in the process of wanting to cover an old tattoo over, as I've grown bored with it. I want another tattoo over the top of it, as yet I haven't decided what am going to cover it with! I shall give it considerable thought before going down that road. I love my tats but I've grown out of one in particular, the more I see it the more I don't want it any more, these things happen, I thought I would love it forever, I was wrong! So what shall I decide on? Animal? Portrait? I don't go in for names, never ever have a name tattooed on your skin, that's a definite no no. My friends son's just had an awesome tattoo done, his first. I remember my first, I'd like to cover my back with an amazing tattoo of a tiger leaping out of water, but A. I don't have that kind of money and B. my bike comes first. My brand new motorbike is and will be my life. So ... come on people, let's hear your advice on what I will do in the not too distant future, what do you think? Do you have any suggestions.. I would however like to design my very own tattoo, so know one else can have it.

Guardian Angel

Have you ever seen some one be it a complete stranger who you've had an immediate connection with? I did the other day. I was standing out side a super market in our local town, minding my own business, trying to get a signal for my phone... when all of a sudden out of thin air, this female came towards me, almost as though she knew me. I kind of smiled, well I think I smiled at her-you see-she had got this almost hypnotic stance about her. I think I actually blushed, but I never took my eyes off her, and she-me.I stood my ground, hand held tightly toward my right ear, mouth slightly ajar. I felt a sudden feeling of euphoria rush through me... I do believe we all have a guardian angel with us;watching over us. We may not know this but I do actually believe this. I finished with my mobile phone and proceeded into the super market, to look for her. Every isle I went down, she had just finished going down and as I entered the next isle, she disappeared around the other corner. I saw her face the first time, outside, she was smiling at me, like she knew me... I can't really explain it but I felt like I'd seen her before, but I haven't, I would've remembered, for sure. I have a remarkably good memory for faces, so who was she? By the time I'd got the items on my shopping list, she had gone. I chased every trolley with a female in blue jeans, tall with long dark hair, but I couldn't have missed her, it's not possible! I had convinced myself she was for real, she couldn't have been a figment of my imagination, she smiled at me;outside the super market. I rushed out of the store, expecting to see her getting into a car, or packing her stuff away in to the boot of a car, NO ... she had vanished, almost like she was never really there; but she was and she smiled at me, I saw her... I have come to the conclusion she was my very own guardian angel, keeping watch over me.