Aberfan

Today is the anniversary of the day a village in South Wales died. I'm not going to write about it here, because if you don't already know about it, you can Google it. I'm just going to post a small poem that echoes what I remember feeling at the time, and which, for me, was another nail in the coffin of faith beliefs.

written in 1966 by local poet, Ron Cook.

Where was God that fateful day
At the place called Aberfan.
When the world stood still and the mountain
Moved through the folly of mortal man.
In the morning hush so cold and stark
And grey skys overhead.
When the mountain moved its awesome mass
To leave generations of dead.
Where was God the people cried
Their features grim and bleak.
Somewhere on their knees in prayer
And many could not speak.
The silence so still like something unreal
Hung on the morning air.
And people muttered in whisper tones
Oh God this isn’t fair.
The utter waste of childhood dreams
Of hope and aspirations.
A bitter lesson to be learnt for future generations

But where was God the people cried.
The reason none could say
For when the mountain moved its awesome mass.
God looked the other way.

Friends. friendship, and the internet

We often take it for granted, but the internet is an amazing thing. And so is making friends for a lifetime. Just sometimes, you make a good friend over the internet, from the other side of the world. You may never ever meet, but you know that person would be there for you if you were in trouble. It started with my bike forum, and has lasted almost twenty years. I've 'watched' his three daughters grow into beautiful young women, and shared the highs and lows of his job climbing telegraph poles in the outback

Over the years, I've made many friends through my love of motorcycles - shared interest and all that. But I've made many, very good friends, through using forums and social media on the internet. Strangely though, some of the closest have been with people from my husband's forums, rather than my own.

Sure, I've made a lot of long-term friendships via the Hornet's Nest, and a lot of them, I do know personally. Some, I have never met, and are never likely to. One of the sweetest people I know, is from a forum dedicated to a bike that I don't even like! Fortunately, he doesn't live too far away, so we do get to see him on a reasonably frequent basis.

Through the same forum, we made friends with a couple from Germany, who ended up coming to stay with us last summer. Complete strangers when they arrived, they left as good friends.

Then there was the gentleman from Texas. When my husband had a bad accident, and it looked for a while as though he might lose a foot, let alone never be able to ride a motorcycle again, he naturally suffered from very bad depression. This particular friend, took time out from his busy life to phone Dick in hospital - a phone call that lasted a good half hour, and completely lifted his spirits.

Friends like these are hard to come by, and should be cherished above all things. Yes, you may never meet, but they are every bit as precious as the person next door, or down the road

And infinitely more precious than some family

Update on the rest of my garage.

Writing about my new CB650R, it occurred to me, that with the exception of Twinkle, my little CB125F, I haven't updated you on everything else.

Well, the Ole Man is currently riding a Honda VFR800X CrossRunner. Yes, after 5 years, he's finally sufficiently recovered from his injuries to ride a big bike again. Sadly though, at 72 years of age, this will probably be his last big bike, as he is finding the weight when manhandling it, is getting a bit too much, so later on, I expect him to go back to something like the CB500X. The difference this time, is that it will be his choice, not something forced on him by an inconsiderate car driver. In the meantime, this is it:

Now, I've mentioned Twinkle before - our little CB125F that we bought as a town runabout. Problem is, on sunny days, when we had nothing better to do, one or the other of us would take it out for a spin round the country lanes, and Romney Marshes. 

Problem is, there are times when it would be nice if we could both go out for a lazy ride, and only one of us could at any one time. We looked at getting another CB125F, but then Honda threw a spanner in the works by introducing the Z125 Monkey. How could we resist? So, meet Chuckles:

A tiny package of bouncing energy and tremendous fun! Now the only arguments revolve around who's riding which bike!

Moving on - upwards or backwards?

It's been a lifetime since I lasted posted, and when I last did, it was about my disappointment with the CB650F that I had bought. I thought it would give me what I've been looking for in a middleweight, and it didn't.
I wanted something that felt 'right', a bike with soul, like the Hornets, that gave me an ear-to-ear grin as soon as I wheeled it out of the garage. Instead, I ended up with a bike that has masses of performance, but which left me feeling dissatisfied and uninspired.

Well, it's gone. To be replaced with a bike from Honda's new Neo Sport Cafe range, the new CB650R. LOL, there's nothing Neo, Sport or Cafe about it. But what it is, is a complete replacement for the Hornets. It's fast, compact, and Fun. I ordered it before it was launched, having never seen one. It was a last ditch attempt to find a bike I liked, and thank Heavens, the gamble has paid off.

From the moment I sat on it, it felt right. The ergonomics are perfect for me, although I do have reservations about the handlebars. They're not quite as high and wide as I normally have, to compensate for my poorly bent wrists. But I've been resisting changing them because the bike just feels so good. The inclusion of a slipper clutch compensates a little, so for the moment, it will stay as it is.

It's fast, light, comfortable, and has soul in buckets. It pleases me.

In fact, I don't know why Honda didn't just put Hornet stickers on it, and be done.

So, meet Vincent..........................