Book review - Uneasy Rider - Mike Carter

So, he gets drunk at the office Christmas Party, and tells everybody that he's giving up his job to take off on a large motorcycle, and go wherever the road takes him.

There's just one problem - he can't ride a bike...........................

Being a biker with a penchant for travelling and visiting places, I've always enjoyed 'road' books. From Ted Simon's 'Jupiters Travels' to the latest McGregor/Boorman epic, I've read them nearly all, but seldom have I enjoyed one as much as this.

The journey for Mike is partly to get away and resolve some issues arising from his recent divorce, partly a search for the answer to why men have mid-life crises (apparently always at the age of 42, which is also the answer to life and everything), but mostly because he's bored with his life as it is.

And so he travels to Wales to learn to ride, and buys himself a big BMW, because that's what Ewan and Charlie did, right? and sets off to cover 20,000 miles and 27 countries in a 6 month period. Along the way, he meets other bikers, and locals, and yes, he does find some answers, but often the answers themselves raise more questions.

This book is often moving, funny, witty, and Mike Carter writes with an honesty about himself and his life that is refreshing and sometimes very intimate. As a journalist, he has the knack of being able to convey scenes and emotions in just a few words, and so the book is fast-paced and lively, emminently readable, and it will interest the non-bikers as well. What more could you want from a travelogue?

Rating: 5/5

New Addition to the garage

This is Honda's all new NC700X cross-over bike.
We've got one coming on 1st. March, to replace Dick's ageing NTV700 Deauville.
The best thing about it will be the fuel consumption - it promises anything up to 80mpg!
Well, we shall see...................watch this space...............

It will join the LittleInsect, the CBF1000FA and the VFR800X XRunner, and, although similar in style to the latter, promises a totally different riding experience.


And, while we're in the mood for bike stuff, this is the latest addition to my PunkyRider jewellery collection:



This is the 'Nuts In Spring' bracelet. And you thought nuts only came in the Autumn? LOL you were wrong! The bracelet is actually a concept based on incongruous elements in the English language i.e. nuts and Spring - both words having two completely different meanings. It features green wire springs, hexagonal nuts (of the motorcycle type) and carved nuts (of the fruit type) from Africa, and is finished with a cute antique copper cruiser
If you're interested in purchasing it, or any of my other pieces, then follow the link to my Folksy shop

Advert over.............

More incredible art

I've just discovered Heather Jansch. Who? Well, she does the most amazing things with bits of driftwood and other natural materials. Just look, admire, and soak up the atmosphere:






Aren't they beautiful? If you want to see more, then visit her website here


Oh, and before anyone starts on about her work imitating that of Deborah Butterfield, well, to me there's no comparison. Ms. Butterfield's work is far more impressionistic and symbolic, and not to my taste at all. She doesn't capture the spirit of the animals nearly as well as Heather Jansch does.

No Lorries - No Quarry

There's a place in Kent called Dungeness.

It lies at the most southerly point in Kent, close to the border with Sussex. (I refuse to call it East Sussex - but that's a whole other story!)

It's just a huge bank of shingle sticking out into the sea, with two nuclear power facilities standing on it. So, what's so special, I hear you ask?


Dungeness is beautiful. In fact, it's an area of outstanding natural beauty. Despite the power plants, or maybe because of them, it's quiet, bleak and lonely. There's a pub, three lighthouses, and a handful of shacks, but not a lot else. There's plants that grow here and nowhere else in Kent. There's a couple of big lakes, and an RSPB wildfowl reserve. There's snakes, lizards, and a whole lot else.

And now they want to build a quarry and excavate the shingle for sea defences elsewhere along the coast.

This quite simply must not be allowed to happen. This place is so special and unique that nothing should be allowed to disturb its ecology. Nevermind the fact that taking away huge amounts of shingle will also render the few habitations down there liable to flooding.

If you don't want to see this happen, then please protest to your MP. There's a site been set up here with facilities to help make yourself heard.

Please join the fight....................

Addenda
Being somewhat a political animal, I've been doing my bit, signing petitions, writing to MPs and stuff.........
so far, I've only had one reply - from my local MP, Damien Green. This is his reply.........

Thank you for letting me know about your objections to the proposed application at Dungeness.
As you will know Dungeness is not part of my constituency, so it would be inappropriate for me to express a view about the particular application , but I will ensure that Damian Collins, the MP for Folkestone and Hythe, is aware of the number of objections from my constituents I am receiving about this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Damien Green

Well, it's a start..............

Jewellery time again

Had an idea for a range of jewellery based on the changeable British weather. This is the first - 'Thunderstorm'



Mind, if you intend wearing an appropriate piece for the current conditions, you'd better carry a huge bag of assorted jewellery with you and be prepared for a quick change!

As ever, it's available through my Folksy shop (link down there on the right somewhere)

Peace in 2012

World peace may be impossible at this moment in time, but I wish you peace in your mind, and health and happiness for 2012

Now, lay back, close your eyes, and let your mind go where it will..........

Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves

I was born in the wagon of a traveling show
My momma used to dance for the money they'd throw
Papa would do whatever he could
Preach a little Gospel, sell a couple bottles of Dr. Good

Gypsies, tramps and thieves
We'd hear it from the people of the town
They'd call us, gypsies, tramps and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down

So sang Cher, and that song illustrates just how most people think of the itinerant race we call Gypsies.

I come from Gypsy stock myself, on my maternal grandmother's side. I've traced their lineage back over 250 years so far, and the family history is fascinating. OK, so my grandmother was 'settled' - no longer travelling, but living in a house; but other members of the family were show folk and circus people, or workers travelling from farm to farm, following the crop seasons, and hopefully earning enough money to sustain their family during the lean Winter months.

I've always known about our Gypsy heritage, but I never really understood what happened to turn an honest itinerant way of life into the much maligned 'traveller' image that we see today.

And I don't mean that I despise travellers or their way of life, just that other people evidently do.
Now I have a better understanding, and it's down to a friend pointing me in the direction of a book which she thought might reference my family, as it's a Gypsy history of South London and Kent.




Stopping Places, by Simon Evans, is more than just a history of travelling families in this area, it does a lot to explain why the traditional Gypsy way of life is being eradicated. It describes the life of these people, living in bender tents and horse-drawn vardos, until the mechanisation of farming began to reduce the need for casual labour. At the same time, traditional stopping places were being closed off, and more and more Gypsies were being forced onto permanent sites - often closely resembling concentration camps in their bleak outlook.

Simon Evans' clear sighted and compassionate account of the changes imposed on the age-old Gypsy culture is all the more powerful for the inclusion of over 170 photographs, together with vivid first-hand accounts of the recent Gypsy experience.

rating: 5/5

Book review - 1000 Years Of Annoying The French - Stephen Clarke

Well now, this is certainly worth a read! Stephen Clarke, long time resident of Paris, takes a humourous look at the love-hate relationship between France and England.
It starts with William The Conqueror (who was Norman, and who hated the French), and goes right up to today, revealing many strange and curious facts along the way.

For instance, did you know that the Guillotine was actually a British invention? Or that one French king and a French Emperor were both buried in English soil? No, neither did I.

He takes an in-depth look at all the times the two countries were at war, and all the times they experienced an all-be-it uneasy peace. Along the way, he pokes gentle fun at the French, but also explains that it wasn't necessarily their fault.

To quote the book jacket: 'In short, the French are quite right to suspect that the last thousand years have been one long British campaign to infuriate them'.

If you like history with a twist, then look no further than Mr. Clarke's impeccably researched, but light-hearted look at ourselves, and our nearest neighbours.

Rating: an excellent 5/5

Oh Who Is That young Sinner...........

Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?
And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.

'Tis a shame to human nature, such a head of hair as his;
In the good old time 'twas hanging for the colour that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair
For the nameless and abominable colour of his hair.

Oh a deal of pains he's taken and a pretty price he's paid
To hide his poll or dye it of a mentionable shade;
But they've pulled the beggar's hat off for the world to see and stare,
And they're haling him to justice for the colour of his hair.

Now 'tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet
And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,
And between his spells of labour in the time he has to spare
He can curse the God that made him for the colour of his hair.


Now, that's a poem by A.E. Housman, written in 1895 in disgust at the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde for 'giving homosexual offence'.

But, it can apply to any form of predjudice. Indeed, it can be literally applied today, when, sadly, there is so much offence given to people with red hair, 'ging-ers' as they're disparagingly called.
Why there should be such a current upswelling of dislike against red-heads completely dumbfounds me.
Ah well, perhaps the fact that one of the stars of the Harry Potter films is a red-head may go a little way to changing people's perspective. In today's world of 'celebrity' stranger things have happened.....................

New additions to my Folksy shop

As expected, I've had lots of spare time following surgery, and these are just some of the items I've made for my Folksy shop. (link down on the right-hand side). There's more to come, but I'm waiting for a delivery of gift boxes.
I'm a great believer in supplying items, especially jewellery, properly packaged, ready to give as a gift.

a pair of Christmas bangles in festive colours. Wear individually, or as a pair.

Autumnal necklace, with large detailed brown wooden beads, interspersed with small orange and brown beads, and strung on threads of silver-lined crystal-clear rocailles

A pair of embroidered Christmas gift bags. Sturdily made in cream cotton, with carrying handles

4 table mats or napkins, each measuring approximately 14" square, hand embroidered with sunflowers and with fringed edges

Delicate necklace of brecciated jasper, peridots and emerald green rocailles. The necklace is gently curved, so that it sits flat against the skin
Pretty silver-plate chain maille bracelet, with pretty pink facets at the heart of each flower

I made this necklace with Halloween in mind, as the pendant reminds me of a vial half full of blood!

Zodiac necklace for Cancer, featuring a ceramic plate mounted on a silver disc, and with the silver chain enhanced with matching beads

This Zodiac necklace is for Leo, and is made in much the same way as the one above

Big, bold, chunky monochrome necklace, which is tied with deep red and cream ribbons. Being monochrome, the ribbons can easily be changed to match your outfit

Tiger striped beads matched with big black pearls and mounted on silver for this matching bracelet and earrings.

As I said, they're all available in my Folksy shop. If you are outside the UK and would like to buy anything, just contact me, and I'll sort out postal charges etc.