Author | Lightnews

Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 2d

Sunset-tastic in Hertfordshire this evening

Clear skies looking west 30 minutes after sunset. Dark blue at the top, changing to light blue closer to the horizon, then orange at the horizon

Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

btw - I've lived with AM radio for long enough that I'm happy with the quality even if it is shite.
Sorry evil money making machine - I'm happy to pay for good service, but I'm not paying twice...

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

<rant>
I've used youtube music for plenty of years now.
I uploaded all my CDs to my "library" - it took several days...
Very recently (within the last few weeks) the quality of the playback has change from CD quality to less than AM radio.
Methinks they are trying to make me pay for the privilege...

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

ah, the difference in attitude is something I see in my kids (in their 20s) today.
a) it is an enabler, it is hard, but worth it
b) it is a blocker, not doing it cos it stops me

not saying either is right or wrong, just saying it is a thing for everyone, and I can't work out which one counts 🤷

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

I've been on hols in NE Wales for 4 days, and have 4 days to go.
I has been pretty wet and windy, as is the norm for a mountainous area to the west of the UK.
But the metoffice and BBC are banging on about a named storm to hit the south east soon.
I'm prepared, are folks still surprised autumn is...

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

OCD bike shots in action!
I use my helmet to hold the bike up nowadays (via the pedal at the back - making sure the cranks are horizontal of course), but that's cheating - the skill is making the bike seem upright with no supports and no digital photo manipulation.
Top neighbour coercion😁

Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

The topo map tells the story - I enjoyed all those areas and more, with my favourite hill being "old hill" from Caerleon to Christchurch. 30% in places, and close enough to home to use it as a sting in the tail on then end of a long ride.
Gwent hills are just great!

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

I grew up in Newport, Mon (now Gwent!) and enjoyed a hill! I rode at least 4 of your local climbs as a teen in the 80s.
My specific memory was riding the hills in the Autumn evening darkness after school with the dynamo on my Dawes touring bike the only light I had - that focuses the mind!

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 6d

Great coast trundle today, despite the showers - 71km traffic free!

17mph headwind on the way out, 25mph tailwind on the way back - oh yeah!

It was quite weird seeing my destination from the start when it was 40km away, and then have is disappear and reappear as the showers passed through...

Strava screenshot of an 80km ride along the North coast of Wales, the route hugs the coast apart from a short section around Little Orme

Looking north east across the bay from Llandudno. Waves crashing on the beach, and the remnants of a shower cause haze on the horizon below the dark grey clouds

A bike leaning across railings separating a narrow bike path from the railway lines - the path is very straight and the vanishing point looks like it dumps you out on the edge of Great Orme, a big rocky outcrop to the north West of Llandudno. There are rock piles protecting the path and railway from the sea to the north

A shallow full rainbow across the sea against dark grey clouds

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 7d

same here buddy, not a whisper yet from solid thought out resilient service.
(obv we are doing the full hamster wheel thing to make sure it stays that way, but we're OK for now...)

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 7d

Big day on the bike planned for tomorrow (for me, esp with carrying crap).
Off into the loneliness of North Wales for a week, walking/hiking has gone great for a few days, now to test the bike legs.
Obv pretty tame, but can I bat out 80km with almost no altitude gain on NCN5.
Of course I can 😁

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 8d

I don't have any plans to go back to the USA (from the UK) on a personal level, but I might have to go there on business on behalf of my employer.
I find myself pausing before liking posts, and quite often thinking about business travel first.
That feels wrong!

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 11d

..btw - I wait until I've had 2-3 punctures in a month due to spiky things on my schwalbe durano+ skinnies (that's 4k+ km in flint-strewn Herts). I usually get <5 per tyre.
They look tired before that, but just keep going. Worst for me as they start to harden up they do get a bit slippy in the wet.

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 11d

Schwalbe <anything> will do the job.
They will either match your current tyre if you go for the cheaper (!?) end, or exceed things by a country mile if you throw some cash at them.

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 14d

sigh - even managed to fat finger a send there...

Was going to say "Sounds like I'm not on the BBC's target viewer list - don't they understand I'm happy to walk away and find my TV elsewhere while being grumpy with them forever?"

Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 14d

Same happened the last few saturday's with casualty bumped due to strictly.

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 14d

Grumpy old man grumpfest...

Sit down in front of TV for monday night quiz night on BBC2, that has been on for nearly every Monday for years, and NONE of it is on - replaced with NI football 😠

Come on BBC (not on bluesky) - you have loads of channels, why do you have to cancel stuff?

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 14d

A great start, even for a seasoned layman like me!

If you have a passing interest in psychology and things like motonormativity, then do take a look - but do make sure to check out the pre-post for context..

Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 14d

First newsletter published! simple.ghost.io/what-seems-t...

If you like this sort of thing, sign up for more

What Seems to be the Problem?

Can we make any progress on transport while we don't recognise there's a problem to be solved and can't recognise solutions?

simple.ghost.io

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 14d

Fabulous - top musing fodder, I'm looking forward to the next one already!

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 16d

*on an American spaghetti of tarmac* with 28 strands of spaghetti (ok, 28 might be excessive, but a lot more than 3)

Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 16d

Definitely - within your remit of course #fixthedamnpath

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 16d

When will the internet avoid spoilers?
Had 3 today - all innocuous, but told me stuff I'd wanted to learn about later.
Surely it is quite easy (I'm in telecoms tech, and it feels easy to do there), and I'd be willing to pay a couple of quid a month to avoid things.
1 billion people @£2 pm = $$$$ 🙏🙏🙏

Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 16d

I was doing some gardening, but have been distracted by the looming sunset that is building up to be a good one, plus temps are really balmy, so I've poured a G&T and put the cricket on BBC sounds instead of doing what I'm meant to be doing...

Sun dipping towards the horizon under dappled clouds

Cloud evaporating leaving blue skies as sunset approaches

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 19d

Autumn rocking it in Hertfordshire- so good for riding and hiking on the super dry trails

Posts set sky, clear blue skies beyond with a light veil of wispy clouds reflecting the sun that is now below the horizon

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Ackers on a bike/hike @malcolmackland.bsky.social · 20d

Diolch - the force is with me