h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Had a fabulous run on the bike today - it was a glorious sunny day, the Mourne Mountains were as clear as I've ever seen them, all stunning colours of green and brown, with the sun glinting off the scree slopes. The sea was amazing shades of greeny blue, flicked with little white waves, and sparkling in the clear February sunshine.

Dai had fitted the topbox and back-rest, which made my ride a LOT more comfortable - I didn't feel like I was going to disappear over the back wheel every time he accelerated, and so my hand-clenching and arm-stiffening was a bit less intense - you didnt have to prise my fingers off the grab-handles when we stopped

We stopped at Newcastle for coffee. I always have a soft spot for this rather weather-beaten and down-at-heel seaside resort, with its "everything a pound!" shops along the main promenade, the faded grandeur of the red-brick Victorian former railway hotel, set against the stupendous natural backdrop of forests, mountains and sea.

Continued round the back of Slieve Donard to the little fishing village of Kilkeel, with its pictursesque boats snuggly bobbing in the harbour. Fishing is serious stuff here - EU quotas mean livelihoods!

Back home nursing a wobbly GPS, we ran a bath to warm our poor frozen bones and I fixed a couple of Pimms Winter specials - hot, made with apple juice. Sadly, one sip was enough to kick off a migraine for poor old Dai who went straight to bed to recover

He'll be OK! He's one of life's survivors. And I'm really looking forward to future trips and weekends away we have lined up

sounds really nice, and i like the way you have described the sea front!

wish we could post those sorts of pictures here!

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Have you seen this comment?

http://public.fotki.com/azahar/h2g2_friends/rogtakesoff.html


az

Thanks Az, no I hadn't seen that

That pic was literally him picking the bike up at the showroom - it's never been that clean since!

He seems to be really loving the new bike. He's been a biker all his life, but swapped his super sporty model for something more "suitable for 2" when he met me . To be honest, he did offer to completely give up biking if I asked him to - but it's so much a part of who he is, I couldn't do that, I'd much rather be part of it too.