CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[CitroJim]

The gear thing looks intriguing.

It does indeed but it could not been a success as it's not seen now in any form. Perhaps a small derivative is though and that's oval chainrings and similar claims are made for them....

Sally and I have made it to Southwell Racecourse with no issues. She purred all the way to Grantham where we stopped for breakfast. Started off fine. She had a couple of little hiccups about a mile up the road and then fine all the way here. Very frugal on petrol too

Most odd... I'll see what ELIT says when I get home...

Meanwhile I have a cycle sportive to ride... As do several hundred others already here This looks to be a popular one and not only that, the weather looks good too

[CitroJim]

A most excellent Nottinghamshire Wheeler Sportive today and really enjoyed...

A fantastic finale to the season for me... A gorgeous ride ridden over lovely countryside in gorgeous weather... The sun shone from a clear blue sky A bit on the cool side though but for November - just wonderful

Here's the ride as captured by my Garmin...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2296871733

The pre-ride safety briefing was delivered as a poem which I thought was a lovely touch

And here's the bike posing with Sally just before the off...

Own Work

Sally performed magnificently on the way home, she never missed a beat and just purred all the way... I filled her tank just before home and she returned 52mpg Not bad when ylou consider 60 of the miles on that tank were spent testing and tracking down the hesitation and misfire problem. I reckon she's good for 55mpg...

I do love her and a finer small car I don't think exists. I used to think the 205 was the best small car ever but Sally is changing my opinion... She drives and rides beautifully as well as being supremely comfy

I popped the ELIT on her just now and her throttle pot problem is now intermittent along with an intermittent oxygen sensor (again). I'll replace both...

Still, to be returning 52mpg whilst cruising on a cold day at 60mph shows things can't be too far out...

I did carry a full kit of tools with me today, just in case but they weren't needed...

The tools normally live in the Pug of Love... She did this to me when I returned them to her boot

Own Work

All because she has iffy tailgate struts and her tailgate does not full lift without assistance... I walked straight into it

Actually, I think she's jealous of Sally and this was her way of showing her displeasure

The wound keeps on opening up and is going to prevent me from swimming in the morning. That's the real tragedy of it

The ride was well rewarded. A medal, a tee, a pair of socks, a neck warmer - very useful on a day like today - and yet another drink bottle filled with edible goodies

Own Work

[Zelandeth]

Ow. The Saab has done that to me for exactly the same reason!

[Michel]

Ow. The Saab has done that to me for exactly the same reason!

Jim, and Hell Razor James (as he was present at the time) may recall me smashing myself in the face with the Berlingo tailgate last year. Was stood on a kerb when I shut it and the extra few inches of height I wasn't expecting caused a gash and a big bump in the centre of my forehead!

[Zelandeth]

It's never fun. Another friend of mine can vouch for why I'm exceedingly careful of the (totally square, not at all curved) tailgate on the Lada. I cracked my head on his one once and darn near knocked myself out. Have never actually knocked myself out, but that's jointly level with a couple of other mishaps for being closest!

Gas struts are something which we really should just replace as soon as they start to struggle - saves us pain in the long run!

...Saab has had them on the to do list for about four years now...

[Michel]

Have never actually knocked myself out,

I have. Hilariously so, apparently. Back in 2009 I'd been for a bike ride one evening. Back then I had to bring my bike through the house and out the patio doors to the shed.
Took bike out patio doors. Closed patio doors. Put bike in shed. It started to rain heavy so I ran back down the garden through the patio doors...

The patio doors, as you will have read above, were closed. Why the hell I forgot they were closed, didn't notice they were Closed, or didn't stop running shall forever remain a mystery. Suffice to say, 16 stone of Mike running into them and making contact with the head first resulted in Mike coming round a couple of mins later in a pile outside on the floor. Mrs Mike was sat looking straight through the patio doors and saw me come smashing into them.

Had a sore head, went to work the next day. Only realised what effect it had on me later in the afternoon when someone came to me and thanked me for all my help that morning and I had no idea what they were on about. Then I took the train home (I drove 2 days, trained 3 at that time)..
I'd driven to work that day, and had no recollection. Didn't even walk to the car park..

[CitroJim]

Good, in a way, to know those better than me have been the victim of similar

I think you're right Zel, time to replace the struts on the 207... I don't want a repeat...

Had a sore head, went to work the next day. Only realised what effect it had on me later in the afternoon when someone came to me and thanked me for all my help that morning and I had no idea what they were on about. Then I took the train home (I drove 2 days, trained 3 at that time)..
I'd driven to work that day, and had no recollection. Didn't even walk to the car park..

Nasty... Definitely a bit of concussion there Mike... You must have been bad if you helped someone to the extent they came and thanked you... They must have been as shocked as you were

You were very wise in what you did as a precaution... I seem OK and no sign, I believe, of any after-effects... Oddly, when I did it there was no pain at all - just blood...

I'm either very hard or very thick - I'll let you make your own minds up on that one

[NewcastleFalcon]

Good, in a way, to know those better than me have been the victim of similar

Its not co-incidence Jim, after never having been attacked by the tailgate, the Vectra got me twice this weekend when getting the hound out of the back. Tailgate didnt rise to its normal level when just opening it as normal.

In another semi-co-incidence later this week, reading your post on Zel's blog, Iceland is going to have a visit from part of the "Falcon" clan at the end of the week. It must be the place to be!

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

In another semi-co-incidence later this week, reading your post on Zel's blog, Iceland is going to have a visit from part of the "Falcon" clan at the end of the week. It must be the place to be!

Excellent Hope they enjoy as much as Robyn does...

She's off on a glacier hike whilst she's there... I'm quite frankly jealous - that in particular sounds like a cracking adventure...

I'm hoping she'll take some pictures and maybe I can post some in POTD?

[NewcastleFalcon]

I'm hoping she'll take some pictures and maybe I can post some in POTD?

Of course! I'll sort the POTD scrutiny committee out for you

Never been to Iceland myself but did visit the Faroe Islands 40 odd years ago. Decent market for Mazda and Toyota in those days, everyone seemed to be driving round in a Japanese car!

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

everyone seemed to be driving round in a Japanese car!

That was like Cyprus in the 80s...

It made good sense too when you saw what you could buy Japanese against anything else... Japs were well loadewd with and luxury bits and were generally faultlessly reliable.

The Mazda 626 was incredibly popular, as was the Honda Accord.

I drove British cars in Cyprus as that was the rule in those days; we had to be see to be 'flying the flag'.

If we did not we couldn't have them shipped home for free at the end of our postings... That was a big factor as shipping home was expensive...

Some, who were determined to go Japanese, drove home from Cyprus across Europe...

[Zelandeth]

Sheesh, sounds very like what the amitriptyline does to me if I don't get enough sleep. I just sort of become aware of being part of the world usually somewhere around 1-2pm in the afternoon.

Thankfully being somewhat more a master of my own schedule these days I'm rarely subject to that nonsense any more.

[CitroJim]

Sheesh, sounds very like what the amitriptyline does to me if I don't get enough sleep.

Gosh, that drug and I don't mix at all Zel I was prescribed it a few years ago as my GP thought it might help my ME symptoms and (at the time) perceived sleep disturbance issues.

It made every aspect of my ME a good order of magnitude worse I had to rapidly come off hem and it took a while to get any sort of normality back again...

She's tried to get me on similar drugs again in the recent past - no way!!!

Like you, I'm master of my own schedule nowadays, more or less, so my time-shifted day is no problem even if a fair percentage of normal folk are just thinking of bedding down for the night when I'm thinking of getting up and cracking on with the day

Even work have been good enough to make working hours accommodations for me; but then they have to under the disability discrimination act

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Its not co-incidence Jim.... attacked by the tailgate...didnt rise to its normal level when just opening it as normal.

'tis the cold weather me thinks, mine also needed assistance today (thankfully not from my forehead)

[Michel]

Sheesh, sounds very like what the amitriptyline does to me if I don't get enough sleep.

Have you tried Sertraline Zel? This is my head-bandage of choice these days. I've tried all the others - citalopram, amitryptiline, mirtazipine, Prozac, paroxetine and a couple of others. Sertraline works for me!

NB if you're taking amitryptiline for pain ignore the above!