Citrojim's AX, Pixo, C3, Running and Cycling Tales

[CitroJim]

Goodness Jim - you're up even earlier than usual!

Here's a tonic to get you out and trotting around again:



OTOH - might sell better across the channel .

Yum! I've eaten horse and it's surprisingly OK Normally I just eat like a horse

Yes, up early for my usual trip to Tesco for my weekly shopping. I like to get there for 6AM and doors opening...

And after a very late night by my standards too... Out and in charge of our second round of our weekly TT race series. That's two rounds down and 17 rounds left! I absolutely love it

My conservatory is now full of TT kit and signs... Makes a change from parkrun kit! Although often I have both here...

[Rp0thejester]

Best photo ever!! Keep the signs at home, many motorists will thank you..... Thanks Jim!!!!!

[CitroJim]

Best photo ever!! Keep the signs at home, many motorists will thank you..... Thanks Jim!!!!!

I'm now finally on the mend. It's taken a while, it was more significant than was initially realised and has necessarily resulted in a few major changes in my life.

No more details will be given and no further correspondence will be entered into.

All I can say is it's good to be back

[Skull]

All I can say is it's good to be back

Some say you’ll never really leave

[CitroJim]

All I can say is it's good to be back

Some say you’ll never really leave

Indeed, it's a bit like Hotel California... 'You can check out any time but you can never leave...'

Not that I'm going far anyway for the foreseeable as presently I'm unable to drive any distance

[ekjdm14]

Flippin' 'eck Jim, hope you're feeling a lot better very soon. There must be a bit of something going round again as been a bit "off" myself the last week or so, little bit achy and tired but it's mentally it really kicked me in the nuts. Not gonna stop me though, specially not when there's folks like yourself around who get more done on a bad day than me on a good week!

Hotel California indeed, Old Frenchies get well under the skin.

[CitroJim]

Thanks Dan I'm almost there now, after quite a while of being well below-par and bored out of my mind...

Yes, there's a lot going around... Talking to friends I've been told of either them, or those they know being off-colour for weeks at a time.

Some opine that it's not been cold enough this winter to kill off all the bugs that usually succumb after a few hard frosts... Could be?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Some opine that it's not been cold enough this winter etc

Nice use of the transitive verb opine there Jim. Close but not quite word of the day material, too close to the noun opinion, but a not too commonly used verb.

Only ever used 2 times on the forum. Once in 2014, and today in 2024. Yes it was your good self on both occasions.

I’ talked myself into it for its rarity. It will go to the ball, it is going on Word of the day

Neil

[CitroJim]

It's been a while since I've updated this and indeed, seriously looking at the forum in any great depth. I've been reading topics I'm subscribed to as an when I've had a moment to try and at least keep up to date a little...

Moments have been very scarce recently due to things in my other life taking over and reaching a crescendo on Sunday... Even poor old Bluebell has not moved out of her garage for weeks.

That's all set to change this coming week as I'm taking a short break from my parkrun, running and bike racing activities and concentrating on some automotive and home-based recreation...

Last Monday saw me marshalling at Mile 20 of the Milton Keynes Marathon where never have I seen so much pain and suffering

I've been, as usual, Run Directing and timekeeping at several parkruns and the admin thereof, organising and running our series of Monday Evening Club 10 TT racing events, marshalling and course setup at our Club Criterium racing events at the Milton Keynes Bowl and top of all, organising and running one of the biggest events of my career, the very prestigious and big Round 8 of the CTT London North Millennium Open TT. My club, Team MK, were the hosts and such is the criticality of this race, there was no margin for error. Happily, with my team of helpers, we pulled it off and enjoyed a most successful event yesterday. The weather helped make it Such is the status of this event I've even had to deal with the press over matters of photography and reporting on the race. The learning curve was steep!

I've now tied up all the loose ends and can finally take a breather...

Not for long, as I'm desperate to go and play with Bluebell and give Polly a much needed service - she's been working very hard recently and is proving such a suburb vehicle ferrying kit around to various events and generally being a great car...

My experience of doing a bit of work on Polly will be documented here in due course... Another learning curve I expect!

Robyn has a brand-new car and Pix gave me a bit of grief last week. All will be revealed later

First, I really must catch up properly on what's been going on around here

[Skull]

Robyn has a brand-new car and Pix gave me a bit of grief last week. All will be revealed later

First, I really must catch up properly on what's been going on around here

Enjoy your catch up Jim - I haven’t seen many pixo’s about but I was surprised on Friday when one flew past me on the A66 whilst I was cruising @ 75 in the AX….it must have been going over 90 …?

[CitroJim]

I haven’t seen many pixo’s about but I was surprised on Friday when one flew past me on the A66 whilst I was cruising @ 75 in the AX….it must have been going over 90 …?

They're basically an Indian-built Suzuki Alto. This one is now 15 years old and has been in our family since new, firstly as dad's, then Sian's and now sort of my and Sian's..

It goes like a scalded cat and will out-accelerate almost anything off the line. It's huge fun to drive like you stole it although it handles like a wheelbarrow and has steering that is deader than a 100 year old corpse. And it's been, except for two batteries and one alternator, totally reliable... And £20 road tax and dirt-cheap insurance is a bonus...

I think it's a superb little car...

So having one fly past at 90 surprises me not at all!

The pain I had with it last week was Sian's fault. She was home to babysit her mum's dog and parked Pix under a tree beloved of pigeons for a few days.

It came back to me covered in sap and pigeon poo... What I thought would be a ten-minute job to wash it off turned into a 90 minute one

That did include giving Polly a much needed wash too... Both scrub up very well

[MattBLancs]

Good to have you back Jim.

I gave the C5 and 308 a quick (translates as "terrible" ) wash weekend before last. Following Tuesday, parked in my usual spot for trip onto office. Great big splodge (that the sun had then baked solid) on the roof and other splodges on the windows and elsewhere. Rain currently softening it up might give it a wipe with cloth shortly to get the worst off.

[CitroJim]

That's what made washing Pix such a long job Matt, the poo was well and truly baked on It took lots of soaking and gentle scrubbing to shift it and it was all over the car...

Goodness knows what the pigeons had been eating - I did wonder if it was concrete

Now if it was parrot poo, perhaps they'd been eating Polyfilla

I'll get my coat...

[MattBLancs]

Yes the ones round here seems to be scoffing PVA too!

[CitroJim]

Yes the ones round here seems to be scoffing PVA too!