The Day today - more mechanical failure and got myself on the radio (sort of!!).

Another day, another mechanical failure!! Started off a bit bad with blood pressure slightly up at 128/80.9 - sometimes it blips but this is the highest 10 reading average I've had since mid-June - needs monitoring.

Then three miles out on the bike (is there Mike Oldfield song called "Three miles out"?, can't remember) I found the rear mudguard is hanging off and making a right old racket - lost a nut, had to turn back for home and leave the mudguard for fixing later on.


Dodgy mudguard

Then I found left hand (foot?) pedal has split and needs replacing - it's all going on! So am going to nick a pedal off the Giant bike that is retired in the Garage at present and then get some bought at the weekend. Mileage for week so far is currently standing at 83.02 with the average speed being 13.6 mph, have had three runs at 14.5mph or greater this week which is good.


Split, dodgy pedal waiting to be replaced

Also got on local radio with an email to the presenter and got Slimming World a mention of sorts. On Radio Derby this week the hot topic is Alchohol awareness and they’re doing interviews with people connected with the problems of dependency and support groups and what have you.


Yesterday, Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill said that a ban would be introduced to stop discounts on beer in the sort of 3 for 2 offers and what have you that you see at Supermarkets. My email to Radio Derby’s Alex Trelinski went along the lines of “Saying get rid of offers on alcohol won’t fix the problem, my local in Clifton, Ashbourne charges £2.40 for a pint of diet coke, how does that encourage responsible drinking? I’m losing weight with Slimming World so am not drinking at the moment but I can’t help thinking the responsibility lies not with the Government or the retailer but with the individual” or words to that effect.

Have got it mp3’d by taking the audio stream on the BBCs play it again site and then capturing the bit I wanted using a piece of software called Polderbits recorder The Polderbits software is dutch I think but it's free for 15 days and if I use it again I’ll probably buy it because it's dead easy to use - they market it for use getting vinyl and cassettes to digital which is good because my dad has asked me to put some cassettes onto mp3 and at JBs 40th I was given a tape from when I was in a band called DamNation in 1992 which I wouldn't mind mp3ing to see if I could play drums back then!!

Hopefully will put a link to the edited clip but if can't get it to work the BBC's listen again stream is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/derby/aod.shtml?derby/shane_oconnors_breakfast_show_thu - if you forward to about 20 minutes into the show there's my email being read out, cool eh!!!!

What I wished I’d said was “Making the cost of cigarettes prohibitive has not stopped people smoking do they really think that effectively making alcohol cost more will be any more effective?” But I was in a hurry so I didn’t really think it through massively, anyway two minutes later my words were read out in full on Radio Derby – how cool is that – mental note: avoid the pub for a week or three!!!


While pounding round on the bike I saw one of these Slimming World A-Boards, also noticed one at the top of the A52 bypass the other day - great method of promotion in my view you've got to slow down at the roundabout so what better place to put portable signage!


Slimming World A-Board advertising Ashbourne Leisure Centre groups on Mondays at 9.30am, 5.30 and 7.30pm!


This is the other side of said A-Board - good way of promoting what!!