Pop pop pop BANG!!!!

And boy, did Cubbie go bang!!! It was such a lovely day in the north east of Scotland, that after the animals were fed, I decided to open up the shed and have a Christmas word with Cubbie.  I wished the little bike a merry (late) Chrimbo, but the poor neglected Tiger Cub just looked at me, all dejected.  So I stuck the battery on charge and went to find the key.  An hour later (no, that wasn't how long it took to find the key, honest) I wheeled Cubbie out through the knee deep mud and onto the drive.  Battery back on, fuel on, ignition on, big tickle, big kick; nothing.  Ah, ok, better clean the old fuel out of the carby and try again.  Wasted time looking for the screw driver I thought I needed and then cursed several times as I dropped screwdriver bits and messed about with pliers (I know, I know, not good to undo screws with pliers).  Ended up taking the whole carb off rather than just the float bowl but that was only after covering myself in petrol.  Good job I don't smoke.  So with the carb back on and the plug cleaned up and a spark checked for, it was take two.  A couple of kicks later the ear splitting crackle of an neglected and sulking Cub shattered the December silence.  Mrs BC came round the corner with a wheel barrow full of muck, which had Cubbie not fired up.....

It ran for a few minutes then conked out.  Then wouldn't start.  Plug out.  Soaking.  New plug.  Fired up again.  Ran better.  Into gear with an almighty clunk, up the drive.  Attempt to open gate one handed whilst keeping Cubbie blipping.........B A N G ! ! ! !

Oh.

Oh well.  At least I clocked up a few yards on two wheels before 2012 comes to an end (good job it wasn't last Friday).  Maybe I'll charge the battery again and go for a New Years Day ride.

Merry Crimbo Bloggers!!!!

As the title says, merry Christmas to all, and thanks for popping by to have a look at the blog now and again.  Yet more apologies for the lack of stuff on here this year, but starting a mag and not getting time to ride bikes  hasn't left me with much to blog about.  Well I could have blogged about the mag, but that has its own page at www.thecubmag.com and then there's that Facebook thing too, with a page for Gee-Bee Chick and The Cub Mag.  I think something might have to go next year.  Facebook only took hold 'cos I could post from my Blackberry, but now I've 'upgraded' to such an awesome new phone, I can no longer get on FB.  In theory, I can blog from it but have never been able to get that to work either.  Maybe I can sort it over the hols.  The only other things left to blog about are sheep, and I'm not sure you really want a sheep blog.  Oh, and sheds, I suppose you might be interested in bike sheds - but there's a sheep shed too.  I tell you what I did do that is bike related; nipped down to the Clyde Valley VMCC Christmas meeting and had a great time - wonderful entertainment from member Bob and his wife Kate, who between them, sing and play various instruments.  The traditional Xmas meal for these guys is pie and peas (or baked beans), which makes a change from all those turkey dinners at this time of year.  The highlight of the evening has to be the clown and his clown son who made a Cubbie from balloons.  If you don't believe me.....

Soooooo, from all of us here at Cubbie Towers, hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a dry new year.  Remember, if you head on your Cub or Terrier over the hols, take a picture or three and send them in to The Cub Mag ;-)

End of the world?

Weird light in the sky yesterday, bit like the northern lights but not a moving display....

Wow, it made it into the papers.....

Lois was on the Loose in Scotland!!!

Wow!!!  At last, I've met Lois on the Loose - aka Lois Pryce if you want to find her on Facebook.  A couple or more years ago, I tried to arrange a club talk by Lois for the Grampian Classic MCC, but for reasons I can't even remember, it never came to fruition.  Then, at the recent AGM, the Club asked me to arrange some 'interesting' speakers for the winter.  Well, what could I do?  I emailed Lois and set it all up.  And boy, a more interesting speaker you'd be hard pushed to find.  Full of enthusiasm and energy, you can tell Lois does what she does; because she loves it.  What do you mean you don't know what she does?  She rides bikes all over the world.  In 2003 she rode her little 225cc Yamaha Serrow the entire length of the Americas, from Alaska to Argentina (stick it in Google Maps), and that was the subject of her talk last night.  I mean, can you actually imagine crating your bike up, shipping it to the other side of the world, quitting your job, getting the visas, buying a one way ticket and setting off to meet your two wheeled companion, which will be your home, your friend, your family or maybe even your foe, for the next twenty thousand miles?  Just sit and digest that for a minute.  20,000 two wheeled miles.

Anyway, here are a few pics of some of the slides in the talk, and I'll be working on the sneaky video that I took, and hopefully that'll be on Gorgeous Biker Chicks Youtube Channel very soon.....

Apologies if they're not in the right order but I all I did was upload them to the blog in the order I took em - are they right for going from Alaska to Argentina?

Lois brings her talk to an end...

...There were more than 5 in the audience, in fact, it was one of the best turn outs we've seen for a while.

See?  Full house, paying great attention to the lady traveller.

Aahhh, book signings.  Not something I'd know about cos yeah yeah yeah, one day.....

The non-slip plates are a bonus.  Thanks to Anna for the food this month, it seemed to go down very well.

Aahhh, book signings.  Not something I'd know about cos yeah yeah yeah, one day.....

And the gang all wanted a photo with Lois.

Spot the difference.

Club Webmaster Mark gets his paws on the DVD "Achievable Dream; The Motorcycle Adventure Travel Guide"

I'll get me coat....

Yikes! Is that Father Christmas?

You can find out more about this trip and Lois's other adventures on her website www.loisontheloose.com