A new low, it's Friday afternoon and there are no desks available for my office day next week (it's a Tuesday)... It doesn't do wonders for morale

As a former Labour voter I don't care about your nonsense Westminster Bubble psychodrama's I do care about left wing policies that make peoples lives better, the shame is there's been some decent policy that's been hidden by any for of humanity or capacity to communicate

Well just had some delicious after work beer at the Deya taproom, delicious enough for me not to question the clarity of the beer…

Wow every seat in a carriage reserved the last marginally cheaper train is just mad busy, mad how Tuesday is now the most expensive day of the week for trains

Pint of Horse Brass at the Fresh Standard taproom hitting it out of the park this afternoon

Honestly glasses the productivity I gain from being able to see is offset by the time I spend looking for the bastards after I've taken them off somewhere random...

Using a supplier tool that doesn’t display ordering/information uniformly across my views sometimes it’s date, sometimes it’s alpha order other times it’s some random discretionary ordering… Frustratingly the supplier in question has an effective monopoly…

So pay per mile pricing for electric cars in the budget makes sense, but must be accompanied by fuel duty increases…

Well it seems that the biggest congestion factors in Oxford are inappropriately parked cars, boo, then bicycles and buses, about 20 minutes from Headington to the station hoping @emilykerr36.bsky.social I know you just have congestion charging but oh man you need trams so badly!

People talk about public services being decimated, I just pulled out 1975 as a year to look at taxation...1975: The basic rate of income tax35%. Withmultiple higher rates, he top rate on "earned" income was 83%, the top rate on "unearned" (investment) income reached 98% (due to a 15% surcharge).

Have to say the bulk bag of mulch I got has made my lawn look great and really improved the soil in all my raised beds, I just have loads left, but I've used easily three times the bags I got from B&Q last year but paid the same... I obviously need more raised beds

Friends have moved locally and they had too many Dahlias so we filled the car and will go back for more, busy day gardening quite tired now

Microsoft Teams the search engine tool for people who want to look thick as mince to their colleagues…

Well apparently the parameters of a Shimano E-Bike motor are set for gear ratio's and that's the problem... Getting sorted for free by Madison/Leisure Lakes/Orbea so hopefully should be back out again soon. Apparently it was very obvious that I hadn't done anything naughty with the motor!

Sigh, I suspect that I’m about to have lowering my gear ratios used as an excuse to void my e-bike warranty which can get in the sea…

Wow @almurray.bsky.social has killed this episode of We have Ways about Italian partisans it’s staggering how good it is

My love of We Have Ways of Making You Talk has only been increased by their discussion of the futility of war in a WW2 context!

Middle age has made me very comfortable with dark beers and I’m delighted about it

Sheffield where the Sparkler is ubiquitous and as a result the beer is way nicer

Well today has been enlightening I’ve spoken to somebody who is using AI for creating and translating emails without checking with a translator for any nuance who couldn’t see an issue with it, we’re fucked aren’t we…

New Renaissance mix started autumnally ethereal and is now ramping up…

Yep it’s Friday had to pass Deya on the way to the train home

So tired fourth off site visit this week and a week just on and off not very reliable trains… Can’t see the pub happening

Walking home is hard work up a massive hill but every now and then you can stop for the view

Hey @gwr.com your staff are routinely just utterly fabulous, good natured, caring and giving a shit about what they do!

I’m now two visits and three pints in at The Pelican in Gloucester because trains… What a cracking pub

Late finish today and an early start tomorrow is a pain in the arse…

Well Newcastle is a city that should be perfect for cycling but it’s very much one where it appears the lack of infrastructure means it’s only fit white men on bikes… What a waste!

The Big Country is on IPlayer at the moment and I can’t get over how much I love it, it’s very close to being my favourite movie

Have just discovered the concept of #afrodeephouse it’s a banger!

The quality of beer in my local has increased dramatically after changing hands and of course CAMRA have decided not to include it in the guide… Way to support a new owner who actually cares about beer!

Well I've not been to see it but this might be the only piece of fit for purpose cycle infrastructure in the Stroud District... www.stroud.gov.uk/news/council... It's just a random bit by a side of a road, that's it that's all we have...

The joy of working from home and having two dogs just asleep by the desk is really pretty good

Blimey only 52 days lefty to work in 2025...

Well it's finally don the Laurel's surrounding the back garden are gone, that's 18 months of digging and sawing done. The amount of extra light is phenomenal now to work out what to do with the space?

Yay Cyclocross is back! I’d forgotten how much I love it!

Fire and a Kasteel Rouge

Renaissance keep doing what you’re doing just lifted me right up, another stone cold banger of a mix…

Long week don’t really have the motivation for the pub, probably going to be Belgian beer at home, the fire on and hanging out with dogs this evening

I love a pub, but the behaviour and drunkenness of customers of Stroud’s newest chain sports pub is pretty bleak saw someone so drunk at eight thirty yesterday two people were carrying them out…

Hmmm hoping to get out on a bike again this weekend, although I do have the remaining laurels to remove, hoping I get them done early ish on Saturday….

Analogue bike ride in the sun, a stop for beer and roast potato bar nibbles, need a sleep now...

There's a remake of Road House and it's on Iplayer oh yeah!

A few things It's cold outside for drinking and eating... low ABV beer that has bags of flavour rocks Cargo bikes are ace No on a narrow Cotswold lane if you see me in a car coming down the hill when I have rift of way I can't just disappear no matter how hard you want me to

Hey @rideshimano.bsky.social how can I have an e-bike that bricks itself because it thinks it's been tampered with for no reason... It does question the very essence of ownership when on a ride I can just be locked out for no reason?

Hmmm currently have a non functioning e-bike because Shimano have decided that they brick any that’s showing tampering… Which is frustrating when you’ve done nothing to it, so no e-bike until the motor is removed sent to Shimano and replaced, madness…

Massive Big Up to Leisure Lakes Cheltenham they're so helpful, less of a big up to my Shimano EP801 motor which has given me the error code of death EP299 after less than five months use. Really frustrating the Orbea Denna is magic the motor and electric just seem a bit well shit...

Currently in the thinking about riding a bike stage of my day off but being held back by the warm snoring Spaniel next to me, fresher weather means increased Spaniel hugs...

It's suddenly just dawned on me that my old dog knows that if hew whines at me to sit on a sofa/bed with me I have to get up thus guaranteeing him a warm space, he's perfectly capable of getting up, I've just realised the motivation...

Things we’ve discovered this weekend, Bobo the sweet but not handsome Cockerpoo is a bit dim compared to our old Show Cocker who is still ridiculously handsome! They’re both pretty good dogs