I will continue in future to blog at http://wayne-tyssen.blogspot.co.uk
Ciao Baby!
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Closing the blog
Well, I say that I am closing it but not sure how to do that?
Anyway in case anyone drops in then here is a final (re-edit) of the 11 days in New Zealand - maybe a little bit more watchable and for 5 or so minutes is a good reminder of my time in NZ. No more guffaws or praise or regalia now - 'nuff has been said already.
These are the best days of our lives, see : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52ZbwsZuUmE
Where next, well this year looks to be 3 separate events. Around April plan to do some more sailing along the North East coast from Amble to Whitby with Nigel and yorviksailing.com and again in September a channel crossing from Brittany to Cornwall. And somewhere in the middle a long weekend on the motorbike into europe - probably France and West Germany.
So whether I use this blog or start another (probably) will come out in the wash.
Speak soon
Wayne
Anyway in case anyone drops in then here is a final (re-edit) of the 11 days in New Zealand - maybe a little bit more watchable and for 5 or so minutes is a good reminder of my time in NZ. No more guffaws or praise or regalia now - 'nuff has been said already.
These are the best days of our lives, see : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52ZbwsZuUmE
Where next, well this year looks to be 3 separate events. Around April plan to do some more sailing along the North East coast from Amble to Whitby with Nigel and yorviksailing.com and again in September a channel crossing from Brittany to Cornwall. And somewhere in the middle a long weekend on the motorbike into europe - probably France and West Germany.
So whether I use this blog or start another (probably) will come out in the wash.
Speak soon
Wayne
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Do cherries come in threes?
Just to share 2 good things that happened yesterday..
Firstly I visited Tony's widow on Thursday evening and spent almost 2 hours with her, her daughter Tess and hubby and 3 rather boisterous grandkids with the associated competition to get the attention of the new bloke in the house.
During the visit I found out that Doreen still had not heard anything from the pension fund and as Tony was the only earner she was starting to have some financial difficulties, paying the housing association for example,
Friday I contacted Employee Assistance and make it clear that I thought Doreen had been 'dropped' and asked that they committed to contact here and help her at this time. A couple of whiz bang emails and phone calls and guess what, a substantial amount of money, which I presume she was due from the pension fund, was released to her bank. Result! I live 200 miles away but I think I heard her faint!
And then I got a phone call later in the day from Force4 chandlery that the Gill OS2 (offshore sailing suit) that I've been waiting for since September had finally arrived in stock, was now in the post and with a fair wind should arrive at my house on Christmas Eve! It is next years model and has been given to me for the same price as the old suit as a gesture of good will. Result number 2!
For a while now I have known the saying that good or bad things tend to come in threes. I'm due to go out to do some more Christmas shopping today so... cherry number 3? You never know Baby!
Speak soon
Firstly I visited Tony's widow on Thursday evening and spent almost 2 hours with her, her daughter Tess and hubby and 3 rather boisterous grandkids with the associated competition to get the attention of the new bloke in the house.
During the visit I found out that Doreen still had not heard anything from the pension fund and as Tony was the only earner she was starting to have some financial difficulties, paying the housing association for example,
Friday I contacted Employee Assistance and make it clear that I thought Doreen had been 'dropped' and asked that they committed to contact here and help her at this time. A couple of whiz bang emails and phone calls and guess what, a substantial amount of money, which I presume she was due from the pension fund, was released to her bank. Result! I live 200 miles away but I think I heard her faint!
And then I got a phone call later in the day from Force4 chandlery that the Gill OS2 (offshore sailing suit) that I've been waiting for since September had finally arrived in stock, was now in the post and with a fair wind should arrive at my house on Christmas Eve! It is next years model and has been given to me for the same price as the old suit as a gesture of good will. Result number 2!
For a while now I have known the saying that good or bad things tend to come in threes. I'm due to go out to do some more Christmas shopping today so... cherry number 3? You never know Baby!
Speak soon
Sunday, 2 December 2012
I got a cherry on my cake!
As promised I have some more video to share.
This time with Frankie's 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' as an appropriate accompanying track. I'm finding it real enjoyable to browse back over the video. Significantly better than still photo's and maybe I should vlog in future? Anyway this one is of The Forgotten World Highway. Pretty remote with about 20km of gravelly roads, and no longer a problem for me and the Ten12
See: The Forgotten World Highway
In all of the days travelling, nothing, absolutely nothing went off the 'plan'. Everything was on time, no hitches, no issues, all good. But of all of the most insignificant things when I got home I found that a small leather loop had gone missing off a favourite leather belt. Bum!
I kinda knew I had it on the Coromandel and a few 'can you check please' emails later Randal wrote back with the good, the bad and the ugly news. In that yes the day before he had found it on the driveway, had binned but, that the bins had not left the house! So after many a happy (not) hour and day I guess trawling through bins and dark corners of clothing and workshops, he finally finds it! Yay! And I got it back last week and is now on the belt. Woo Hoo! Thanks again Randal!
How insignificant you might think. But of all the things that went good this was the only microscopic, minuscule, irrelevant issue for me. But when I found it in the pile of post on the floor last week it brought a huge smile to my face. From the biggest problem to the smallest then in the face of adversity whatever shape or size it may be, if we look hard enough we can always find something, even if to others is irrelevant or insignificant, to bring a smile back to our faces.
And sadly I heard that a friend, Scotty, a great mate of Kev's, committed suicide the other week and also with great sorrow write that Elaine's mum died in hospital last week too. I feel hugely for everyone, including Tony's family, as all of them similarly need to get something, maybe small, nonetheless good and positive and enlightening sent to them soon, maybe even in the post.
So after a short wait.... I finally got the cherry on my cake,
I think that it is now time to find cherries for everyone else too, don't you think Baby?
Speak soon
This time with Frankie's 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' as an appropriate accompanying track. I'm finding it real enjoyable to browse back over the video. Significantly better than still photo's and maybe I should vlog in future? Anyway this one is of The Forgotten World Highway. Pretty remote with about 20km of gravelly roads, and no longer a problem for me and the Ten12
See: The Forgotten World Highway
In all of the days travelling, nothing, absolutely nothing went off the 'plan'. Everything was on time, no hitches, no issues, all good. But of all of the most insignificant things when I got home I found that a small leather loop had gone missing off a favourite leather belt. Bum!
I kinda knew I had it on the Coromandel and a few 'can you check please' emails later Randal wrote back with the good, the bad and the ugly news. In that yes the day before he had found it on the driveway, had binned but, that the bins had not left the house! So after many a happy (not) hour and day I guess trawling through bins and dark corners of clothing and workshops, he finally finds it! Yay! And I got it back last week and is now on the belt. Woo Hoo! Thanks again Randal!
How insignificant you might think. But of all the things that went good this was the only microscopic, minuscule, irrelevant issue for me. But when I found it in the pile of post on the floor last week it brought a huge smile to my face. From the biggest problem to the smallest then in the face of adversity whatever shape or size it may be, if we look hard enough we can always find something, even if to others is irrelevant or insignificant, to bring a smile back to our faces.
And sadly I heard that a friend, Scotty, a great mate of Kev's, committed suicide the other week and also with great sorrow write that Elaine's mum died in hospital last week too. I feel hugely for everyone, including Tony's family, as all of them similarly need to get something, maybe small, nonetheless good and positive and enlightening sent to them soon, maybe even in the post.
So after a short wait.... I finally got the cherry on my cake,
I think that it is now time to find cherries for everyone else too, don't you think Baby?
Speak soon
Sunday, 18 November 2012
A Little More Video
Another round up of the run around New Zealand this time with some video from the handheld camera and some easy listening music courtesy of Sang Froid - Sunsets... enjoy...
See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dZG7xsD6xU
Speak soon
See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dZG7xsD6xU
Speak soon
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Jet Lag
Oh dear, I had forgotten just how hard it is to change body clocks back to normal
After effectively 3 weeks in other time zones I get back to the UK having managed to get some sleep on the return flight. Really thought that the business class and the flat bed was a winner here but oh no.
Sunday night, was drop dead tired by 6pm UK time and by 8pm just had to go to bed. Dropped into a deep sleep and woke up some time later, checked the clock and damn, only 11.30pm. Fought the rest of the night trying to sleep but really quite wide awake.
Work Monday was hard. 3 weeks of catch up to do including a complete re-organisation at work. Midday was extremely tired so has 15 minutes sleep on the sofa. Back to work then again @4pm was really stingy in the eyeballs. Finished work about 6pm, had to go to bed at 8.30pm again and again woke up at 11.30pm
Tuesday was Tony's funeral. Thanks to Dave on my team in that he picked me up and drove the 350 mile round trip. Thanks God. I was hallucinating in the car at around 5pm,weird stuff with a floating dashboard with uncontrollable power naps in the passenger seat. Got home, put some dinner on the stove, back in the living room and next thing I recall is waking up 1 hour later. Quickly back into the kitchen to find a carbonised pan with the remains of mixed vegetables permanently welded to it. Gave up and went to bed at 9pm. Woke again at 1.30am.
This is hard work
For the rest of the night had very weird dreams of me in some non existent part of New Zealand, the bit where the exorcist lives I fear cos everything was grotesque. I was stuck in a permanent loop of riding around steep gravel tracks on the edge of huge precipices and could not get home. Not nice...
It is now 10pm in the UK and I am still up. Good. Will go to bed at at 11 and see just how far / how long I sleep for tonight. I'm hoping things are for the better.
Damn you New Zealand. Why oh why can't you be closer to me and not 8000 miles beneath my feet.
Enjoy your new day. I will do so tomorrow!
Speak soon
After effectively 3 weeks in other time zones I get back to the UK having managed to get some sleep on the return flight. Really thought that the business class and the flat bed was a winner here but oh no.
Sunday night, was drop dead tired by 6pm UK time and by 8pm just had to go to bed. Dropped into a deep sleep and woke up some time later, checked the clock and damn, only 11.30pm. Fought the rest of the night trying to sleep but really quite wide awake.
Work Monday was hard. 3 weeks of catch up to do including a complete re-organisation at work. Midday was extremely tired so has 15 minutes sleep on the sofa. Back to work then again @4pm was really stingy in the eyeballs. Finished work about 6pm, had to go to bed at 8.30pm again and again woke up at 11.30pm
Tuesday was Tony's funeral. Thanks to Dave on my team in that he picked me up and drove the 350 mile round trip. Thanks God. I was hallucinating in the car at around 5pm,weird stuff with a floating dashboard with uncontrollable power naps in the passenger seat. Got home, put some dinner on the stove, back in the living room and next thing I recall is waking up 1 hour later. Quickly back into the kitchen to find a carbonised pan with the remains of mixed vegetables permanently welded to it. Gave up and went to bed at 9pm. Woke again at 1.30am.
This is hard work
For the rest of the night had very weird dreams of me in some non existent part of New Zealand, the bit where the exorcist lives I fear cos everything was grotesque. I was stuck in a permanent loop of riding around steep gravel tracks on the edge of huge precipices and could not get home. Not nice...
It is now 10pm in the UK and I am still up. Good. Will go to bed at at 11 and see just how far / how long I sleep for tonight. I'm hoping things are for the better.
Damn you New Zealand. Why oh why can't you be closer to me and not 8000 miles beneath my feet.
Enjoy your new day. I will do so tomorrow!
Speak soon
Sunday, 11 November 2012
All Done
I have arrived back home. Jet lag is not too bad, a little sleep on the flight took care of that I hope. On the train last night looking out of a darkened window I would swear that I saw the shadows of New Zealand hills and forest flash by. It has had that magnitude of an impact on me and one reason why I also slept with a light on last night so that I did not awake in a darkened room in a middle earth dreamworld as nice as that may have been. I am grateful for many memories and experiences, only a few of which have been included in this blog. And 3500km riding in 11 days is, for my English bones, just about right thank you!
Thanks everyone who made time to read the musings of a middle aged man. I have enjoyed putting finger to keyboard and through this, being that this is a first blog, have found a new mechanism other than FaceBook (which I am now off forever), of expressing my thoughts and observations, as much for me to read over the coming months and to help what I think is a failing memory, as well as sharing the journey with you.
I will add the YouTube links to this post as I get them done over the coming week... but to start with here is a compilation of the 12 days in the saddle, see : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikcxqxyl6Xs
Thanks for travelling with me...
Speak soon
Wayne
Thanks everyone who made time to read the musings of a middle aged man. I have enjoyed putting finger to keyboard and through this, being that this is a first blog, have found a new mechanism other than FaceBook (which I am now off forever), of expressing my thoughts and observations, as much for me to read over the coming months and to help what I think is a failing memory, as well as sharing the journey with you.
I will add the YouTube links to this post as I get them done over the coming week... but to start with here is a compilation of the 12 days in the saddle, see : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikcxqxyl6Xs
Thanks for travelling with me...
Speak soon
Wayne
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