Close passes

My commute is quite short at just over 4 miles each way. Pretty much all of it is on very quiet roads where there are only a few cars ever seen - if at all. One very short section (possibly 150m) is on a busy road that I never cycle on. I simply get off and wheel my bike on the pavement. It doesn't take long. It was on this section of road that I saw a rather nasty close pass. 

When I had a look at my route, knowing that this road was a busy one I decided that I would not cycle on it at all, as I knew that after 150m I would turn into a road that was as quiet and more or less as traffic free as the preceding 3 miles. Last Friday morning when wheeling my bike along I saw a cyclist on a road bike and a bus that decided to overtake. It was very, very close and made me wince. The cyclist was shaken but the total stupidity of it all was that the bus stopped not far up the road after overtaking. It was a needless exercise on his part. The cyclist cycled on and spoke to the bus driver, much more politely than I might. The bus driver blanked him and wouldn't engage. One of his own passengers started to remonstrate with the driver and he just ignored them too. The bus drove on and that was that. 

I asked the cyclist if they were okay. He said yes and that this has happened to him before. I asked if he had a camera and he replied that he didn't. It certainly made me want to get one!

I really don't get some drivers and why they cannot give enough room? The bus driver certainly needs educating on what is safe and not safe. As for me, I pushed my bike along, crossed the road and carried on quieter roads until I got to work. I will continue to do the same! I have said many times before that I might get a camera and I just might this time. 

Stay safe out there people!

London shutting down for Monday

London has been a little different lately - for obvious reasons. Over the past week the tube has been busier than it has been for ages and anywhere near Buckingham Palace, St James's Park, Palace of Westminster and queue along the Thames has been manic. This has been pretty much 24-hours a day. As such, I have avoided the areas mentioned as much as I can.

I have passed by Buckingham Palace at least once a week for more or less my entire life and never really given it a second thought. I suppose Londoners take a great deal of the touristy attractions for granted. In all the times I have been past, I never did see the flickering of a curtain for those inside to see what was going on outside in the real world. When things get quieter I will continue to use it  as the backdrop for the odd photo.

Monday will see the State Funeral take place and judging by the crowds out in the queue, viewing the flowers in St James's Park and those just soaking in the atmosphere, I suspect it will be one of the busiest times in London for several years.

Stay safe out there people. 

Brompton Commute

I think that I have written about my Cloud Blue becoming my commuter hack recently and last week and all of this week has certainly put it to the test.

The setup is pretty simple. I have a hub dynamo wheel, Supernova front/rear lights and a Brompton Borough Roll Top Bag Large in dark grey (that goes well with the colour of the bike). I also have a Brompton Borough Waterproof Bag Large that doesn't need the rain cover when the wet stuff falls. 

While taking the photo below a couple of private security guards on patrol in their miniature car (they all seem to drive around in these) could not comprehend why I had stopped to take a photo of my Brompton. 

My commute isn't especially long, being just over 4 miles but it is a demanding four miles and that really does make things of interest. There is about half a mile of incline and then another 3 miles of climbing. The last mile of that 3 miles is demanding to say the least. The remainder is a fast descent all the way to work. The reverse is rather better but there is that grinding half a mile or so to overcome. It is a route I have grown to like a great deal. 

This week it rained and then rained again! One of the days last week, thankfully on the way home, I was drenched to the skin. The rain fell so heavily that by the time I got home I was akin to a drowned rat. 

The next day the weather did not know what to do. It rained for a bit, the sun shone and then it rained for a bit more! A rainbow shone for a very short while and moments after taking this photo, it was gone to be replaced by yet more rain. 

The side of a rather posh property

It has been a few years now since I used my Brompton for my daily commute but now that I am back to it again, only snow and ice will stop me from doing so. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!