Back from the Wilderness

Hi Folks!

I'm back from 10 days and 10 nights in the wilderness - no phone or internet
access - no telly, no radio... it was a big step back in time to do a
chairmaking course using traditional tools and methods. Was great fun, but
incredibly hard work!

Have spent the last 2 days catching up on a couple of hundred emails and 10
days of dirty laundry (actually the laundry wasn't that bad - everybody
pretty much wore the same clothes for several days in a row on the course,
so there wasn't TOO much washing....)

So anyway - I collected the Sportie from the dealer yesterday. It certainly
is a 'different' ride... After years of hearing "HDs? They don't go, don't
stop, don't corner" I was very very nervous about riding one. Have to say,
though, that it feels pretty good.

First impressions? Comfy seat. Vibrations through the footpegs give me a
nice foot massage, ha ha ha! Amazingly torquey down low, but it also gets up
to a decent speed. The concept of the rev limiter is weird. I like the
alarm/immobiliser it comes with. Bloody heavy. Beautifully stable at very
low speed. I keep forgetting which gear I'm in, and the gear ratios are
WEIRD! It's lovely to be confidently flat-footed at stops. Corners make me
nervous.

So... so far, in my heart I am missing my SV, but in my pelvis I'm knowing
that I'm doing the right thing - and it's bloody great to be back on two
wheels! And I'm sure that when the Sportie's controls and quirks become
second-nature, I'll love it as much as any other bike. I guess the
'honeymoon period' on a new bike is always a little nerve-wracking - but as
long as I take 'Piglet' out every day, I'll soon get used to her and learn
to love her.

betty

 

Next time will you tell us before you go?! [stern dad look]
Believe it or not, your extended absence was a topic of conversation
at parties, and we were wondering whether to start looking for you in
hedges.

Post picture of chair, please. And Piglet.

 

Next time will you tell us before you go?! [stern dad look]
Believe it or not, your extended absence was a topic of conversation
at parties, and we were wondering whether to start looking for you in
hedges.

Post picture of chair, please. And Piglet.

Oops, sorreeeee!

Not sure how to post pics here. I wonder whether this will work:
http://tinyurl.com/3kpro6g

and the chair (which is actually called a double bow Windsor chair):
http://tinyurl.com/3eyegsd

betty

 

That one didn't work at my end.

That worked. NOICE CHAIR !!!

=================

Onya bike

Gerry

 

Hmm, wonder why not.... ok, try again with this:
http://tinyurl.com/42fjtyj

Any better?

<bowing> Thank you I feel very clever!

betty

 

well as a chair maker you are clever. That's not to say you are not
clever at...
....
....
Um... everything?

 

Chairs... yeah OK I guess But that Sportie sure looks the goods. Love the
colour and understated tank decals
And whats with the Budgie mask? Is that a "Screaming Eagle" accessory ?
Any tats yet, just asking.

Capt. A. L.

 

On 07/20/11 11:25 AM, bikerbetty wrote:

Yup!

It looks nice.

Much joy of it.

Yeah, the chair is pretty neat, too!

How many days of not washing did it take?

Is not washing a precondition to doing clever stuff with wood, or is it
just a witchy type thing?

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Yep. Much better. Belt drive, eh? Good one. ;-)

But the coulour... Shouldn't girls have pink bikes? g,d,r.

And so you should. It's a bloody fantasic effort as far as I'm
concerned.

=================

Onya bike

Gerry

 

Why the excitment it is only a gurlies bike

 

lol, didn't realise the mask would be visible. My daughter & I had
great fun making masks to go to a 30th birthday a couple of months ago. I
haven't got the hang of moving things around in Picasa, or I would've put
that pic somewhere else!

Funny you should mention tats.... Perhaps now I have a Harley I can save
myself squillions of dollars - have spent over $700 so far on laser
treatments to get rid of a tat (so far it's only faded a little) - maybe I
should leave it there!

betty

 

It was a 10-day odyssey, and absolutely bloody freezing! You'd take all your
layers off at once, and leap into the shower, then, in the morning, pull on
the pre-assembled layers as quickly as you could whilst hopping up and down
on the freezing lino.

Well I suppose we all showered, and changed our socks & undies regularly,
but it seemed pointless to change our outer clothes regularly - we were
thoroughly smoked each day by the open fire, and too cold to sweat, no
matter how hard we worked!!! But oh it was such fun!

betty

 

And where is "there" ???

=================

Onya bike

Gerry

 

on my, um......





blog! heh heh heh!

betty

 

What an interesting place

Huh ?

 

Wowsers.
I've been a woodwork teacher for 32 years now, and may I say:

*************
"Bloody Ripper!"
*************

Well done.
....and an *English* teacher....
....and no power tools!
....and a Harley rider.

Sheesh.

 

"bikerbetty" <bikerbettyatgmaildotcom> wrote:

Nice use of the pun !!!


Cheers

 

How djou bend the bendy bits?

 

Steam bending. The wood sits in a wood-fired steam bath to soften it, then
it's bent and pegged on a form. It's hard work and a bit tricky, coz it has
to be done quickly (you have about 4 minutes before it becomes too hard to
bend any more), and the wood fractures sometimes.

betty