2018

So few people were interested and I am not surprised but am really astonished that so many did read them. I enjoyed doing it

So this year the Two Bob Tourist has emerged. Twobobtourist.blogspot.com

I had hoped to post more interesting pictures but Apple seems unwilling 

Hope that changes 

Home again

In hindsight this was not what I had expected at all.
I got very sick. Two weeks of half life. Lost weight lost strength lost balance in fact I got old !
I soon realised I was not really strong enough to ride a 200kg bike.
The smart idea was buy a car and that got to be a challenge so while I was recovering and looking I should try to rehabilitate. My new knee is a failure. Uncomfortable not working well and interrupting sleep. My health was in the dumps so the remedy was to start walking
My great Grandfather was a walker before moving to the "colonies".  I had read part of his diary which I would love to see again but I felt sure he would have walked the South Downs Way so I started.
Not what I had hoped for an apparent legendary right of way. Neglected overgrown muddy poorly signed and overall a major disappointment but I like a challenge and probably chalked up over 60 miles of the 100 total distance but also chalked up another 100 in other routes round Kent and Sussex.
So not by any means all bad. Some of it was inspiring. Some of the people wonderful and I hope to meet again and some walks were uplifting.
And my health improved fortunately. And my love of the Bike returned. I will find a car for the future but I will also find rides that I can enjoy before I hang up the helmet.
So 2017 was a success. I will become a walker as much as a rider. I will look to walk again in the UZ and then to explore EU assuming they let me.  And finally I am so grateful to the people, Michael and  Gordon and some kind Air BnB hosts (there are some despite the ABnB system being tragically flawed), and some walkers along the ways I traversed, the people to whom I just walked and talked to who after the initial surprise shared some lovely stories. Fellow drinkers and diners which were numerous and again after the initial "who is this"  shared stories and made my trip more memorable.
Finally to BMW sort out your business. It is to care for our bikes, and the great flaw in on line commerce is not a model to pursue where every customer can be monetarised. Fitting new tyres and ignoring a fault light is not a service. Misinterpreting instructions in writing is not service it is immoral and BMW should take a look before they destroy their trust.
That was my experience maybe it is the new financial model ?
Au Revior, Adios, and hooray for 2017.

UK service

This country has more problems than Brexit.
Nothing gets maintained. No one listens. There is no service.
Example.
I stayed at a small Pub called the Jack and Jill in Clayton in Sussex
It caters for walkers on the South Downs Way.
Do you have a washer for walking clothes. No.
After some cajoling the Chef said  he would do it. And dry it.
Half way through the wash the machine broke down apparently. The dryer was not working either. So on the point of departure I was handed a bag of wet clothes soaking in detergent. (Smelt like acid).
I expressed my disappointment but apparently the Chef who got a bit prickly was overruled by his boss. The boss is the large person sitting in the dining area doing the books and glowering at people.
So I tried to make up for my let down by booking into a "flash " pub in Winchester with a Spa and I requested a massage and pedicure (after 100 miles of  trails) I needed one.
The check in took half an hour. Can't take cash cards only accept credit cards so you cannot run a tab.
Travel warning Cash cards have been a negative experience.
And the Spa ! Well nothing at all available for two weeks. What a bloody joke.
Oh at this showpiece, and England the home of beer does not have a local beer on a pump. It's all pressure kegs with Major brand fizzy beer mostly made who knows where.
And while on Beer some local small breweries still make excellent beer. But they actually still  sell Fosters on tap.
So what's good. Some beer. Some pubs but not the caccommodation Pubs they are all run down.  And are they expensive OH yes beer food bed, all expensive.
So what's the option Air BnB well that's a disgrace as well. No sensible pricing, no standards, no supervision. However I did have some delightful stays oddly for a reasonable price. Really good people. So my complaint is with the system really it sucks.
Country lanes are magic. Walk them or ride them just brilliant apart of course from the horse shit in abundance and the mud from those bloody farmers that give not a toss and make biking hazardous !
Hooroo.

Wednesday 23 rd at Clayton

If anyone thinks Air BnB is without risk think again.
I instant booked because English hosts regard this as a hobby. I will get back when I can so waiting a day to be told sorry I told Air Bnb to blank that out is maddening.
So I instant booked.
I was uneasy when I arrived, something was a bit odd, but who is perfect and what's the worst that could happen ?
I was in the attic and in the middle of the night a door slammed.
I went down the skinny steep stairs ( how they get consent is beyond me) to attend to the nocturnal pee only to find someone had left a jobbie on the floor in front of the toilet.
That was scary. Very scary.
Air BnB are the pits actually.  Did you know you cannot contact them ? They are unreachable. Office in London money laundered in Ireland.
Sadly most of the time the system works. I still use it and the billionaire owners get richer every time.
There are huge protests in Europe about Air BnB and yet no one is making a better mousetrap and there is lots of room to improve. 
Would someone please create a better system. 
So having moved I spent two days walking the South Down Way, again.
It is not all overgrown mud paths although some is. Some even have reasonable signs and once just once I found a sign that said where to !!!   Bloody amazing. A few other walkways give some information not many do. The paranoia of invasion !!
But walking the hills behind Brighton was pretty good.  I could even see the Seven Sisters in the distat haze.....I was walking there three days ago
I continue to meet wonderfully polite interesting people and that is huge fun. Even a lady on an Irish Cob horse named Clodagh. With a delightful rider. I then by coincidence  met a couple at the Pub who also had a part Cob Part Irish hunter. Same story, wonderful horse will aven do dressage if you can imagine a horse with feet the size of tennis racquets you get the image.
I have been rubbing my are since last Sunday when I went to the horse and dog show thinking I had contracted Lyme disease but in fact the stiffness is walking 10 miles a day is causing the stiff joints.
With luck I will get a massage tomorrow at the 'flash hotel' I have booked.
'That is something better to wake up for.
Oh by the way the weather is improving, it rains at night !!

21st Seven Sisters

Had not known that the White Cliffs of Dover went so far.
I had walked from Eastbourne the other daybut fell short of the rather majestic 7 faces of cliff known as the seven sisters.
So I returned to do the last bit today.
As usual met the nicest people French and a couple from Jerusalem who are walking in the Himalayas next and an English couple off to walk the Mont Blanc.
Good people out there doing it.
Meanwhile one jerk is loading up young idiots to go out and kil people.
We really at a FU world !
One idiot.  We have to be able to shoot people like this. It is stupid and being done in the name of Islam and they hate it as much as Christians Jews and agnostics do.
I truly believe the screen games that these kids are exposed to fail to teach them right from wrong.
We do live in a very disturbed and irrational world. The village I am in tonight was a dormitory that fed labour into industry. Now there is no industry. Small town UK is shutting down. The biggest retailer after Tesco is charity shops. Cancer, Red Cross, missions, Churches, Illness charities, health charities,  Churches, and they are falling apart too.
Built up to1000 years ago and the materials are starting to collapse. The few that attend can not keep up the payments.
The UK has more than Brexit to concern them but already I see the mood changing.
I will repeat, there will not be a Brexit there will be a Wesuva. (We screwed up vote again. )
The Pollies will find a way out. They have to. What is interesting is the economic victory they are claiming, production is up exports are up but fail to say the £ is through the floor so wait until the import bills come in and the returns from tourism. The country is full of tourists so the income would be 20% higher on last years exchange rate but pollies will tell you what they want you to believe.
And the Police tactics are the same here. Report an incident and the cars rush toward you to know who you are, where you live, date of birth, bath night, colour of your jockeys, do you drink or smoke oh and have you been to a foreign country recently ........?
Every one is a terrorist.
As the saying goes to a hammer the world is a nail !

Sunday

Today I went 'local' 

The local horse and dog competition at Firle. 

Local yeah about 150 horses as many dogs even a couple of Kiwi girls in the equestrian events. 

Cross Country Showjumping and Dressage. 

Terrific day really. 

And it didn't rain. 

I have not seen as many horse floats the size of a decent apartment. 

The Brit countryside is really special. 

There is nowhere I have been in New Zealand or anywhere else that has the beauty of "English" countryside. 

I did manage to walk the course as well about 3000 metres apparently, not 10 miles but pretty good exercise never the less. 

Better day today

Only rained once
Pitted my wits against the POM that wrote the book of wonderful walks. Again he won. I got lost again. I must walk 50% further by the time I have wandered the countryside looking for the next little disc that indicates a walking path. They are devlishcunning where they hide them.
No chance for an invading army because they only show a direction. Not to where, not how far, in fact very little thats is useful because having seen the general direction it is then a process of deduction as to where it may be and that doetimes involved  walking to both corners of the field.
But it is the way to see incredible wealth. These pathways sometimes go very close to some amazingly expensive properties.
I mentioned the fiftieth or whatever Lord Gage in his stately home. I have no idea who lived at the most georgeous Tudor style mansion with manicured grounds almost a small village of  housing for the "staff" new Bentley, Range Rovet outside the considerable number of garages.
How well some people live amazes me.
It is also s credit to them that they can retain that much property and keep it going but here is the rub.
According to my man Peter who voted retain,  no one has revealed what massive subsidies these 'farmers' get. His idea was it will be good to deal with the commonwealth again and good old NZ lamb for Xmas. I was a little concerned that the lambs we once produced is now milk powder.
However to beat that drum again I am now being listened to when I say a political solution will be 'found'  that allows everyone a victory, yeah right.
So tomorrow I return to the home of Gage to watch an equestrian event. Should be wonderful and if not the Ram Inn is nearby.
So the news is all about M Barrymore being acquitted and Bruce Forsyth passing.
Wow England thought a lot of Brucie.
I like rural England. Lots of old people of course but where stet here not, the usual Asian shopkeeper, yes even here but in the main a very white community.
I wonder for how long ?
The relentless march of Africans is coming through Europe including Spain who are getting what for at the moment. If these people were coming to integrate then perhaps maybe, but according to the times they are similar to Pacific Islanders in that they gone they work and the money goes home.  No doubt I will get a message from Gareth if I am incorrect.
Since I have bought up Politics I see the US pundits are op only saying it is the era of against. Which is my story too.
So what will Kiwi voters be against.
And on the matter of Kiwi I stayed a few nights with a man called Kivi and his partner. What nice people. He is a butcher Carpenter and I reckon capable of anything but from Estonia and I had a wonderful meal BBQ lamb and pork potato salad and fried saurkraut. That was pretty special.

We could do with more people like this. Can't understand why we take the dregs when people like this educated civilised law abiding, want to get out of Europe.