I bought one of these "Thumper" XT500 Yamahas in the mid 70s when they first came out.A 500cc single,very simple,just an engine with a wheel at each end.
I used it for roaming around the country lanes and the blat of the big single cylinder engine doing its stuff was always a pleasure,the speed quite adequate for any type of road.The only fly in the ointment was the too small a tank so one was perpetually looking for petrol stations. I ran it for a year or two then changed it for an SR 500.Same engine but in road bike form.Big mistake ,the SR was without character and not a patch on the XT and as a road bike not as good as the old Velocette Venom I used to own in the sixties,neither one thing or the other.I sold it and went over to rather boring multis. Many years later I again got the urge for a bit of single riding and bought a 500cc Indian Enfield Bullet...Least said the better.
Sunday 31 May 2009
Saturday 30 May 2009
Friday 29 May 2009
Silent Films
Corinne Griffith 1928 I am posting this clip mainly cos I like the dubbed on music,mind you Corinne Griffith is fearfully attractive
Thursday 28 May 2009
my secret friend
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Tuesday 26 May 2009
GET TO KNOW YOUR HIGHWAY CODE
How it was when I took my test,how it you were supposed to change down,brake, steer and give your handsignal all at the same time without running down a policeman was never fully explained.
I passed mainly because a man fell off a bus in front of me and I did a proper emergency stop without killing him. Got every thing else wrong though...
Monday 25 May 2009
From mill to pile
Sunday 24 May 2009
Saturday 23 May 2009
Friday 22 May 2009
Thursday 21 May 2009
EARLY CARTOON
One of my first cartoons,published by the Daily Express in 1955 during a national rail strike. Due to me messing about I gave up cartooning after about five years and did dispatch riding which was more fun then gravitated into a very bad antique dealer with a shop (The Saturday Shop) in the Portobello Market.
THE BLOG AUTHOR
Bottom left hand corner.Taken in the mid 30s. I dont remember this photo being taken but I do remember the tent,the smell of grass inside,the diffused light and being told it was the latest and best tent as it had a flysheet.My crazy parents let us sleep in it out in the garden during the battle of Britain and waking up to the sound of dogfights overhead.
Wednesday 20 May 2009
DISCOVERY
Go here http://yetanotherbloomingblog.blogspot.com/ for a lovely blog but dont forget to come back.
Tuesday 19 May 2009
HOW IT WAS
Not a traffic light or road marking in sight,just plain common sense....See how they all wore hats and did they all walk like that? No sound track to this one so you'll just have to hum along to it.
Monday 18 May 2009
Sunday 17 May 2009
TRENET
Been with this all my life,first a scratchy old 78 then an LP then a tape then a CD then YouTube...I dont have one of those little machines with wires to your ears that you walk around with...
Saturday 16 May 2009
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