This sign now sits where I used to park my bike at work.

Canary Wharf have removed virtually all of the free motorcycle parking areas around the Wharf due to their desire to build on every available inch of land.

First of all the areas at each end of Ontario Way went so the power station there could be enlarged. They set up a temporary bike parking area under Westferry Circus.

This was the temporary bike parking area. It was very temporary it lasted three weeks.

After they put up the signs I parked here for a couple of days. Until I found a "parking enforcement warning notice" stuck on my bike.

This is the one remaining free bike parking area. It is now rammed with bikes and scooters.I thinks it's days are numbered aswell.

My Sv650s, looking a bit sorry for itself lately.

It is highly likely that having to pay for parking will mean getting rid of the bike :-(

The Riverside developement that caused all this.

I took this picture because they dug a big hole and appear to have uncovered a wall!

This is where I park now. Well technically in the carpark underneath.

WTF?

I have been paying to park for a few weeks now and unfortunately the bike will have to go. This may seem a bit harsh and I'm quite sad about it but it was inevitable as we are in need of a second car and the fact that there is a possibility of a job role change for me later in the year which would mean not being able to use the bike for work.

I have been commuting by bike for 20 years and what has upset me the most is that I'm being forced into giving it up by a money hungry corporate real estate company.

Long time no see.

Back in October I wrote about an old friend finding this blog and contacting me, well Mark is in the UK for a couple of weeks and we met up for the first time in 10 years last week for a beer or three.
Recalling the stories and our lives from the past was great, we chatted about our sadly departed friend Bryon. On Monday we visited our old Kung Fu club. I actually trained for the first time in years and it didn't kill me, a fact I was surprised at.
It was a bit of an old boys club reunion as a few other faces from the past turned up aswell and Mark and I accompanied by another face from the past, Richard (who has got his whole family interested in martial arts now and they've travelled the world for their son to compete), went to a pub in Romford market place where we met up with Bryons daughter and her friend.
I'm hoping to go to another training session on sunday with Mark before he returns to singapore on tuesday. If I can go I'll try to get some photos.

Shit happens

Car issues 1: knocking
we have had a bit of a knocking noise from the steering in our Ford Galaxy when turning the wheel hard. Bazza (who used to be an AA and RAC patrolman before he joined the glamorous world of photocopier repair) told me its the CV joints that need replacing. I got the following quotes
Ford main dealer £ 726 for both sides, couldn't do it until around the end of this week.

Delacourts garage, Blackheath (no where near me but highly recommended family business) £331 for both sides, couldn't do it until 18th april.

Nationwide Autocentre (recommended by the AA) £200 all in for both sides and they could do the job on good friday.

£200? seemed a bit cheap to me but they could do the job before the week end and the car was now undriveable so in it went.
Then the problems started,
"we can't get the old joint off"
"we got the wrong part, but there's another on the way"
"the other part is wrong aswell and all the suppliers are closed now for Easter"
We were meant to get the car back on friday and as off saturday it still wasn't done and wouldn't be untill tuesday. Knowing that the cost will have gone up now owing to all the hardship they have had I asked what the cost would be now?
"currently £454" and they hadn't started the second side yet.
"£454 FUCKING HELL! that's a bit different from the £200 I was quoted"
"oh yeah well, Fords you know, expensive etc etc blah blah"
Tuesday morning. " the (3rd lot of) parts I got from Fords were wrong aswell but I've got the right ones on their way"
"I'm a bit concerned about the cost (understatement of the week)" I asked.
"when I get the parts and I know the price I'll break it all down and do the best I can for you"
Tuesday afternoon. "I've got the parts and we are fitting them this afternoon"
"so it won't be ready today then?"
"er, no. but as a good will gesture because we have had the car for so long I'll knock off an hours labour and charge the parts at cost so that'll be a total of £354"
Well, given that I knew £200 had to be wrong, £354 is not bad (half the price of the Ford dealer) and all the hassle with parts wasn't their fault, shit happens so I'm happy with that. The fact that the garage made a concession and knocked money off without me neeeding to complain is a sign of good service. Well done Nationwide Autocentre, Romford.
As I type this I still haven't got the car back though, but I'm assured it will be ready for me to collect when I finish work today.

Car issues 2: The MOT is due in a month. It definitely needs 2 front tyres (around £150 from Costco) I really hope it doesn't need anything else as all this car expense is seriously eating into my new bathroom fund.

Car issues 3: This is the real pisser. Last week when Wifey was at work some dirty little-hoody wearing-low life-chav-scumbag keyed the car. Yes the little toerag ran a key the whole way around it. Every panel except the drivers door is scratched. A moments boredom for a chav has caused thousands of pounds of damage to my car.
If I had a fancy Porsche or something you could say it's jealousy but a people carrier with child seats in it? The unpleasantness I wish to visit upon the perpetrator is immense.

Space Rhinos on the moon

Oh yes! Doctor Who is back.
Great opening episode and the new assistant is smart, sassy and very hot!. Don't get me wrong Billie Piper is a babe but I struggle with the blond hair and brown bushy eyebrows look.
Also I finally managed to watch the final episode of Primeval, the time travelling dinosaur show that featured Hannah Spearit (from Sclub 7) in her pants nearly every week. A very good ending, with neat twist, this series got better every week.