A Marshals tough life

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Race day Wed 31st Aug 11

Travelling marshal at Douglas Rd corner Kirkmichael
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

VMCC my best in show

WW2 Norton despatch riders bike complete with blackout headlight and possibly original oil streaming out.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Murrays Museum

Tucked away near to Castletown is this gem. By way of a welcome change from all the total restorations coming out of the back of vans everything here is exactly as it was when collected. The same is true of the eccentric blokes running this chaotic jumble of truly historic treasures. One of them lives in Kate's Cottage up on the Mountain Course and owns the well which runs downhill to supply the famous Creg Ny Baa pub. In heavy rain peat turns the water brown and the pub has to change filters in the big green tank in the car park. Meanwhile, back at the museum, you can go up to the loft area and make yourself a cup of tea from the kettle, help yourself to biscuits, sit around in the old sofas and listen to their stories. People bring their dogs along too. It's all done on trust in typical Manx style. No signs telling you how to behave and very few locked up items in cabinets. You wander round and it is left up to you to respect unique artefacts in machinery, clothing, magazines and sundry lumps of bike bits. The many race bikes are just as they finished their last race so you can feel what their era was like. A great story surrounds the Ray Knight Triumph triple racer on show in gloriously scuffed up condition. This was bought at auction as a random box of triple bits in 2010 for £2180. Neither the buyer nor the auctioneers realised what they had got. It turns out to be authenticated as number 4 of only 12 full works original Triumph Triple racers ever made. Real worth is whatever someone would be willing to pay for it.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

VMCC Concours Competition

And now here is Ethel in the VMCC Concours Competition - unbelievable !
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

My Dutch mate Repko

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

VMCC iom timed lap

Yeehar Ethel did it ! Required av speed 24 mph actual 23.343 will we get a prize ?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

VMCC lap of IOM

Ethel all set to go, proper vintage bike !
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Marshalling at the Manx Monday 29th Aug 11

Turned up early at Douglas Road corner Kirkmichael to find no one there. Standing there in my very new Marshal's hi vis top a German rider pulled up to ask what time the roads would close. I efficiently responded in German to give him the wrong time - oops - 30 mins too soon.
The very chummy Marshals arrived and I was assigned to Mit from Nordern Eyerlund. Up the road we went to stand in the drive of a bungalow - the door opened and a friendly voice immediately asked " Is it tay or caafee ? " Yup a houseful of Mit soundalikes.
And so to work. We were the flag station for the downhill swoop into the right hander into flat out Kirkmichael village and also had the track radio. My job was to man the blackboard ! As a mainly classic bike meeting breakdowns and oil leaks are common. So when notified a smoking bike is coming Mit holds out the black and orange STOP sign and I chalk the machine's number on the board and hold it out. Not needed all day then right at the end of practice following racing a smoky bike appeared and by us all by itself !
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Sunday 28th Aug 11 Ethel in the Jurby paddock

Ethel waiting with her number on in the Jurby paddock for the first of her 3 track sessions. Videod last 2 sessions so will upload when I learn how. Stunning day of fun, the absolute bollocks. We were faster than some but slower than many ! Didn't get my knee down but wondered why my foot was getting hot before I realised it was touching the track.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Ballacraine marshals Sat 27 Aug 11

Just after the Newcomers race and waiting for the first practice bikes to come through
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Manx GP Sat 27th Aug 11

It must be a bike trip ! Opened top box at first fuel stop and lock flew out - now back to lid secured with strap.
Steam Packet make you pointlessly stooge around with no cover for an hour or so before boarding. Of course it bucketed it down with rain so gloves which stay dry on the bike are now soaked. Those in groovy replica leathers are looking very glum. Aha now we are in the dry the rain has stopped. Cmon let's go !
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Manx GP jitters

Just one more day and away we go. The excitement of it all has been cooled by the tragic death in practice of Neil Kent 2010 Lightweight and Goodall trophy winner. 25 years experience in the I0M yet something went wrong at Greeba.RIP.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Tom Tom for the Isle of Man

Downloaded the UK and Ireland map which says it covers part of the Isle of Man. Great news is that it does cover the Mountain course. Just what I wanted to see what is coming up next through all those tree tunnels, blind bends and crests. Wonder who the first race newcomer to use one will be !
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Still learning about Ethel

Did a quick 300 mile zip to Sussex and back today only to find out in the dark and drizzle that I had set the headlamp way too high when replacing the latest blown bulb. Until this roadside moment the built in headlamp height adjustment knob has stubbornly refused to turn thus making guesswork of the setting. In anticipation of this I pushed the base of the headlamp down and whoopee the knob turned and we have easy adjustment. No idea why but no complaints.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Manx GP VMCC start number 135

Just got this years 2011 Manx GP programme and there we are on page 65 start number 135. A dream come true a start number on the Isle of Man for our combined ages of 87 !
Never give up on your dreams.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device