WARM AND SUNNY MANILVA ON TUESDAY;

TUESDAY 18^th/ MARCH 2014.

We have awoken to another glorious day here in sunny Manilva, the sun is out, it’s going to be hot by lunchtime and the temperature is due to reach 24/25degs! - yesterday afternoon we both sat out on the roof terrace, reading.listening to the local radio and enjoying the warm sunshine – more today!

After breakfast I went around to the butchers for some English-cut Pork Chops for tonight’s supper, I’ am baking them with glazed ‘Fuji’ Apple slices and we are having the rest of the ‘Boulangere’ potatoes with a mixed dish of Carrots, Baby Turnips and cut Green Beans; on Wednesday we are having Fillets of Breast of Chicken pan-fried in foaming Lime Butter with a dash of Balsamic vinegar – dry sautéed sliced thick-cut Baked potatoes and Garden Peas – then Thursday is going to be a find something in the fridge day before Fridays ‘Fish Night’

At lunchtime we went for a lovely walk around the village passing on the way the small stationery shop in Calle Loboto as you can see in the picture above.

This weeks episode of ‘Great Continental Rail Journeys’ with Michael Portillo on the preview it showed its about Switzerland trains – it reminded me of our holiday there back in 1955 with my mum & dad – we went on all sorts of trains especially the narrow gauge mountain ones, so I’ am really looking forward to seeing the programme.

Back to my early days with my dad cycling around the lanes of Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales; my dad was a member of the ‘Mersey Roads Club’ – it happens to be the 90^th ‘Birthday’ of the club this year! It’s famous for its 24hr race on the Wirral and into Cheshire when the riders race for the full 24hrs – the winner being the one with the longest distance!

My dad in his racing days always wore all –black and took part in many of the famous longer distance races like the ‘Bath Road Hundred’- his hero was the legendary ‘Tommy Simpson’ who died tragically on a famous stage of the ‘Tour de France’ He also used to be a track racer and taught me to ride and stand still on the pedals on the concrete banked track of the ‘Bootle Stadium’ opposite Walton Jail!

He had three bicycles, a dark Maroon ‘Carlton Catalina’ fixed wheeled/low geared racer that I learned on how to stand still on the pedals when sprinting, an Golden ‘Ally’ light weight Aluminum 16 geared and a local bike from a Liverpool maker called ‘Harry Quinn’ – all handmade to his specifications!  My dropped-handled gold five geared special bike was also handmade for me at the age of about seven! 

We used to go over to the ‘Fallowfield Stadium’ in Manchester to watch the great ‘Manchester Wheelers’ most famous ‘Reg Harris’ ride; he was the best sprint racer on the banked 30 degrees track and was the ‘British and World Champion’ over many years; very many happy memories over the early years riding my bike with my dads arm on my shoulder helping me climb the hills, just before we got back to our house in Trevor Road we used to stop and he would freshen and smarten me up so as when my mum saw me I would look all right and let me go out with him again!! Great Days.

Thought for the Day; See above.

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