Monday 26 July 2010

To Longford Lake and Westerham in Kent...

It was certainly a bit of a retro weekend for Andy and I as we retraced, on Sunday, our old route to Westerham. On Saturday we went to the Longford Lake in Chipstead (Kent) and our total mileage was over 50 miles (Andy clocked 51.5 miles so my distance must have been similar).

We decided to revert back to our original start time at the Green (7am as opposed to 7.30am) as the days are long and the weather's warm – so apologies to anybody who, having read the blog, decided to join us for a cycle at 7.30am, we were long gone! Andy and I were worried that the Saturdays might have read the blog and decided to join us on a cycle. We had visions of crowds on the green and disgrunted Saturdays wondering where the hell we were, but, as we returned to the green after cycling the best part of 32 miles, there was no sign of any disturbance or any straggling reporters and photographers, so we both assumed taht the Saturdays hadn't bothered. Shame as the tea was particularly good this week and so was the conversation.
Megrahi: And for murdering a plane load of innocent people – no charge!

We kicked off with current affairs and the killing of an innocent bystander by a G20 copper. This one was actually captured on film assaulting newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson who eventually died as a result of the assault. It goes without saying, of course, that PC Simon Harwood – the man responsible for the unprovoked attack – was let off. Let's not forget the innocent Brazilian killed on Stockwell Tube Station and how the senior policewoman in charge, Cressida Dick, note that surname, was awarded a Queen's Medal – and who can forget the recent case of the Libyan terrorist, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, a man responsible (and jailed) for murdering a whole Jumbo jet load of innocent passengers, being let off on 'compassionate grounds'. What? Click here for more details on the Tomlinson killing.

Blair: If he says that BP were not involved in the release
of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, then surely, the company wasn't
involved. It's not as if Blair has ever mis-led the public.
In the case of al-Megrahi, Tony Blair – the man who claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction – said there was no link with BP, the oil company that has ruined the environment in the name of profiteering. The Americans, quite understandably, smell a rat – who wouldn't if Blair's involved? – but either a cover-up will work (likely scenario) or we'll find out soon that the disgraced oil company was involved (result!). For more details, click here.

It all makes me wonder about law and order in the UK. I mean, if a man can be let off for murdering a plane load of people over Lockerbie in Scotland, why can't Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, be released? I mean, he only murdered 13 people; or Dennis Nielsen or Ian Brady – the maths don't add up. All I know is that if I went into Tesco's and swiped a can of beans, I'd be sent down.

Frodo: Set to resign from BP and walk away with an
estimated £12 million. I wonder if he'll give any of it to
 the Americans to help clean up their beaches?
The problem, of course, is quite simple: the British people just sit back and let these injustices happen and fail to respond aggressively enough to get things changed and bring the authorities 'to the negotiating table'.  We need a more confrontational attitude in these matters, otherwise the police and unruly companies like BP, will continue to get away with it.

But enough of this rubbish, it's all miles to depressing. Let's get back to the cycling. We went down to Longford Lake (Chipstead, Kent) and sat there drinking tea and flicking teabags and then we headed home, having discussed the BBC's Top Gear programme. We both like it, but can't stand it when they try to make out that it's all so spontaneous, when, quite clearly, it isn't. I mean, Clarkson having an ice cream while Hammond and May tip his 'motor home' over the cliff – as if it wasn't planned! They must have cleared it with the authorities and the police otherwise, well, I mean, what if somebody was on the beach below? Who cleared up the mess? In other words, Top Gear, don't treat us like imbeciles.

Saturday was a good 32-miles and then, on Sunday, we went to Westerham, which is around 22 miles there and back. We sat on our usual bench, sipping tea, trying to remember when we last visited this quaint Northern Kent village. Subjects under discussion: setting up a microbrewery in a French chateau purchased with money won on the National Lottery – nice fantasy. In the Guardian's Saturday magazine there is a great column entitled Wreck of the Week. This week it was a French manor house in 17 acres of ground in the Dordogne. Lovely! And all for just £400,000! Nice! Except that we don't have four hundred grand. Still, we have our Kona mountain bikes, our flask of tea and our cereal bars so life ain't that bad.



2 comments:

  1. Whilst I was in England I heard a comedian say "Putting Blair in as envoy to the Middle east was like putting a mosquito in charge of a blood bank"

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