Trip to Belgium and Italy.

[BluprintZ]

At the moment i'm waiting for the courier company to deliver my first passport.
It will be here between 09.00.am - 05.00.pm today!!
So i'm having to hang about until that arrives, unfortunately i have a million and one things to do yet, before the epic trip to Europe starting on Thursday dinner.
The bike is sorted as much as it can be, i had a dummy run on Sunday evening with the panniers, tank-bag and rucksack loaded with what i feel i need to take and everything seems ok.

I have one more Podcast session to record, edit and then send to Switzerland on Wednesday morning, although with the editing etc, it will more likely be around 4.00.pm. when it's all been up-loaded and sent.
My daughter is looking after my staffie and the house while i'm away, so i need to get a few bits`n pieces to make sure she has everything she needs for the next three weeks that i'll be away.
Tickets for the two F1 races and the San Marino round of the Moto GP race have been sorted, the ferry from Hull has been booked, so just the passport left to arrive and then i think i should be ready for the off!!
I'll be accompanied by my mate and his wife on their BMW GS1200.

I've started this as a new thread, so that hopefully i can keep it updated throughout the time i'll be away, plus i want to post some piccies when i get back.

So, unless i end up with some bronzed Italian beauty along the way...see you all in a few weeks time, we're due back on the 17th September, all being well.

G : ) :thumbsup:

[Albie]

Have fun George and you could almost pop into see us at Moezeke in belgium on your way home .Were there on 19th.

Take care and enjoy yourselves. Take plenty of pics and a diary.

[LouSCannon]

Good luck George, hope you have a good time and trouble free! Look forward to the pics!

[Paivi]

Have a great time during your travels!

[slob]

I'll be accompanied by my mate and his wife on their BMW GS1200
How embarrasing!

So, unless i end up with some bronzed Italian beauty along the way...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VFUViLvV26I/RqNT_AA8mhI/AAAAAAAAAG4/LW4HsIB5WEA/s1600/DG2.jpg

[Stafford]

The bike is sorted as much as it can be, i had a dummy run on Sunday evening with the panniers, tank-bag and rucksack loaded with what i feel i need to take and everything seems ok.

All three crumbs, have you packed the kitchen sink as well or just a spare engine :)
Have fun though, Grumpy and I are doing similar in a couple of weeks.

[BluprintZ]

The passport has just arrived, twenty questions on the doorstep, i don't know...tut!
Cheers Rob :rolleyes: i'll make sure they are a fair distance in front..or back! LOL.

I'll likely be dropping in on Paul (big red duke) just before we get to Hull, he's invited us for a cuppa before we get the ferry, plus Max (Pomp1) has offered help/advice while we are in Italy.

Have a brill time in Belgium lads`n lasses, i have to be back to the studio for the 18th to record the next lot of Podcasts, otherwise i would have liked to have met up with you all.
Never mind, roll on Arrow Mill 2010.

Take care,

George : ) :thumbsup:

[uksurfer]

have a real safe journey mate, and get some pics of the bike (and ladies) on here soon for us to see, dont forget they drive on the wrong side of the street! :thumbsup:

[chris yeatman]

take care mate and be safe,
any chance of pics, more ladys then bikes or hills please. lol

[Liz]

Hope your 'epic' journey goes well George - take care and come back safely! :thumbsup:

[BluprintZ]

Well, i got back from Belgium this afternoon, so i'm obviously not going to make San Marino or Monza.
The reason?
I had a small accident when i got back to the boarding house, after we had spent the day (Saturday), at Spa for qualifying.
The owner of the boarding house kindly let us use her garage to park the bikes in.
The entrance to the garage has gravel leading up to it, at an angle.
So on Saturday, when we got back from quali, i was riding the bike into the garage, when the rear wheel spun sideways on the gravel.
I put my leg out to steady the bike and it seems that i have pulled a tendon in my groin.
I rested on Sunday and watched the race on TV, in the boarding house, my friend and his wife went to see the race live, as planned.
So on Monday morning ,it was decided that it would be foolish for me to carry on down to San Marino, even if my leg was feeling much better, as if the injury did get worse on the way down, or even when we arrived, then it would cause problems much worse than being nearer home, as i was in Spa.
The leg is still sore, so i shall see the doctor tomorrow and see what he advises, although i'm sure that it will be a case of resting and not over-doing things, until the injury heals.
So that, i'm afraid, is that, although i did enjoy the qualifying day, so that was something i suppose, plus each day was a scorcher, no rain at all.
I'll post what pics i took there, although there aren't that very many.
To cap it all, my mate and his missus phoned me from Lake Geneva this afternoon!

G : ) :grump:

[uksurfer]

Glad your home safe mate, shame about your trip though, i take it the bikes not damaged then?
I'm sure your friends will have a good time still and sure they'll rub it in when they get back! :mand:

[Albie]

Well, i got back from Belgium this afternoon, so i'm obviously not going to make San Marino or Monza.
The reason?
I had a small accident when i got back to the boarding house, after we had spent the day (Saturday), at Spa for qualifying.
The owner of the boarding house kindly let us use her garage to park the bikes in.
The entrance to the garage has gravel leading up to it, at an angle.
So on Saturday, when we got back from quali, i was riding the bike into the garage, when the rear wheel spun sideways on the gravel.
I put my leg out to steady the bike and it seems that i have pulled a tendon in my groin.
I rested on Sunday and watched the race on TV, in the boarding house, my friend and his wife went to see the race live, as planned.
So on Monday morning ,it was decided that it would be foolish for me to carry on down to San Marino, even if my leg was feeling much better, as if the injury did get worse on the way down, or even when we arrived, then it would cause problems much worse than being nearer home, as i was in Spa.
The leg is still sore, so i shall see the doctor tomorrow and see what he advises, although i'm sure that it will be a case of resting and not over-doing things, until the injury heals.
So that, i'm afraid, is that, although i did enjoy the qualifying day, so that was something i suppose, plus each day was a scorcher, no rain at all.
I'll post what pics i took there, although there aren't that very many.
To cap it all, my mate and his missus phoned me from Lake Geneva this afternoon!

G : ) :grump:

Sorry to hear your slightly injured and spoilt your trip. Maybe because you wern't there is why our boys got took out.
Glad you made it home though safe and just rest the leg mate.

[CK & AK]

Oh what a bu88er George! :cry:

One silver lining - means if you are recovered by the end of next week, does it mean you'll pop along to Anglesey to see us like last year?
We'll be arriving on the Thurs late afternoon (11th) and not leaving till Sunday 13th sept :)

CK

[Capo]

Well at least you didn't walk into a rave being held at your place :mand:

[bigredduke]

Really sorry to hear that George, but discretion is probably the best part of valour in this case. Glad you could drop by on your way to the ferry, hope I didn't put the mockers on your trip.

[LouSCannon]

That's a bugger to hear George mate, you sure it was the back wheel and not one of those sneaky rabbits?! ;)

Good to hear you're back safe anyway mate, watch that groi strain, good friend of mine sprained his groin skiing, it somehow got infected and he spent several months unable to walk with a very swollen groin... and he was a Ju Jitsu instructor... so it could be worse! :)

[Pomp1]

George, sorry to hear that mate! get yourself back fit soon!

[BluprintZ]

Cheers for the shoulders guy's.
The bike is fine Martin, it ran like a top, mostly at a steady eighty mph, it seemed to like cruising at that speed.
Spa itself, i found it to be quite Bohemian, lots of people outside in the warm evening air, drinking, eating and chatting, not a chav in sight!
On the subject of eating..., i'm thinking my face was quite a picture on the first morning at breakfast, at the lovely boarding house, that was across from the garage that we stopped to fill up at, five miles out of Spa.
My mates missus spotted the makeshift sign on wall of the house, so we knocked and was greeted by a really nice Belgian lady...who didn't understand much English but we got by, mostly by pretending we understood each other.
I digress...the breakfast!!
Ham, cheese, salami? and lots of various spready, sticky things for the bread.
At that moment, my shreddies seemed a million miles away...well, in Wales anyway.

I got used to riding on the other side of the road quicker than i expected, i thought it seemed a bit more natural than the left side that we drive on, although it could just have been a psychological thing, `cos i was there?
The other road users were pretty courteous i thought, i especially liked the way they put their hazards on when the traffic starts to back up, for whatever reason, plenty of warning, nice one.
I enjoyed what time i spent there, the track was awesome, the sound was ear-splitting and i wanted my money back when Jens and Lewis were shunted off, although i was happy for Kimi and Gianfraco, well deserved result for both of them, although it would have been brill to see them both battling with Kimi and Franco, shame!

Charlotte: all being well, i shall bring the sun to Anglesey as i did last year...and also to Spa, it seems.
I shall need a first class ticket, plus some of the team stickers you promised at the weekender, PM me with any info mien luv : )
Is Rob spannering again?
Capo: i half wish there had have been something to lift the spirits, i also got feckin' soaked ten miles from home, thank you Jimmy god!
Cheers again y`all for the support, **** happens but not all was lost, innit?

Paul: Many thanks to you and your mental family for the cuppa's and info, your eldest daughter thinks she is a mountain goat, she told me so after she leapt past my head over the chair, very impressive mate : )

Regardez,

George the cripple!

:)

[CK & AK]

George - we are in a big shortage of tickets mate as might not have enought to get ourselves in!
This is cos the 1098s isnt going to be racing - just the M800, so only 3 tickets likely to come for that one (means I might have to hide in the back!!!)
Nick is on the spanners working with AK as usual (but it was great of Slob to step in last year for this one).

C :)

[J_Dub]

Sorry to hear that george! How you doing now?

[BluprintZ]

Yeah i'm ok John, cheers mate.
Bit of a bummer but there ya go eh?
Too risky to carry on looking back, although obviously now i'm back home, i'm fairly pain free.
G : )

Charlotte: No probs luv, i'll deffo be there on Sunday, i have a client in next Saturday for most of the day, so by the time he's gone, it'll be too late to come over.

G : ) x