11th December 2014

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Thursday 11th 37F, 3C, heavy overcast, wet and sometimes very windy. Possibly with wintry showers. It doesn't look much like the sunny periods on offer by the DMI.

Google going down the Tube? As a lifelong detester of TV advertising I was delighted to see that Facebook now has more videos posted than YouTube. Facebook wisely [allegedly] avoids advertising on top of these videos. The idea that you can actually place advertising on top of other's unpaid creativity is a damned good reason for Google going down the [You]Tube if you ask me! Though I am very sorely biased.

My irritation at having to watch visual diarrhoea on YouTube, prior to watching every video, is matched only by the BBC News Advertising Platform. Where I have to pay a whole half minute, in pounds of human flesh, to watch every "newsworthy" video on their website. Not only that, but the same advertising video is repeated ad nausea [sic] prior to every "news" video. Just to add to this dire state of affairs the advertising sponsors of the BBC News website are often highly dubious. IMO. Asian airlines flogging off their flight attendants as cheap prostitutes seems to be quite a regular feature. Perhaps it is Google's targeted advertising trying to drive me crackers?

The BBC News egotists correspondents seem to have become major celebs in their own right. Their self-importance [and serious lack of skill] at repeating extremely dodgy arm movements, mocks any pretence by the BBC at caring [a jot] about the real events taking place in the background. I am often surprised that such suggestive hand movements are even allowed before the watershed! I blame the Torrey Canyon disaster for all of this! Give a man a rowing boat to walk and talk in... and he thinks he rules the [TV News] outside broadcast waves. If I see another news correspondent "trying their hand" I'll scream and scream until I'm sick! <sigh>

So, what has all this to do with tricycling? Not a lot, but I'm pedaling as fast as I can in decidedly inclement weather. It sleeted and rained heavily all day. While the fleeting sunshine could be measured in mere seconds. Only a short ride in rain on sopping wet roads. With streams rushing across the road from farm entrances. More of a crosswind most of the time. My socks remained perfectly dry in the NW MTB boots. So that's alright then. Only 7 miles.

Friday 12th 37F, 3C, overcast, raining and windy. The forecast is for continuous rain with storm force winds later. I seriously doubt it is worth going out today. Fortunately the promised storm, named Alexander by the meteorological Swedes, was a non-event for us. At what should have been the peak with gusts to over 50 mph the sky was clear and there was no sound of the wind. Better though, to have no storm than for it not to be forecast in advance.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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