Monthly Archives: June 2013

Summer Solstice 2013

Long shot of silhouetted people walking across a field at night toward a light rig

A chanting barging smiling waving cider smoking laughing falling cheering stumbling whistling noodles hare hare krishna cider mandolin heaving rozzers chips dips spliffs lager lager lager shouting photos dancing mega mega lightning chanting shouting parking strip-search cider friends cider men in robes smoking cider cider kind of morning.

Atlantic Sea Wall, Surrey

Black and white photo of a tank with some kind of frame strapped to the front

Funny what you find on Google Maps when you’re looking for a pond that you may or may not have visited years ago. Long story. Today I found a section of Atlantic sea wall, sitting there all blown to bits and looking sorry for itself, which is somewhat unreasonable considering the important role it played in D-Day.

4 Lumps Classic MTB route

Path adjacent to field glows invitingly in the morning sun

The Surrey Hills area is a mecca for mountain bikers, with rich terrain offering something for riders of all abilities. I’ve been riding here on and off for about 5 years now, following a route originally downloaded from a site that’s long since disappeared. It’s a pretty tough tour taking in four of the highest hills in southern England, but includes a bail-out loop if you want to cut out Peaslake and The Hurtwood.

Time Machine backup over VPN

I like TimeMachine for its simplicity. Like most OS-X features it’s simple to configure and just works, but if your use case is slightly more advanced than most people’s then configuration can be less straight forward. Take backing up to a NAS for example. Not all Network Attached Storage devices can be used as TimeMachine disks, and those that do offer the service only do so on the local network. Or so I thought.

Small Bike, Big Ideas

Folding Brompton bike in front of a construction fence

Another impromptu cycle ride, another cause to wonder if small bikes can be used for touring. Audax fans will tell you that luggage isn’t necessary, so why not extend the minimalist theme to your ride? Temptation to plan a longer trip is fuelled by an ad hoc ride home from my new job. Maybe I’m just eager to get out after being cooped up for a couple of weeks, or maybe it really is possible to go the distance with impossibly small wheels. Either way, this itch needs scratching.