Blog – Rudy's Web Site

There are separate blogs for the nine main categories on this Web site: Family, Motorcycling, Scuba Diving, Shooting, Walking & Climbing, Photography, Astronomy, Programming and Web Design. This page is a single access point for all of my blog posts in any of those categories – including an occasional one which doesn’t fall neatly into any category at all – and they’ll be listed in descending date order regardless of the category they’re in. So if you’re only interested in Motorcycling or Shooting (for example), go direct to that category from the main menu above.

21-Nov-2024 : Solitary moocher dispatched
The last one was eight months ago and I thought we’d cleared the problem, so it was a surprise to spot a solitary rat mooching around under the bird feeders in the midday sun…
31-Mar-2024 : More rats in the garden
The little sods have dug holes under the gravel boards on both sides of the garden and are using our lawn as a thoroughfare between the houses on either side of us…
14-Mar-2024 : Night vision
Not really a blog post as such, but an update on the PARD range of Digital Night Vision units…
25-Oct-2023 : New ‘Woodworking & DIY’ page
I’ve added this page today and I hope to be posting a few of my woodworking efforts, my impression of some of the tools I’ve purchased, links to manufacturers and suppliers and also links to YouTube channels and videos which I’ve found particularly useful.
17-Sep-2022 : Energy prices!
Well it’s been a confusing few weeks regarding energy prices and Ofgem price caps, but I think I’ve managed to get my brain around the situation…
16-Sep-2022 : Wild animals in the garden
I’ve had a GoPro 3 for a few years and a PARD NV007A digital night vision scope with integral camera for about a year, and I’ve never really made enough use of either of them…
18-Jul-2021 : Sold: 2005 Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird
Sadly I’ve decided that my Honda Blackbird, at 255kg, is too heavy for me following the lower back and nervous system injuries I sustained in an accident in 2014…
03-Apr-2021 : Rat in the garden!
There’s been a rat mooching around the garden for a few weeks…
08-Dec-2020 : Web site revamp – Bruce seems happy!
I manage a Web site for a friend’s genealogical research and publications. About a year ago I noticed that I was no longer able to access any of the vast array of customisation options which attracted me to the Atahualpa theme…
23-Nov-2020 : Another Lacchin!
Sam and Rebecca are overjoyed to announce the arrival of their son, Jack Aldo Lacchin. Congratulations to all three of you and to grandparents Rick and Karen.
23-Nov-2020 : Italian accents (updated)
Differences in the way the variety of Italian languages are spoken and pronounced.
18-Oct-2020 : Sites for sore eyes
Ten of the most badly-designed Web sites I could find. Let me know if you have any more I can add to the list!
13-Oct-2020 : Early Photography
I’ve always been interested in photography. When I was very young Dad had a Zeiss Ikon camera which looked ancient even then and took monochrome 120 roll film …
05-Oct-2020 : Open link in new tab?
… or, “How I came to cure myself of a very bad habit”.
03-Oct-2020 : Ride To The Wall 2020
Sadly this year’s event has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus crisis, however the NMA have put together this Virtual Service of Remembrance for you to experience …
23-Sep-2020 : Babel all’Italiana
A fascinating look at the variety of languages which exist in Italy today – where they originally came from, and where and by whom they are spoken. Author: Patricia Corbett.
22-Sep-2020 : More rats!
A few more Welsh furries sent to the Happy Mooching Grounds in the Sky.
15-Sep-2020 : Blockquote CSS with Neve theme
I really wasn’t happy with the default blockquote style in Neve, so I set about modifying it …
14-Sep-2020 : Ghost break?
Your code compiles perfectly and has worked thousand of times before, but suddenly it starts giving you a nasty error message: ‘Code execution has been interrupted’. It looks like the one you get when you press Ctrl-Break or when your code produces an error which you haven’t trapped, but it isn’t either of those ...
12-Sep-2020 : Web page logging
This is the oldest bit of PHP in my possession, based on something I found on the Web about ten years ago but tweaked by me over the years to suit my purposes. It logs all accesses to a Web page …
11-Sep-2020 : Online PHP editor
As a fairly inexperienced PHP programmer, I tend to make quite a few mistakes. Not huge, catastrophic mistakes, just tiny little ones, ones which produce the wrong results or even stop the code running but which won’t bring a Web site down. Usually. But just now and again I do something which breaks one of ...
01-Sep-2020 : I killed my Web site!
Well done, me – I totally killed my own Web site yesterday. I feel stupid but I’m documenting the fix because it might save someone else an hour entering all the wrong search terms into Google and worrying they’ll never sort out the problem. So, what did I do wrong? Well …
31-Aug-2020 : Web site refresh
After becoming more and more dissatisfied with the appearance of my Web site and the frequency with which I was updating it, I decided a couple of days ago to give it a complete revamp. I don’t think many people are accessing it – or even know it exists – unless they happen across it ...
26-Aug-2020 : MS Office Automation
This is a list of the sorts of things that can be done using VBA as far as Office 2016 is concerned. I’m now on Office 365, so there may be slight differences in coding techniques for some of these things: I’ll update this note as I find them. This is certainly not an exhaustive ...
26-Aug-2020 : Neve – a new theme for the site
After putting up with my very clunky installation of Atahualpa, I decided to have a bit of a revamp of the site. Initially I thought I’d have a go at tweaking Atahualpa’s settings but the Customize option completely refused to take me to the customisation pages. I asked the Google… yes, other people have experienced ...
11-Jul-2020 : Starry Night Upgrade
I’ve been using Curriculum Simulation’s “Starry Night” (Digital Download Version 6) software since I bought my Celestron C6-N telescope in 2007. There were one or two minor upgrades but when I changed my home PC, I noticed the the re-installation of version 6.3.5 wasn’t downloading updates, specifically for C/2020 F3 NEOWISE which was just starting ...
14-Jun-2020 : Night Vision
After reading countless reviews and technical specifications, counting my pennies (several times) and being seduced by YouTube videos on the subject, I’ve just ordered a PARD NV007A Digital Night Vision Scope…
05-Oct-2019 : Ride To The Wall 2019
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
27-Apr-2019 : Francesco Luigi Lacchin – ‘Checchi’
Dad sadly passed away on Monday 27th April 2019 just three months after losing his beloved wife …
26-Jan-2019 : Ermellina Elena Lacchin – ‘Lina’
Mum sadly passed away on Sunday 26th January 2019 after struggling bravely with motor neurone disease for some time …
01-Jan-2017 : Melinbyrhedyn #5
A few days in the wilds to enjoy the New Year break. I deliberately didn’t take the Weihrauch as I had no intention of standing outside all day in sub-zero temperatures waiting for the canny Welsh rats to show their faces, however when I got there they were unusually brazen so I borrowed an old ...
06-Oct-2018 : Ride To The Wall 2018
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
07-Oct-2017 : Ride To The Wall 2017
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
31-Jul-2017 : Arcangelo Lacchin – “Angelo”
Sad news from Kent that my father’s younger brother Angelo Lacchin “Scazzotta” has passed away at the age of 90. Angelo was born in Santa Lucia di Budoia on the 31st July 1927. He leaves a widow Joan, two children Rick and Marina and two grandchildren Adam and Sam. Our thoughts are with them at this ...
01-Oct-2016 : Ride To The Wall 2016
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
15-Jan-2016 : Unwanted Bubbles: The Importance Of Safety Stops
If you’re a PADI-trained diver, your instructor will have explained to you the wisdom of a safety stop at the end of every dive. BSAC divers are given similar advice. What’s the rationale behind this? There are purely practical reasons for making a short pause before your final ascent. It allows you to double-check your bottom ...
01-Jan-2016 : Melinbyrhedyn #4
A couple more squizzers with the Weihrauch HW100S and 9.26gr H&N Baracuda Hunter Extreme.
03-Oct-2015 : Ride To The Wall 2015
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
05-Jul-2015 : Melinbyrhedyn #3
A couple of greys with the Weihrauch HW100S and 9.26gr H&N Baracuda Hunter Extreme.
23-May-2015 : Melinbyrhedyn again
They’re getting cannier! Just one shot all weekend with the Weihrauch HW100S and a quick kill with a 8.3gn RWS Superdome just forward of the ear.
05-Apr-2015 : Back to Wales
Back to Wales with the Weihrauch HW100S. Just one squirrel with a 9.26gr H&N Baracuda Hunter Extreme.
04-Oct-2014 : Ride To The Wall 2014
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
14-Sep-2014 : Elan Valley Bimble
I haven’t been to the Elan Valley yet this year so I decided to get a trip in before the winter arrived. So three of us – Sharon, Laurie and I – set off from Gloucester towards Rhayader. First stop was the café at Crossgates for a coffee, leg-stretch and a look at the shiny ...
24-Aug-2014 : Squirrel Pâté
Back to Kim and Jeremy’s in Melinbyrhedyn with the Weihrauch HW100S. The weather was colder but fairly dry compared to my last visit seven weeks ago, however Mr Rat was once again too clever for me: I caught one glimpse of him in the chicken house but he didn’t hang around to admire the accuracy ...
06-Jul-2014 : Barbecued Bunny
Back to Kim and Jeremy’s in Melinbyrhedyn but with the Weihrauch HW100S this time. Unfortunately time was limited, the weather was wet and the arch-rat was too cunning: although it was taking the ground bait all weekend – a mixture of olive oil, peanut butter and chocolate – I never even managed to get my ...
30-Jun-2014 : A Quick Bimble – Cirencester & Bourton
I had the afternoon off so Andrew Wallace and I went for a mid-afternoon blast to Cirencester and Bourton-on-the-Water. View Larger Map
22-Jun-2014 : Devil’s Bridge
Summer appears to have arrived at last! A scorching day and a nice brisk run up to Rhayader, stopping at Dom’s Bike Stop for breakfast, and then on to Devil’s Bridge and Aberystwyth where several hundred other bikers appeared to have had the same idea! Back via Talgarth and Abergavenny. Distance: 235 miles. View Larger Map
01-Jun-2014 : Ride of Respect 2014
Write-up to follow …
06-May-2014 : Horseshoe Pass, Llangollen
A nicely paced run up to the Ponderosa Café on the Horseshoe Pass, Llangollen, stopping at the Food Stop at Quatford on the way up and Dom’s Bike Stop on the way back. Unfortunately Dom’s was closed! Distance: 219 miles. View Larger Map
04-May-2014 : Black Mountains – Wye Valley Bimble
A nice day out with Laurie and Pete, starting with breakfast at Dom’s Bike Stop. On to Hay-on-Wye, Talgarth and the Oasis Café in Abergavenny, then via Monmouth to Tintern Abbey for ice creams. Chepstow, Lydney, back to Gloucester. If I could be sure of the exact route we took, I would post it here, but ...
13-Apr-2014 : Cotswolds Bimble
After disappointingly grey and dreary weather for our ride down to the BikeSafe Day at the Castle Combe Circuit yesterday, today looked more promising from the start, and so it remained for my first proper outing of the year since I sustain a slipped disc in my neck back in January. Just two bikes: Dave ...
30-Mar-2014 : Long overdue service!
I bought my Webley Eclipse Mark 1 when they first came out, so that would have been around 1988. I’d already decided I wanted an underlever gun rather than a break-barrel and the choices were the Eclipse or the Weihrauch HW77. Despite the good reviews the Eclipse was getting, the Weihrauch seemed the better choice: ...
16-Jan-2014 : Kill Zones (Rabbits)
This is a very good article about kill zones in rabbits: a shooter discusses where you should – and should not – aim when you’re shooting at rabbits, and why.
17-Nov-2013 : Kill Zones (Rats)
This is a very good article about kill zones in rats: Hector Medina discusses where you should – and should not – aim when you’re shooting at rats, and why.
07-Oct-2013 : Weihrauch HW100S
At long last I’ve managed to scrabble together enough spare cash to buy a pre-charged pneumatic rifle, Weihrauch’s flagship model, the HW100S in .177 calibre. Also a Hawke Sport-HD 3-9×50 AO IR telescopic sight. Details to follow …
05-Oct-2013 : Ride To The Wall 2013
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
16-Sep-2013 : Rats!
Visited Kim and Jeremy in Melinbyrhedyn and took the Webley Eclipse .177 spring-powered rifle to see if I could clear some of the rats which are plaguing their chicken run and bird feeders. Only managed four shots in three days but dropped three of the little furry nuisances, one on each day. Scope: Bushmaster 4×40 ...
29-Aug-2013 : The RoSPA Advanced Motorcycle Test
Examiner: David Collicott. Distance 43.1 miles. After five years, two false starts, three tutors and two check-out rides, the time had finally come for me to put my motorcycling abilities to the test, and at long last my cheque for £54 was in the post. Four weeks later I found myself pulling into a side road ...
18-Aug-2013 : Ride 4 Life 2013
In November 2008 Jason Handy lost his father to cancer. Seeing his father succumb to this awful disease he decided he wanted to somehow help the Cancer Research charities through fund raising and motorcycle riding. Jason has been an avid motorcycle fanatic for over 20 years and in 2009 decided to combine his love for motorcycles ...
16-Jul-2013 : Training ride #15
Tutor: Steve Kendall. Distance: 49.9 miles. Despite planning the route carefully in advance, we were diverted twice by the police in order to avoid an accident scene: http://incidents.glosfire.gov.uk/incident_detail.asp?ID=2565. (Hopefully the link won’t expire!) View Larger Map
09-Jul-2013 : Training ride #14
Tutor: Steve Kendall. Distance: 41.7 miles. Last week’s route reversed. View Larger Map
02-Jul-2013 : Training ride #13
Tutor: Steve Kendall. Distance: 46.5 miles. A gentle start through Hartpury, Tirley and Apperley; through Tredington and on to Gotherington and Gretton where the road gets narrower and twistier, and then into Winchcombe; and finally down Corndean Lane for a 5.7 mile stretch of narrow, twisty roads with blind brows and bends, tree cover, adverse cambers, ...
30-Jun-2013 : Ponderosa Café, Horseshoe Pass, Llangollen
A ride-out with the 4 Counties Bikers to the famous biker’s café located on the beautiful Horseshoe Pass, Llangollen. (Please don’t murder the Welsh tongue any more than you have to: Thlan-goth-lun is probably almost acceptable!) Write-up to follow… Distance: 241 miles. View Larger Map
25-Jun-2013 : Training ride #12
Tutor: Steve Kendall. Distance: 46.0 miles – with detours! Out to Stow-on-the-Wold on A/B roads, across to Toddington taking in a variety of minor and single-track roads, then down through Winchcombe back into Cheltenham. View Larger Map
17-Jun-2013 : Training ride #11
Tutor: Steve Kendall. Distance: 46.4 miles. Seven Springs – Cirencester – Stroud – Slad View Larger Map
16-Jun-2013 : Ride Of Respect 2013
Join up to 10,000 motorbikes taking part in a ride through Carterton and Brize Norton for the first time, to pay their respects to the brave Service men and women killed in Afghanistan and to thank the towns for their care of our heroes and their families. Now in its fourth year, the Ride of Respect ...
09-Jun-2013 : Abergavenny Motorcycle Show & Tintern Abbey
Vanda & I and Dave & Lyn – on a motorbike for the first time in her life – went over to Abergavenny for the Abergavenny Motorcycle Show. A return journey down the Wye Valley (A466) with a stop for ice cream in the shade of the beautiful ruins of Tintern Abbey, then back along ...
08-Jun-2013 : Elan Valley
Four of us – Adrian, Pete, Bob and I – set off from Gloucester for a bimble around the Elan Valley. First stop was Dom’s Bike Stop for a spot of breakfast. I can recommend the Indian Breakfast which has just the right amount of spices in it but as it’s vegetarian, you might prefer to ...
12-May-2013 : RBLR ride to RAF Museum, RAF Cosford
The Royal British Legion Riders Branch are organising a ride-out from the Wiltshire area to the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford on Sunday 12th May. The meet point will be at Strensham Services North (M5) at 09:30am for a 10:00am departure. Leaving the M5 at J6, the run will head up the A449 and A442 stopping ...
27-Apr-2013 : Training ride #10
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 59.3 miles. Gloucester – Ross-on-Wye – Coleford – Chepstow – Bristol View Larger Map
25-Apr-2013 : Pen y Fan by Moonlight
There’s a partial lunar eclipse visible from the UK on 25th April 2013 (19:51-20:07-20:23) and I’m hoping to take a stroll up Pen y Fan, the highest point of the Brecon Beacons, to watch it. As it’s always a full moon when a lunar eclipse takes place, head torches may not be necessary. The start point ...
17-Apr-2013 : RBLR (Glos) Ride-Out
A ride-out around the fine County of Gloucestershire. Rendezvous: 0900hrs. Westgate Filling Station, Gloucester. Depart: 0915hrs. Route: out of Gloucester down the A48, back up through the Forest of Dean, passing through Staunton, Tewkesbury, up on to the Cotswolds via Broadway. Stop at Stow RBL for refreshments. (If I know how many are attending they are prepared to ...
07-Apr-2013 : Prescott Bike Festival
The third Prescott Bike Festival: “Celebrate the diversity of two and three wheels – a fantastic day out for all the family where you can be the star of the show!” The venue can accommodate 7000 visitors so there will be plenty of general admission tickets but you can save 20% on the gate price by ...
04-Apr-2013 : Motorbike Parking
Pay-and-Display Parking Have you ever been in the position where you had to park your bike in a pay-and-display car park or on the roadside when a pay-and-display ticket is required? Did you have any real confidence that your ticket would still be there when the parking attendant came round and checked you’d paid? I used ...
03-Mar-2013 : Bringsty Café, Worcestershire
4 Counties Bikers “Spring Spuddle”. The ride leaves (somewhere) at 10:00am and arrives at the Bringsty Café “some time after that”. (See my list of bike stops for details of the Bringsty Café.) If they can’t accommodate our numbers at the Bringsty, an alternative location will be decided nearer the date. I’ll keep this post updated ...
03-Mar-2013 : Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership Annual Motorcycle Safety Day
As members of the County’s advanced motorcycling groups you are invited to Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership’s first Annual Motorcycle Safety Day on Sunday 3rd March 2013, 10am until 4pm. Throughout the day:- Accident Investigator & Prevention Manager reveals the facts behind riders getting injured and killed Former RAF pilot opens our eyes to the S.M.I.D.S.Y. Motorcycle Safety Coordinator unlocks ...
17-Feb-2013 : Charity Bikers’ Breakfast Meet
Breakfast meet to raise money for cystic fibrosis. Meet at The Rose & Crown, Redmarley D’Abitôt, Gloucester GL19 3NB from 10.30am onwards. View Larger Map
29-Jan-2013 : Getting ready for the new season!
Right, that’s the 12-litre cylinders delivered to Dive 90 in Cheltenham: the new one should sail past a visual inspection but the older one is up for a hydrostatic test and its ‘twin’ (purchased at the same time in 1999) failed a hydro two years ago. For more information on diving cylinders, download this very comprehensive ...
22-Jan-2013 : Protected content
This little PHP snippet allows you to selectively display content to users who are, or who are not, logged in.
21-Jan-2013 : Get rid of the WordPress ‘Howdy’ greeting
I know there’s a plugin which will get rid of that irritating ‘Howdy’ greeting but here’s a simple snippet of PHP which will do the same thing.
08-Dec-2012 : Training ride #9
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: not recorded.
05-Dec-2012 : Accessing the Visual Basic Environment (Excel)
Save your workbook before you proceed any further. If you’re using Excel 2007, you’ll need to make sure it’s saved as a macro-enabled workbook (*.xlsm). Keep this copy as a backup: VBA code can be extremely destructive and there’s no Undo facility to fall back on! Select Developer > Visual Basic from the Excel ...
02-Dec-2012 : RAF Defford Café, Croome Park
A cold but dry and sunny morning, so Dave Walsh and I took the opportunity to get the bikes out and go for a spin. From the Longford Inn, Gloucester, we went up the A38 to the old RAF Defford base where they’ve opened up a café and visitor centre (click for more info). A ...
17-Nov-2012 : Training ride #8
Tutor: Mike Wescott. Distance: 52.9 miles. View Larger Map
11-Nov-2012 : Chipping Sodbury
A trip down to Chipping Sodbury with the Four Counties Bikers to take part in the Remembrance Day service. Distance: 67.4 miles. View Larger Map
10-Nov-2012 : Bourton-on-the-Water
A ride-out to Bourton-on-the-Water to meet up with a few chaps from Four Counties Bikers for lunch at the Kingsbridge Inn. Distance: 48.4 miles. View Larger Map
07-Nov-2012 : Riverside Café, Tenbury Wells
I took the day off work to practise The System with another prospective RoADAR Associate, Sharon Hammett. We rode up to the Riverside Café, Tenbury Wells (large fry-up and hot, strong tea, then came home via the Market House Café, Ledbury (fruit scone with lashings of cream and raspberry jam). Distance: 96.7 miles. View Larger Map
04-Nov-2012 : ICARE course
The Gloucester RoADAR have been offered some free First Aid for Motorcyclists courses. Details are below. We already have some attendees: should you wish to join us, please email chris.harrison@gloucestershire.gov.uk. In the event more than 10 people volunteer, places on this course will be on a first come first served basis, although it is highly likely we ...
03-Nov-2012 : Lock Inn Café, Bradford-on-Avon
A ride-out with the Four Counties Bikers to one of their favourite spots, the quirky Lock Inn Café in Bradford-on-Avon. Return via a tea/coffee stop at The Boathouse, Bath. Distance: 120 miles. View Larger Map
27-Oct-2012 : Training ride #7
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 60 miles.
14-Oct-2012 : Training ride #6
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 40 miles.
06-Oct-2012 : Ride To The Wall 2012
A fantastic day out, as the Ride To The Wall always is. My son Mike was able to join us and we welcomed Dave Walsh, Pat & Sharon Hammett, Dave Messenger and Dale Messenger for the ride up to Drayton Manor Park for the start of the ride. Distance: 160 miles. View Larger Map The Ride To ...
16-Sep-2012 : Training ride #5
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 70 miles.
28-Jul-2012 : Training ride #4
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 65 miles.
15-Jul-2012 : Training ride #3
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 62 miles.
07-Jun-2012 : Over The Alps
Over The Alps – June 2012 Well, the big day had finally arrived! We’d started planning this trip a year or so ago but I didn’t really think it would come off until we got to the point where we had to start booking the channel crossing, hotels, etc. We’d been counting down the days and ...
04-Jun-2012 : Training ride #2
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: not recorded.
20-May-2012 : Training ride #1
Tutor: Stephen Wilkinson-Carr. Distance: 40 miles.
08-Apr-2012 : Severn Bore Run
There are just two sets of ‘three-star’ Severn Bores in daylight hours between April and November this year: the second weekend in March and Easter weekend, Sunday April 8th (10.25am) and Monday April 9th (11.06am). I was out of town for the March ones but I organised a ride-out to watch the one on April ...
18-Mar-2012 : Ride of Respect 2012
18-Mar-2012 : Ride of Respect 2012
01-Oct-2011 : Ride To The Wall 2011
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
03-Apr-2011 : Afghan Heroes 2011
03-Apr-2011 : Afghan Heroes 2011
02-Oct-2010 : Ride To The Wall 2010
Charity fund-raising ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire and memorial service. Go to http://www.rttw.org/ for more details (opens in new window).
14-Mar-2010 : Afghan Heroes 2010
14-Mar-2010 : Afghan Heroes 2010
20-Apr-2008 : Gloucestershire Police “Better Biking” course
I’ve just completed Gloucestershire Police’s “Better Biking” course which took place over two consecutive Sundays recently. It was very good: the lecturer, PC Martyn Hillier, has 30+ years traffic experience and an amusing delivery style with no concessions to the sole lady in the group, i.e. the occasional bit of Anglo-Saxon ...
15-Jan-2008 : Osvaldo Lachin – “Aldo”
I regret to announce the passing of my father’s elder brother Osvaldo (Aldo) Lachin “Scazzotta”, restaurateur and pater familias, born in Santa Lucia di Budoia on the 30th of July 1924. My uncle had been in frail health for a while and passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Ledbury, Herefordshire …
13-Sep-2007 : Gwenda Schettini
My Godmother Gwenda Schettini suffered a stroke on the 4th of September 2007 and passed away peacefully on the 13th. She leaves two sons and two daughters: Yolanda, Philip, Stephen and Maria.
19-Dec-2003 : Tidenham
The housing for my Canon Powershot A70 digital camera arrived about six weeks ago after about two months on the waiting list of Robert White Camera Specialists in Poole, Dorset. I’d had one abortive attempt to try it out at Brixham a couple of weeks ago but the visibility had been truly awful …