Donald King

Cycled tonight and felt great - did 13.21 at an average of 12.24 mph and that was with my top front ring out of use. Weather was warm and clammy but no wind. Only 32 days to go and then I will be leaving from somewhere in London to cycle to Paris.

I am please to say that the Wiltshire Air Ambulance has secured some more funding and this will keep them in the air for some time in the future - will find out all the details and let you know. It is so wrong that such a vital service depends on public support - hence the reason I am trying to raise as much money as possible for them.

Have been eating Soreen Malt Loaf as part of my training and would recommend it to everyone - it is really great tasting and such a great snack when on the bike. Will be taking many with me and many varieties when I go on my cycle.

Fitted a new rear tyre to the bike as last weekend I got a puncture and have also fitted a mirror for safety. Talking of safety some more Health and Safety rubbish in the papers recently which gives us professionals a bad name – why does common sense not get a chance – Monkey puzzle tree to be cut down as kids may get spiked with their needles. What next from the Gestapo safety – nettles might sting so let us get 12 million council staff out to cut them.

Take care and stay safe.

bought new phone to allow me to do basic wrtng on cycle. Take care and stay safe

Bought my tent today - really splashed out and bought it from Asda for I think £12 - this is more that 1/2 th e price from specialist shops.  I know it is probably not the same quality but I do not expect it to be raining or windy in the beginning of July in France.  Hope I am not proved wrong.  Next big and final purchase is a sleeping bag - looking for one that is light and when folded small to fit on luggage carrier - guess I need to try everything on bike to see how it all fits together and to identify best way to pack for easy cycling.

Still looking for camp-sites on route but so far not with any luck - still several weeks to go yet.  If anyone knows of site very close to Dieppe please let me know so i can get in touch with them.

The route from London to Newhaven has not yet been finalised as I am still trying to find the route with the least hills as I am over the hills in more ways that one.  Hills and me do not go together so therfore it needs to be as flat as possible.

Did a short cycle today and was very pleased with my performance. 

Take care and stay safe

We had some  friends staying over for the weekend and they very kindly took us out for a meal - could be they did not fancy sampling my cooking again.  We went to Hunters Hall just outside Dursley and had a lovelly meal - if you are ever in the area it is well worth a visit.  With my meal I had 3 large glasses of red wine - Vanessa was driving.  I am sure that this is a wonderful training aid and will think of doing this again.

Went for a short cycle today only 6.9 miles and did this at an average of 12.2mph and going down Taits Hill I reached a staggering 36.4mph.   As you can see with the additional detail I now have the cycle computer working and will be able to check more detail.  The cycle was good - very hot day, but I managed the two hills better than at any other time - does this mean that I need several glasses of red wine on a daily basis or would my weight baloon to many stome more than it is at the moment?

Watched the Grand Prix today and really enjoyed it - at least we had some overtaking and I thought Hamilton drove a very strong race.  With all the rule changes you would think that they would come it with a format that makes it more equal and overtaking becomes the norm rather than a rare event.  Max Mosley is still hanging on but I hope for the good of the sport he gets kicked out very soon.

It was difficult cycling in the full heat of the sun but at the end of the day it is better than rain and wind - heat is probably the weather I am going to get in July in France.

Take care and stay safe

Thank you to Alex Sloan who has very kindly donated £20 towards my charity cycle.  It is really appreciated and the Wiltshire Air Ambulance will put it to good use - like many charities they struggle to find the money they require to keep going and people like Alex make a difference.

Alex is a teacher and I am sure if I had teachers like her when I was young I may have actually enjoyed school, and learned something as well. 

Below I have put something you may enjoy - it says a lot about the UK,

Take cre and stay safe

Subject: Passport Application

Dear Minister,
I'm in the process of renewing my passport but I am a total loss to understand or believe the hoops I am being asked to jump through.

How is it that Bert Smith of T.V. Rentals Basingstoke has my address and telephone number and knows that I bought a satellite dish from them back in 1994, and yet, the Government is still asking me where I was born and on what date?

How come that nice West African immigrant chappy who comes round every Thursday night with his DVD rentals van can tell me every film or video I have had out since he started his business up eleven years ago, yet you still want me to remind you of my last three jobs, two of which were with contractors working for the government?

How come the T.V. detector van can tell if my T.V. is on, what channel I am watching and whether I have paid my license or not, and yet if I win the government run lottery they have no idea I have won or where I am and will keep the bloody money to themselves if I fail to claim in good time.
Do you people do this by hand?

You have my birth date on numerous files you hold on me, including the one with all the income tax forms I've filed for the past 30-odd years. It's on my health insurance card, my driver's license, on the last four passports I've had, on all those stupid customs declaration forms I've had to fill out before being allowed off the planes and boats over the last 30 years, and all those insufferable census forms that are done every ten years and the electoral registration forms I have to complete, by law, every time our lords and masters are up for re-election.

Would somebody please take note, once and for all, I was born in Maidenhead on the 4th of March 1957, my mother's name is Mary, her maiden name was Reynolds, my father's name is Robert, and I'd be absolutely astounded if that ever changed between now and the day I die!

I apologise Minister. I'm obviously not myself this morning. But between you and me, I have simply had enough! You mail the application to my house, and then you ask me for my address. What is going on? Do you have a gang of Neanderthals working there? Look at my damn picture. Do I look like Bin Laden? I don't want to activate the Fifth Reich for God's sake! I just want to go and park my weary backside on a sunny, sandy beach for a couple of week's well-earned rest away from all this crap.

Well, I have to go now, because I have to go to back to Salisbury and get another copy of my birth certificate because you lost the last one. AND to the tune of 60 quid! What a racket THAT is!! Would it be so complicated to have all the services in the same spot to assist in the issuance of a new passport the same day? But nooooo, that'd be too damn easy and maybe make sense. You'd rather have us running all over the place like chickens with our heads cut off, then find some tosser to confirm that it's really me on the goddamn picture - you know... the one where we're not allowed to smile in case we look as if we are enjoying the process!
Hey, you know why we can't smile? 'Cause we're totally jacked off!

I served in the armed forces for more than 25 years including over ten years at the Ministry of Defense in London. I have had security clearances which allowed me to sit in the Cabinet Office, five seats away from the Prime Minister while he was being briefed on the first Gulf War and I have been doing volunteer work for the British Red Cross ever since I left the Services. However, I have to get someone "important" to verify who I am -- you know, someone like my doctor...
who, before he got his medical degree 6 months ago WAS LIVING IN PAKISTAN...

Yours sincerely,
An Irate British Citizen

Yesterday was a good day - sun was out, no wind and it felt as if summer was here - at long last.

Went for a cycle round the lanes of Berkeley and I think I cycled 19 miles at an average of 14mph which is fantastic.  Checked the distance on gmaps pedometer but will check using the car today.  I did not think I cycled that fast as I had just went out to enjoy the cycle and not to think of training. If  miles are correct  it suggests that I am getting fitter which is good news for the London to Paris cycle.

As I was cycling along people looked happy so the sun does make a big difference to our lives.  Saw many butterflies on the hedges and bees on the flowers - it really is nice.  When driving you miss all the small animals, and insects and do not really get to see the plants properly - with cycling you can observe them more closely and it is easy to stop when something special catches your eye.

Back to work tomorrow which is a bit of a downer - it is good to be off for a few days.  Finally managed to cut the grass yesterday so garden is looking good for sitting out and having a few glasses of wine!!

Take care and stay safe

Vanessa ran the Bristol 10k yesterday and did really well. Today she has no aches and pains so that is good.. Vanessal is continuing with the training as she is hoping to run the Bristol half marathon in September - I do not know where she gets all the energy from.

Vanessa works, looks after her horse, dogs, cats, fish and me and the two boys - in addition all the normal housework running after 3 males in the house. At the moment Vanessa is losing weight, (Idont think she needs to) and it is all going very well.

Does anyone know of a campsite anywhere very close to Dieppe as I arrive at 2300h and do not want to cycle around looking for somewhere to stay. Would appreciate any help you can give.

Take care and stay safe

Good day today - went for my first cycle for a long time and covered 19 miles at an average of 12mph - pretty good.  Well at least it makes me feel good.  Weather was dry and just a little wind - hopefully it will be like this (could manage it to be slightly hotter) for the sponsored cycle in July and then for the two weeks holiday.

Bike is staying well as Allistair done a good job in putting it together - it certainly feels much lighter so hopefully this will help.  I have found a route on the net from Dieppe to Paris and it looks to be quite good - it certainly has a few challenging climbs and thankfully one or two hills going down as well.  It always seems more climbs than descents irrespective of where you cycle.

Vanessa is hoping to do the Bristol 10k on Bank holiday Monday and she is very nervous about it.  I wish I had the energy to do all the training she is doing and I wish I was half as fit.

I hope if the weather stays nice so that I can go for another cycle tomorrow.  I am intenting to do a 60 mile cycle this month.

Have booked the train from Paris to Calais, ferry from Calais to Dover, and just have to book the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe for me and the bike.  Another job  for the weekend.

Grass needs cutting, garden needs tidying, wine bottles need filling, car needs washing - guess I will just take it easy and think about them - no point rushing in too fast and having an accident of heart attack!!

Nearly recovered from my near fatal bout of Man Flu - IT JUST SHOWS YOU HOW SERIOUS MAN FLU IS -  has lasted 1 week.  Ladies are so lucky they are not afflicted with this terrible condition, especially as it does not have a cure!!   The nearest medicine to help is regular glasses of Alcohol and some peace and quiet.  No doubt the person who finds a cure will be knighted as this is a major condition for many men all round the world.

Take care and stay safe