Roadside Cairn

On my recent trip north, and about three miles west of the Dalwhinnie Distillery, I spotted a cairn a short distance from the road and stopped to investigate and take some photos.

The cairn is a dedication to a 19th Century piper and teacher, Calum  MacPherson.

Calum Piobaire at Dalwhinnie

More information on the life and times of piper Calum MacPherson can be found at The Calum Maclean Project.

Sam The Record Man

I recently came across this photo from, I think, the 1970s online and it looked kind of familiar.

I did  bit of searching and came across this photo I took on a trip to Toronto in 2016 of the same shop front. 

The cops were arresting someone which was what made me stop and take the photo. Of the cop bike, not the actual arrest, as that was none of my business. 

I liked the 'americana' feel of the scene, despite it being in Canada. I have seen it said since that Toronto is the most American city in Canada.

Boots For Dancing

Something a little different for today.

On a recent trip to London for a concert my wife and I paid a trip to Camden Market. While there we popped into a large store selling Dr. Martens in all their current varieties.

If you don’t know them, Dr. Martens are fairly utilitarian, unisex footwear popular with the young and the not-so-young. I’ve worn ‘Docs’ on and off for most of my adult life. They are comfortable, hard-wearing and used to be fairly affordable before they became fashionable. I still wear them on the bike in the summer months and, in fact, on this occasion, coincidentally, both of us happened to have a pair on.

The store was much as you’d expect, so I wandered away a bit as my wife browsed the merchandise and right at the back came across a room set up with a smallish stage and sound equipment. That would be unusual enough in a shoe shop, but it was the glass cases around the perimeter that really caught my eye.

These appeared to form some sort of museum exhibit and were full of memorabilia and footwear showing how Dr. Martens were synonymous with, and an integral part of the British music scene from the 70s onwards, and in particular, the early punk scene. 

The items on the Sex Pistols and, particularly, The Clash must be worth a small fortune to collectors of such things.

I spent a happy ten minutes or so wandering around looking at the exhibits and internally reliving parts of my misspent youth. After that, I didn’t feel so bad about being dragged around the shops.

“Always wear shoes that are good for running or fighting” - Joe Strummer / The Clash

Where There's Brass

(Via: Instagram)
 

Blowin' In The Wind

Triumph Daytona 500

(Via: Twitter)

Woodstock

From Life magazine. Anyone hazard a guess as the make and model?

Weekend Roundup

Betty Bitch

Vince Ray and The Boneshakers
Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In

(Via:raucousrecords)

Rock 'n' Roll

Elvis Aaron Presley

(January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)

Jumping Jack Flash

(Via: piratetreasure)

Music to Ride to

On the night of May 29, 2013, Rush drummer Neil Peart will perform with his bandmates, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, in front of  6,300 people in Glasgow. That afternoon, Neil commutes to work on his BMW 1200 GS motorcycle, via a muddy singletrack in the Cairngorm Mountains. He tells us why (LINK)

Out & About In Ireland

Rally Sticker

Another weekend, another weekend away. This time to Ireland for the Irish MZ Section's annual camping weekend at Ballacolla, Co. Laoise. This involved a very early start, a long haul to catch a surprisingly empty ferry to Larne in Northern Ireland, and then another long haul down the motorway to Dublin and points west. In all, it’s about 350 miles, not counting the ferry crossing.

The Ghost Ferry

There were, like me, a number on other makes of bikes, but the MZ boys are a fairly tolerant lot and you'll be made welcome no matter what bike you show up on.

Royal Enfield Bullet

BMW F800GS

Moto Guzzi Nevada

This year there were more MZ Rotaxes (Rotaxii?) than I've seen in one place for quite some time.

MZ Rotax: NRX500, Saxon Country, Silver Star, Saxon Country, NRX500

Traditional MZ ETZ250

MZ Skorpions and a Jawa 350

As we are located quite a way out of town the organiser and area rep, Big Jim, had organised a local taxi firm to take us to and from the pub in a mini-bus. 

Mr & Mrs Big Jim on their NRX500

For some reason known only to him the pub we’re taken to is rather run-down and seedy. The sort of place where you are advised to wipe your feet on the way out. It does, however, have the benefit of being mostly empty so that we can pretty much take the place over.

Anyway, this year, the landlord had decided to give us all a break from Guinness and had bought in cases of assorted ales from a local micro-brewery. As you can see from the picture he has a healthy respect for the quantities of beer which we can put away.

Sean on guitar

As in previous years, guitars were produced and songs were sung. The owner of the pub loves this bit and shushes anyone who dares talk during the songs. Then back for a nightcap and seemingly endless rounds of toast.

Sunday morning comes too soon, and its time to pack everything away and say your goodbayes. Same time next year, guys?

Everything you need for the retun trip