November 2013 in the Life of Ben (Blog)
Jive Night at Rivoli Ballroom (16th November 2013)
Promoted here: Jive Night at Rivoli Ballroom. Cycled ~10 miles each way to attend it. Sumptuous hall filled with well-dressed dancers. And also me.
(More to follow.)
(Photos to follow.)
Bow Roundabout Cyclist Protest (13th November 2013)
After a string of serious injuries and fatalities, London Cycling Campaign organised a 1,000 rider protest at Bow roundabout this evening.
I wish I had attended. Then again, it was 7 cold miles away on busy roads during a dark evening rush-hour.
46th Scalextric Club (5th November 2013)
One of my favourite classes, Rally & Touring Cars, take to the track at London Scalextric Club tonight.
It was a good turn-out so we used all 6 lanes and ran for 2.5 minutes each race.
Green Lane
Seemed to be lacking power.
| Fastest Lap | 11.39s |
|---|---|
| Laps: | 12.05 |
| Position: | 5th |
| Crashes | 0! |
Brown Lane
| Fastest Lap | 10.21s |
|---|---|
| Laps: | 13.75 |
| Position: | 6th |
| Crashes | 1 |
White Lane
Felt like I had no control.
| Fastest Lap | 10.34s |
|---|---|
| Laps: | 12.90 |
| Position: | 6th |
| Crashes | 2? |
Blue Lane
Better but still poor control.
| Fastest Lap | 9.75s |
|---|---|
| Laps: | 14.05 |
| Position: | 5th |
| Crashes | 0? |
Yellow Lane
Felt great at the start but thr slightest inaccuracy and I would crash.
| Fastest Lap | 9.93s |
|---|---|
| Laps: | 13.65 |
| Position: | 4th |
| Crashes | 3? |
Red Lane
Lesser braking force helped control. Still tough and can’t push. Lots of performance can’t be accessed. At least I didn’t crash and got my best result of the night.
| Fastest Lap | 9.53s |
|---|---|
| Laps: | 14.15 |
| Position: | 6th |
| Crashes | 0! |
Finals!
Throttle was sticking. Retired from 1st round.
Squashed Cycle Computer (04th November 2013)
It bounced out of the holder due to a hole in the road. Pretty normal moment but the computer had been getting a bit loose recently. This knock was enough to land it in the road.
Retraced my steps to find it had landed in between the wheel tracks of the near side lane.
Couldn’t get out to it before the next wave of traffic drove through. There was a BMW straddling lanes (typical) and that put its wheels over the computer. Squashed the poor thing while I stood helplessly. The case was mostly intact but the screen was split and would not display any data.
Fireworks at Alexandra Palace (1st November 2013)
Fiona navigated us to a perfectly placed cycle hoop, just outside of the nearest entrance. Steep hills to ride there but the 8-speed hub on her Globe and the middle ring on my Secteur got us up, slowly but surely.
The display lasted about 20 minutes and was great! Many displays focus solely on the visuals but this had a lot of sound, with whooshing rockets and crackling sparkles.
It also featured a laser show, painting circles and spots and lines across the front of Alexandra Palace. This was a surprise as the promotional e-mail was focussed mainly on the logistics and didn’t mention the content of the show. Perhaps it was better as a surprise?
We watched from the corner where Tier 2 joins Tier 4 and had a fantastic view, clear of the trees! Just one couple were in front of us so we had a direct view of all the display. The natural slope of the hill makes this an ideal location, as Fiona remembered from previous years.
There was a strong wind which made me glad to have wrapped up, with anorak and full inventory of woolly gear.
(Photos to follow.)
Goldfrapp Concert with Lazers! (1st November 2013)
Extraordinary experience, seated in relative comfort on the upper deck of the Hammersmith Apollo. Wasn’t sure what the expect and was amazed by the music, the light show and the melifluous voice of Goldfrapp herself.
They started with songs from the new album. Fiona and I think we’ve heard one or two on BBC Radio 6 Music recently. They seamlessly blend electronica with almost classical music to create a truly unique sound. It takes the style of my favourite Goldfrapp albums to a new level so might be suggested as an Xmas present!
(Photos to follow.)