Dreich but memories keep us powering through

 Dreich is an old Scots word, I think it sums up the current situation perfectly, Dreich means wet, miserable and a feeling of "what a crap day" its a mixture of emotions and well summed up by this word which probably emanated from the days when we lived in huts along with the animals in the winter (the cows and goats adding to the warmth in the small bleak house. I can imagine our ancestors (well my Scottish ones) looking out of their stone built dark dreary and very smelly house and hoping when they opened the door it would be bright and at least not raining to allow them to get out and enjoy the fresh air and seeing the gloomy rain and sleet and sighing another dreich day. My Italian ancestors though would probably look out and think, Christ it's sunny again, wish we had rain for the crops!

Whatever way you look at it today in Perthshire (and much of the UK) is Dreich, there is though hope, Spring is surely not too far away, the vaccine rollout gives us hope for normality of some sort and sunny days and Motorcycling is surely almost here. I will dip into politics briefly, when we get released from this what seems like eternal imprisonment we should campaign to stop ALL politicians, and talk of, mention of and reporting of what these overpaid dickheads are doing for at least six months, just six months with no interference, no doom and gloom, no arguing about stuff that is a load of pish anyway.

Six months of sunshine and enjoying ourselves, wouldn't that be great?

Todays blast from the past is a trip we did in 2007, leaving Edinburgh and catching the Channel ferry that day, riding down the west coast of France, along the bottom, over the Pyrenees to Andorra and Spain, back up though the middle of France and home, I was on my Triumph Sprint RS, Fiona on her new ER6, The ER6 was serviced just before we left and needed another service when we got home, 3000 miles in a week ! great times!

End of day beer!

Beertime

Tent time

Sandwich time

Bikes well loaded

Linxe obviously, I was looking for a job

Empty

Nae job so time to go

Nice sculpture

Another stop

Heading towards the Pyrenees 

Empty town, cars looking dated

The road to Andorra, braw but cold (May)

At the top, to cauld tae tak the helmet aff

Into Spain and its warmer

Could feel the temperature rising with every mile

Posing on a deserted road

Snow in the hills

Warm equals happy

Sandwich stop again

I am missing this

small village, big tower

Millau, bridge in the far view

We took the old road under it and stopped in Millau

Multiple photos taken

Stopped here, the wifie cleaned our helmets whilst we ate, braw

Warn

Spring so the trees not out yet

Penultimate camping in Le Mans

Reflecting on a hard but great week

Bikes spattered wi flies

At Calais, waiting on the Ferry, I had a sair back and neck , it was pissing doon, we had over 500 miles to do when we got to Dover, wiz I happy? You betcha