Thames Vitality

Here’s another interesting boat that I’ve noticed moored outside my flat a few times. It’s the Thames Vitality, one of two oxygenation barges built for Thames Water by McTay Marine. The Thames’s oxygen levels can plummet after heavy rain when storm pipes overflow and these boats are used to replenish oxygen levels in the river. This process helps to

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MTB 102

Living on The River I see lots of interesting boats pass my window but today was the first warship. It must have been on it’s way to Henley on Thames for the Traditional Boat Festival this weekend. Motor torpedo boat MTB 102 is a pretty little boat with an interesting history. MTB 102 was launched in 1937 and was the

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2013 Track Days

Given the arrival of Jr in August my track time was rather limited this year but I still managed to do another level of CSS and a couple of lovely sunny days at Snetterton; one of my new favourite tracks. The year started with CSS level 3 in the snow at Silverstone. God it was

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2012 Track Days

2012 was a pretty busy year for me! Started off with CSS Level 1 in March: Then the forum trackday at Cadwell on a chilly April day: Back to Silverstone for a damp CSS Level 2 in May (still waiting for the weather to warm up): Then Brands GP with TripleJimmy: Unfortunately this also involved

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Westbound commute 1

The public transport options for getting to work are so bad the pushbike is really the best option. I’m trying to find the best route. This wasn’t too bad although the traffic is pretty nasty in the Farringdon St/Fleet St/Strand area and the shortcut from Clerkenwell Rd to Farringdon Rd didn’t really work because of all

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Endurance Racing

This weekend is the Le Mans 24 Heures Moto. I went last year and it was an incredible experience. I really want to go again but I’m not sure I’m ready for that campsite again just yet. I have heard there are slightly less mental campsites than where we were but being Le Mans everything’s

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Coal Holes

From the Wiki: A coal hole is a hatch in the pavement (sidewalk, in US usage) above an underground coal bunker. They are sometimes found outside houses that existed during the period when coal was widely used for domestic heating from the early 19th century to the middle 20th century. In Britain they became largely

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