Winter Is On Its Way

You can tell winter is coming. Today's rideout was a total of two bikes and three people. I met Andy and his girlfriend Ann in the Propellers Café at Withybush Airfield and had a hearty (or heart-stopping) breakfast. And then we went for a ride round the coast of North Pembrokeshire. A visit to St Davids, coffee in Goodwick, and a return over the lovely Preseli Hills.

It was a glorious day, the kind you often get at this time of year, with bright sunshine for the most part, and a clear atmosphere that made the views spectacular. Everything - ships out at sea, distant hillsides, the glint of the far-off estuary - seemed to be within touching distance. But the air was cold. I wore my trusty leather jacket with a hoodie underneath and a pair of thin jeans. By the time I got home mid-afternoon about 70 miles later, I was chilled to the bone.

Next time, it will be the textile suit with the thermal lining.

I fully intend to ride through the winter, as I always have done, but I suspect that I will be rather lonely on some of the days out. Some of the TOMCC are talking about laying bikes up for the winter, and when we discussed a possible trip to the Triumph factory at Hinckley, or even the new Norton works at Donington Park, there was a lot of support for hiring a minibus.

Guys, this is a bike club. We travel on motorcycles. The clue is in the name. The 'MC' in TOMCC stands for 'motorcycle', not 'mini-coach'. OK, 500 miles there and back in January is a bit of a test of character, but for heaven's sake.

I can see myself riding alone for much of the time this winter.

Wimps.

This Global Warming stuff ...

... doesn't seem to be working. This morning I had to travel to Swansea to do my once-weekly lecturing gig, and because of the weather and likely road conditions I set off half an hour early, at 6.30 am. It was bitterly cold at that time - the thermometer on the car (yes, I was going in the car, I'm not stupid) read -7°C, and the temperature on the other side of the valley was -8°C. Even on the outskirts of Swansea it was -5°C. When I got to the University, it was a mere -2°C, a very neat illustration of the concept of the urban heat island that seems to cause so much difficulty for so many climate alarmists.

Funny, isn't it? The huge palaver of the Copenhagen Summit, the most important climate change summit since - er - the last one, and next we get the coldest winter weather for ten years.

I did my bit for the global carbon crisis, though. Quite apart from burning all that lovely diesel to get to work and back (shame on me), I had put an electric fan heater in the car last night, wired up to a socket in the living room. When I got up, I plugged it in, and by the time I had had a shower and a shave, I looked outside and the car windows were completely clear. Inside, the car was like a sauna. None of that planet-raping de-icer stuff for me, oh no. I take the natural approach.