Thorn Nomad Mk2

Having scoured the net and read every blog and forum regarding expedition \ long distance touring bikes, the same name kept coming up. So before xmas I took a trip up to Thorn Cycles in Bridgewater to have a look at their range of touring bikes.

Their is a slight eccentricity in Thorn’s modus operandi, from their gaudy text heavy, yet informative brochures, to there lack of Saturday opening and the need for an appointment to look at a bike.

I also found it slightly strange that spending almost £2500 on a new bicycle I wouldn’t get to test ride one in a size that was best suited to me, as they only had one test bike! Thorn’s answer to this was simply, ride it for a 100 days, if you don’t like it or need a different sized frame bring it back and we’ll give you a refund or change it to suite!

I suppose you can’t argue with that, you wouldn’t get Giant or Specialized offering that sort of deal!

Having decided very quickly that my steed of choice would be a Thorn Nomad and specifically a Mk2 that wouldn’t be out until Jan 2010, I sat tight over xmas waiting for the stock to come in.

It wasn’t long before a brochure dropped through my door and I was able to spend many an evening deciding on the spec of my Nomad. A few more questions went back and forth to Thorn and then I headed up the M5 again to finalise the spec and pay a deposit.

With the help of the lovely Lisa we sorted the best frame size to suite my svelte 6’ physique and we then checked through my proposed spec. After a two hour appointment everything was entered into their system and a deposit was paid.

Due to the time of year the build time was only a few weeks. So off I went again to sunny Bridgewater to pick her up. Dan who built the bike bought it out to me and I was instantly happy with the look. Throwing a leg over the cross bar I was more than happy with the frame size and my crown jewels breathed a sigh of relief.

I drove home with a big dent in my bank account and a lovely new bike on the rack.

Overall my experience of buying from Thorn has been good, they are not Halfords or even a typical local bike shop, so remembering you are dealing with a specialist bike supplier their minor eccentricities can be forgiven (although Saturday morning opening would be nice!).

The Nomad Mk2 (yet to be named!) had it’s maiden voyage today and I instantly felt comfy on the bike, even the Brooks saddle was pain free. The Rohloff hub gears are a joy and they make a derailleur system seem so complex and antiquated.

I’ll get a few miles on the clock and then write up a review of what she’s like to ride and own.

Shaun over on his 2010 Cycle Tour Across Canada blog has written an interesting article on the differences between the Mk1 and Mk2 Nomads.

Windows Live Writer

I just came across a great Microsoft app called Windows Live Writer.

It’s a very intuitive Word style Blogging application, that allows you to create multiple blog posts, on multiple blogs, on the most popular blogging platforms (Wordpress, Blogger etc).

Not only that but it has a full WYSIWYG interface that previews your posts exactly as they appear on your live blog without having to be online.

There is also a vast selection of plug-ins that allow integration with the likes of Flickr, Twitter etc

I can see this application being great for Bloggers on the move. Loaded onto a netbook you can blog away happily and as soon as your in a WiFi hotspot just hit publish and your done.

I found out about this app from a side note on Simon and Isobelle’s deCadence blog . They used it when Blogger access was blocked due to censorship whilst cycling through China.

Having written this post using Live Writer, I have to admit it is so much easier to use than the typical Blogger web based interface. The Flickr upload plug in allowed me to drag and drop a photo into the gui and this was then automatically uploaded to my Flickr account and embedded into the blog page.

Google maps can also be easily embedded using 3rd party plug-ins.

There is far more to this application and I have only had it installed for a few hours, but I can already see it’s going to prove very useful! Enjoy……

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Canon G11

I was recently going through the tricky transition from power zoom \ bridge camera to DSLR. It seemed like a natural progression at the time, but the more I thought about it and the more I researched the market, the more confused I got.

I soon came to the conclusion that a full sized DSLR would just be to big to lug around and therefore would not be used as much as something more compact. This lead me into the unknown realms of Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds formats; still an arena I wish to revisit at some point.

The Panasonic GF1 came very close to releasing the moths from my wallet, but the lack of lens choice, especially in the macro department and the relative early days of the Micro Four Thirds format held me back. That said I'm definitely a fan of this format and will be watching with interest to see how it evolves.

So thinking my only route might be to stick with what i know and go for the next evolution of my then camera the Canon S5, I carried on scratching my head and scouring the web.

Putting my dilemma to those friendly folk at http://www.devoncamera.co.uk/, they recommended a Canon G10 and offered to lend me one to try. After a wet weekend trying it out, my overall impression was good, but the lack of articulated screen, which I had found so useful on my Canon S5 was a real let down and I new I'd struggle without it.

Back to the drawing board, I carried on my quest to find a camera that I was starting to think didn't exist!

A few weeks later I started to spot articles about the imminent release of the Canon G11 with one of it's key features being an articulated screen! Mmmm now we're talking i thought!

The other rather bizarre key feature of the G11 was the drop in mega pixels from the G10's 14.7MP sensor, to the high sensitivity 10 MP CCD of the G11. This is unheard of and a first in the digital camera era for a key player in the market to drop the mega pixel count on one of it's leading camera ranges.

To the average Jo User on the street, mega pixels are everything and you wouldn't see the likes of Samsung doing the same on one of their consumer point and shots. But Canon were counteracting criticism of high noise levels in low light on the G10 and they new the typical prosumer buyer of the G range would happily forfeit mega pixels for better noise levels.

It seems this gamble has paid off and pixel peepers are reporting much improved noise levels on the G11 over the G10.

Having now purchased a G11 I concur with the reports and it is a definite marked improvement on my brief play with the G10.

A month down the line and I'm more than happy with my purchase, it ticks all the boxes and offers portability and the ability to take shots at near DSLR quality.

As more positive reviews appear in magazines and on the web, I feel I made the right choice with the G11 and being an early adopter of any new camera or gadget can be risky, but this time it's paid off.

The G11 has a nice retro look and feel about it and a bomb proof build quality. The 28-140mm equivalent 5x optical zoom, F2.8-4.5 stabilized lens gives a good range to cover all types of uses and has great macro capabilities.

I can highly recommend this camera for anyone taking the step up from a basic compact who wants the ability to take full control in manual mode or utilise any of the typical settings that you would find on a DSLR. It would also make a great back up camera for a DSLR user, or an ideal tool for street photography.

You can read lots more user reviews via this link.
http://www.dphotojournal.com/canon-g11-reviews-sample-images-user-manual/

Flickr G11 group http://www.flickr.com/groups/1095006@N23/pool/

Full G11 Specification 

Sensor • 1/1.7" Type CCD

• 10 million effective pixels
Image sizes
• 3648 x 2736
• 3648 x 2048
• 2816 x 2112
• 2272 x 1704
• 1600 x 1200
• 640 x 480
• 320 x 240

Movie clips
• 640 x 480 @ 30fps
• 320 x 240 @ 30fps
Maximum clip length Up to 4GB or 1 hour

File formats
• Still: JPEG (Exif v2.2), RAW
• Movie: MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (monaural)]

Lens
• 28-140mm (35mm equiv)
• f = 6.1 - 30.5 mm
• 5x optical zoom
• F2.8-4.5
• Construction: 11 elements in 9 groups (1 double-sided aspherical element)

Image stabilization Yes (Lens-Shift)

Conversion lenses Yes

Digital zoom up to 4x

Focus • Auto focus :TTL

- Face Detection / 9-point AiAF

- 1-point AF (center or Face Select and Track)

- Fixed centre or Face Select and Track

• Manual focus

AF modes
• Single
• Continuous
• Servo AF/AE

AF lock Yes (on/off selectable)

AF assist lamp Yes

Focus distance Closest focus distance 1 cm

Metering
• Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame)
• Center-weighted average
• Spot (center or linked to Face Detection)

ISO sensitivity
• Auto
• ISO 80
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1600
• ISO 3200

AE lock Yes

Exposure compensation +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments

Shutter speed • Auto (1 - 1/4000 sec)

• 15-1/4000 sec

Modes
• Auto
• Program AE
• Shutter Priority AE
• Aperture Priority AE
• Manual
• Custom (2 modes)
• Special Scene
• Stitch Assist
• Low Light
• Quick Shot
• Movie

Scene modes • Portrait
• Landscape
• Night Scene
• Sports
• Night Snapshot
• Kids & Pets
• Indoor
• Sunset
• Foliage
• Snow
• Beach
• Fireworks
• Aquarium
• Underwater
• Color Accent
• Color Swap
• Stitch Assist

White balance • Auto (including Face Detection WB)

• Daylight
• Cloudy
• Tungsten
• Fluorescent
• Fluorescent H
• Flash
• Custom1
• Custom2
• Underwater
• White Balance Correction

Self timer
• 2 or 10 sec
• Custom or FaceSelf Timer

Continuous shooting
• Approx. 1.1 shots/sec.
• AF: Approx. 0.7 shots/sec.
• LV: Approx. 0.8 shots/sec. (until memory card becomes full)

Image parameters My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)

Flash
• Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, Slow Sync, Red-eye reduction
• Slow Sync Speed : Fastest speed 1/2000 sec
• +/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments
• Face Detection FE compensation
• Safety FE
• Flash exposure lock
• Manual Power Adjustment
• Second Curtain Sync
• Range (Auto ISO):50cm - 7.0m (wide) / 4.0m (tele)

External Flash E-TTL with EX series Speedlites, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX, Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1

Viewfinder Real-image zoom, Optical Viewfinder

LCD monitor
• 2.8 inch Vari-angle PureColor II VA (TFT)
• 461,000 pixels
• 100% coverage
• Adjustable

Connectivity
• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• HDMI mini connector
• AV out (PAL / NTSC switchable)

Print compliance PictBridge

Storage SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus

Power Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-7L

Weight (no batt) 355 g

Dimensions 112 x 76 x 48 mm

Cycleway hell !!!

Having had little of interest to blog about of late, I thought I may take the liberty of passing on my brothers latest rant, responses to which can be found on the Exmouth Journal forum . Take it away bro!!!

Having recovered from the horrendous storms of Friday, I decided that a 20 mile ride on the good old velocipede was called for and donned my lycra. (not a pretty sight, somewhat of a cross between Max Wall and an overfilled sausage skin!)
Leaving Budleigh via the main road, I first did battle with the newly "re worked" manhole covers, littering the main road into town. Deciding to head off road and in search of unpolluted air, I cut down onto the cycle track, or "alleged cycle track" and proceeded to battle my way through ruts and "Somme like mud" toward Exmouth. Alas on a day when one would have expected to see families out for a ride to Budleigh, I encountered only a couple of "mud spattered" cyclists braving the appallingly surfaced route.
I then arrived at Capel lane and headed down to the Clinton, to take Maer lane down to the sea front. As I rode down Maer lane, I encountered a number of vehicles obviously intent on re enacting the RAC rally as they hammered up the single track lane without a care in the world. My lungs full of the aroma of the sewage works, I arrived bespattered at the seafront and decided to avoid the throng of traffic and do battle with the "dog/child walking hordes" on the shared cycle route to Orcombe point. It still baffles me how the powers that be, decided to make this a "shared" route. Because the vast mass of the populace, obviously are either a) unaware b)ignorant c)stupid or d)all of the aforementioned. As I cycled toward Orcombe point, I encountered two dogs free running, several free range children and an assortment of pensioners, some of whom had an amazing command of "Anglo Saxon Swear Words" specific to cyclists. After a quick and over priced coffee combined with a stale and over priced flapjack at the "snack van" (a little tip to improve trade, is to possibly employ staff who are intent on customer service, rather than chatting to each other about trivialities) Refuelled I headed back toward Exmouth on the road this time, luckily only having one Neanderthal scream "get off the road youve got a ####### cycle path!!" made a refreshing change to playing, "avoid the pedestrian". I think it might be a great idea for "Spec Savers" to open a branch on Exmouth seafront, as the number of walkers who cannot see the "cycle-path markings" on the tarmac,or the signs is worrying. Even their ability to spot 19 stone of Lycra clad humanity" bearing down on them was negligible. So hey ho and back onto the road.

I got off my bike and pushed it through the docks/marina, admiring the gaily coloured "social housing for rich people" that now does so much to enhance the view of the Exe. I then rode through the town to join the cycle path at the football ground and head toward Lympstone. Sadly the "original footpath" was closed due to the works being carried out on the railway, so the cycle path to Lympstone was littered with the masses, taking Fido for pooh poohs, or walking four abreast, whilst discussing the merits of "telescopic walking poles", or "which flask kept soup hotter for longer". Again, whilst the visually impaired were highly prevalent on the seafront cycle way, the hearing impaired were out in force on the Lympstone stretch. For once I had not hung my 100 decibel stadium horn around my neck, but had reverted to my trusty "Micky Mouse Bell", methinks I could have been ringing "big ben" and they still would have ignored me. One quartet of idiots strung across the path even had the temerity to mumble something along the lines off "Bloody ignorant cyclist didn't even say thank-you!!" when they finally moved to the left, enough for me to pass, after a bell ringing session that would have earned me my "boy scouts campanology badge."I politely retorted that I was not liable to thank them for being ignorant imbeciles" and rode on. Lympstone was just as bad, with the rambling public, seemingly unaware that the tarmac strip from Sowden end into the village is actually a "public highway", used by cars as well as cyclists and pedestrians.

I then rode through the village and visited family, before making the return journey, which was as eventful as the outward leg, but included an "off the lead barking dog attack", just to keep me focused. I cut across to Phear Park and had an uneventful journey until I reached Littleham cross, upon following the cycle track I spotted two yob teenage scum, happily spitting at a young boy as he cycled past them, which they seemed to find very amusing, there ability to multi task, IE spit and laugh at the same time amazed me for with so little brain to control basic "motor functions" I wondered how they kept from dragging their knuckles. As I cycled past I received a string of foul mouthed abuse and resisted the temptation to punch their lights out and headed into the dusk.

The final leg, took me back up the badly surfaced section to Budleigh in the darkness, with ruts,mud and debris littering the track. Thankfully this leg was peaceful and apart from getting splattered I returned home with no further events and reflected on what had been another superb days cycling on the superb cycleways of the Exmouth area.

I look forward to the next section of cycleway opening from Lympstone to "Nimbyville" (Exton) provided the builders can get past the mobile phone mast that someone has built in the middle of the cycle track route exiting Lympstone. I thought that was a superb idea, I wonder if anyones "head rolled" for that little faux par?

Next week I think I might go cycling on the M25, it might hold less dangers than the cycle ways of Exmouth, or I might take a leaf out of Boadicea's book and fit two sharp swords on my axles. Or I might just use the car instead.....

50 Days to Save The World.

Gordon Brown, Saviour of the Economies of the World ( except the U.K.), Defender of the Private Pension and the man who stole your old age along with the future of your children & grandchildren, has just claimed that "We Have 50 Days To Save The World". As we know - because he never stops telling us - his Father taught him not to lie, so it must be true. This refers to the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference on Global Warming & Climate Change which is taking place between December 7th and December 18th - an 11 day conference due to be attended by ( you'll love this) 20,000 delegates from 198 countries. Twenty thousand delegates - 198 countries ????? I didn't even suspect there WERE 198 countries, never mind 198 with so much to say on the subject ! Presumably, to reduce the co2 emissions, they will arrive at and depart from Copenhagen on foot or under sail ! Now the last time I saw "The Little Mermaid" she was a greenish colour - I assumed it was because of the water without realising that she could be choking on the waste these buggers will generate with their five star hotels and business class flights !
Let's look at some of the "worthies" who beat the drum for this movement - and their qualifications :

Al Gore. Ex-U.S. politician ( failed) and former Vice-Presidential candidate ( he came second !). That's his qualifications dealt with. He also received the Nobel Prize for his film on Global Warming. You'll remember that for two reasons. Firstly, the film was presented as fact but was a fiction based on 9 provable factual errors which in turn were based on false statements, flawed computer modelling and mis-used statistics. Secondly, Irene Sendler was the "defeated" candidate. If you haven't heard of her, then "google" her name - and then you go figure out the award to Al Gore, because I can't.
Lord Stern. He is a former economist with the World Bank - ooh, err, missus - a right banker ! But that's okay because, as an economist he's sure to be scientifically qualified to study climate change. Didn't notice that financially the world was going to hell in a handcart but sure can tell when it's getting a bit warm ! He says that to stop climate change we have to stop eating meat. Apparently that besides the use of excessive water to produce meat for consumption, 18% of the co2/methane emissions in the world are caused by meat production. This of course disproves the real scientists who say that the total agriculture production on the planet of everything for consumption contributes 14% ! He also states that "I am not a strict vegetarian myself". What ? Look, you are either vegetarian or you are not. That's it. One bacon sarnie - you're not veggie; don't eat meat but eat fish - you're not veggie; Lord Stern, if you don't eat meat or fish but have a bit of cheese or the odd egg - you're not a bloody veggie, okay ? Don't lecture me unless you and next door's rabbit are fighting for the lettuce leaves for your tea !
Dr. Rajendra Pachauri. Head of U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Doctor ( Dr. ?) Pachauri is well qualified for this post - he's a railway engineer ! He also made the claim about not eating meat. He is a Hindu and therefore IS a vegetarian - but he says nothing in his pronouncements on climate change about how his home country is going to stop the methane that emanates from the rear end of those flatulent sacred cows in India. Estimates of their number go to 400 million ! Now, that is probably enough methane - if they could synchronise and capture their flatulence - to power the world's gas turbine power stations.

In our corner - Gordon Brown, my hero. "Nuff" said there with his performance and ability.

Then we have the Chinese - you give up your breakfast bacon butty while they open up a new coal-fired power station every two days.

The Global Warming theory is false, demonstrably so. However Climate Change DOES exist - the Global Warming disciples changed the name when they were losing. A touch like the tactics of the E.U. ( failed constitution became treaty) and Blair/Bush (Weapons of Mass Destruction became Evil Despot Regime Change became War on Terror) ....... Global Warming became Climate Change. Safe ground there - climate change has been happening continuously for millions of years : Planet Earth's self-regulating safety system. In that time scale mankind has been around for 5 minutes - and these people have the bloody arrogance to believe that they can stop it ?

No, they can't - it will happen regardless of man's puny efforts. It wasn't neanderthal man or cro-magnon man doing the school run in his Range Rover or jetting off to Benidorm for two weeks that caused it. I suspect that the co2 emissions from the neolithic coal fired power stations didn't have that much effect either. So that knuckle dragging bugger who invented fire has a lot to answer for - I blame him !
So, a small request to "The Politicians and The Great & The Good". You cannot achieve - judging by your track record - the achievable therefore you won't be able to achieve the unachievable, will you ? Stop this nonsensical wasting of countless billions to achieve nothing except a glorious annual piss-up and spend a small percentage of that amount to prepare the World's population to live with climate change. Rocket science ? It's not even 'O' level maths, you half-wits. If the water levels rise - good. For a few shillings compared to the amounts that you are wasting build some desalination plants to deal with the extra sea level - and do it now. That way the arid regions of the world where people are dying from drought and famine can start to grow their own crops and feed & water themselves. Job done - trebles all round. Look, if Israel can take an arid region, irrigate it and become one of the world's largest exporters of produce, surely it can be done elsewhere. It will also ease the pressure on what is currently produced and best of all, it will stop that silly prick Bono from lecturing us. Can you remember when Irish pop stars had more than one guitar riff and used to get pissed a lot and take drugs? Now the only thing that stops them being the right hand of God is the fact that Tony Blair is sat on it whilst trying to french kiss the Archangel Gabriel !
If the U.K. warms up a fair bit - then bring it on! We could develop our tourist industry so that instead of us legging it to Benidorm, we could have Manuel, Luigi and Giorgios visiting the Costa del Cleethorpes tropical paradise, getting pissed on warm beer and troughing crisps and pickled eggs whilst demanding "Full Mediterranean Breakfast, John - Comprendez?" I can then spend all year in my garden wearing shorts and Piz Buin sun cream, drinking cold beer while waiting for my lamb to slowly grill over my olive wood and rosemary barbeque and I can play my music as loud as I want because them next door have gone on their annual August skiing & snowboarding holiday on the pistes of Mombasa or Bugis Street !
 
Unknown author

Ezekiel 25:17. "The Cycle Path of the Righteous Man"

Ezekiel 25:17. "The Cycle Path of the Righteous Man Is Beset on All Sides by The stupidity of Selfish Car Drivers and the Tyranny of the Evil White Van Man."

I'm on the cusp of my fourth year as a cycle commuter, I never thought I'd stick to 2007's new years resolution, but I'm proud to say I did.

It's a rapid learning curve out there in cycle commuter land, turning from a full time cager....

Cager - cag er  [key-jer]     a popular word among motorcyclists and bicyclists for four wheeled motor vehicle drivers. The term is often used in a derogative sense, because the car body effectively forms a cage, isolating the said driver from having to interact with other road users.

...to a full time cyclist opens your eyes to the dangers that lurk around every corner.

For most people a "Near Death Experience" occurs on only a few occasions during their lifetime, as a cycle commuter it's a weekly occurrence. These brushes with death help you develop your cyclists third eye, this enables you to predict the road ahead with an uncanny sixth sense.

As you develop these skills your mind calls upon it's database of previous near misses to ascertain the probability of a dangerous situation occurring. 

I'm sure deep in Area 51's US Military Research centre, boffins are building this sixth sense into some form of advanced warning device. 10 years down the line a version will be available to the general public, probably through Firebox.com or IWWOT.com.

Cyclists Remote Advanced Problem Simulator or CRAPS for short, £29.99 batteries not included

Until that day I will call upon my tried and trusted formulas:

If car (model)   =   Honda Accord;

and Driver wearing hat   =   YES;

or Age >= 65;

Then

Expect Stupid Manoeuvre 

Alternatively

If vehicle = Van

and Colour = White

Expect:

High Speed

Broken Tail Light

Reckless Driving

Ear to be clipped by wing mirror

Foul Abusive Language

.... and probably a builders arse!

And as a cover all:

If road user = Cager

Be prepared for anything!

My top ten of cycle commuter dangers falls into a cager based sub genre, such as white van man, old blokes wearing hats, WAGS in 4 x 4's doing school run etc. But the number 1 spot goes to an inanimate object. The roads, courtesy of Devon Highways. 

With Devon having the greatest mileage of roads in the UK, we must also hold the dubious distinction of having some of the worse roads in the UK. Avoiding pot holes and having your fillings shaken out by rough surfaces averts your attention from reading the road ahead and has a detrimental effect on the state of your bike. The only way to counteract this is through the power of http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ and if your lucky you may get a bag of instant tarmac tipped in the offending death trap.

Although this post accentuates the negatives of cycle commuting, they are far outweighed by the positives.

A pre dawn cycle into Exeter via the country lanes brings with it the joys of nature that can never be witnessed from a main road stop start commute in a cage!

I regularly race deer, badgers and foxes and get buzzed by birds of prey who seem to get attracted to flashing bike lights!

The health benefits, both physical and mental are what attracts most people to commute by bike. A commute home in the fresh air is a perfect antidote to a stress filled day at the office.

Cycling's green credentials have also helped add to the number of cyclists on the road increasing dramatically in the last 3 years and the current state of peoples finances is another driving force behind the cycling revolution. Cars + Fuel = £££££, Bikes = £.

With Exeter's cycling city status releasing funds for cycle paths, such as the gradual opening of the Exe Trail to Topsham and the completion of cross city links, this will I'm sure, commit many more to start turning the pedals.

Je cherche pour un travail sur la vendange!!!

Never a canny linguist, I can recall spending a late summer pedalling around the Loire valley searching for work on the French grape harvest. With rudimentary CSE French that even at that time was a distant educational memory, the illiterate line "Je cherche pour un travail sur la vendange" managed to land me some work, so the local farmers must have had a rough idea what I was going on about!

20+ years on, this mornings vendange was far easier to locate, a mere click of the mouse on http://www.pebblebed.co.uk/ and I was pedalling off through the morning mist heading towards the village of Ebford.

On arrival I met Geoff Bowen the Vineyard owner and after a quick refresher on grape harvesting I was making my way along the vines with my secateurs snipping off the bulging bunches of Madeleine Angevine and Rondo grapes.

The morning mist lifted and the sun shone down on the happy harvesters, boyd along by a strolling fiddeler, good coffee and fresh croissants.

I'm guessing there were 80 or so people harvesting the grapes, along with hordes of kids and packs of dogs racing around. With everyone offering their services for free, this hands on community spirited approach was a refreshing change to the "you don't get something for nothing" mentality prevalent in today's society.

Apart from the reward of copious refreshments, all pickers are invited to an end of harvest lunch, but I'm sure that memories of gap year grape harvests sur la vendage and a sunny morning in a lovely location was enough of a pull for many of the pickers.

It was also nice to bump into the American vine expert Trent , his good lady and their hound pack. Trent, famous for his knowledge of Vineyard management and infamous for his naked wasp dodging antics at Mark Diacono's Otter Farm brings his skills across the pond to the benefit of Pebblebeds vines and the soon to bare fruit Otter Farm vineyard.

I decide on a diversionary Woodbury Common hill climb to make the journey home a bit of a workout after the numerous fresh croissants.

What a great way to spend a Sunday morning!