It's a Kirk family habit that during the Sunday roast we talk about the good things that happened during the week. So, the children and I reminisced about our weekend. Friday evening Francesca & I went for a ride which culminated in a pleasant meal at a pub in New Barn. Sunday morning, Tim and I met with 18 others at the Pied Bull for the Pioneer run.
The run started off well as we travelled through Otford but by the time we'd passed through Sevenoaks we'd manage to leave most of the rest behind. I was travelling with the first five bikes and have to admit I didn't know the route, so was keen to keep up with the others as I was worried about leading anyone behind me astray. Bob, with Rose on the back, did his usual job of hanging back for the others, but to no avail. We waited on the slip road of the A21/A26 to Tunbridge Wells for 5 minutes but eventually decided to press on. I've recently bought some 3 inch mirror extensions for my Triple and am really pleased with the better rear vision, though they didn't stop me from losing those behind! The bike has recently started to stall at lights, roundabouts, etc. It doesn't do it all the time and I can generally feel the revs dropping too low and manage to give the throttle an extra blip as I begin to stop. I feel a trip to Boyers on the cards! Other than that, the ride was brilliant. The road was relatively clear and we had a good run through Lewes to Brighton.
We found somewhere to stop in Brighton and as we were disembarking, Dave Jackson parked alongside. We made our way down to the front and met up with the rest, except for Colin and Mags who'd found a pub further down the beach. It was lunchtime and we made our way along the pier to Fish & Chip restaurant. Along the way we bumped into Dave Clarke, who'd left too late to meet at the PB. After stuffing a prawn salad Tim and I wandered down to the beach front. Tim found that yet again he couldn't win the incoming tide race. On any other day the sight of a 12 year old running along the beach in full leathers might look ..er.. odd, but with the sea front full of bikers, it seemed to set a natural scene. We decided to head back and met up with everyone else, who'd had the same idea.
The ride out, along the Brighton coastline was breathtaking. Apart from the sea air, the weather was warm and sunny and all was well with the world. After a petrol stop I settled behind Lee and Andy on their Rocket III; Tim had been admiring it all day. I can't quite remember how we lost sight of it: perhaps I blinked as Andy coughed, but I became aware that it wasn't there any more! We travelled back much the same way we came. As we joined the A21 the weather got colder and I found myself zipping up the perforated slits in the jacket. I decided to go straight home rather than head back to the Bull and so overtook Gary and Jackie and headed for the M25. Dave Jackson, just behind me, peeled off onto the A20 and eventually it was just Tim and me. A little cold and shivery, we were greeted to a cup of tea and the smells of Sunday roast.