Big jump in views, thanks to Greg James in a wetsuit!

This is what happens to my website stats, when I post photos of BBC Radio 1’s Greg James wearing a wetsuit to my website! Most times my website gets around 350 views a day. Due to Greg James it got 672 views yesterday.

Gordon Valentine's homepage website stats 23-01-2016

So here are the wetsuit photos again!

Greg James wetsuitGreg James wetsuit holding up bike
Greg James wetsuit saying look at me!Greg James wetsuit again!

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 23/01/2016

The Restoration Man - 28-01-2016 - YouView appHorse (BBC 2/HD | 7:20pm to 9:35pm | Saturday 23rd January 2016)

Wartime drama. It is 1914, and struggling Devon farmer Ted Narracott buys a remarkable but unsuitable horse at auction. His son Albert names him Joey and, under pressure from their unscrupulous landlord, somehow trains Joey to work the farm. But when war breaks out, Joey is requisitioned by the army to serve at the front and begins a remarkable adventure that takes him far from Albert and the fields of Devon.

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 24th January 2016)

Barbara experiences the biggest test of her career when a struggling dockworker’s wife is forced into a difficult decision about her impending delivery. Nurse Crane meets a new friend who promises great adventure but conceals a secret. Sister Evangelina is forced to take action when a mistake comes to light.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 25th January 2016)

Michael begins a new journey through the home counties in Ashford, Kent, lending a hand at a state-of-the-art train maintenance plant, home to the High Speed 1 rolling stock – a modern railway hub in a Victorian railway town. A visit to a historic make-up brand reveals the foundations of the Victorian cosmetics industry. Taking the tracks east to Marden, Michael is moved by music played on Queen Victoria’s personal piano before ending his journey in Sevenoaks at Knole House, seat of the Sackville-West family, where he learns of its colourful history.

Griff’s Great Britain (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 25th January 2016)

Griff explores Dartmoor National Park, the largest and wildest area of open country in the south of England. The park is home to ancient woodlands, high granite tors, vast tracts of rolling moorland as well as churches, cream teas, llamas and legends.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 25th January 2016)

The accidental fatal shooting of a Polish teenager in an armed police operation puts the firearms division responsible under immense public scrutiny. After the inquest delivers a lawful killing verdict, the mutilated body of a Turkish man is found in close proximity to the original incident, leading IPCC investigator Vicky Sharpe to question whether there is a link. Sharpe approaches the Lyell to seek their help in reviewing the armed police shooting evidence. As revelations about the shooting threaten to emerge, further bodies are discovered and the team are drawn into the world of Turkish gangsters, a grieving Polish family hell bent on justice and a fractured firearms unit attempting to put a year of accusations and interrogations behind them.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 26th January 2016)

At East Grinstead, Michael dons a boiler suit and takes to the footplate of a loco on the Bluebell Railway, Britain’s first passenger carrying heritage line. Travelling north to Merstham, Surrey, Michael experiences an explosive encounter as he witnesses the power of dynamite first-hand. Moving east through Surrey countryside, he visits the stunningly situated Leith Hill Place to explore the compositions of the great British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The journey ends near Guildford with the story of a giant of Victorian art – GF Watts.

Tricks of the Restaurant Trade (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Tuesday 26th January 2016)

In the fourth episode of the series that lifts the lid on the restaurant industry, Kate Quilton and Simon Rimmer chow down on fried chicken, focusing on the two big players: KFC and Nando’s. KFC has over 890 outlets in the UK, but Simon’s never eaten there. As well as sampling his first ever KFC, he attempts to recreate Colonel Sanders’ famous secret recipe; can a KFC superfan tell the difference? Peri-peri chicken chain Nando’s inspires cult-like devotion among its customers. Celebrities like Ed Sheeran, JLS and Dizzee Rascal have all raved about it, which may have something to do with their celebrity High Five card. Apparently you’ll never get one if you ask; nonetheless Simon tries to procure one of these mysterious cards.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 26th January 2016)

When the body of an armed police officer is found, the team join the manhunt for supposed cop killer Bruno, hoping to apprehend him before more officers can be killed. Jack hopes to reach the suspect first and talk him into handing himself in before more damage is done. In doing so, he uncovers links to London’s small but devastating gun trade. Meanwhile, the murder of their colleague forces the other armed police officers to question their safety, and soon their paranoia leads them to scrutinise each other’s behaviour. As further victims fall prey to the killer, the pathology and forensics begin to point to a highly trained individual. The team rally round Jack as he searches for the truth. He must put himself in jeopardy in order to discover who is responsible for the murders, and what really happened during the armed police operation.

The Mad World of Donald Trump (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 26th January 2016)

Matt Frei enters the colourful and mad world of presidential hopeful Donald Trump, whose meteoric political rise comes amid one of the most controversial political campaigns America has ever seen. Trump’s plans to ban all Muslims from entering the States and to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants out have outraged many in the States and beyond. Discover the man behind the brand, from the multiple divorces, the bankruptcies and the public insults aimed at women who crossed him to claims of bullying Scottish residents who stood in the way of his golf resort. It’s the all-consuming story of a privileged multi-billionaire tycoon who has now decided to use his considerable resource to become the most powerful person on the planet. Frei is also on the campaign trail, meeting those who oppose Trump as well as his fervent supporters who believe he is the epitome of American success and will deliver on his promise to ‘Make America great again’.
(High Definition, Subtitles)

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 27th January 2016)

Michael’s journey through the home counties continues at Woking, Surrey, where Michael uncovers the story of Britain’s first purpose-built crematorium, a response to overcrowded cemeteries and London’s ever-expanding population. A trip to world-famous Wisley Gardens sheds light on the work of the Royal Horticultural Society, as Michael gets green fingered. Swapping trees and tranquillity for the roar of a motor car, at Weybridge Michael visits Brooklands the birthplace of motor racing and gets behind the wheel of a vintage Bentley racing car. As this journey leg draws to a close, Portillo goes camping at Walton-on-Thames and learns about the unlikely origins of a leisure pursuit that is going strong today.

Children Saved from the Nazis: The Story of Sir Nicholas Winton (BBC 1/HD | 10:45pm to 11:45pm | Wednesday 27th January 2016)

Documentary telling the extraordinary story of how Nicholas Winton rescued 669 children from the clutches of the Nazis, bringing them by train to Britain. In 1939 Europe was on the brink of war, and with Hitler invading Czechoslovakia, the lives of the Jewish population was threatened. Winton, a young British stockbroker, decided to do everything possible to save the lives of as many Jewish children as he could. In order to provide a degree of credibility with both the British and Nazi governments of the day, Winton single-handedly established the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia – Children’s Section, using it to obtain passports and visas for the children. He then organised for each child to be adopted by families throughout the country and their safe passage across Europe and into Britain. For nearly fifty years, Nicholas told no-one of his heroic deeds.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 28th January 2016)

A royal residence beckons for Michael as he is treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the world’s longest vine at Hampton Court Palace. Maintaining a royal theme, Michael is drawn to Esher to visit stately Claremont House, where tragic circumstances led directly to the birth of the Victorian era. Moving up the line to Wimbledon, Michael is challenged to a duel on the common, the site of a historic and memorable duelling event. This journey ends in Teddington, where the story of a Victorian reformer whose work revolutionised the care for those living with learning disabilities is uncovered.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 28th January 2016)

The team must solve a deeply personal case when Dwayne’s old mentor is found dead and a text message indicates it was murder. DI Goodman tries to unleash his inner gourmand.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 28th January 2016)

Restoration novices Mark Hinchcliffe and Laura Rushton have hatched a risky plan to convert two beautiful but crumbling church buildings into family homes in Harrogate. The project hangs on them successfully transforming the listed Sunday school building – as all the profits from its sale are needed to turn the cavernous Victorian church into Mark and Laura’s own home. The stunning Sunday school conversion shows they are born restorers, but can they keep up their high standards as the hidden costs of modernising these neglected structures start to spiral?

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 29th January 2016)

Michael begins the final leg of this journey through the home counties at Egham, where a perfectly preserved, historic steam fair offers the original white-knuckle ride. Across town lies the palatial Royal Holloway College, now part of the University of London, where Michael discovers the institution’s philanthropic roots. Moving on to Berkshire, Michael drops in at a factory that manufactures a famously sleep-inducing beverage with historic roots. This journey ends riverside at Henley-on-Thames, where Michael takes to the water and learns that rowing in an eight is a challenging business.

Walks Around Britain (Community Channel | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Friday 29th January 2016)

Come and take a stroll with the Walks Around Britain team as they take us on fun and easily accessible walks from across the British Isles.

The Last Leg Goes Down Under (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 29th January 2016)

Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker – hosts of the award-winning The Last Leg – head to the Australian wilderness for the ultimate outback road trip. Adam plots his revenge after four years of verbal abuse from English co-hosts Josh and Alex about his home country, Australia. He wants to show the lads that Australia isn’t the silly place they thought it was, but in fact a searing hot, unforgiving hell hole, stuffed full of people who are hard as nails. In the first episode, they head from Darwin to Uluru where their fantasies of beaches and sunshine are replaced by camping out with deadly snakes and spiders, confronting hard-faced biker gangs and generally embracing a real-life Crocodile Dundee experience. Adam seems transformed, but Josh and Alex wonder if a nervous breakdown looms. The guys find out a few new things about each other along the journey while turning each encounter into an exciting and richly comedic journey.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Another Greg James wetsuit photo!

Here is another photo of Greg James wearing a wetsuit! He’s starting to grow on me!

He’s doing 5 triathlons over 5 days in 5 cities for Sport Relief. So good luck to him. I could not even do half a triathlon, never mind 5!

Greg James wetsuit again!

2016 cycling wise is off to a good start!

So far cycling wise this year is off to a good start! Last January, I only did 80.3 miles! So far, I am just over that! Done 81.6 miles. Which may not sound that great. But at least it’s start! Just hope I can keep it up! Really want to try to get back into cycling more this year!

Last year (2015), I only did 2,341.4 miles. Which is very bad indeed! Because the year before that (2014), I did 5,334.9 miles.

Also if, I do more cycling this year, you will of course get to see many more photos like this…

Out cycling
Out cycling

Scott Redding back in Lycra, this time a video!

Scott Redding is just so HOT full stop! But of course, he’s even better wearing tight Lycra! 🙂

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 16/01/2016

Call the Midwife - 17-01-2016 - YouView appCall the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 17th January 2016)

Easter approaches, and midwives are shaken by the birth of a baby with severe, unexplained deformities. Meanwhile, Trixie begins teaching her brand new keep-fit classes, but a medical emergency for one of her group makes her question the relationship between women and their bodies.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 18th January 2016)

Every train ride begins with a whistle and Michael Portillo’s new railway journey is no exception, blasting off from Birmingham’s jewellery quarter to the sound of the Acme whistle, manufactured there since 1884. A visit to the city’s town hall reveals a magnificent organ and the location for a celebrated music festival. Travelling south to Kidderminster, Michael reports for duty at the Post Office, where he sorts the letters and discovers more about the great postal innovator Sir Rowland Hill, before heading out to deliver the Royal Mail. 19th-century quack doctors and their bogus remedies are exposed in Worcester, where Michael discovers the origins of the British Medical Association.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 18th January 2016)

When an ex-convict is found brutally murdered in his home, the Lyell team is introduced to Sasha Blackburn, a forensic psychologist who works closely with those released from prison on life licence. The victim was a client of Sasha’s, and so is one of the suspects: Paul Raynott, a vulnerable young man trying to turn his life around with Sasha’s help. Several other members of the life licence community are drawn into the investigation, each at varying stages of rehabilitation having served time for murder. Whilst the team learn how fragile their freedom really is, Sasha’s close relationship with these damaged men is called into question, as is whether she really knows what’s best for them. There are concerns over Paul’s safety in particular, whose fragile state of mind and desperate need for rehabilitation mean he may be just as much a danger to himself as others.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 19th January 2016)

He heads for the sharp end of the Victorian industrial revolution at a needle manufactory in Redditch. The Freemasons of Cheltenham invite Michael into their lodge to share the secrets of their society. In Gloucester, he learns how to make Gloucester cheese. Continuing on to Highnam, Michael is glad to discover the beautiful Victorian Gothic church of Thomas Parry and to join the Gloucester Choral Society in a rendition of Jerusalem composed by Thomas’s son Hubert.

Tricks of the Restaurant Trade (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Tuesday 19th January 2016)

There are more than a quarter of a million places to eat out in the UK. Most families eat out a couple of times a week, so how can they ensure that they receive good food, a fair price and a great experience? Consumers may not know much about what goes on behind the scenes in restaurants, but that changes in this episode, which reveals that many restaurants serve pre-prepared meals, desserts and cocktails, ordered in from outside catering suppliers, with some restaurants serving meals that might have been made many miles away. Now that chains make up over 40% of all restaurants, the way they prepare food has changed radically. Would you care if your cocktail came ready-made in a carton?

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 19th January 2016)

After the team discovers that suspect Paul may not be who he says he is, and was involved in an infamous murder in the past, the investigation revisits the fifteen-year-old case. Wounds are re-opened for the family of the victim as Paul’s psychopathic accomplice in the historical murder is visited in the hope that he can shed light on the current investigation. Further victims are killed and a distinctive, sadistic modus operandi begins to become clear. The team turns to forensic psychologist Sasha for advice on the killer, but her proximity to the suspects puts her viewpoint in doubt. As the team move closer to discovering who the killer is, they question whether a murderer can truly be rehabilitated and what that rehabilitation really means.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 20th January 2016)

Michael takes pot luck on the snooker table as he investigates the Victorian origins of the game and finds out what it takes to produce the fine green cloth which smoothes the path of the balls. In Cirencester, he ploughs a crooked furrow at the Royal Agricultural College before taking tea with the ladies in Bath, where he also discovers a scandalous novel written by an eccentric recluse, once the wealthiest man in England.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 21st January 2016)

Armed with his Bradshaw’s guidebook, Michael enters the foul-smelling world of a Victorian tannery. In Nailsea, he discovers how mountains of bird droppings made one of the greatest fortunes of the era for a 19th-century entrepreneur, who spent his wealth building churches and chapels and one of the most luxurious country houses in Britain. Reaching Glastonbury, Michael heads for the mystical abbey, where Victorian tourists flocked to hear stories of King Arthur and the Holy Grail.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 21st January 2016)

DI Goodman finds himself embroiled in the highly strung world of modelling when a young star is strangled in the middle of a fashion show. JP bumps into an old flame.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 21st January 2016)

Thirty years after starting to restore a Georgian gazebo tower built on top of Pembroke’s medieval city walls, retired businessman Bruce Woodall finally takes on the challenge of finishing it. But Bruce discovers that since his architect drew up the plans, conservation laws have changed and the ‘scheduled ancient monument’ beneath the tower threatens to shut down the build for good. As George unravels this local landmark’s 500-hundred year-old secrets, its place in key chapters in English and Welsh history becomes clear. But has the gazebo tower’s story finally come to an end?

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 22nd January 2016)

Following his Bradshaw’s Guidebook, Michael stands trial at the Bloody Assizes in Taunton and feels the full force of the law. He gets to grips with a miracle of Victorian engineering on the Somerset Levels at Westonzoyland and on Dartmoor he embarks on a mid-19th-century treasure hunt still popular today.

Shetland (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 22nd January 2016)

DI Jimmy Perez is convinced that Michael Maguire is somehow implicated in the death of Robbie Morton. But with the investigation seemingly under threat before it’s even started, he faces an uphill battle to uncover the truth behind Maguire’s silence.

Walks Around Britain (Community Channel | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Friday 22nd January 2016)

Come and take a stroll with the Walks Around Britain team as they take us on fun and easily accessible walks from across the British Isles.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Second cycle of 2016!

That’s me now done two cycles so far this year. I only did 13.46 miles this afternoon, so still a very short cycle. But at least my average and maximum speeds were a bit better during this cycle!

I will now leave you with the route map and route statistics.

Route map:-

13-01-2016 - bike ride route map

Route statistics:-

  • Start time: 2:15 pm.
  • Distance: 13.46 miles.
  • Time: 1:14:06 (h:m:s).
  • Elapsed Time: 1:35:51 (h:m:s).
  • Avg Speed: 10.9 mph (a wee bit better!).
  • Max Speed: 31.7 mph (that’s more like it!).
  • Elevation Gain: 144 meters.
  • Min Elevation: 55 meters.
  • Max Elevation: 95 meters.

Data from: Garmin Connect.

First true test of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC HX400 Digital Camera

That’s was the first real test using my new camera! So far, I am more than happy with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC HX400 Digital Camera! Only downside about it, it does not fit my old camera bag. So need to get a new one! Then my current bag has done me very well! Used it for my last two cameras. Also used it during the End to End cycle! Yes, any reason I have to plug that website 🙂

Dog walking
Dog walking
Dog walking
Dog walking