End to End cycle photos from 2009!

Still can’t believe it was way back in August 2009, that I did the End to End cycle. So will be 5 years ago this coming August. No idea where the last 5 years have gone?

I still really want to the End to End cycle again at some point! Just need to find some fit lads to do it with me!! When I say fit, I mean good looking! Any offers???

More photos from this set can be found at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/endtoend/

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 28/06/2014

The Secret Life of Students (YouView app screenshot)The Quest for Bannockburn (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 29th June 2014)

The first of two absorbing documentaries telling the story of a two-year project to identify the spot where Robert the Bruce secured victory over the English in June 1314. The Battle of Bannockburn helped seal Scotland’s future as an independent country, but the precise location of the rout of Edward II’s vastly superior army on the second day of the fighting has been a matter of conjecture. A major investigation involving bodies including the BBC, Glasgow University and the National Trust for Scotland has come up with the answer and with some fascinating archaeological finds. Neil Oliver and Tony Pollard take up the story of a battle that became a defining moment in Scottish history.

A Cabbie Abroad (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 29th June 2014)

London cabbie Mason McQueen takes on the challenge of driving a taxi in three very different cities around the world. In this episode Mason takes on the harsh conditions of Iqaluit, Canada’s gateway to the eastern Arctic. The boomtown of the far north, Iqaluit’s population has doubled in the last decade. With no public transport to speak of, the city’s small band of taxi drivers are vital to keeping the city on the move in the face of some of the toughest driving conditions on Earth. Mason battles Arctic storms, icy roads and winds of 70 miles per hour as he tries to get his passengers to their destination. Through his passengers, Mason discovers the story of the native population, the Inuit, whose way of life has been radically transformed over the last century. During his time Mason has a glimpse of their traditional values and ways of life, from hunting to throat singing, as well as the modern challenges of poverty and homelessness that now plague the Inuit.

Coast Australia (BBC 2/HD | 9:10pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 2nd July 2014)

Series exploring Australia’s coastline. Tim Flannery begins this Top End adventure at Victoria Settlement and learns of its tragic history in the struggle to colonise Australia’s northern frontier. Neil Oliver examines the ferocious bombing of Darwin and a remarkable story of reconciliation between former enemies. Miriam Corowa confirms that not all Hollywood dreams come true, especially along this unforgiving coast. Plus, Xanthe Mallett goes on patrol with Australian Customs Fisheries to hunt for killer ghost nets. And no Top End story would be complete without a crocodile – Emma Johnston draws blood in the name of science.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 3rd July 2014)

George meets a couple who love VW campervans so much they have given up their jobs and sold their home in order to completely drop out of the rat race. They are spending £40,000 renovating an original split screen van which will become their home on the road. George and Will’s Texan road trip brings them to the state capital of Austin, where no more than a mile from city hall a woman has handbuilt her £10,000 three bed family home from mud. George attempts to fulfill a lifelong ambition of building a butterfly house. He also meets a glamping enthusiast who, having been made wheelchair bound after a motorcycle accident, has set about making luxury glamping pods which are accessible to everyone.

The Secret Life of Students (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:00pm | Thursday 3rd July 2014)

Every year, thousands of students head off to university for the first time, leaving behind their friends, family and childhood homes. This brand new documentary series presents all the drama, gossip and goings-on from 12 students embarking on their first year at Leicester University. And it’s not just their grades that are being examined. Their texts, tweets, pictures, videos and status updates pop up on screen alongside their on-campus shenanigans. From neknominations to 3000-student strong bar crawls, getting ‘smashed and dashed’ and gossip spreading like wildfire, how do the students cope in their first term? Will they struggle with homesickness as lectures begin and the reality of living away from home sets in? And how will their social media updates correlate with their real life experiences?

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

Channel 4 launches two new HD channels on Freeview

channel4Great news, Channel 4 is launching two new HD channels on Freeview on 1st July 2014.

The two new HD channels – Channel 4+1 HD and 4seven HD – will launch on channels 110 and 111 respectively and anyone who can already receive channels including BBC Four HD (channel 106) and Al Jazeera HD (channel 108) will be able to receive the new Channel 4 services when they launch.

More information can be found @ www.a516digital.com/2014/06/channel-4-launches-two-new-hd-channels.html.

News update about man carrying knife

Just found a news update about the man, that I seen carrying a knife and covered in blood in Cambridge on Sunday afternoon.

I even got a quote in the newspaper! Read the news article on the Cambridge News website.

Below is my tweet, just to show the quote really was from me!

Midsummer’s Day theme evening @ theDogs

At the Peterborough Greyhound Stadium (my place of work) we had a Midsummer’s Day theme evening.

So it give me another great reason to wear Lycra at work! I am doing well. So far wore my Spider-Man suit, Lycra skinsuit and now a Lycra rash vest :).


UK TV programmes to watch this week : 21/06/2014

When Andy Won Wimbledon (YouView app screenshot)When Andy Won Wimbledon (BBC 1/HD | 10:35pm to 11:35pm | Monday 23rd June 2014)

On the hottest day of the year in 2013 millions of people all over the UK were glued to their TV and radio sets willing Andy Murray to end 77 years of sporting hurt by winning the Men’s Wimbledon crown. This documentary tells the story of how so many people experienced Murray’s historic victory against Djokovic that day. There are personal recollections from Murray himself and those closest to him, including mum Judy and girlfriend Kim Sears. Plus, stars and members of the public recall their own stories from this classic ‘where were you when’ moment. With contributions from John McEnroe, Sue Barker, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Michael Parkinson, Amy McDonald and John Newman.

Alison Steadman’s Shetland (ITV/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 24th June 2014)

Birdwatching fanatic and patron of the RSPB Alison Steadman heads to the Shetland Islands’ rugged coastline to discover some extraordinary wildlife secrets. The popular actor swaps the hustle and bustle of city life for the remote Scottish islands’ challenging landscape and extreme isolation in her search for its unique animal residents. Alison enlists some local help as she observes puffins returning in spring to feed, sets off on a coastal trek in search of otters, goes kayaking in a bid to see the wildlife from sea level, and forages for razor clams and sea urchins on the beaches of Dury Voe. The trip culminates in Hermaness where Alison joins local ecologist Richard Shucksmith to record the birdsong of the 33,000 gannets nesting on the cliffs.

Coast Australia (BBC 2/HD | 9:10pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 25th June 2014)

Series exploring Australia’s coastline. Tim Flannery begins this Top End adventure at Victoria Settlement and learns of its tragic history in the struggle to colonise Australia’s northern frontier. Neil Oliver examines the ferocious bombing of Darwin and a remarkable story of reconciliation between former enemies. Miriam Corowa confirms that not all Hollywood dreams come true, especially along this unforgiving coast. Plus, Xanthe Mallett goes on patrol with Australian Customs Fisheries to hunt for killer ghost nets. And no Top End story would be complete without a crocodile – Emma Johnston draws blood in the name of science.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 26th June 2014)

George meets a Manchester couple who decided to spend their ten thousand pound nest egg on creating an underground casino in a hidden basement in their new home. George also meets a woman who’s tired of the 9-5 drudgery, but can’t afford to open a shop. So, she builds her own for £5000. In Texas, George visits a tiny home made entirely from salvaged materials and a caravan buried deep underground in case the apocalypse arrives. Will gets creative on George’s garden build by designing a rotating door. And an East End £150k garden conversion leaves George green with envy.

I Belong to Glasgow (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 10:35pm 11:05pm | Friday 27th June 2014)

In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, four Glaswegians celebrate their city. Actress Karen Dunbar honours a city reborn by embarking on an alternative tour of the city. She meets drag queens, partakes of Glasgow’s deadly diet, digs in an allotment, plays bingo and speaks her mind about football during a phone-in.

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