30th September.
It's my Mum's birthday. Happy birthday Mum. This is a shopping update. I went to Tesco and i had a long list so I got a trolley. I felt like a bit of an idiot walking around with trolley, especially with a clipboard for my list, but I soon got into it. Skidded down a few of the isles. I am cool. And then there I am at the end with the full trolley. People look at you strangly when you take pictures of stupid stuff like a trolley. Guess  how much the shopping came to? Answers in the book.

Went to Revolution skatepark in Broadstairs last night. Box was a bit weird but I was doing a few tricks. Played on the halfpipes a bit too. The music was good as well. At Sittingbourne it's almost always the darkness, and Skaterham is either really loud metal or really loud hip-hop, whereas Revolution wasn't too loud and it was much more varied music so I was enjoying it even if it was the Scissor Sisters and other weird pop stuff.

It looks wet outside...

29th September
Almost no update today. I have been busy at work and then I am busy tonight, but it's lunchtime so I can fit in a bit of pointless writing.

Yesterday I fixed the pool bike at work. That was a good way to spend an afternoon. It had been left unattended for 2 years so the tyres needed pumping up. I couldn't be bothered to pump them much so I took it to the garage.

Tonight is a trip to Revolution skatepark in Broadstairs with Nigel. The foam pit at Sittingbourne is probably going next week so I want to get over there this weekend too.

Nothing else to report apart from good sales on at HMV and MVC. Oh, and don't ask about the ducks.

28th September
As part of my work I had to read a book called "Cutting Your Car Use", becasue that is essentially the aim of my job. I won't go into that now, but let me just tell you a bit about this book. One section deals with trying to encourage people to shop without using you car. It reads:

20% of car trips in britain are shopping trips. Instead you could:

Consider making or growing more food yourself.

I promise I am not making this up, it actually suggests this a real method for "cutting car use". I haven't read past that point as all the laughter coming from my desk made me look very suspicious, even though I was actually doing work.

It also suggests travelling by skateboard or scooter instead of your car, promoting the illegal use of these vehicles on either the pavement of the road.

Success Story
When someone wrote off Rosemary Turner's car, she bought a computer with the insurance.

What? So you are suggesting people commit insurance fraud to enable them to travel greenly.

Some more quotes, i am not making this up:

Despite high profile disasters, rail travel is statistically very safe.

Adrian says he is heathier fitter and happier.

Aother thing. What is it with using comic sans for every single piece of text? I was going to make all this text comic sans but it looked to disgusting and I couldn't read it. Its seems to be everywhere. I have to read reports of (supposedly) important documents, like from the guy in charge of the whole council, and it's in Comic Sans. What is wrong with people. I hate Comic Sans. It looks hideous. And using it for important documents is just a joke. It makes it look like kids writing. Can someone get a grip please.

I have to read the COMMUNITY SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2004 – 2007, but I physically cannot do it because the sight of a page of Comic Sans just makes me feel sick. I don't know what they were thinking.

27th September
Went to Tenterden for a little ride last night. The big line is fun. Nigel took some pictures but they are still on my camera. He told me that there was a foam pit at Sittingbourne but it will be gone soon, so I drove there but it was closed as they have changed their opening times. That was annoying.

Thisisnotaskateboard.com is going to die quite soon, so you are going to have to remember to type Scruffian.com instead. Lots of people said it was a bad idea to change the name because I had a link in bmx rider, but I thought that meant it was a good idea and that's dead now too which is sad. Pretty Shady killed it.

This update needs a picture so it will have to be something random like this:

There are trails near here according to pikeys, but we never found them.

Search Keywords are words that people type into a search engine and then find your site that way. Here are some that found my site:

1. Scruffy ruffian

2. Wisley dirt jumps

3. Here are some kiddy pics  <----- hahaha

4. FBM albert st. music <---- why?

5. Rover 218sd pictures <---- that worked then!

6. Unigate site Tenterden <---- maybe someones going to buy it?

That's all the news for today. It's raining so no riding at lunch time. I have a copy of some Marvel comic that might be worth money, which I was given many moons ago so I'm taking that to the comic shop at lunch time.

There is a media page here. Go and climb a mountain.

25th September
Another hoilday snap. For some reason people think it's good when most of the photo is out of focus.

This is a good time to be starting trails. The ground is still dry so you can get all the lines cleared ready for when the rains come, so find a spot and get those rakes and saws and axes out.

It looks like Wisley might be saved but no riding there for a while until it's sorted.

24 September 2004 Lots of people are going to University at this time of year. Going to University  is essentially a waste of time having a degree doesn't make that much of a difference when if comes to getting a job, if any at all, and you have to pay back your loan for a long time. On the other hand, look at it like this. You get given £12,000 to live for 3 years, when your couse probably only requires you to work for 15 hours a week. Bearing in mind that you are only at uni for about 30 weeks a year, then that works out at just under £9 an hour. Ok, so you have to pay it back, but it's an interest free loan. That means if you take the money and put it in the bank, then pay the loan people back at the end of 3 years you will have made a profit. Ways round paying off your loan 1. Declare yourself backrupt - once you have been made bankrupt then your loan is cancelled 2. Don't earn over £12,000 a year - or something like that, and you never have to pay a thing 3. Dont earn much until you are 40 - your loan is cancelled when you reach 40 years of age, so if you can delay paying until then you will be fine. I'm sure there are more. Anyway I was saying something. Yes, go to uni but not to get a good job, but to learn stuff and have fun and make the most of lots of free time and get used to living by yourself.

European Mobility Weel

23 September
No more Wisley. That seems to be how things will be after this weekend unless the internet is lying to me again. That is a big loss.

I guess lots of people will be there on Saturday so it's worth one final trip. Some pretty good stuff will probably happen.











Bermed lander
Bamber

22 September
Autumn rolls on with its loveliness. If only it wasn't so dark in the evenings but I like the sunset and sunrises (yes I see both cos I have to get up sooo early) which just seem to go on for about 2 hours.

Riding the park at lunchtime is fun too, and yesterday I was doing loads of design stuff for my job so I actually had an enjoyable day at work for the first time ever.

I have some pictures from the weekend to share with you at some point. Let's start with these.

The frisbee picture with the frisbee in it.

Blackberry Picking
Blackberries just grow in places that no-one uses for anything. You don't have to do anything to make them grow they just appear and they are free. Free food. Convenient as well as tasty so all in all it's a pretty good deal. I should imagine that they are pretty good for energy too so if you've got some blackberry bushes at your trails you can enjoy a mid session snack.

I saw some red berries too which I think are hawthorne berries, which might be good for your heart if you believe the internet, but I don't know how they taste.

These fruits are offered up by Mother Nature to all those who care to pick them in the hedgerows. What can be more satisfying than a bowl of this inky fruit, especially when it has cost nothing? Just your time spent idly enjoying the sunshine and the sound of birds and bees buzzing. Here are a few pointers to remember when you go foraging. Remember that the first blackberries at the tip of the stem are good for eating raw. They have bulbous druplets and their taste is sweet. They ripen from the end of August. By mid to late September, the secondary berries ripen. These are the ones mid way up the stem. These are less juicy but are good for cooking in pies and jams and are rather more tart. Lastly, towards the end of the season, the only fruit left on the bramble bushes are small and woody and not much use at all. They can be mixed with apples in a crumble or pie. It is prudent to mention that when picking blackberries for cooking, pick some unripe red ones. These help strenghthen the flavour and help the fruit to set when making jam or jelly. If you are of a superstitious nature, remember that it is considered unlucky to pick blackberries after 29th September as the Devil is supposedly in them. However, the GWG will leave that one to your discretion. The tips of the leaves can be used for making tea and it is said to cure indigestion and purify the blood. In the nineteenth century, blackberry leaves were added to old, re-dried tea-leaves, when the price of real tea was prohibitive. During the hungry times of the Industrial Revolution, poor people cooked parsnips and beetroot with blackberries to sweeten the dish.

Hawthorne berry is an herb that comes from the hawthorn shrub, which can grow up to 40 feet in height. The berries are usually bright red in coloration. They have been used medicinally since the time of the ancient Greeks for such things as insomnia and nervousness.

How can it benefit you?

Hawthorne berry today is most associated with its widespread use as a tonic for the heart. Specifically, it protects arterial walls, has the ability to dilate (enlarge) coronary blood vessels (the vessels supplying the heart with vital oxygen, blood, and nutrients), and strengthen the heart's pumping ability. Because of these powerful cardiac benefits, it is now one of the most prescribed heart remedies in Europe.

Those people who suffer from angina, therefore, would most likely benefit by hawthorne berry's ability to increase blood flow through the arteries. Additionally, for the same reason, those afflicted with hypertension (high blood pressure) may alleviate their condition since narrowed arteries require the heart to work more strenuously in getting blood through them.

People who suffer from tachycardia (rapid heart beating) and cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beating) may also find relief. It also has antioxidant properities which may help offset arterial damage from plaque formation and accumulation.

In short, hawthorne berry is seen by some as an all-purpose heart medicine.

20th September
When we were on hoilday we went crabbing. This is Rebekah putting the bait onto to line and on the right, looking cross because we didn't catch any crabs.

This is mackerel being used as bait, and this is the only crab we caught. Usually you catch a lot more than one crab, but our ones kept letting go when we pulled them out of the water.

Crabbing
Ok when you go crabbing, this is what you do.

1. Get some crab line and attach some meat to the hook

2. Put the meat into the sea and leave it there waiting for a crab to nip it

3. Pull the string and the meat and hopefully the crab out of the sea and put it in a bucket.

Repeat.

That's a jellyfish on the left. we tried to catch it with crab hooks and a bucket but it didn't work.

17th September
Some action shots of frisbee by popular demand. I have just realised that I have cut the fisbee out of the right one. i am dumb.

The frisbee was pink which is a good colour for a frisbee so you can see it, but it was heavy so it didn't fly that well. And someone threw it in the river and we had to run and get it which was exhilarating. 

Then on the left people doing some climbing. I thought that looked like it would be a lot more fun if you didn't use a rope.

The trails are still pretty dry these days which is good. Should be running until october at least. The big jumps at Orange don't seem to ever get that wet. Need to get some board and have all year round trails maybe.

On Saturday I think I will go to ashford, get some cheap clothes from ASDA and ride Joeys if it's dry. Anyone else coming?

Leave a message on the book saying "I will be at Joeys on Saturday at about 2ish. See you there."

Recent Updates:
Brixton
Hastings
Kiddy

Here's the picture of my html trainer. George Brynison or as I call him, Big Keith. Lots of people on the course didn't like him because instead of answering their questions he just answered different ones.

13th September
Started a new job today. The jury is still out on that, Kiddy was fun but I guess you are bored of hearing that now.

My holiday was good. Did some interesting things like going to this place. It's the doctor who museum. We didn't go inside, just sat and ate lunch by the river and played some frisbee. There are some interesting lines on the rail, bank, ledge, wall thing here. There were a few dirt flyouts and a spine just down the road too but I had a flat tyre.

2nd September 2004
I leave my job today. I am going on hoilday for a week or so so that means no updates for over a week. I am going to Kiddy Jam on my way home so I'll see you there. It will be really good. Photos of last year are here.

So you're probably thinking that you won't go to Kiddy. I know your type. Your reasons will probably be among the following. I'll answer them for you:

1. I want to go to Kiddy but I don't know anyone and they'll all be hardcore BMXers who'll beat me up

-Not true. Firstly you know me. Even if I don't know you, you read this website so you know me and I want to meet everyone who reads this, so I want to meet you. Also it won't be hardcore BMXers it will be freindly BMXers who will be please to see you.

2. It's a long way to go and I can't get there.

Ever heard of trains? You will be bringing your bike, so ride to the nearest train station and then get the train to Oxford and ride the rest.

3. I have a broken ------.

Well it's more of a social occasion than riding anyway right? Just come along, chat and take photos/videos. Unless you're Tim. Then stay at home.

4. I won't be able to ride any of the jumps.

Not true. You will be able to ride them it's just that you might fall off. Don't worry about that is happens to everyone. And there is a small line which you can ride anyway.

5. I am going somewhere else.

So? Just go to Kiddy instead.

6. But I have to visit my ------.

Visit them the day after or the week after..

7. My bike is brokem.

See 3.

8. The jumps are too small and I am too good.

Are you better than Lima? Thought not. He'll be there so you should be too. (If you are better than Lima then you are excused)

9. I don't ride.

So then come and take some pictures. It will still be nice to meet you. Come and say hello to me. I will have the dark green pantera with a rainbow brake cable.

10. I am an annoying ratty internet kid who no one likes and an annoying and never leave my name on the guestbook when I salt

Don't go then.

So, see you there.

It's Autumn. These are the last photos of Summer. This Summer has not been great. I don't want to moan, but working through long hot days is not fun. It's been very wet as well. The trails were still wet in May which is very late, and there has been a lot of rain in August, so all in all it sucks.
Good news on the way?

The thing is the passage of time is inevitable. It's a shame that we always look forward to summer expecting it to be good and then end up dissapointed. I guess it's the nature of trails that this happens, but I think it would be better to take each day as it comes. Don't save all your hopes up for summer or for next year because it might never happen. Just try to make to most of the time that you have now.

I was thinking about this in the context of what seb said on unknowntrailsrider.tk about wanting to ride but never getting round to it. I guess we all have a tendancy to put things off. Why not go and ride now? Or if not now, then work out when the nextr possbile moment is and do it then.