Our Cat.

Her name is Meg and she lived with my parents. She only trusted and liked three people in the whole world! She arrived at my parents' house, as a hungry and scared stray kitten, in January 1992. Although born in 1991, she must have, in later life, been the oldest "Kitten" in town. Sadly she passed away on 17 September 2007. We estimate she was just over sixteen years old. I still miss her and should gladly have donated half of what life I have left to her. I thought the world of Meg, who was one of the best friends I ever had. She will never be forgotten.

Summit Ben Macdui.

Me at the summit of Ben Macdui, highest in the Cairngorms at 4295 feet (September 1998).

1979 M.G. Midget 1500.

Me in my modified M.G. Midget at Prescott Speed hillclimb May 1994. I have owned this car since 1984.

1989 Jedi (Suzuki) 500.

Me in my Jedi 500 at Shelsley Walsh Speed hillclimb, June 1996. At the time the 498cc Suzuki Gamma engine ran on a mixture of petrol and alchohol and gave prodigious power!

MGB GT V8.

My slightly modified 1974 M.G. B G.T. V8 which has been in the family for 20 years. It has covered only 45000 miles. Only 2591 of these 3.5 litre cars were built between 1972 and 1976.

1971 Morris Traveller.

My trusty 1971 Morris Minor sports a 1300cc M.G. Midget engine, a 5 speed gearbox, uprated front disc brakes and only slightly modified suspension, to equip it for modern roads. Easy to work on, easy to obtain parts for, cheap to insure and very cheap road tax (£NIL)!

My two road bikes.

The first one dates from 1980 and is now rarely used. It has a hand built frame and Campagnolo Super Record equipment. In its early years I used to race this bike. The bike behind, I built it in 2000 as a means of transport/training bike. It has Shimano equipment which nowadays is the best. This bike is very reliable and is used in all weathers (Hence the full mudguards)!

My Mountain Bike.

I built this in 2002. It features Rockshox SID Team forks which can be locked out, which is very useful when climbing (prevents front bobbing). The Shimano Deore XT equipment is excellent. It is a very light mountain bike - lighter infact than the newer of my road bikes but not as light as the old road bike.

Severn Valley Railway 2002.

Taken on a trip to the SVR in September 2002.

Above Kaprun (Austria) on the upper slopes of the Kempsenkopf.

Taken during the first full day of my 2003 trip to Austria. This is a walk I have done on each of my visits to Austria though not always with this much success! The first time the weather was bad, whilst on the second, unstable Spring snow made the going slow and tricky!

Early morning on Pen y Fan.

This is my local mountain! At 2906 feet, it is the highest of the Brecon Beacons and the highest Welsh mountain outside North Wales. With the right weather North Wales is visible as is Exmoor.

Site of Berghof 2003.

From my interest in history comes this infamous sight. Where the trees now stand was once the home of Adolf Hitler. On 25 April 1945 it was reduced to a ruin by the R.A.F. before being demolished by the Bavarian authorities in 1952

Scara Brae Orkney Isles.

Another historical site, famous rather than infamous! This the interior of a ruined stone age dwelling showing the stone furnature. The village remained hidden for centuries until a great storm in 1850 revealed this archealogical treasure.

Tredegar Town Clock.

The town clock in Tredegar was built in 1858. It is Tredegar's best known (Some may say only) landmark and it still works. I live about a mile distant from it but I can still hear its chimes. I can no longer see it from my house since other houses have been built in the line of sight!

My Carbon Fibre Road Bike.

This was built as a display model in 2006. It just happened to fit me! I don't use this one a lot but it is delightful to ride. It weighs under 18lbs and has Shimano Dura Ace equipment, which is as good as it gets. In truth it is a bit over the top for me but it was built as much as anything as a dieplay model.

Dean Forest Railway.

Another steam railway but nearer to home than the Severn Valley Railway. On a smaller scale than the SVR (At present at least) but very pleasing and enjoyable. It has come along way since my first visit in 1996. It runs from Lydney (Next to main line station) to Parkend, in the Forest of Dean. At Parkend, the Woodman Inn provides excellent food and refreshment.

The Crypt at Morlais Castle.

Morlais Castle was built (It is not certain that it was ever completely finished) around 1290, by Gilbert De Clare, Lord of Glamorgan. It’s function was to guard the northern end of his territory. Gilbert De Clare came into conflict with Humphrey De Bohun, Lord Of Brecknock and eventually both men were called to appear between King Edward 1. De Clare was considered to be more at fault than De Bohun and Morlais Castle was ordered to be destroyed. Whether it was is uncertain but it is believed that Oliver Cromwell’s forces destroyed most of what remained during the Civil War of the mid 17th Century. The last tower standing, fell during a great thunderstorm around 1800. Today, only evidence of the perimeter wall remains, the dry moat and one room, the crypt. This castle is probably the first I ever visited I suppose this, plus the sketchy details of its history and its scant remains, have made it interesting to me.

Ironbridge Gorge.

A very interesting place and one of the pioneering areas of the Industrial Revolution. The passage of time as healed and disguised some of the scars left by industry, so that nowadays, Ironbridge has a distinctly rural feel. Ironbridge is home to Darby's famous Iron Bridge.

Tredegar Park 2006.

The annual Gwent Leukaemia Vintage & Specialist Car Rally, at Tredegar House in Newport. Having been run since 1980, the event has become an institution and whilst I haven’t been to every one (My first visit was in 1985, with the Midget), it is an event I never miss these days. Perhaps the fact that I find contemporary cars so uninteresting, explains why I now enjoy this event more than ever.

Stogumber Station, West Somerset Railway.

A Prarie Tank engine pulls into Stogumber Station, bound for Minehead. Usually a stopping off point for me, the station is about a mile from the village it serves. There is to be found the White Horse Inn, where excellent food and refreshment can be taken.

Nelson Cross Country Suspension Bike.

My Nelson A875 full suspension mountain bike. Built in 2009, using Shimano XT running gear, Rockshox Reba Team forks and Rockshox Ario 2.2 rear suspension unit, this bike is great to ride and comes into its own on rougher surfaces. The brakes are superb, allowing fine limits of control. As an “All round bike” my old hardtail is a better compromise (As it would be compared with my road bikes) but as the saying goes “Horses for courses” and this bike can be ridden at greater speed, over rough surfaces, than the hardtail.

Lord Nelson.

Former Southern Railways 4-6-0, Lord Nelson, seen at Cheltenham Racecourse Station (Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway) on 29 June 2008.

My visit was in conjunction with a visit of the MG Car Club’s MGC Register. Although I don’t own a C, they kindly let me join them, at the wheel of my MG Midget. It was a most enjoyable day.

The GWR passes within sight of the Prescott hillclimb and it’s great, on VSCC day, to see steam engines passing along the line.

Ponsticill Reservoir.

The Taf Fechan side of the Brecon Beacons has always been a favourite of mine. The view here is of Pontsticill Reservoir, the other side of which is the Brecon Mountain Railway. At the top of the valley are to be found the Brecon Beacons (Corn Du, Pen y Fan and Cribyn), whilst just south of that point, a tributary leads off to a pass, which leads to the Caerfanell valley (Where the Talybont reservoir is to be found). Whether on foot, on my bike or in the car, I always enjoy a trip to this place.

MG M Type Midget.

The very first model of MG to be known as a Midget (The model ran from around 1929 - 32). Seen here at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Prescott hillclimb, if I were able to add to my small collection, this is very much the type of car I should like.