November 2023 Comment

 

November 23 Comment.

 

As a child I went to Sunday School to have fun with the other kids but also to be indoctrinated in the scriptures. I was always confused when Palestine or Philistine was mentioned. Were they the same?  Was Philistine another country?  I had to look it up and in my Compact English dictionary: 1 a member of the people in ancient Palestine.2 (usu. philistine) a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture. Also adj. It appears I did not get the wrong end of the stick. There are still Philistines in Palestine.

Getting closer to the London Classic Bike Show Henry Cole will be there and on the Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists stand will be a few celebrities due to be with us are Elspeth Beard, the around the world traveller and Chris Arthey survivor of a horrific accident on Highway 35 in America. Both will be there to talk to and sign books. I have read them both and they are good reads. Perhaps we should rename the club Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists Book Club?

Recently I bought a new tyre inflator. I wanted something to carry with me travelling on the bike. Something compact and independent. There is an enormous choice on eBay. I settled for a Pumteck Tyre Inflator. It has a battery, SOS lights, is a power bank and pumps up tyres.

 The only drawback is the connector that you have to screw on to the valve. I can’t do it quick enough to stop the loss of air from the valve. I must admit the clip ones are easier for me. I have now pumped up, not only the motorcycle tyres, but the cycle ones and the cars as well as you do with a new toy. It is slightly larger than my mobile phone but about 125mm by 80mm by 45mm deep. Not quite pocket sized. It feels heavy at about 600 gram. I think it will be a useful travel companion.

The other day a letter dropped on the mat from “Back Heathrow” a community newsletter about

 Heathrow becoming greener  and the use of  more environmentally fuels SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuels) already in used in fuel to cut carbon emissions there is a plan to do more using cooking oils, food waste and industrial waste. I know of the so called “Poo” buses in Bristol but consider the fragrance around Heathrow. It is bad enough with discharges of aviation fuel polluting the air already but adding other, not so environmentally friendly concoctions, is likely to be worse. The idea of  hydrogen powered aeroplanes is what peaked my interest. At present Heathrow sheds tens of thousands of tons of carbon into our atmosphere, Shedding the same equivalent of water in the same locality is bound to have an impact. I looked it up on the NASA website and the impact of water vapour enhances the warming effect of carbon dioxide. Reducing carbon in the atmosphere is needed but replacing it with water will negate the effect. The changes in local weather could be quite dramatic. Heathrow could become a grey area with little sunshine and regular showers of rain when a jumbo jet takes off. Everyone around London would need to escape to the sunshine. Difficult to dry washing without a tumble dryer. I am not so sure that hydrogen will be as good as they say. The thermal efficiency as a fuel compared to aviation fuel requires it to be compressed in to a liquid also requiring a strong, robust tank to contain it. It is all doable but is all that effort going to be worth it? If hydrogen takes off as a commercial fuel what will become of the rest of the worlds’ economies? It has not been properly thought through. I would not fancy riding around with a tank of hydrogen between my legs!