Posted by stocky on May 19, 2009
Winter has arrived in bulk, torrents of rain, snow down to low levels and freezing temperatures
I managed to get up to Christchurch on Motto Beasty to see my brother Mark
I was watching the weather forecast on Thursday night and there was a two day “window’ Friday-Saturday so I got my employee set for the day on friday morning and jumped on the bike
It was good value, I got a sore butt though, the Motto Beasty is nothing like cruiseing on a Harley so the butt starts to hurt a little after a couple of hours in the saddle, the down side is that during the day with traffic to pass and speed traps to dodge Christchurch is a three and a half to four hour ride
the last hour was like “I just wanna break” but so close to the destination you convince yourself to “harden up old man”
when I got up there Mark asked “what I had come up to Christchurch up for”?
I said “the RIDE mate, last chance before winter” as with most people who dont live to ride, he gave me that “you’re bloody mad look”
I visited with the parents of my best mate who is in “lock up” at the moment, he’s to be there for awhile longer yet and his folks are getting on a bit so I try to drop in an see them whenever I can.
They are great people and have always treated me as one of their family I’ve known them for close to thirty years
My mates Mum introduces me to people as her “other son” its quite a honor to be thought that highly of
She always feeds me up, its hard case, she likes to make sure you’re made to feel welcome
Even when I was full time doing weights and training in un-armed combat she would say “you’re wasting away to nothing my boy, I better make you a sanddwich to tie you over ’til lunch time” [haha]
My “Brother” [ bikey speak for closest friend ] would be laughing hard out as in those days I was 86kg’s [13 stones] and pumped up like a bull terrier on ‘Roids, that combined with the fact that I am verticaly challanged at only 176cm [5’ 10″] made the name STOCKY appropriate
Nowdays as with all things age has altered that and I’m now more likely to get the nick name “Roundy” haha
subject change
I’m going to build a new garage out front of home as the one we’ve got is old and leaky so not a good thing for the “Beasty” to have to live in [I’ll take her over and put her in a storage unit that I have for the winter]
So anyway I go to the council to see what permits that I have to have in order to complete the structure and I’ve got the hassle of the garage being on my neighbors boudry line so I have to get [resourse] consent from my neighbor
Thats cool I understand that it affects thier property, BUT, get this, I also have to get consent from the two neighbors directly across the street from us and the neighbor on the other side [who cannot even see the garage]
This is political correctness gone over board
I guess I’m about to find out if I’ve pissed off any of the neighbours haha
and then if I get the permission of my neighbors I get the privilage of paying $600.oo to have the resourse concent granted
If however, I have indeed pissed off my neighbor, I will have to take it to court in order to get a ruling that the objection is from personal not practicle reasoning, that could be costed in the thousands depending on time lawyers fees etc
then I get to build [hopefully]
I didnt realise that it was so involved I figured “get a permit, Kiss butt at the bankfor the money, build a garage”, easy, but nothing is easy haha “I thrive on challange bring it on”
I’ve got all the paper work thats required of the neighbors so I’ll get to the asking bit over the next couple of days
The rain has means that I dont have much on at work so I have time to put into this wee project
Hope fully I’ll have it all sorted to be built next spring when the weather is a little more condusive
So thats all for now
STOCK off road for winter BooHoo