UK TV programmes to watch this week : 11/07/2015

Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure (YouView app)Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure (itv/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 12th July 2015)

First in a three-part series which sees Joanna Lumley travel the 6,400 mile route from Hong Kong to Moscow. Joanna begins her train journey in Hong Kong – which she last visited when she was four – while she has not been to Moscow since 1966 when she was there as a model at the height of the Cold War. In the first episode, she sets off from The Peak above Victoria Harbour, before jumping on the Mass Transit Railway to Shenzhen where she catches the bullet train to Beijing. In China’s capital, she discovers that more Rolls Royces are sold there than anywhere else in the world. She visits a bizarre restaurant dedicated to Chairman Mao and encounters an old lady who knew Emperor Puyi’s favourite concubine. She then joins the Trans-Siberian, stopping off in Datong and visiting a wild stretch of the Great Wall. From there she travels by overnight train to Mongolia, where she passes through the Gobi desert and visits a local shaman.

The Cycle Show (itv4 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 16th July 2015)

The cycling magazine show with celebrity guests, cycling stars and features on all things bike related. Presented by Matt Barbet.

Coast (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 16th July 2015)

Bounty from the Sea. Coast explores the incredible riches within our seas and the surprising stories of how we use them. Nick Crane is on a mission in the Faroes to gather all manner of bounty to take to a traditional feast. He starts by diving for 50-year-old mussels before discovering how the Faroese like to eat their sheep! Mark Horton undertakes a piece of experimental archaeology in Denmark in a quest to understand why our Stone Age ancestors fished at night. Hermione Cockburn delves into the microscopic world of plankton that fascinated the Victorians. She meets the artist creating fantastic works of art using diatoms – microscopic pieces of plankton.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 17th July 2015)

The award-winning show continues with the sixth series of unique irreverent satire. Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker tear into the week’s main talking points, joined by a live studio audience and weekly celebrity guest.

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

Maybe my favourite wetsuit photos EVER!

Think these are the best ever photos, taken of myself while wearing a wetsuit! Even better since, I am looked in the stainless steel fist mitts, so have no way of getting out of the wetsuit, even if I wanted to!!

Now please all get commenting on these photo! Of course the ones at the seaside!

You all know what happens, when I am at the seaside!

I am sure that most of you, will bu now know what happens when I go to the seaside!!! I just about always end up wearing a wetsuit! Also have to get at least one mate, also to gear up! So here are some of the many photos we took while at Old Hunstanton.







More photos from this set can be found at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/days-out/06-07-2015/.

Forth Bridge given World Heritage Site status!!

The Forth Bridge has become the sixth Scottish landmark to be awarded Unesco World Heritage Site status. About time!! Makes me so Proud to be Scottish! Yes, I just said Scottish, when most of the time, I call myself British! 😀

Forth Bridge



UK TV programmes to watch this week : 04/07/2015

A Song for Jenny (YouView app)A Song for Jenny (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:20pm | Sunday 5th July 2015)

One-off drama which tells the true story of Julie Nicholson’s response to her daughter Jenny’s death in the 7 July bombing at Edgware Road tube station, exploring the impact of violence on one woman and her family.

The Met: Policing London (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 6th July 2015)

Documentary following the officers of Britain’s biggest and busiest police service as they deal with life, death, crime and its victims, all across the capital. Over 50 per cent of new Met officers are from outside London, and Yorkshireman Tom Hebblethwaite has his work cut out finding his way around. During his training he must achieve some vital goals, from making an arrest to learning to march. The streets of London are a challenge for even the most experienced police constables, and response officers Caroline Hay and Karl Davies are old hands at dealing with the ups and downs of policing the public in Camden, north London. While putting up with verbal abuse from angry buskers is part of the job, it’s protecting some of society’s more vulnerable individuals that makes Caroline reflect on why she joined the service. In east London, Detective Jason Weald is nearing retirement and must call on his years of experience to get to the bottom of the tragic death of a four-month-old baby.

Britain Beneath Your Feet (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 8:30pm | Thursday 9th July 2015)

Dallas Campbell reveals a fascinating and secret world hidden below Britain. In this episode he explores how what goes on underground keeps our country on the move. He delves into the past to discover how a secret wartime pipeline is now delivering fuel to Heathrow Airport. Extraordinary computer graphics lay bare the underwater engineering genius that allowed the iconic Forth Rail Bridge to be built in the 19th century. Along the way Dallas meets some of the hidden army of workers that keep Britain running from underground, from the drivers of the largest tunnelling machines in the world to the engineers running a vast power station under a mountain in Wales. In one memorable scene, he helps dislodge a ‘fatberg’ that’s blocking one of London’s sewers. And he does some secret filming of badgers that are threatening the foundations of a primary school and helps to relocate the whole sett.

The Cycle Show (itv4 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 9th July 2015)

The cycling magazine show with celebrity guests, cycling stars and features on all things bike related. Presented by Matt Barbet.

The Last Leg (Channel 4 /HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 10th July 2015)

The award-winning show returns for a sixth series of unique irreverent satire. Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker tear into the week’s main talking points, joined by a live studio audience and weekly celebrity guest.

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

02-Jul-2015: First cycle of the month!

I was hoping to get out yesterday for a cycle. But had to wait till today! Yesterday the temperature in my part of the UK got up to 35C, which if you ask me, is just way to hot for cycling in!

So today, I did 34.10 miles on the bike. Which I am more than happy with! But this month cycling wise is going to be hard work! Since in July of last year, I did 705.2 miles! I need to get a hell of a lot of miles in this month!!

I will now leave you with the route map, route statistics and photos.

Route map:-

02-07-2015 - bike ride route map

Elevation graph:-

02-07-2015 - bike ride elevation graph

Route statistics:-

  • Start time: 2:33 pm.
  • Distance: 34.10 miles.
  • Time: 2:43:23 (h:m:s).
  • Elapsed Time: 3:34:15 (h:m:s).
  • Avg Speed: 12.5 mph.
  • Max Speed: 35 mph.
  • Elevation Gain: 318 meters.
  • Min Elevation: 55 meters.
  • Max Elevation: 155 meters.

Data from: Garmin Connect.

Photos from the cycle:-

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June 2015 cycling statistics

Here are my cycling statistics for June 2015. This month, I did 376.25 miles, was hoping to reach at least 400. But still just about pleased with that number. I did set a new record for the fastest, I’ve gone on my bike, I got up to 40 mph! 🙂

Here is the data from June 2015:-

  • Total cycles: 15
  • Total Distance: 376.25 miles
  • Total Time: 29:43:02 (h:m:s)
  • Avg Speed: 12.7 mph
  • Max Time: 3:59:28 (h:m:s)
  • Max Speed: 40.0 mph
  • Avg Distance: 25.08 miles
  • Max Distance: 50.86 miles (Single cycle)

Data from: Garmin Connect.

Here are my favourite cycling photos from the month:-

Pearl Izumi Team Garmin-Chipotle team kit

Cannondale Pro Cycling Team 2014

Myself at Bitchfield

Pearl Izumi Team Garmin-Chipotle team kit

June 2015 most popular photos

Below are the top three most looked at photos on this website during June 2015.

Number 1 (9,369 views) : PBK Team Long Sleeve Skinsuit 2009
PBK Team Long Sleeve Skinsuit 2009

Number 2 (1,477 views) : Out walking
Out walking

Number 3 (1,007 views) : RST Pro Series 1 Piece Leather Suit
RST Pro Series 1 Piece Leather Suit