It's only a number

via MoMA by Alan McCollum

Wikipedia will tell you (amongst other things)

1. The letters are in alphabetical order
2. It is an octagonal number
3. It is a pentagonal pyramidal number
4. It is the atomic number of Zirconium
5. It's negative is the temperature where Fahrenheit and Celsius scales are equal
6. This many winks is a nap
7. This many days and this many nights means a long time

But it won't tell you what connects it with 20 09 2009 - any ideas?

Day for the Big Chief of the Clan

Zig Zag: From Dartmoor 2009

We ended our family get-together-cum-holiday in Dartmoor today in a rather fitting way on a rather fitting day. But some explanations first.

What 10 things do you associate with Dartmoor?

1. Ponies (in the road)
2. Walking up 'Tors' (the granite outcroppings on top of the moor)
3. The prison
4. Narrow roads/tractors
5. Family holidays
6. Windy days
7. errrm...
8. Heather??
9. Sheep?
10. ..... oh yeah - that thing with stamps

No.10 is properly called 'Letterboxing' which was a past-time my youngest brother, li'l sis, Mum & Dad picked-up visiting Dartmoor sometime after I foreswore family holiday's in my late teens - so something I had zero interest in back then. Later Mum and Dad continued to visit the area to walk the moors and Tors. So it was appropriate that last year, when we went to Dartmoor on 'goodbye' family holiday before we headed off to Finland that the clan left a box out on the moors in memory of our 'big chief'.

So this year, 18 months later, with my own significant large-numbered birthday celebration at hand, we have come back to Dartmoor to regroup, catch-up, celebrate (two birthdays other than mine), meet new additions (nephew and b.f.), walk (best one just Konna & I - 12km, lovely sunny day, Hameldown Tor, Grimspound bronze age settlement and around), eat (excellent and over-ample cooking all round), to dress in Victorian clothing (obviously), take lots of photos with my new 'toy' (and thanks to all my family for the present); and to check on Dad's letterbox.

So yesterday we recovered the box from Feather Tor, near Windy Cross and replaced it with a new one (with an appropriate cross stamp); then after browsing the visitor book last night we placed that box on Top Tor this morning, the day of his anniversary. It was nice to arrive home this afternoon to take some of his favourite flowers from the garden to the churchyard and tell him about the new boxes. I think he would have liked it.

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Clues to find the letterboxes: (remember to wear appropriate clothing, take an OS map and a compass when walking on the moors! A notebook, pen, stamp and inkpad, as well as a sharp pair of eyes, may also come in handy...)

• The new box in the old place:

1. From the car park on the B3357 head south to Windy Cross;
2. Cross the aqueduct and head up to Feather Tor;
3. Find the 'balancing rock' (see picture) and head east-ish towards a square looking rock;
4. The box is somewhere about halfway between...

• The Chief's old box in the new place:

1. From the small car park on the B3387 cross the road and head south to the small Tor;
2. Look for this small stack (see photo) you may want to scale it for the view west;
3. Head towards Widecombe-in-the-Moor's church tower - about 70 paces
4. The Chief now resides nearby...

No. 84 made it!

No. 84 approaches the finish at the Helsinki Velodrome: Tour de Helsinki 2009

It was a cold, wet day but 1300 cyclists turned up for the Tour de Helsinki yesterday. Lue lisää ja voittajasta tämä suomeksi.

No. 84 (who bears a startling resemblance to emmdee) was nervous at the start: riding on a borrowed road bike* he had only ridden for 10km, not sure what speed group to go with, not used to group riding, not looking forward to the forecast day of rain and 14°C temperatures, and hoping to finish before the 7hr cut off for the event.

In the end he started with the 24km/hr group near the back of the field (so crossing the start about 5 mins after the official 11am start time in the last hundred or so people) and rolled along slowly in the convoy at less than 20km/hr for the first 10km. The rain had stopped and the roads were damp but not soaked. When the 'free' cycling got started he realised that he could go faster than the group speed, especially drafting in a pack, and after the first pit stop at Lepsämä (38km) left the group hoping to catch one supposedly 5mins ahead... the rest of the was spent moving from small group to small group, hoping to catch one that was travelling about 27km/hr on the road (his average by this time) and enjoying the ride.

Skipping stop 2, things stayed this way (near misses with cyclists dodging orava aside) until after stop 3 at Paippinen at 95km where after stopping to refill bottles, eat mini-bananas and phone ahead to the support team his ETA, he rejoined to find the roads seemingly empty, only catching and passing the occasional rider and seeing several stopped with punctures. The roads then became soaking wet from recent rain, and his legs started to tighten up and tiredness set in and without a group to shelter in the speed began to drop off. Then at about 110km as no.84 took a breather behind another slightly slower rider another one came past (no.1410) at a better pace; tagging onto him 84 was able to pick up the pace and after a few kilometres agreed (in broken Finnish) to try to stick together and help each other for the rest of the ride. Towards the final 5 to 10 km this became a matter of sisu as 84 couldn't quite stay with him - particularly after a close call with a car that disobeyed a signal to stop from policeman directing traffic.

The support team gives a hand: Tour de Helsinki 2009

Finally arriving in the Velodrome for the finish and after few scarey moments on the wet track 84 completed the course, and stiff, exhausted but happy to be greeted by his supporters.

Official timing stats

Distance: 140.1km

Time: 5 hrs 37 mins 50 seconds

Position: 947 of 1178 recorded finishers/1301 starters

Average speed: 24.9km/hr

Stats from bike computer (i.e wheels moving):

Distance: 144.5 km (!)

Time: 5hrs 20mins

Average speed: 27.10km/hr

Max: 53.75km/hr

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me for this event, it was really appreciated - currently we have raised £340 (+£47 gift aid) via my JustGiving pages for Cancer Research UK and the CJD Support Network. If you haven't and still want to contribute the pages are still open!

*Many thanks to Patrick for the loan of his road bike for the day - it would probably have been 7+hrs on my mountain bike. Hmm - maybe I could get my own road bike for next year....

Pictures by Bore & Konna

Ruska tulee, sitten tälvi...

Senaatintori steps: from Around Helsinki - Autumn09

You might think that this month's new header image is a bit early, especially if you are in the UK having just enjoyed the late summer bank holiday, and breathing a sigh of relief the kids are back to school. But looking out our window you can believe autumn is already here. A cool, damp, windy day; koivu (birch) leaves fading and falling to the ground; mushrooms sprouting up. In fact that header picture was taken at the end of September last year (see Autumn Colours), and this year's ruska (the aforesaid autumnal vegetation) will be well underway, the autumn equinox will have been and gone, and Finns will be bringing out the cold weather gear from the attic before the month is done and the header changes again. And the bad news for me is the same is forecast for next Sunday - not ideal for the big ride.

It seems like only yesterday I was wandering around stadi under blues skies showing our weekend visitors from London the sights, and taking touristy snaps with my (slightly early*) birthday present. Hang on it was only yesterday... Where are my jumpers and wooly socks?

*Well I had to make sure it worked, right?