Canada Cares

Rubbish/litter bins with a shelf for recycling items which poor people collect and sell.

Drivers keep to the lane and stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings and side roads.

Saying sorry and carrying cycles on the front of buses.
Guests of Mysore Bed and Breakfast that welcome you into their home…. even after getting to know me.

Considerate Canadians helping out.

That’s nice.

Postscript

While I was out and preparing this posting someone came round (or maybe overnight) and stole Trixie, my new friend. So not all Canadians are good apples.

Trixie, and I’ve only just met her.

Vancouver Island

I’m visiting one of the Sari Sisters, a group of women cyclists from Vancouver Island.

Thank you Lise

They came to India stayed with us and cycled from Mysore to Cochin.

This is my third visit. Lise and Michael kindly ‘put me up’

And Michael and Benson.

I’ve had a wonderful few days exploring Victoria, the capital of BC and cycling along the Galloping Goose Trail.

Victoria and the island (as long as England!) is a great place

Guess who’s is the biggest?

Cyclists are catered for with cycle routes, great maps, considerate drivers and safe secure places to leave your cycle

With random deer, not cows.

Trixie was with me all the way.

Meet Trixie, Vancouver 3

Meet Trixie… My new friend has taken me in and around Vancouver city, to the sea and across to Vancouver Island.

Every time I visit Vancouver I’m reminded of the politeness. How people greet each other; how drivers generally behave and give way to pedestrians especially on side roads; and how it’s institutions respect and respond to their communities.

Even cyclists and their bikes are carefully catered for.

Travelling on the Skytrain.

But…

And on the Buses en route to the ferry to Vancouver Island.

Trixie isn’t all that she seems.

Originally manufactured by ‘Regal Cycles’ over ten years ago. Known as ‘the Count’ she was a Fixie or fixed gear but after some tinkering she was transformed with a new set of handlebars, 3 speed hub gears and a coaster brake.

Trixie is fab and served me well, I’d love to adopt her, provide a Brooks saddle and take her home.

After life

New park benches are sponsored by Netflix linked to Ricky Gervais’s series, in association with a charity tackling mental health issues.

They’ve placed them in different locations in the U.K.

An insightful series dealing with his reactions after the death of his wife. It helped me and it resonates with so many of the impacts of the loss.

We’ve done it too

Manjula’s Mysore had previously installed benches in a museum garden and the park opposite our house.

Vancouver again

Photos for everyone but especially my Indian friends to show how different it is here.

In and around the city.

A seagull harassing a family

Barnacles?
Vegan and beer

The city is surrounded by mountains and sea.

Toilets are for everyone, obviously.

Vancouver

Reminded of this wonderful city, visiting my youngest son Oliver, first time in three years.

Well done Ol, great success, I’m so impressed

As everywhere it somehow stimulates memories of elsewhere. I last visited shortly after Manjula died.

They’re at it again

Or preparing for another one.
Satish project director with his team, planning or trying to make sense of the firangi’s bizarre ideas

The wonderful team at Mysore City Corporation

Have kindly agreed to the extension of Manjula’s Garden in the park opposite our house.

Here’s the video I provided to make the case

One of Manjula’s benches in the background.

Swimming and snakes

The day started so well, with Kaveri swimming in the Kaveri.

After a quick change, that’ll. Be five rupees thank you.

Being watched by the cheeky monkeys.

Lucie was picked up much later and then wouldn’t leave the car.

Rat snakes, cavorting but not dangerous and easily managed by the snake man. She has disappeared. He was relaxing and recovering from all the hard work 🤔 so he was slow, lethargic and easily nabbbed.

MyCycle Tours begin again

After soooooo long without leading tours, they are now coming thick and fast, recently with a tour each week and for good measure a short cycle ride with a little known girl.

Grabbing a dosa for breakfast on the island is becoming popular

Todays tour was for Tilley and Jessie friends from the UK who I know through a very good friend Emma. Also on the tour was someone who will remain ‘nameless’ for a little longer.

They are travelling throughout India and I’m exhausted hearing about it, but its sounds that its been fun and as with all of us learned so much from the wonderful experiences that INDIA provides to us all.

Spotting the sheep, flowers, goats, butterflies and birds, not to forget the general craziness, has always been a popular part of the tour, a new interest has become the dung beetles. They’ve also met Kaveri, or at least the goddess, and the mini version of her will join us for breakfast.

Today we had to contend with the guide running out of petrol en route to the island, a political demonstration and our route blocked by trees. Nothing is ever straightforward in India seems a slight understatement.

MyCycle Tours will be available again in September.