Cycling up the mountain in pure air and hoping I don’t follow it up with the painful inner-thigh cramps of last week, I passed the roof I had been working on a few days ago.
The cable that I had run overhead from it’s previous course of running around the patio, just needed clipping up at gutter level. It had looked messy from Pablo’s when I sat with a beer. 
A neater look now from the bar, and it would stop any movement or slapping the brickwork in the wind. 
Valerie and her guests had also missed ‘Dancing on the Ice Strictly’ and something with Stars due to losing the satellite signal. Les and Linda helped with the roof job, so I was glad I could sort out the highly technical Sat TV fault for them. I checked the cable, all connections, satellite dish direction, using compass and my satellite signal meter looked professional. The fault still persisted until I remembered the Horn was uncovered. I poked my finger into the hole and pulled out a mini-nest …. shouts went up straight away that there was music in the house. Signal restored 🤷🏻♂️
On my way past, I dropped the refurbished pump at Deryck’s for us to test and hopefully fit one last time, see if my modification was successful 🤞
Back on the post-holiday empty roads, The cycling views are worth the effort of missing two morning episodes of ‘Pawn Hunters’
The bike has seen a few miles and is the one I used everyday at work, also for charity rides….
It is difficult knowing who or what to support as a deserving case when Charity requests are made, sponsorship asked for and international disaster appeals flash up on TV.
And, if you chip-in to a charity does that mean a government functioning body can now re-direct funding (your taxes) to its own pet project.
Street beggars have been known to hide their flash cars around corners, or head to a crack den once enough cash is in the tin. Are you helping or funding drug habits?
In the U.K. the street beggar sometimes sit with a dog and plead for money on its behalf for food. A hidden benefit it seems is being able to claim social security support to care for their dogs? So they may not be the animal carer they portray. I’ll double check this next time in U.K. and if true my pockets might be an extra inch deeper.
“Deserving” is the watch-word.
My favoured charities are, in order, for the Children – Heart – Cancer – The British Legión.
I’ve cycled from London to Amsterdam for ‘Children with Cancer’
I’ve …… Ran The Santa Dash in Liverpool with my daughters
Cycled across Scotland, 450 miles in four days for the British Legion. 
Completed 24 hours cycling race at Brands Hatch. 
Ran the:
Stockholm, Paris, Boston, London, New York, Sydney and Niagara Falls Marathons, paying my own travel/accom/entry, to raise money.
Ran Snowden Marathon barefoot.
All charities seemed good causes and checked out for legitimacy and passing-on maximum pence per pound.
Being a house sitter for owners with animals, I have contributed and attended sponsored events that aid them. Not a devout animal lover, but I am happy that they give companionship and security to folk.
Very close to home, I was surprised to find dogs being mistreated and living a short term life (weeks) in volunteer cleaned kennels, awaiting destruction.
Beaten with sticks across their hips for not performing in the Oct – Feb rabbit hunting season is an example of their canine value in some quarters. It’s hard not to put your hand in your pocket to help keep them from being cremated and pay towards the kennels.
Choirs and bands perform locally at venues that rattle the ‘collection tin’ for the animals support.
Charity money being drummed up I hoped for the most desperate, disappointing if it’s diverted.
Monies need to be going to the needy cause you donate to.
The guys I met in Canada were a great example of this.
Geriatric Gap Years 