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embracing the new
i consider myself to be old skool, tied to the habits and joys of yesteryear, if only for the folly that anything new is to be embraced, while the previous regime is regarded as outdated and less worthy of our attention. the problem with that, as far as i'm concerned, is of fashion for the sake of fashion. in the same way that folks will interrupt a real, in person, conversation to answer a text or message, thereby apportioning greater importance to the latter, nouveau ideas seem to garner greater importance, simply as a matter of course.
try not to judge me, but on saturday evening i spent a happy couple of hours watching buddy rich and his big band in a concert from praha in 1984 and another from stockholm in 1986. big band music nowadays is seen as a form of tribute to the 40s and 50s, enjoyed predominantly by elderly folks such as myself. the same could probably be said about be-bop jazz, though there are still plenty of day-to-day contemporary practitioners, often accused of stagnating, as jethro tull once sang, living in the past, rather than creating a more forward looking impetus.
the problem with that particular point of view, should it be seen as such, is the constant need, nay, demand, for something new, when there is, in fact, nothing wrong, or at least, nothing wrong based on the longevity of any musical style. that the big bands died out had a great deal more to do with economic constraints and the desire of some musicians to free themselves from the restrictions of minimal soloing opportunities within the big band format. for those reasons alone, the number of big bands today is still in decline, though germany's wdr big band has regularly shown there's a great deal of life left in the old dog yet.
but what if i don't like the new? what if the level of personal enjoyment is more closely tied to swing and be-bop? if i see more value in the musical mores of yesteryear, am i not at liberty to continue listening in that vein? of course, if i'm perfectly honest, nobody is suggesting that i ought to change my values, and i am fortunate that record company releases and archives are full of unreleased music pertaining to my tastes, allowing me, and others like me, to continue to live in our own little time warp for as long as we're happy to do so. of course, that's not to say i am oblivious to the potential enjoyment of the new; simply not at the expense of what i still find enjoyable.
my daily newspaper is the guardian which, on saturdays, features an eponymously titled magazine. within which, under the culture section, are two pages headed, out and in; the former lists cinema, gigs and art, the latter streaming, albums, and the more curious brain food. this week, under gigs, appearing at ronnie scott's in london is norwegian saxophonist, marius neset "and his exciting quartet, which includes drum star, anton eger." always keen to appraise myself of just what constitutes a 'drum star', i looked him up on youtube, very much to my disappointment. if you're at all interested, look and listen for yourselves.
the same description could be readily applied to the likes of visma lease-a-bike's matthew brennan, but essentially the young british sprint star does what very many have done before. tadej pogacar and mathieu van der poel could surely have been crowned the same. both are prolific contemporary winners, but essentially, no different from many of their predecessors. pogacar has been compared to merckx on many an occasion, and mvdp to the likes of johan museeuw, tom boonen, or fabian cancellara. granted, the bicycles they ride have changed substantially, not only in manufacture, but also in componentry. but essentially they carry out exactly the same function as eddy's steel machinery from the 1960s and 70s.
cyclocross is exactly the same, yet we all continue to enjoy what we see. or, in these days of expensive tnt sports subscriptions, what we read. that said, i relate the sense of anticipation to the halcyon years of bbc's top of the pops; most of what we saw and listened to each week was unadulterated crap, but you had to watch just in case one of the era's better bands appeared, especially during the much-vaunted album spot when bands less likely to be categorised as pop, would reprise one of their better album tracks.
so perhaps we all look forward to each cyclocross and road season, in the probably vain hope that something unexpected might take place. something that the guardian might be inclined to prefix with the words 'new star', indicating a propensity to achieve something rarely seen in the annals of cycling's rich heritage.
thankfully, there's still a lot to be said for the swing era.
coincidentally, eger has made an album with saxophonist marius neset and the bergen big band, though it's anything but swing.
monday 2 march 2026
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................same old, same old
this is going to sound like bragging, but later this year, mrs washingmachinepost and i will have lived on islay for thirty-nine years, not including having visited (her) family every year for three years prior to moving. the island has changed quite a lot since the late 1980s and not always for the best, but i dare say the same complaint could be levelled at virtually every location throughout scotland and the uk. reputedly the population of argyll & bute, of which islay is a part, is in decline. the last figures i received from the council, issued in 2022, put the island's population at 3,200, which would be around 300 less than it was when we arrived. the oddity, which i have never been able to reconcile, is the amount of houses built in the last decade, including a substantial amount of social housing, yet the contention is that there is still a great deal more required.
the latter situation has proved problematical for the ever-increasing number of distilleries that have sprung up in the last few years, including ardnahoe, the revamped port ellen distillery, laggan bay, which is due to commence distilling later this month, and portintruan on the outskirts of port ellen village which, with luck, will be up and running around the time that mrs twmp and i celebrate our 39 years of domicile. all of the above require staff to distill and provide tours, but with almost 100% employment on the island, that's proving a tough ask; even if staff can be recruited from elsewhere, there's nowhere for them to live. and then, of course, there's the current downturn in the malt whisky market due to a bout of overproduction during the covid years. the bicycle industry is not the only one to have imagined increased sales would last forever.
and just recently, the islay community access group finally announced the start of a mixed-use path leading from bowmore village to bridgend, the third such path to be constructed on the island to allow travel by bicycle or foot between the two villages. granted, it's likely to be several years before it's completed, subject to continued funding from transport scotland, but it's bound to be a welcome addition to the travel needs of the population of both villages. according to the press release, motor traffic on islay's roads has increased by 20% over the last decade, though in truth, that's hardly created a barrier to cycling between the croft and bridgend, since there's really only about two of us who every ply that particular route with any frequency. though the path will undoubtedly be a welcome innovation, its mixed-use designation is unlikely to have me use it as an alternative to my usual route on the main road.
but it might just encourage others to adopt the bicycle as a means of transport over the five kilometre route.
however, in common with virtually every rural road you care to mention, islay's roads have been slowly and steadily getting worse and worse. a friend of mine in his late eighties has unfortunately suffered serious back problems that no longer allow him to walk from his home to debbie's for a coffee, but he now has a battery-powered mobility vehicle that allows him a tad more freedom of independent travel. however, a conversation with the grand fellow at lunchtime yesterday gleaned that even the short distance (0.25km) between his house and the café has proved somewhat of an uphill task, even though the road is effectively flat. with tiny wheels on the mobility vehicle, the amount of crap and potholes even in the centre of the road has made his journey less easy than it really ought to be. and it's that set of circumstances that has altered my own weekend ventures.
as i have repeated to the point of boredom, i have a very fine ritchey logic steel road bike in thewashingmachinepost bikeshed, one which currently has no working gears due to it having remained there since last november, while i used my cyclocross bike to get about over the winter months. however, a replacement cable set arrived yesterday afternoon in the mail, just late enough to remove the option of installing it before it started to get dark. however, on my way home from an oatmilk latté and double-egg roll at lunchtime, the suprising bout of fine, sunny weather persuaded me to perambulate the perimeter road around loch gorm, past kilchoman distillery, saligo bay, and the rspb reserve at gruinart (where there are still a few hundred barnacle geese squauking about the grass flats). it's the first time i have cycled this route since at least november last year, but despite having done so with alarming frequency for over 38 years, the views, never get old.
however, the roads have not aged well and i now find cycling to be not only more comfortable, but a lot more practical to undertake aboard my cyclocross bike, something i would have sturdily opposed only a couple of years ago. aside from the roads, many of the passing places are not well formed and often filled with gravel displaced from potholes on the roads. with no disrespect to the ritchey, it's very likely that i will continue to ride the specialized for a good few more months. i'm not getting any younger (or fitter, for that matter), and the comfort afforded by a set of 33mm challenge cyclocross tyres is hard to argue against.
but riding round yesterday in the comparative peace afforded by the distillery being closed on a saturday, brought to mind my sign off in an article written for whisky magazine in the early part of this century when i smugly pointed out to their readers that, when the annual whisky festival was over and done, and all the aficionados of the amber nectar had reluctantly gone home, i still lived here. having passed one or two visitors during my saturday survey of the estates, the same phrase came to mind. no matter what else happens on islay, even in the next ten years, i'm pretty sure that i'll still be riding round loch gorm, enjoying not only the scenery, the view over the north atlantic and whatever the weather chooses to throw in my direction. assuming you're happy with where you live, never take it for granted, especially from the saddle.
sunday 1 march 2026
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................me
according to common lore and any number of newspaper and magazine articles, cycling offers uneniable benefits, such as enhanced cardiovascular fitness, improved muscle strength (especially in the legs and core), better mental health, and efficient weight management. according to an article published on bike radar last month, "taking up cycling could be one of the best decisions you ever make, with the benefits covering improved health, happiness, relationships and much more." even the british heart foundation claims, "cycling is a good way to improve your fitness and heart health." you will perhaps have taken note that the majority of sources cite 'cardiovascular fitness' and 'improved heart health' as one of cycling's more notable benefits, inspiring confidence in those of us who count ourselves among the cognoscenti, that our choice of bendy bars and skinny wheels, was the right one.
and then there's a vegetarian diet, one practised by many cyclists, reputedly offering "lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and obesity." specifically relating this dietary choice to cyclists brings promises enhanced recovery and sustained energy levels due to its high carbohydrate, fibre, and antioxidant content. add the two together and on the above evidence you would gather the impression that a cycling vegetarian might be capable of clearing tall buildings in a single bound, impervious to the laws of physics and destined for a long, healthy life on the bicycle.
however, i agree that it would be a tad naive to think that all the attributes listed are equally applicable to each and every individual who gives up eating meat and rides a bicycle every now and again. with regard to the latter, it would not be unseemly to think that, if riding a bicycle occasionally provides some physical benefits, then riding a bicycle more often would simply amplify those benefits, but with the caveat that "your kilometreage may vary". one of my work colleagues is in the habit of saying "it's just as well we're all different", a tautological truism that is bound to vary how we all react to physical and dietary stimuli.
and then there's the occasional walk, or perhaps a regular walk to and from work, the shops or college. surely that can hardly be a bad thing? the nhs advises that "sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier."
so just to summarise, if you're a vegetarian who cycles and walks regularly, it seems that the world at large may be your oyster, with a long life of health and happiness ahead. though i believe that the majority of us here have not necessarily opted to cycle solely to partake of specific examples of the above, but it's hard to deny that accessing the proposed benefits couldn't do any harm, could they?
well...
the problem that i think i see regarding the potential advantages to be gained from following the guidelines for a happy, healthy existence is the 'one-size-fits-all implication that these, collectively, are the holy grail. after all, the same answers are provided by almost any source you wish to consult; surely they can't all be wrong? or is it a case of chinese whispers on a grand scale, where one called the shots and everyone else, in the absence of contrary data, simply followed suit? unfortunately, i don't have the answer to any of those rhetorical questions, because, in a half-hearted (pardon the pun) attempt to prove them all correct, i inadvertently proved them wrong.
i have regularly ridden a bicycle since i was 25, after a break of about seven years to attend college and begin working. prior to that, i held a paper round which involved cycling every day seven days a week, twelve months of the year, during which, at the age of fourteen, i gave up eating meat (basically anything with a face). since the early 1990s, when i owned a dog, i have walked approximately 1.5 kilometres every morning before going to work, then walked to work. and, up until almost exactly one year ago, i was riding almost 162 kilometres per week.
on sunday 2 march 2025, i suffered a serious heart-attack while riding my bicycle, and were it not for the friend with whom i was riding, and a woman and her husband who happened to be turning their car, you'd be talking about thewashingmachinepost in the past tense. without wishing to appear overly dramatic, i died, albeit briefly, before persistent cpr by the woman in the turning car brought me back to life. though this is all old news, after being flown to glasgow's golden jubilee hospital, i had four stents inserted and spent a day or two wired up to a heart monitor, though my hospital stay was mercifully brief at only five days.
however, do not misunderstand the motive behind this monologue; there is no doubt that the fitness i had acquired, with all that cycling and walking, has made the recovery period almost trouble-free. i played a three hour gig the evening before the heart-attack without so much as a twinge, and i have returned to gigs of that length without trouble. i was also back at work (for admittedly only half days) within five days of leaving hospital, and returned to cycling, on the advice of the hospital consultant, after five weeks.
reputedly the cause of my unfortunate incident was hereditary, therefore unknown and unpredictable, but for me, it did have me question faith in my diet and exercise regime, though not sufficiently to have me give it up. a few others - mostly meat-eaters and non-cyclists - were keen to cast aspersions on both practices. one of my son's friends, however, said "if your dad can have a heart-attack, we're f***ed!".
which is a very longwinded way of saying, don't believe everything you read about the potential benefits of an active lifestyle.
saturday 28 february 2026
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................high definition
i'm sure the scene is the same across all urban and city landscapes on mainland scotland and similar locations across the uk. the last time i left civilisation and visited (mostly sauchiehall street) glasgow, the very definition of a pedestrian precinct, was being seriously undermined by a peloton of deliveroo and other delivery cyclists. unlike the majority of us sitting round the campfire, these freelancers, employ the bicycle purely as an economic tool to get the job done, paying little attention to the surrounding pedestrians, and almost to an individual, riding e-bikes that are illegal in the uk.
to remain on this side of the law, a legal pedelec requires to feature pedal-assist and an absence of a bar-mounted throttle. in other words, an e-bike that needs physical input from the rider, and with a maximum speed capped at 25kph. essentially, these delivery cyclists are riding electric mopeds, and should be fully insured, feature licence plates, hold valid vehicle tax and wear a certified motor-cycle helmet. even cursory glances will inform the casual observer that none of the above are being adhered to.
were they even remotely concerned about any of these legal requirements, it would be a simple case of pedalling while in motion, pretending that their bicycles feature some form of pedal-assist. but the fact that glasgow's police (and, by implication, all uk police forces) often have more pressing details with which to deal, means that there's no real need to pretend.
the obvious downside to this is plain to see; the areas in which this disparate peloton rides are frequented by a large number of pedestrians, many of whom are concentrated on other tasks and trajectories, rarely looking out for, or expecting, speeding cyclists midst a supposed traffic-free zone. and the fact that many of these e-bikes are capable of travelling at more than 48kph, is surely asking for trouble. in november 2025, bicycle radar published an article stating that an open letter to the european commission had been signed by 200 members of the german cycling industry, recommending that punitive restrictions on e-bike classifications were in danger of turning europe into a 'desert of light electric mobility innovations'.
however, the uk parliament, the regulatory body of which has been independent of its european neighbours since brexit, recently hosted a debate, engendered by labour mp, julie minns, concerning a ban on the 'sale and supply of (e-bike/eapc) e-bikes that fall outside the class of electrically assisted pedal cycles prescribed under the eapc regulations 1983 and of equipment capable of converting a pedal cycle into a such a vehicle. the debate was about stopping the sale of illegal e-bikes and the kits that turn ordinary, everyday pedal bikes into illegal monster bikes, due to concerns around safety, public understanding and protection of pedestrians in the face of vehicles that have been converted to run at speeds well beyond the 15.5mph (25kph) maximum, and often via a throttle power input.
ms. minns claimed that such conversions would mean it is no longer an electric bike, but, in most cases, a light electric moped. one of the potential downsides to the current legislation is the imposition of points on the licence of anyone convicted of riding such a vehicle, despite that obvious fact that, in general, many of these 'cyclists' do not possess such a licence in the first place. hence the desire for a faster bicycle.
a second reading of the bill is due today, 27 february.
but it's not only the uk that has opted to get physical over such matters. california has drafted a similar bill, but one which goes a few stages further, including excluding these much faster e-bikes from the definition of the term electric bicycle, while simultaneously altering the definition of moped to include any electrically powered, two-wheeled vehicle capable of travelling up to 50kph. and any cycle with a motor in excess of 3,750 watts is redefined as a motor-driven cycle. however, as noted in my description of glasgow city centre, governments can legislate all they like, but the crunch comes when attempting to police that legislation.
in that direction, california appears to be a few strategic steps ahead of westminster, requiring sellers of electric mopeds and electric motor-driven cycles to provide a standard disclosure to consumers in all advertising, including online advertising, that these devices are motor vehicles and subject to applicable laws requiring registration, operator licensing and insurance if used on public roads. perhaps that ought to have been the starting point, along with a statutory requirement to inform the police and the dvla of the sale of any qualifying e-bike?
friday 27 february 2026
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................just saying.
plain talking
i'm almost embarrassed to admit that, as a small person, i understood the oft-repeated rhyme the rain in spain, stays mainly on the plain, to feature the other spelling of 'plain', mentally substituting the word plane. surely, i reasoned, aircraft were waterproof, making it all but impossible for rain, in its normal sense, to find any means of permeating an aircraft flying at several thousand feet? it was only when i believed myself to have grown up, that i discovered flat, open areas of often arid land were referred to as 'plains', offering a far more cogent explanation than i had previously inferred.
precipitation has been front and foremost since the dawn of 2026; though i am well supplied with waterproof cycle clothing, it has been quite some number of years since i have made such effective use of almost all of it. of course, disturbingly low temperatures have been rain's permanent companion, leading more than just yours truly to consider this to be one of the more endless winters experienced in the hebrides. and the alleged weather forecasts, aside from bringing doom and gloom, have scarcely brought an improved level of confidence when attempting to plan ahead.
islay ales, produced at a brand new brewery situated opposite islay international airport and adjacent to the soon to open laggan bay distillery, after more than two years of wrangling with the local authority, finally gained seemingly reluctant blessings to finally open in the weeks leading up to chirstmas last year. to celebrate what they hope is the end of incomprehensible local council curated woes, they offered free tours of the newly opened premises in the latter week of december 2025.
though i do not drink alcoholic beverages, since the two owners are friends of mine, i had planned to ride the eight kilometres to the brewery for one of those pre-christmas tours. unfortunately, work got the better of me, and i never quite made it. disappointingly, purely for commercial reasons, the brewery remained closed throughout january (a common occurrence in these remote parts), so i arranged to visit this week, originally plumping for wednesday, based on the forecast shown last week, which indicated favourable conditions for a bike ride.
unfortunately, xcweather seems not to have understood the definition of the word forecast; by monday morning, wednesday had lost all its dessication, indicating a strong possibility that i'd get very wet were i not to change my appointment. hence the reason for my visit on tuesday. that is a decidedly long-winded way of categorising winter hebridean rain as a not very welcome meteorological happenstance.
but that's not always the case.
i bring this up purely on the basis that last week i fielded a query from a local accommodation provider (andrew from bowmore house), as to whether the ride of the falling rain would take place in 2026. though i'm rarely in the habit of looking that far ahead, i'm happy to confirm that the ride will indeed take place on sunday 2 august (the ride always takes place on the first sunday of august). for those unfamiliar, the ride takes in approximately 100 miles (162 kilometres) of islay's roads, beginning close to bruichladdich distillery and passing those of bowmore, laggan bay, port ellen, portintruan, laphroaig, lagavulin, ardbeg (halfway point) and kilchoman. its naming is, you will have realised, a marketer's dream. if it doesn't rain, it's a bonus; if it does, well, we did tell you.
there's no sign-up procedure; just turn up at debbie's café a for 10am on sunday 2 august, and join the happy throng. there's no entry fee, no free t-shirt, no marshalls, no feed stops (other than ardbeg distillery), no timing chips and no prizegiving at the end. however, we do recommend that all those participating donate at least £10 to world bicycle relief.
though we're only at the end of february, given that you'll need to book accommodation and ferry or air travel, if you fancy joining us, now would be the time to give it serious consideration. don't say i didn't warn you.
caledonian macbrayne ferries | loganair flights from glasgow
wednesday 25 february 2026
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................new clothes, same problem
on or about saturday 18 april of this year, i am hoping for an e-mail arriving from rough trade records, advising me that at least one vinyl copy of drummer bill bruford's first solo album (feels good to me featuring the late, great, allan holdsworth) is now available for enthusiasts such as yours truly to buy. somewhere in the darkest recesses of the croft lies an original copy of the recording, purchased in january 1978, when the only alternative was a cassette version. the album was remixed in 2017, but i am hoping that this particular release returns to the original mix, because, in general, i'm not much in favour of remixing old recordings. it messes with the feng shui.
you might well query why i might look towards purchasing a copy of an album i already possess? ok, i'll tell you. the record player belonging to my parents was not what might be termed 'cutting edge hi-fi', displaying an annoying propensity to jump from the tracks if the amplitude was a tad greater than a variable, yet unspecified amount. to counter this unfortunate set of circumstances, my brother and i would often blu-tac a two pence coin to the top of the stylus arm. i realise just how concerning such behaviour will be to hi-fi buffs, but necessity is often the mother of invention.
karma is an unforgiving aspect of newtonian science, so it wasn't long before sections of the recording simply refused to play, the needle bumping its way across the portions it now held in contempt. that made it harder than it need be when attempting to play along, effectively stunting my avowed desire to become bill bruford in all but name. should i ever come across the currently missing-in-action vinyl, any attempts to listen would surely prove disappointing. therefore, you can but imagine my unbridled joy on learning of this much-anticipated re-release.
however, the whole point of record shop day is to entice the great unwashed into their nearest bricks and mortar record shop to shoot the breeze and make at least one purchase, encouraged by the fact that this particular release is limited to 1,000 copies. but, in the unlikelihood that 1,000 bill bruford fans fail to arrive at their nearest record shop, notifications will be issued by the likes of rough trade, alerting chaps such as myself that they are eager and willing to accept the ministrations of paypal on my behalf. after the next fifty-four sleeps, i hope to find out.
(my nearest bricks-and-mortar record shop is in glasgow).
i have moaned on more than one occasion about the bicycle industry's annual bike shop day, an event promulgated to foster a similar result for actual bike shops, as record shop day does for actual record shops.
i can comprehend the logistical difficulties involved in cycle manufacturers creating limited editions of their most popular models for one day of the year, or perhaps reviving long forgotten bicycles with the brake cables exiting the top of the levers and gear levers on the downtube (though it would be nice if they tried). the bicycle industry is entirely different from the record industry, even if it shares the same commercial aspirations for its retail outlets. i did find it hard to believe that national bike shop day would ever achieve whatever it was the organisers hoped it would.
the missing word was 'incentive'.
but then, in a move i admit i didn't see coming, for 2026, bike shop day becomes bike shop week, offering at least six times the scope for bike shops to raise their profile amongst the great, the good and the disinterested. disappointingly, however, potential incentives to visit currently seem a bit thin on the ground. andrew goodacre, ceo of the umbrella organisation of which the organising association of cycle traders is part, said "we're encouraging everyone to visit their local bike shop during the week and see for themselves the difference that independent retailers make." let me just ask those within proximity of their local bike shop, did those words provide an undeniable impetus to cross the threshold of your closest velocipedinal retailer?
my work here is done.
tuesday 24 february 2026
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