Sad, sad news - Vernon has gone to the great Pie shop in the sky!
- Thread starter Shaun
- Start date
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Ron-da-Valli
It's a bleedin' miracle!
- Location
- Rorke's Drift
Devastating news.
I never met Vernon but through chatting to him on here I had the privilege of "knowing" him, and enjoying his wit and wisdom cycling or otherwise..
Pie in the sky now has a totally different meaning.
RIP Vernon
I never met Vernon but through chatting to him on here I had the privilege of "knowing" him, and enjoying his wit and wisdom cycling or otherwise..
Pie in the sky now has a totally different meaning.
RIP Vernon
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
Ruthie
Über Member
Rest in peace Vernon.
I only met him a few times - he was on my first Audax, on the York-Hull ride in 2011, and I ran into him on a couple of other rides too. Although I can't say I knew him well, he was such a big personality that I felt like I'd spotted a celebrity, every time.
Thanks for everything, big man. Gone far too soon.
I only met him a few times - he was on my first Audax, on the York-Hull ride in 2011, and I ran into him on a couple of other rides too. Although I can't say I knew him well, he was such a big personality that I felt like I'd spotted a celebrity, every time.
Thanks for everything, big man. Gone far too soon.
roadrash
cycle chatterer
- Location
- sitting on the edge of wigan pier
ive just been re-reading some tales of vernons, thought they must be worth sharing again
vernon said: ↑
I once lit a rocket in the kitchen because my son dared me to.
Not one to refuse a dare I lit the fuse thinking that I could douse it in the sink full of cold water that I'd spotted just after the dare was issued.
I duly lit the fuse and enjoyed the look of panic on my son's face - this was no ordinary rocket but one of those big star bursts.
I dunked the rocket in the water and the fuse continued burning - the look of panic was now on my face.
I ran to the back door to throw the rocket out but it was locked and the key wasn't in the lock.
During the lifetime that flashed in front of my eyes - I opened every cupboard door and oven looking for a place to lodge the rocket but the fear of the consequences from my wife was greater than my fear of the injuries from the pyrotechnic. The scene was like one of those Ealing comedies running around in circles desperately hoping for a miracle solution....
In the last few seconds before 'lift off' I found the back door key and managed to release the rocket outside.
It hovered and exploded directly overhead about sixty feet up.
My son was less than complimentary about my intelligence. For once I had to agree with him
and
Some time ago I retold the incendiary tale of me lighting a rocket in the kitchen and the ensuing mayhem when things went pear shaped.
Yesterday witnessed another insane but milder incendiary incident which was avoidable of pre-existing knowledge had been recalled and deployed.
After the evening meal, I was sitting at the computer desk typing away and miding my own business when two of my offspring improvised a game of table tennis using their hands and a ping pong ball. After several glancing blows to my body I suffered a direct hit to my eye and decided to end the game forever.
I seized the ping pong ball with one hand and retrieved a chef,s blow torch from the back of the desk, lit the torch and then used the flame to ignite the ping pong ball - mistake number one. The celluloid is very flammable.
I succeeded in blowing out the flames but my smugness was premature. The ping pong ball spontaneously re-ignited - mistake number two - I'd forgotten that very flammable should have read extremely flamable.
Good bye smug grin, hello wide eyed panic preceding a panic driven juggling of a fiery chunk of plastic until the heat resistance of my epidermis was compromised and I dropped the burning remains on the not so cheap woollen carpet and stood on them to put them out. Lifting my foot the extinguished remains re-ignited. Mistake number three - extremely flammable should be replaced with extremely f'kin flammable.
Having failed to be educated by mistakes one to three I stood on the burning remains again and again for mistkes four and five until the fourth stamp successfully extinguished the flames.
My kids were in agony from laughing, my wife was in pain from screaming at me and I am currently living in Coventry being unable to apologise without laughing.
The damage to the carpet has proved to be minimal with a mild scorching only just visible.
Thing is, I knew how rapidly celluloid from ping pong balld burned - I'd just forgotten/failed to make the right connections before I embarked on the trip to internal exile.
For those who want to explore the flammability of ping pong balls a tad more safely and impress the offspring with the effects:
1, cut a ping pong ball into small pieces.
2. Wrap the pieces in aluminium foil.
3. Roast the foil with a match or a lighter.
4. When smoke emerges from the foil drop it onto a saucer and watch the device fill a small room with smoke and the smell of wintergreen - your very first smoke bomb.
Shame I'd forgotten about the smoke bomb. Its recollection might have saved the day yesterday
Maybe not
vernon said: ↑
I once lit a rocket in the kitchen because my son dared me to.
Not one to refuse a dare I lit the fuse thinking that I could douse it in the sink full of cold water that I'd spotted just after the dare was issued.
I duly lit the fuse and enjoyed the look of panic on my son's face - this was no ordinary rocket but one of those big star bursts.
I dunked the rocket in the water and the fuse continued burning - the look of panic was now on my face.
I ran to the back door to throw the rocket out but it was locked and the key wasn't in the lock.
During the lifetime that flashed in front of my eyes - I opened every cupboard door and oven looking for a place to lodge the rocket but the fear of the consequences from my wife was greater than my fear of the injuries from the pyrotechnic. The scene was like one of those Ealing comedies running around in circles desperately hoping for a miracle solution....
In the last few seconds before 'lift off' I found the back door key and managed to release the rocket outside.
It hovered and exploded directly overhead about sixty feet up.
My son was less than complimentary about my intelligence. For once I had to agree with him
and
Some time ago I retold the incendiary tale of me lighting a rocket in the kitchen and the ensuing mayhem when things went pear shaped.
Yesterday witnessed another insane but milder incendiary incident which was avoidable of pre-existing knowledge had been recalled and deployed.
After the evening meal, I was sitting at the computer desk typing away and miding my own business when two of my offspring improvised a game of table tennis using their hands and a ping pong ball. After several glancing blows to my body I suffered a direct hit to my eye and decided to end the game forever.
I seized the ping pong ball with one hand and retrieved a chef,s blow torch from the back of the desk, lit the torch and then used the flame to ignite the ping pong ball - mistake number one. The celluloid is very flammable.
I succeeded in blowing out the flames but my smugness was premature. The ping pong ball spontaneously re-ignited - mistake number two - I'd forgotten that very flammable should have read extremely flamable.
Good bye smug grin, hello wide eyed panic preceding a panic driven juggling of a fiery chunk of plastic until the heat resistance of my epidermis was compromised and I dropped the burning remains on the not so cheap woollen carpet and stood on them to put them out. Lifting my foot the extinguished remains re-ignited. Mistake number three - extremely flammable should be replaced with extremely f'kin flammable.
Having failed to be educated by mistakes one to three I stood on the burning remains again and again for mistkes four and five until the fourth stamp successfully extinguished the flames.
My kids were in agony from laughing, my wife was in pain from screaming at me and I am currently living in Coventry being unable to apologise without laughing.
The damage to the carpet has proved to be minimal with a mild scorching only just visible.
Thing is, I knew how rapidly celluloid from ping pong balld burned - I'd just forgotten/failed to make the right connections before I embarked on the trip to internal exile.
For those who want to explore the flammability of ping pong balls a tad more safely and impress the offspring with the effects:
1, cut a ping pong ball into small pieces.
2. Wrap the pieces in aluminium foil.
3. Roast the foil with a match or a lighter.
4. When smoke emerges from the foil drop it onto a saucer and watch the device fill a small room with smoke and the smell of wintergreen - your very first smoke bomb.
Shame I'd forgotten about the smoke bomb. Its recollection might have saved the day yesterday
Maybe not
Billy Wizz
Über Member
- Location
- North Wales
Very sad news indeed, I have only been on CC, two years, but early on I could immediately see a character that everyone loves.
A very special virtual friend.
R.I. P. Vernon.
A very special virtual friend.
R.I. P. Vernon.
Hip Priest
Veteran
So sorry to hear of this. I enjoyed Vernon's sense of humour and he'll be a great loss.
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
Just read this, will miss Vernon's posts and pies. RIP big fella and happy riding in heaven
The Jogger
Legendary Member
- Location
- Spain
RIP Vernon my thoughts go out to his family. He seemed to embrace and enjoy life.
LCpl Boiled Egg
Three word soundbite
It is indeed sad news, CC will be a different place without him. RIP
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
Difficult for me to add anything. I never met the man personally, and didn't follow his posts avidly, but I think the best tribute here has to be the 130 likes and counting from the post by @sharonzac . This must be, by a multiple, the most liked post ever on Cycle Chat, and even more remarkable, was page 12 before it was added. It is partially a tribute to her writing, but mostly a tribute to the rich, colourful and uplifting life that she was writing about.
Rest in piece, Vernon.
Rest in piece, Vernon.
Last edited:
Jefferson Meriwether
Veteran
- Location
- Worthing
I didn't want to believe it when I read the OP. Like many others, I'd never met Vernon but always enjoyed reading his posts. This is one of the rare occasions I'm saddened by the passing away of someone I've never met.
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
I can't believe it. I never had the pleasure of meeting Vernon but I liked his online persona very much indeed. The world seems like a far less fun place to live now that he's gone.
SWSteve
Guru
- Location
- Bristol...ish
Sad news, RIP.
Davos87
Guru
- Location
- North Yorkshire
So so sad to hear this. Never met him but used to love reading his tales and advice on touring and his unsurpassable knowledge on the humble and tasty pie
Deepest condolences to his family and friends. RIP.
Deepest condolences to his family and friends. RIP.
