Just over three months ago, I took this photo riding home from a lazy lunch in the country with Pete. Chuck Taylors and sunshine, Ray Bans and warm air. Perfect.

So don't give me that old bollocks about how you love the seasons: watching the leaves turn then drop; waking to that muffled silence that tells you the first snow has fallen; waiting for the spring flowers to push their way through frost.

I don't want seasons. I want sunshine, every day. All year round.

I had that, pretty much, in Australia. In the ten years we lived there, NSW was officially 'in drought'. Ideal in biking terms. (Obviously slightly less ideal in population sustainability terms.)

Still can't get used to the descent into four or five months of freezing, wet – and soon to be snow-covered – misery here.

I need to get to LA or Sydney, fast.

The Smiths weren't my cup of tea. It was more the students who idolised them that irritated me than their music, if I'm honest. But I did buy the 'This Charming Man' single on the Rough Trade label in 1983.

It's hard to describe how different the record sounded at the time. In your face, yet coy. Manic, yet louche. Marr's guitar was extraordinary... that opening riff is one of the best ever in popular music. But no one ever praises the bass line (in fact, didn't Morrissey argue that the bassist and drummer had no creative part to play in the band during their court case over royalties?) which is superb.

I still love it, and it's the record my sister still associates with me at that time... not the obscure rockabilly that was my life.

More about me and Moz, here.

If it's as much fun as last year, it will be good. We're heading for the Verona 'Motor Bike Expo' next Thursday and will be there until the Monday.

Come along to buy magazines, hats, stickers... you know, the usual.

And hopefully Ben will be on hand again to make the GKM display a little more, well, Hassidic.

If you're in London between 24 January and 3 February, get along to Sam Christmas's photography exhibition. He really is one of the finest photographers covering the chopper scene at the moment.

My mate Sean runs a neat little store selling the world's coolest chopper parts and mags... including GKM.

Support the independents! Give him a call. He will treat you right and he knows what he's talking about.

CLICK HERE to see their wares!

In the new issue we finally have a feature on the funkiest flathead this side of the Atlantic, Boneshaker Choppers' 'Chicken Poo'. Benny will give us the lowdown on how and why this crazy 45 ended up in his hands.

Shot for us by the extremely talented Sam Christmas.

Two years.

Miss you mate.

Before I left Oz, I hooked up with Simon Watts at the 2009 Kustom Nationals in Victoria, Australia and took a few shots of his practical and patina'd Beesa bob-job (which he'd ridden to the show).

For one reason and another I never got it together to get it into print, so here it is... better late than never.

Mr Watts is a highly talented individual who turns his hand from writing ads (how I first met him) to pinstriping, building cars and bikes, painting and now tattooing. Sorry about the delay in airing these mate; see you soon!

90 years ago this week, Sam Phillips was born.

60 years ago this week, Hank Williams died in his Cadillac.

Play some good music today in their memory.