Sometimes I miss the macho of life in the Central Belt of Scotland. Back there, in my day at leadt, if someone spilled your beer in the pub, unless that was a deliberate provocation, they bought you a fresh pint. This did not happen so much in England and I've never seen it in Canada. But this blog isn't purely about nostalgia. Here in Alberta fully grown guys ride their bikes, illegally, on the pavement. That means if pedestrians don't want a punctured spleen as a result of being  hit from behind by a cyclist they  have to shoulder check before stepping around broken glass, dog mess or dead birds on the pavement. It is not always easy to remember to shoulder check. Many of the cyclists, even if they have a bell, won't ring it to warn pedestrians that they are approaching from behind. In Scotland, at least in my time there, no adult guy would ride on the pavement. That was what little kids  did and was decidedly unmacho.