An unusual ride.

Normally I like a twisty trail in the hills to add action and excitement to a ride. Today, though, I chose a different type of ride on my mountain bike. I rode for around 17 miles, mainly along the canal bank. The main reason for this is that I had suffered some tendonitis in myContinue reading “An unusual ride.”

The joys of summer.

It doesn’t seem to have rained in weeks, though, due to global warming, it hasn’t been all that warm until the last couple of days. The ground was baked hard on my ride 2 days ago, which I have my excuses for not writing about until now, and the trails were running fast. I rodeContinue reading “The joys of summer.”

Flower of the Week, 28th May 2023.

Irises give a spectacular if ephemeral display at this time of year. The bearded iris likes to have its tubers exposed, not buried under the soil. Our smaller Iris Sibirica were donated to us by a neighbour and are very attractive to bees.

A pilgrimage.

On my last mountain bike ride I tried to do something which has become an annual pilgrimage. Riding to a curiously shaped hump known as the Egg Hillock. I tried to cut across a section of trackless moorland and decided that I didn’t have time to reach my objective. Yesterday I wanted to repeat theContinue reading “A pilgrimage.”

Flower of the Week, 4th May 2023.

We have around a dozen Acer Palmatum or Japanese Maples. Many are green but here is one which starts a very bright red. It turns gradually green during the summer before giving a spectacular display of autumn colours.

Lost on the Moors.

Today I decided to engage in a mountain bike ride which has become a bit of an annual pilgrimage. I ride to a distant and curiously shape hump called the Egg Hillock. It rises from a wild and desolate area of moorland and makes a very testing, longer ride. The problem with the route I’veContinue reading “Lost on the Moors.”

Splash!

I launched my newly built boat for the first time today. I was worried about its performance so didn’t take my phone for photos and therefore didn’t record my progress on Strava. I’d been worried that it may be rather heavy to pull, on its inbuilt wheels, a half mile to the canal but itContinue reading “Splash!”

Good training.

On my last ride I felt extremely tired. I’d found a problem with a loose bottom bracket which was rubbing and making it hard to turn the pedals but didn’t know if this was the whole story. Perhaps my fitness had also fallen? Yesterday I chose to ride to our local hill, Healey Nab, toContinue reading “Good training.”

Flower of the Week, 23rd April.

Last year our cherry tree had been butchered by someone posing as a tree surgeon. It barely flowered so I didn’t feature it. This year it’s back on form.