Foxgloves contain a heart stimulant, digitalis, which can be extremely dangerous. They are a biennial so flower in their second season, though sometimes will survive to flower again. They produce tiny seeds prolifically and seem to prefer a dry and harsh environment.
Improving my Whyte PRST4.
I enjoyed my last trail ride up Great Hill on my Whyte PRST4, a full suspension mountain bike from 2004. A lot, however, has changed in bike design since those days and I was left wondering if the PRST4 could handle some of the trails which I routinely ride on more modern bikes. It onlyContinue reading “Improving my Whyte PRST4.”
Flower of the Week, 22nd June.
Plenty is happening in the garden at the moment. We bought Galenia Trifoliata last year and it’s thriving in partial shade. Fox and cubs prefers full sun and the flowers close by early evening. Our water lilies also like the sun, whilst the goldfish beg for food.
A trail ride on a classic mountain bike.
I walked the dog up Great Hill the day before yesterday and could certainly feel the effort of the climb in my legs afterwards. Yesterday I decided to climb the same hill again by mountain bike and thought it would be fun to use a classic bike from 2004. The Whtye PRST4 has a radicalContinue reading “A trail ride on a classic mountain bike.”
Fabulous Friday.
I rode my mountain bike on Friday and it was a fabulous ride. On Wednesday I’d felt really tired on what should have been an easy enough ride and I still don’t know why that was. On Friday things went well with me back to my expected energy level. I wanted to include a downhillContinue reading “Fabulous Friday.”
Flower of the Week, 17th June.
Things are progressing so fast in the garden that I now need to feature more than one flower at once. We have cirsium in several places and it self propagates well. Unlike most thistles its leaves are hairy rather than spikey. Peonies are flamboyant flowerers and we have a few in our front garden. DelphiniumsContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 17th June.”
Using the techniques I practiced.
On my last 2 rides I practiced riding techniques on jumps and corners and today visited a different trail environment to put that practice to use. The last rides were on the purpose built and beamed (banked) trails on Heakey Nab. Purpose built trails usually consist of berms to prevent riders from sliding their wheels,Continue reading “Using the techniques I practiced.”
Finding a use for my boat.
I built my pedal powered dinghy for several reasons. Firstly I just wondered if I could build a boat that floated and moved along in the water in a useful way. Last year I enjoyed the fabrication and engineering involved in the build and I also hoped the boat would be an alternative form ofContinue reading “Finding a use for my boat.”
Flower of the Week, 13th June.
When we moved into our house 25 years ago the garden was largely composed of lawns and rose beds. We reduced the amount of grass until we had none but even before that we’d dug up and disposed of every rose bush. I suppose that was our reaction against a style of garden we didn’tContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 13th June.”
Practicing riding technique again.
I would have liked a trail ride on my mountain bike today. Weekends, though, often mean that the trails are also used by lots of walkers and the inevitable need to slow or stop can be frustrating. For this reason I thought it would be better to repeat my last ride which involved 3 lapsContinue reading “Practicing riding technique again.”
Riding skills.
Before my mountain bike ride today I read some pages in the magazine Mountain Bike Rider (MBR) about riding skills, particularly on the subject of jumping the bike. Jumps can be intimidating to riders and way back I’m not sure if the majority of riders, including myself, had much in the way of technique. IContinue reading “Riding skills.”
Italjet Dragster 200.
A change from my usual subject matter, I’m using my blog to review the new Italjet Dragster scooter. I’ve been on the road with motorcycles since 1978 but converted my interest to scooters in 1999. The scooter culture in the UK holds old Lambrettas at the pinnacle but having tried all kinds of scooters IContinue reading “Italjet Dragster 200.”
Canal Cruising.
Due to unpredictable weather and various commitments over the Platinum Jubilee weekend I haven’t exercised for 5 days. I’ve been keen to sail my pedal powered dinghy for quite a while and I finally managed it today. I’d hoped to sail for longer than my usual trip which takes 47 minutes most of the timeContinue reading “Canal Cruising.”
Flower of the Week, 4th June.
Hostas do flower but are grown mainly for their foliage, which appears in many shades and patterns. They prefer a fairly shady environment which we have at the far end of out back garden. The leaves are shaped to channel rain water to the roots.
Riding Ben Nevis.
I’ve heard of riders “Everesting” on a bike. That is to climb the height of Mount Everest at 29,028 feet, in a single road ride. I’m not at a stage in my life where I could contemplate such a feat and I wouldn’t want to do a long road ride in any case. I decidedContinue reading “Riding Ben Nevis.”
Planning the big one.
I have a target to meet this year in the form of a bigger ride than I usually do. I want to climb the height of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, in a ride around the local hills. 2 years ago I rode the same kind of distance and ascent when I attempted the MaryContinue reading “Planning the big one.”
Road riding and a summer cold.
For a long time during the Covid crisis I didn’t suffer from any colds, then when we started to mix again I had 2 in quick succession. After more than 6 months I’ve now endured the indignity of a summer cold. It was mild and only lasted for 3 days but I would certainly haveContinue reading “Road riding and a summer cold.”
Flower of the Week, 25th May.
The title of the garden section of my blog is not ideal since flowers don’t decide to bloom with a regular rhythm. This time I’ll feature the border to the left of our pond, which we dug last spring.
Having fun on a bike.
I don’t mean to upset road riders but riding on the road is about the thrill of speed and the pleasure you get from pushing yourself to perform. Mountain biking has all of this but also gives you the chance to pit yourself against the trails which are determined to slow you down. There isContinue reading “Having fun on a bike.”
Great Hill.
Riding Great Hill is my favourite mountain bike ride. The hill looks unspectacular from many places because it’s at the end of a chain of hills and isn’t as high as some other points along the ridge. It perhaps got it’s name from those who approached from the other side of Chorley when the summitContinue reading “Great Hill.”
Mountainbiker 