Give me your answer do, i'm half crazy....

The rest of me is pretty weird too! but you already know that right?

Less of these diversionary tactics, time to get on with the news.

The weather has been a bit better this week, well until yesterday, so on Thursday i set off east in the hope of a tailwind return - as if! It was quite a nice riding day, apart from the wind but i eventually got to Royal Wootton Bassett where i stopped for some lunch, bacon & cheese toastie if you must know. Then it was time to head back, of course, the effort going out is never rewarded with the same degree of help on the return, i arrived back at Chez Bev caked in salt and tired, well anyone would be after 120km!

Friday? well the highlight was a reip to the Post Office to post my daughters birthday card - can you believe she's 40 on Thursday? I can't, certainly makes you feel old!

So on to Saturday, the forecast promised a dry but windy day so i thought i'd head to Wales for a few miles on Monmouthshire. It was all going well until i started heading west towards Caerwent, an annoying drizzle, not really enough for a jacket but wet enough to make it unpleasant, set in. I was hoping the CADW visitor centre would be open (modern Caerwent is built over a Roman 'city'), but alas it was not so i engaged oprion 2 and headed for Caldicot. At least there was a chippy with halfway decent chips even if it was a bit pricey, so that was lunch sorted.

I wasn't sure what to do now, the wet was lighter and promised to clear but my enthusiasm was much dampened so i used a roundabout route back to the bridge and England. I didn't have many km's in the legs so i took a bit of a loop north, it was at least dry although some of the roads were damp. I got to within 5km of completing the ride when i realised the front tyre was a bit soft so i stopped to put in a bit more air to get me back. Don't ask how but the valve stem broke during this exercise, but i wasn't in the mood for a tube change, there should be enough air in the tube to finish the ride. I gave up a kilometre from my destination and walked the rest.

Not a great end to a not great day, 112km in the end but i was a grumpy Maddy nevertheless.

Which brings us to today. First job, smelly wet laundry, the result of my Welsh sojourn. That done whilst i had my morning coffee, next up was bike maintenance. Fit a replacement tube (it was an impact puncture so no tyre hole just that brpken valve), then a scheduled tyre replacement in the back, prevention is better than cure after all. Lastly wash and polish (!) Foxy, its been 3 months since the last time and she was looking a little 'tired'. But all is well now, i'll do another service / clean before i head off on my mini holiday adventure next month.

Ah yes, my holiday. I had planned on a fortnight tour starting next week which would have been a loop around the Eifel, i booked the ferry, bought guide books, i was all set for my first proper holiday since 2019. However, as you know i had some RL issues back in June / July, a result of which was a shortfall in my income, i simply couldn't do the trip as planned on the reduced budget. Plan B was to push things back a bit but after doing the sums even that wasn't going to work, Plan C?

Well Plan C is shorter and domestic but it will be a holiday with beer, bikes and interesting places! First i head down to east Devon for a few days before following the coast east into Dorset for a few more, then its back via Wessex. Ten days i think it is but i've eshewed the tent element as its late September and according to my Dad, i'm getting a bit old for camping, cheap accomodation is, let me tell you, in very short supply on the south coast even in September. It won't be an extravagant trip but it will be a holiday.

Back to today, someone else is getting frustrated, yep, i've posted the next Gaby chapter and the Wunderkind is having a hard time of things in the run up to her birthday, you can read Plot Lines now.

Thats it for now, i'm off for a short walk to source Sunday lunch so until Mittwoch,
Byee,
Madeline Anafrid