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but on foot, no sleigh!
The south west of England isn't known for snow but this morning I awoke to about 5cm of the stuff coating everything - any thoughts of a bike ride were put on hold! But the forecast last night did predict the white snap so I had an alternate plan for the day. The second half of the week hasn't been terrible weather wise - but has ranged from warm sunshine to snow, ice and rain, yep, typical UK weather in January.
Thursday then was supposed to be a bike day on the newly fixed machine but the rain forecast for the day put the kibosh on that, instead I ended up with a bit of a damp and in places muddy, walk which bagged enough kilometres to complete the January 100km challenge. Once I'd dried out I turned my attention to the KB, completing the next Gaby chapter by suppertime!.
The Forecast for Friday was much better but I wasn't in the mood for a hard ride, setting out into the cool but sunny morning intended to have just a short ride. Down through the city then along the river to the sea before heading north, following the Severn as close as the roads allow, my initial lunch stop was passed, and the second choice - I had almost 50km under the tyres when I stopped to lunch in the sunshine at Hill. Once I'd loaded a few extra calories I set off anew with a loop up through Berkeley before tackling the lumpier landscape to the west of the Cotswold massif.
It was a pleasant ride back, only a bit of drizzle towards the end marring a nice day out. And so much for a short ride, 105km graced the comp when I got back but it was pretty flat, just 500m of up. I'm well behind target for the month/year at the moment but I'm not stressing over that, there is more to life than bike riding - well so I'm told!
Saturday was another mixed bag of weather, but I got a walk in before cracking on with the writing and so to today.
It was nearly 6 months ago that I broke a couple of spokes in the front wheel, rather than getting it fixed straight away I was able to fetch a spare wheel when I went to see my daughter for her birthday. I did then buy a load of kit to build/repair wheels, a jig, alignment tool, nipple driver and even replacement spokes but I've been putting it off and putting it off ever since, there is always something else to do. Well no longer, after my morning coffee I set everything up and in @ 30 minutes had the new spokes fitted and the wheel trued straighter than most people hope for, ie less than 0.5mm side to side, BS/EU standard for new bikes is 2.0mm! I'm not brilliant at wheel building, it takes me forever to lace a wheel from start but I am fairly handy at getting them straight when I actually get down to the job.
Then I had to brave the snow as I forgot some essential stuff, ie milk, on yesterdays shopping trip, at least the sun had come out, the snow melting away - not too quickly which causes flooding but more steadily. Once I've finished here I'll get back to Gaby, I'll finish another chapter this afternoon/evening.
Unlike me, Gaby is on her bike today, No Bull sees more two wheeled antics before the whole circus moves to Pamplona for the race.
Well that's about the lot for today, I'll be back again on Wednesday.
Tschussie,
Madeline Anafrid
Comments
Hampshire got it as well
My garden this morning.
Samantha
Reminds me a bit of my home.......
In upstate New York - only with less snow, lol. If you have access to Google Earth, I live just south of Saratoga Springs, NY near Saratoga Lake.
I woke up to sunshine this morning, but a frigid 5F - that’s -15C to those of you on the Centigrade scale. Yesterday’s high was 20F, but with the wind chill it was well below zero. Doing that math in my head tells me that while the actual temp was about -6C, it felt like about -20C. Damned wind was gusting so badly that it was trying to push the car between lanes on the interstate on the way out for dinner last night.
To those of you who don’t live in the US, that means that while traveling at 65mph southbound on a six lane highway (our interstate system was fashioned after the autobahn system in Germany), three lanes headed southbound separated from three lanes headed northbound by a very wide median of grass and trees, the wind was striking my car from the west gusting up to about 40mph and the gusts were pushing the car sideways. At times we were literally traveling down the road with the wheel turned into the wind like a boat tacking into the blow.
My spouse and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Cheesecake Factory with my youngest son. He and I both had grilled salmon with asparagus and broccoli, while my spouse had a rather large Caesar salad with grilled chicken. With restaurants operating at 50% capacity due to social distancing rules, the wait for a table was 2 hours - but we lucked into getting seats at a high top near the bar nearly immediately. Altogether it was a pleasant evening, topped off with a visit to Kohl’s on the way home for a little shopping. I ended up with a nice new blouse and a very pretty ring, while my spouse found a blouse of her own - all on sale and paid for with a Christmas gift card.
A nice evening even if it was bitterly cold out!
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Dear Sam,
Very cool picture in more ways than one. I can relate; I grew up inland from Buffalo, New York (and from lake Erie) before the big surge in warming; 1950s and 60s. We'd have low temps of - 20° F and had plenty of snow. Big parking lots would get plowed and the snow piled 15 feet high. These piles of dirty snow would last well into Spring.
Those look like foxes in your garden. Do you see them often? I suppose they prey on small rodents under the snow.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
New Gaby
Looking forward to new Gaby, I loved it when she was not officially a girl. The problems she got into were so endearing, nobody could help but love her. But she had so much fun with the band! It would be wonderful for her to reminisce on the great way
she of innocently cross dressed due to mishaps like dropping pasta sauce down her T-shirt. And the terrific cosplay scenes and the unbelievable change to a schoolgirl for the photo shoot. Some of the greatest scenes are at the exclusive couturier’s near her home town. Such exquisite torture! Gaby should definitely have to endure that again with Sophie to be close.
Glenda Ericsson
there will
be some navel gazing in forthcoming volumes as well as more 'put upon' situations - she may be all girl these days but that doesn't mean she can escape embarrassing situations re her wardrobe! Perhaps I can see a plot that involves cosplay in her future, and she will get dropped in it for certain.
Anyhoo, glad you are still enjoying the Wunderkind.
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Got to get your outings
when and how you can these days and weathers (just heading out now) but remember, riding is more than kms too ;)
+5 or 6C here! It may have unfrozen the mud - oh well, can't have it both ways.
"Reach for the sun."
wow, thats almost tropical!
it was sunny down here today but even so it only averaged 2c for my ride to the seaside, snow, not a lot but enough at the airport and the 'dips, across the waters of the Channel Welsh Wales was quite white as was Exmoor. I just wish they'd learn to cook chips properly down here, (my treat when I go to Weston) - they really are terrible, overcooked things, too hot oil I think but they are the same everywhere. Oh how I long for some proper Yorkshire chips!
Madeline Anafrid Bell