The schools go back this week so its summertime for adults!

As i sit here clacking away at the kb, outside is the first red sky i've seen in months, brings happy thoughts and expectations for the morrow and according to the forecasters, the rest of the week.

So what have i been up to since Wednesday? Well some of you may have spotted my short note on Thursday, i've posted part 21 of the new Gaby volume to Patreon after a goodly session Thursday morning. I then went out to post a parcel only to discover the PO, which has previously been open on Thursdays, was closed - so much for plan A!

Friday was to be the shuffled ride day, after some early damp it looked like a nice day and so i set off to do a coast and Mendip ride, just nothing too exciting. Well i was barely out of Brizzle before the plans were amended, as i'd not been to Weston Super Mare all summer, i'd do a longer loop and stop bear Cheddar for some lunch. It was turning into a good day for riding, not much wind and pleasantly warm and i made reasonable progress across the coastal levels before deviating to hit the resort via the corniche.

As i wasn't stopping i avoided the late holidaymakers on the prom and was soon out of the town and over the low shoulder that is the tail end of the Mendip ridge. Across towards Cheddar with views across the levels proper then shy of cheeseville i turned to climb up onto the Mendip where lunch awaited. nothing special, egg on toast. Once sated I set off again to complete the climb almost to the highest point of the Mendip, a short ride along the top then down to Chew Lake to start the familiar run back in via Keynsham and the bike path. 120km and 942m of up, a good start to the month.

Saturday was taken with lots of small jobs, the PO job, more food shopping, laundry, grass cutting and so on. I did liver for tea, i like liver and its good for you, but tbh i didn't enjoy it, maybe it was the wrong sort?

And so to today. Being the first Sunday of the month i planned on going to the charity tea and bun fest at Hill (seriously, thats the name of the village, there are other obvious names in this area, a couple of Rodes and a Street as well as the franklt ridiculous, Tiddleywink!), i was all set to depart, just putting my shoes on when sprang! the 'lace' broke on one of my shoes. Even if i had a spare, its a thirty minute plus job, the quick solution was to change shoes but the only others available use a different pedal/cleat system. Luckily changing pedals was quick and the swap took less than ten minutes, barely delaying my day at all.

I started out with one idea and of course that soon changed, as you see on the map, i ended up doing a short loop of @ 40km to reach my destination hard on the heels of the first peloton from Welshland! Suitably equipped with a plate of bunnage and mug of tea, i settled myself in the sun and watched the hordes of hungry cyclists try to do a locust job on the lovely repast, the proceeds this month going to a local air ambulance charity. There was only one thing that vould've improbed the scene - a move to the Yorkshire Dales! It was time to depart, a longer loop up onto the Cotswolds beckoned for the return and so i set off north through Berkeley and Slimbridge before turning east for Frocester.

I had planned on going via Stroud but changed my mind and took the frontal route instead, a couple of miles of double figure % climbing took me up to Nympsfield and then it was a fairly easy ride south using the A46 and a few bits of lane. I saw some unusual road kill, a wild hog, a first for me, it was a bit too mangled for even sausages! Its just shy of 20km from the A46 back and with hardly any wind i was soon back to complete 112km with a miserly 700m of up, the bulk of which being the Frocester climb.

There was a treat in store when i got back, Aunty Bev treated us to a couple of steaks, simply add chips and peas et viola, a very nice Sunday repast!

I've put up part 4 of On The Edge, i hope you enjoy it.

Thats it for today,
Tschuss,
Madeline Anafrid