*
Monday 18th 62F, 17C, cloudy at times but with sunny periods. Walked to the lanes in light traffic.The undulating fields are a constant source of enjoyment. Their uniformity is an illusion as the different crops constantly change colour as they ripen. The sun and clouds catch the different contours and provide further variation with the wind and ever-changing light.
A Red kite was literally hovering like a Kestrel over a field in the steady breeze. I watched it for a couple of minutes though my binoculars but then lost it in a dive as passing traffic broke my view. A rather grey day with the threat of rain which never arrived. No ride today.
This is an unusual and disappointing story: It seems as if at lest two selfish triathlon riders race past a horse and its rider on the inside at high speed:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-berkshire-44519642/horse-hit-as-windsor-triathlon-cyclists-passes
Don't blame me for the poor English of the BBC link. If the culprits can be found I would imagine a year of unpaid stable cleaning would teach them a lesson about road manners, horses and the law. To be carried out when they would otherwise be racing. Nobody wants to see anyone behaving like this on a bike.
The usually unseen view behind the roadside hedge.
I always cross to the other verge and ride very slowly past when I see a horse on the road. They really seem not to like tricycles for some reason. Yet will completely ignore "2 wheel" cyclists. I used to pass a field where horses and ponies would briefly bolt when I passed on my trike. But would carry on grazing no matter how many 2 wheel cyclists or noisy motorcycles passed. A local horse riding stables often used to have children on ponies on their country lane. I quickly learnt/learned to be very careful when passing them to avoid sudden panic. Perhaps they have a race memory of being attacked by chariots?
Click on any image for an enlargement.
*
