1st October '11

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October 1st 2011 54-70F, 12-21C, sunny, almost still. I spent an hour, or more, taking photographs before going shopping.  The roads were even worse today. With mud up to Mr Higgins' axles. Well nearly.


I ended up at the shore a couple of times after following country lanes. It was incredibly quiet and the sea almost perfectly smooth. The slight haze made boats look as if they were floating in the air. Despite the continuing hot spell there were very few people there.

There is a narrow beach here but very little else. Not even a car park! 

The tarmac of the lane just ends at the sand. Hardly  room for one car. Denmark does not seem to have noticeable tides. 

Later I visited the cycle smith in Assens. He is due to retire next month after 35 years of service to the town. There was (and still is) always a row of bikes waiting to be picked up after being repaired. (left)

The building dates from as early as 1707. With incredibly steep stairs, low doorways and even a jettied upper floor in the house on the right. Which is very unusual in Denmark. Most timber framed façades are flat.

It was warm again today. My hair was literally wet from chasing a mixed bunch who were out training. They were ambling effortlessly along at 20mph but I couldn't stay with them. It must be all that shopping! Three carrier bags full!

One of my bike computers is on the blink. While one of the GPS loggers failed to record today. 24 miles.

2nd 55-65F, 13-18C, overcast clearing to sunshine, misty becoming very dense and then clearing  quickly. Crosswinds mostly light but increasing. Oncoming headlight visibility was right down to 100 yards in places! So I put my bright rear light and bright yellow jacket on. Luckily traffic was very light until the sun came out and so did the Sunday motorists. The thickest mist I have ridden in for a long while. Everything was saturated and so was I. I had to keep taking off my yellow glasses to clear the lenses. Not that it helped much.

I had a first bout of shopping at about mid way. Then I chased a very tall and fit young mountain biker for about 8 miles uphill and down along the cycle path of a busy main road. They have been patching the awful corrugations on the cycle paths but still have a lot to do. My legs were hurting like hell but I couldn't make a dent on his increasing distance.

Long queues in the next lot of supermarkets. They spend a fortune building the damned things from scratch. Then employ a couple of thirteen year-olds to staff them! Absolute lunacy! 44 miles. 

Higgins trike conversion on eBay:

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

Note that three of the images (of the Holdsworth conversion) on the auction page are as a guide to fitting a conversion for reference only.

The auction ended on £156 after 11 bids.

Early sun on the village smithy dating back to at least 1700.
 The moss on the thatch almost seems to glow.

3rd September.  I start a full time computer course of one month's duration. I have no idea if or when I shall be able to ride my trike. Luckily I still have some pictures in reserve.

A pretty cottage with a remarkable dormer over the front door. The steep roof angles suggest earlier thatch. Though the clay tiles will soon weather to a beautiful patina. Five years, in a rural environment, is easily enough for lichens and mosses to get a colourful foothold.

63F, 17C, mostly overcast, breezy. I had time for a short tootle to the shops. Though I noticed that I was quite short of breath. I was overtaken on the way back by one of the thinnest cyclists I've ever seen. Grey haired and probably in his late 60s, or perhaps much older. He was wearing black and riding a black racing bike and pushing a fairly high gear at remarkably low revs. It shouldn't have been possible despite his skinny, stringy sinews. I couldn't stay with him uphill, or down, no matter how hard I tried. Only 14 miles and I returned home dripping with sweat despite the modest 63F and headwind.

Mature trees add their own play of light in the bright, early morning sunshine.

4th 58F, dark at 7am. Forecast is for a windy, sunny day. Managed a short ride before dinner. Blowing a gale with fierce gusts! I am drowning in my own lungs again and short of breath. 15 miles.

Another Rogers trike conversion on eBay:

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

The auction ended without a bid. Proably too high a reserve put people off. Ironic considering there are people desperate to own a trike! Not least a few Danes. How hard can it be to  wrap a conversion set in waste cardboard from the local supermarket and put it in the post?

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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