21st November 2013

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Thursday 21st 25-35F, -4+2C, still, sunny, hard white frost again. Forecast doubtful.

There is political talk about making cycling right turn RLJs legal in Denmark. Many already do it without a second thought. I wonder who will notice any change? The ones wearing headphones? Or the ones who never look? Certainly not those who never indicate.

If it reduces the number of deaths due to blind lorry drivers turning then there is hope. Gravely Blighted has similar problems with blind, left turning lorries and cyclist RLJs according to the news. So that's all right then. They are only bløødy cyclists according to a (now unemployed) trainee accountant and all-round, blond interlektule online cleb.

They don't even pay any road tax! So you can't spend any money on properly segregated cycle routes, can you? After all, cyclists are barely human. And they wear Lycra in public. They're not like real people who have to pay their way.

We'll gloss over the global ramifications of the massively subsidised oil, roads and motor industries. The misogynistic, medieval desert dictatorships propped up entirely on Western oil purchases. The phoney Middle Eastern wars for resources. Despot-subsidised religious fundamentalism and terrorism. Not to mention global pollution and now damaging climate change. And have you seen the price of petrol lately? It's absolutely criminal! They ought to do something about it! Never mind those parasitic bløødy cyclists! They shouldn't even be allowed on the roads! Holding the traffic up and going through red lights! Who, the hell, do they think they are? And I said to her and she said to me, and, if looks could kill... well!

Walked for an hour and half as it clouded over from the north. I found another Danish "mountain" to climb. A beautiful view again but it had turned rather too dark for decent photography. The distant hills on the horizon are just woods on low hills. Exaggerated in height by the flat landscape. I blame the Ice Ages!

I left late morning on the trike. The council has been wasting taxpayer's money on more of those invisible speed restriction signs. While I'm all for subtly understated, roadside Xmas decorations they should know by now that only blue flashing lights make these speed lollipops visible to the driving public. Of the dozens of cars and six axle, GPS rat-running articulated lorries, which passed me in the 2 km stretch of new, lower speed limits only a solitary, knackered farm tractor was observing the law. Apart from myself of course. So that's all right then.

A great load of shopping. The pink bag and saddle bag were stuffed to the gills. The non-existent special offers were suddenly back in stock again at full price. Just as I predicted.

BTW: I'd like to commiserate with the driver of that huge Itella Logistics lorry who overtook me on that sharp right angle bend.  It must be awful to have to drive for a living without having a valid conscience. Only 15 miles. It drizzled all the way home.

Friday 22nd 38-39F, 3-4C, almost perfectly still, uniformly heavy overcast, incredibly dark this morning. Now 8.15am and "somebody" obviously forgot to switch on the lights. Perhaps they were at the latest, 5star, 1st class, Polish climate party junket swilling at the trough in front of a roaring, coal fire?

Dilapidated old wagon by a small lake in the woods. Probably once a shelter for hunters. It may still be one. Shooting is a popular sport pastime in Denmark judging by the frequent racket they make. Grain drum pheasant feeders are almost as commonplace as... er.. pheasants. But are well fed, semi-tame pheasants sitting ducks? They certainly aren't the brightest of birds. A sort of ground-based Wood pigeon. Neither has two brain cells to rub together. That's probably why they are popular shooting prey. Slow and dimwitted. Like shooting fish in a barrel. 


Time for a walk. I'd better take a torch! Another hour and a half of my retirement used up on a very muddy walk. It was odd to walk a wide, smooth grass track, beside a field hedge which came to a sudden end. I saw three small dear with white rumps and several hares. It poured with rain at one point producing a weak rainbow from an invisible sun..

I had to clean my mud-caked boots afterwards. They had remained dry inside despite walking through an inch of standing water in places. Crossing soggy fields by the spray tracks is not a short cut to anywhere! The forecast was for dry but cloudy weather. Much the same as yesterday when it rained for hours! I think I have now discovered all the potential walking routes within a sensible radius. It will just be variations on a theme from now on. The changing light, weather and seasons will have to provide the novelty.

Meanwhile, back on the trike, it rained hard all the way there. It rained while I was there and then it finally stopped on the way home. Not that the roads were suddenly dry because I was sprayed by almost everything which passed me. Mention of the day must go to that new Audi estate which overtook me at high speed in a built up area opposite a kindergarten. As usual, nobody else was taking any notice of the speed limits either. I managed to get my socks wet and the GripGrab Polaris gloves proved, yet again, to be completely hopeless below 40F. Nor are they remotely waterproof after a few washes. So my hands were both cold and wet on the way back. Thereby adding insult to injury. The rubber coated palms and fingers have rapidly worn away too. I saw a hovering female Kestrel. Not at all common around here. Where we lived in the UK they were overhead every day. 14 damp miles. Just another day in paradise.

Saturday 23rd 31F, -1C, white frost, slightly misty, quite still. I ought to be making the most of the early sunshine. It seems that Denmark is enjoying a revival in woodland birds and quite a number of birds of prey. Including Red kites and even the Golden eagle. I used Google Translate to ensure the correct identities of the Danish names in the online news. Then I glanced across at the other nature headlines and was told the Danish coastal seas were full of Guinea pigs! Marsvin is also the Danish name of the porpoise.
A walk first, then shopping on the trike. 15 miles.

Sunday 24th 37F, 3C, sky almost clear, windy. Promise of a sunny but windy day gusting to 30mph. A low, blinding sun and leaning on the eye-watering, NNW wind ensued during my hour's walk. No new photographs worth sharing. I ought to go East or West to avoid a headwind on my ride this morning. I ended up doing a loop to Assens and fighting the wind on the last leg. It was still a pleasant day to be out. Only 27 miles. Loads of shopping.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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