30th june 2014

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Monday 30th 60F, 10C, still and sunny. A pleasant walk in warm sunshine. I saw lots of dragonflies, bees and birds, one large deer and a couple of hares. Plus several cats hunting in the fields. Not, necessarily, in that order. I had to backtrack to escape from the dreaded head-high nettles rather than try to fight my way through. 4.6 miles of dawdling in 2 hours. Another image added of a distant fox cub was from a couple of days ago. I like the way the Oil seed rape obscures and softens the curves of the countryside.

Despite a strong crosswind I didn't dawdle on my morning shopping trip. I refitted the rack and Camper Longflap saddlebag to cope with the weight and bulk! The sports bag was full to the brim too. Only 14 miles.

Going out again to do another 16 miles to ensure 3k by the end of June. This year is my lowest mileage, by June 30th, since I have been pedantically recording my daily triking distances. [Though only from Jan 2010]

This afternoon I was overtaken by a very tanned young chap, with remarkably well muscled legs, riding on the drops. He was doing a least 10 more mph than my 22mph of that particular moment. The odd thing was he was wearing a plain racing jersey with world champion rings around the chest. Not really a normal thing to wear for such a serious cyclist in Denmark. I gave chase, just for a bit of fun, but quickly lost sight of him through some corners. When I saw him again he was at least a mile ahead. A tiny dot at the far end of the following straight. 

For the second time in a couple of days I have had a cyclist ask me about the trike. Today's enquirer was one of a bunch gathered outside a supermarket. Another great load of shopping for 16 more miles. 3000 for the year so far.

I don't seem to have been much troubled by my hip pain recently. Even though I have been deliberately lifting heavy ladders, wielding heavy power tools, mixing concrete by hand, sawing branches and clipping high hedges with loppers. I seem to have solved the agonising shoulder problem simply by lowering my computer mouse to the same [low] level as the keyboard.

One in four road deaths in Denmark involve alcohol. Only now, in 2014, will drunk's cars be confiscated on the first occasion if they are caught over a certain level on the meter. Repeat offenders will also have their car's confiscated, sold and the funds put in the public purse. It seems quite often that drunks are continuing to drive (in Denmark) after being repeatedly banned. So they are presumably driving while drunk, having no license, insurance, road worthiness certificate or road tax. This may explain why we have been rear-ended three times, while stationary, by mint-eating Danes.

Talking of booze: I saw a headline claiming an annual figure of 88,000 premature deaths due to alcohol for the USA. I wonder what their mortality rate is for drug abuse? What affect does all this have on road mortality and road safety in the USA? Better not ask. I once worked for a public service (in Britain) where the top three echelons of managers in our head office were all alcoholics. Yet they would all drive to distant meetings and drive home drunk at the end of each "working" day.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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