3rd June 2014

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Tuesday 3rd 55-72F, 13-22C, still and bright but rather cloudy. The sun has been rationed in today's forecast with the possibility of showers. My walk today added several more hares, several more warblers and a 4WD in the woods. Not happy to have a vehicle destroying my perfect solitude. I came back via the lanes. Which seemed awfully slow and tiring compared with rough tracks. 5 miles in 2½ hours with lots of stopping and staring.The wind is picking up slightly but it has remained bright.

Very warm but breezy for my late morning ride.  Drivers not ignoring the speed limits and double white lines would probably make the national headlines! Raving lunatics! Only 17 miles.

Wednesday 4th 70F, 21C, light breeze and sunny. Excused [walking] boots today to clip (and saw) a very tall and prickly, deciduous hedge. A vicious mixture of Blackthorn and Hawthorn 6-7 metres high badly needs a haircut! An exhausting day on the hedge so it's another rest day.

Geoff Booker [Trykit] could be heard on Chris Evan's show discussing tricycles @ 2.13.00 on the BBC iPlayer.  Here's an indirect link from the TA: 

http://tricycleassociation.org.uk/geoff-booker-appears-on-chris-evans-breakfast-show/


Thursday 5th 58F, 15C, overcast and rather breezy. Rain is forecast from late morning. Rather amazingly I don't feel too bad considering I spent the entire day moving  ladders, climbing all over and even into the ridiculously tall hedge, sawing and lopping branches. Then tidying up the resulting very prickly debris. We (my wife and I) still only managed about half the length of the 30m long hedge. It's odd how one forgets what bright daylight feels like after years of relative shade. The rest of the hedge will have to wait until it stops raining. Which is an excellent excuse to allow time for our recovery. I shall have to go shopping early to avoid the rain. My rides have been getting later over time.

It started spitting but I arrived home still dry before the morning coffee ritual. Only 7 miles. Hours more hedge clipping followed. Some people pay to go to a sweaty gym to get this much exercise! I am even saving a journey to the hospital by operating on the painful thorns myself. Swab, please, nurse!

Friday 6th 53F, 12C, heavy overcast, pouring with rain, blowing a gale.The rain petered out in the afternoon but it was still blowing hard when I left. Only 7 miles. Tomorrow promises to be much better.

Mr Higgins shies away from all that salty water. The sand may have been imported. I have never seen sand on the beach before today.

Saturday 7th 58-63-68F, 14-17-20C, still and bright but overcast. Warm sunshine with light winds are promised. A four  mile walk provided sight of several pairs of Bullfinches, lots of warblers including a Whitethroat and about a dozen Yellowhammers. With such light winds it ought to be a good day for a ride and I've seen 5 cyclists out training already.

As it was such a nice day I tootled down to the end of Helnæs peninsula just for the fun of it. There was a cool onshore wind in the shade. Traffic wasn't too bad considering the time of year, the weekend and tourists. I stopped for a cheese roll, banana and apple juice in the empty seaside car park. Only for a horde to descend in multiple vehicles. I beat a hasty retreat towards the lighthouse then back along the coast enjoying the peaceful but very hilly lanes. Plenty of cyclists out and about. 43 miles. Plus 7 more later, only to be ripped off by yet another supermarket chain with no stock of the promised special offers.

Sunday 8th 62-75F, 17-24C, very cloudy with brighter periods between squally and thundery showers. The wind is supposed to very light but it keeps picking up. I have to go out anyway but may leave it until after lunch when it is supposed to brighten. So I spent a couple of hours in 74F heat in full sun working on the spiky hedge. Am I having fun yet? Ten miles shopping trip. My clothes were completely saturated with sweat for the second time today.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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