16th October 2014

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Thursday 16th 52F, 11C, grey overcast, still. Possible showers forecast again. Better get walking before their proficiency is put to the test. An odd mix of heavy cloud and only occasional weak sunshine.

No sign of the stranger on the track to the woods as I walked my familiar route. Which is just as well because I was torn between dangling a sawn off shotgun casually over one arm. Or possibly taking my ice axe. Though that would probably need polishing first to remove surface rust. You can't go out with a rusty ice axe or people will just laugh at you. They'll think you borrowed it from your grandfather or something. I am my own grandfather from when I last used it in anger. Since I can never make a decision where a clear choice is required I had gone out armed only with my camera and binoculars as usual. I suppose I could always pretend to be a black belt in binocular swinging...

I was wandering along in a my usual reverie and thinking I had no wildlife to report today. When I suddenly stumbled over a pair of grazing deer in a hollow in the track. The mother bolted through the hedge to the left. While Bambi shot right. Then stopped to stare at me all gooey eyed from only 20 yards away. I tried to be clever and reversed slowly back up the track to give them a chance to reunite. No chance! The Disney caricature took fright and charged off across the other prairie in the opposite direction. I continued with my walk but kept looking back. There was no sign of either. Given the ankle height of the crops only the bumpy contours could possibly offer any cover. Unless, of course, they had dug a burrow.

My socks were sopping wet again just from walking on wet grass. I'll have to see how long I've had the Salomon boots...

Ahah!  http://pedal-trikes.blogspot.dk/2013/11/november-1st-2013.html

So that's only 11 months. Which is more than £10 a month to own a leaky pair of squeakers! Crap! I wonder whether there's any kind of guarantee? I have been keeping them clean and drying and airing them outdoors in the sunshine after every use. Regular treatment with the Grangers waterproofing treatment too. Not impressed at all. When it gets really cold my feet will freeze! Only a 3 mile walk so far. The sky has turned completely grey now.

It brightened up a bit after lunch so I rode off another rural loop. I was was asked by four different people if my bare legs felt cold. To which I had to reply that they hadn't so far. I have tried the tights a couple of times but found them too warm. Though it is certainly cooler than it was then. Probably 10F cooler but almost no wind. The temperature stayed constant at 52F all day.

I had a senior moment when I stopped for a natural break. It had taken ages to find somewhere out of public view. Many Danish cyclists will just stop and pee where they are. I am rather more timid. In my haste I dropped a glove in a puddle! I had to finish my ride without them. Though, fortunately, it wasn't too uncomfortable. I shall take far more care in future! It could be a serious matter under colder conditions if I was far from home.

Later I wiped the trike over with a clean, soft rag and re-tightened the saddle lace. R931 stainless steel is incredibly easy to keep clean and attractive. I have hardly touched it since it came back from the Trykit workshop. The recent rain had caused black droplets from the chain to appear on the chainstays. I was over-generous with the oil and should have wiped it off afterwards. Geoff Booker [Dr.Trykit] had lacquered the silver brazed joints and this seems to be keeping the joints much cleaner than before. I have avoided using the ScotchBrite he had kindly supplied. It really hasn't been necessary and I wanted to avoid damaging the lacquer protection for as long as possible. 24 miles.

Friday 17th 53F, 12C, still, misty, overcast with drizzle. I went to a local shop which was advertising Goretex walking shoes. Despite claims in their advertising comic that they had sizes to EU47 they had nothing larger than a 40. So I wore my near 30-year old, leather, winter walking and climbing boots. Made of one piece of hide and leather lined they are heavy and stiff but still as solid as when new. They have hardly changed in appearance either despite the wear and tear to which they have been abused. They were comfortable enough but rather unwieldy and offered no shock absorption. At least my socks remained dry. There were 50-odd pheasants wandering about at the edge of the woods. They stared but showed little fear. Went to town to take the boots back to the Salomon dealer. Wasted hours going around in circles in the new Odense traffic confusion system. Crackers! Another rest day.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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