16th July 2015 Cleared for take-off.

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Thursday 16th 62-70F, 17-21C, light winds, bright and sunny. No walk today. Having worn myself out on yesterday's rest day I had better have a proper ride today. If only to catch up on my drooping mileage. I shall head north east into what passes as today's prevailing wind. By the time I ride back again later I should be enjoying a gentle tailwind. I have removed Goth the Bag and refitted the Carradice Camper on the rack. I could go much lighter still by removing the rack and fitting the Junior saddlebag. Except that, then I couldn't carry the intended [organic] shopping home from afar. It's all swings and roundabouts using a bike [or trike] as a shopping trolley. Interestingly [?] sving [pron.swing] is a [road] corner in Danish. Children's swings are gynge but it will only confuse everybody if I try to suggest a useful pronunciation.

It was a superb day for a ride. Light but variable winds and solid sunshine. I was going really well today but have absolutely no explanation for doing 18 miles in the first hour! It felt like it was mostly uphill and into a cross headwind. Perhaps it was the removal of the leather bag? I decided to go to Bogense first and then onto my shopping goal further west. Bogense was full of tourists and locals enjoying the warm sunshine. North west Fyn is gorgeous at this time of year with plenty of variation between fields full of crops and small woods. Even vast fields of mixed roses.

I came around one corner just as a small, white plane was taking off. Lots of serious and non serious-cyclists about today. The former were usually going faster than me. While I was usually going twice as fast as the latter. The cheese sandwich and banana were enough to keep me going today washed down with two small boxes of pure apple juice. I hardly touched my water bottle. Which was rather silly. By later afternoon and safely back at home, I was already on my second pint of water and second cup of tea. 51 miles.

Friday 17th 60-68F, 16-20C, a light, easterly breeze with bright sunshine. With a slight threat of cloud and showers forecast for later. I hadn't walked far before I spotted large hare sunbathing out in the middle of a huge lawn. As soon as I opened my camera case it ran off. As did a cat I disturbed hunting on the track out in the middle of a prairie. The woods were full of butterflies of all kinds. From a tiny, pure white one, smaller than the nail on my pinky. To a group of almost blue-blacks each as large as a Red admiral. The warmth must have made them all much more animated than usual. As were the flies! It didn't pay to stop for long before they descended. The huge variety of grasses competed with the wild plants. Many of them in flower. Japanese knotweed continues to spread along the verges. A number of private, roadside hedges are becoming infested with it.

I left late afternoon into a stiff easterly wind being followed by a heavily laden cyclo-tourist. Though I soon put a lot of distance on him and he climbed off to walk one long hill. The traffic remains light due to the annual holidays. Cruising at 20-22mph coming back, even uphill, thanks to the tailwind. Only 11 miles. I forgot to mention that I rode right through a massive swarm of bees on a descent under Horse chestnuts. I could hear them bouncing off my cycle helmet and worried they might get trapped inside the vents. Fortunately, for all concerned, there were none and I survived to ride on again.

Saturday 18th 62F, 17C, breezy with a heavy overcast. Possible early rain but clearing up to full sun and 30mph gusts.

I was just reading in the Danish news that one can be fined up to £500 / $750 [equivalent] for publishing pictures of criminals, in action, online. A boat owner published pictures on Facebook of some men putting his own boat into the water prior to stealing it. The police were not happy! It was their job to investigate crime, not the public's. This, from a police force which doesn't even bother to turn up to the vast majority of reported burglaries. [As alleged by Danish online news stories.]

The same news stories may raise serious questions as to why the Danish police don't bother turn up to live reports of mass bicycle theft in the local high street. As members of the public use their phones to film, photograph and report the perps in action with bolt cutters at a cycle rack. Simultaneously with the boat story there was yet another piece on East European bike thieves now targeting "high-end" [racing?] bikes for export back home. With yet more lorry loads of bicycles worth literally tens on thousands of pounds/ dollars [equivalent] being found at "open" EU borders. The police hope to prosecute the "suspects" in Denmark to try and put off the gangs of professional bike thieves.

We must all pray that nobody photographed the perps in action and thereby completely undermined the police investigation. On past form the perps will probably get away with a fine and being sent home. Even if they are sentenced to a short prison term [and exported afterwards] they will be straight back on the next train, boat or plane. Or even on the gang's next bicycle-collecting lorry.]

I am quoting respected, Danish, online news services here. Not speculating wildly for the sake of it. Those who fear that the Internet will lead to Cambodian style reporting to a corrupt or genocidal government should look to their own government for their [often illegal] surveillance of their own citizens. Including open door permission, to other nations, to monitor billions of innocent people's online activities under the pretext of fighting terrorism. If you were a terrorist would you announce your plans online? Really?

I also mentioned recently how the new, Danish [minority] right wing government was promising to drop environmental restraints on farmers. Including how much pig shit [along with the resulting ammonia] they could dump on their land. Also, to remove controls on how many pigs can be mistreated in industrialised pig rearing units, regardless of the amount of supporting land the "pig factory" owner holds. The idea of having unsprayed and uncultivated  margins alongside water courses were also to be dropped.

Now it seems the [unelected?] EU environment minister has altogether quite different thoughts on the matter. They will demand that the previous government's promises will be followed, along with all other EU nations, to reduce farming, environmental impact by a set amount by 2020.

Cornflowers are a common sight brightening up the wildly overgrown verges.

Not that anybody will achieve the [always voluntary] reductions in pollution. They never have in the past. So why bother now? They [the politic-ooze] will still get their massive [inflation beating] salaries, all their "second jobs" incomes and lifelong pensions for their [self] service to their country. Not to mention their huge expense accounts [to endlessly "juggle".] All regardless of how well they fulfil their completely empty promises and always tow the party dogma line to ensure their consciences are never troubled!

I had better go for a walk to get away from the neighbour's perpetually smoking chimney before I am tempted to put the videos on YouTube! Psssst! Anyone wanna see some dirty videos of another neighbour [regularly] burning a great pile of ordinary household rubbish on his front lawn? This, despite there no longer being a weight limit on the weekly bin emptying. You can see the smoke blocking visibility on the main road in full HD! What about the other neighbours having regular, illegal, lorry loads of painted demolition chipboard delivered for their 365x24 wood burning stove? Not interested? Nor was the council, environmental officer. <cough><cough><cough> I can't imagine why my chest is constantly blocked up and I keep have sneezing fits, can you?

Nice day for a walk. Warm, dry and sunny but with enough wind to keep it comfortable. A hare lolloped within  yards of me but seemed more interested in eyeing the camber.

A late morning ride to Assens. Fighting a gale to get there with the crops waving and trees bending. A poor heron was having a terrible struggle making any headway at all. Everybody seemed happy and smiling in town. Complete strangers were chatting to me in the shops and making jokes about the T de F because I had my Telekom yellow jersey on. Much quicker coming home with a tailwind despite being laden. Thank goodness I put the Goth leather bag back on instead of the minuscule Carradice Camper. Only 18 miles today.

Sunday 19th 61F, 16C, overcast, windy. Rain forecast for this afternoon. Walked for an hour. Watched the young Coots for a while. Later, on the trike, it was much windier than  the 10m/s gusts which were forecast. I did a rural loop before starting the shopping. Only 16 miles.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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