1st August 2015 Pardon?

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Saturday 1st 63-65F, 17-18C.  Still feeling unwell. It would have been a good day for a ride with lighter winds and sunny periods. I forced myself to walk up to the woods. A tractor had been around the major tracks with a coarse mower. So I was able to do a loop and walk back the same way. Marsh tits were foraging with mixed warblers in the Alders on the marsh. A cat hunting in the fields had killed a mole. It ran off before it could enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Perhaps it was merely being destructive? I'm still feeling rough. I went out but only 7 miles.

Sunday 2nd 62F, 17C, still and sunny. An hour's walk around the village "block" in warm sunshine. More coots on another village pond. Very quiet without any traffic noise. An ideal day for a ride but I'm still recovering. Or perhaps still suffering from the same thing? I might have a short ride later if I feel up to it. I didn't.

Monday 3rd 70-76F, 21-24C, sunny, quiet start becoming windy from the East. I have to put drops of oil in my ears to loosen the wax prior to syringing on Wednesday. Every time I put the oil in I feel awful: Nausea, dizziness, tiredness and headaches. Only 7 miles in hot sunshine. 12mph going. 23mph coming back with a tailwind.

Tuesday 4th 70F, 21C, windy and bright with high cloud. I'm going out early on the trike but not far. Another 7 miles. It hit 81F in the afternoon. Clouding over with thundery showers forecast by early evening.

Wednesday 5th 53F, 12C, still, clear and sunny. The big day! I am to have my ears water-boarded at the doctor's surgery. Pardon? I said... oh, never mind. Safely returned to stereo now, though not really feeling any better. In the past everything sounded sibilant when I'd had my ears syringed. This time it wasn't very noticeable at all. I'm going out again now. It has become rather windy from the south and south west. Fortunately it was mostly a crosswind. Going quite well with lots of climbing out of the saddle. 26 miles in total.

Thursday 6th 70-81F, 21-27C, breezy and mostly sunny. My walk was interrupted by a pair of Marsh harriers, soaring low overhead on outstretched wings, about a minute apart. The young Coots are accomplished divers now.

I was reading about the police setting a new record of 402 fines in only one hour for drivers speeding on a single stretch of motorway past roadworks with a closed lane. 1635 vehicles were flashed in five hours that day. Many went online to complain that 250 meters was not enough warning between the warning signs and the camera. The Danish TV news was there filming the stretch involved and the traffic was often hurtling past in the [supposed] 30mph [50kph] zone. I wonder whether any other countries advertise the location of speed camera vans in advance?

Lady's old bike used as garden centre ornament. You still see loads of bikes like this in the Danish cities. The curved elegance appeals to male riders as much as to girls and women. I have no idea how old this one might be with its typical coaster brake rear hub and skirt shield. The relaxed geometry matches the usual riding style.

Enjoyed a late morning shopping run with quite a strong head/crosswind going. I tried a new short stretch of cycle path and frightened a nervous pedestrian who backed into a hedge. There was plenty of room but they obviously didn't agree. Possibly fear of the unknown? Several buzzards were circling over the untidy fields flattened by the rain. The harvest has been a bit stop and start so far. With many fields still untouched and others only partially shorn. Or cut and left lying in the case of oil seed rape. Only 15 miles. My ears are still behaving strangely. Sometimes completely blocked, but "loud" and sibilant at other times. I was feeling a bit better today. The constant headaches and sinus pressure seemed to have subsided for the moment but I had a snotty nose all day!

Friday 7th 63-70F, 17-21C, bright sunshine with a variable breeze. The forecast is warm again with light winds. Enjoyed a walk around a harvested field. A large flock of sparrows were moving around an overgrown, weed infested "wasteland."


Enjoyed a hilly ride to a garden centre and back another way. Sky rather grey but still with light winds. My GPS logger finally worked with the new battery. The switch needs a very fine point to move the slider. 26 miles.

Saturday 8th 61F, 16C, overcast, showers [sometimes heavy] variable, light breeze. Promised to brighten later. It did, but only a short ride of 13 miles. Still deaf in one ear. Pardon? The shopping village which I went to was deserted on a Saturday afternoon. I glanced back and saw only one person in the entire length of the street and no traffic at all. Spooky! The air is still full of small greenish-black beetles or bugs. I keep wondering how they become airborne. They tickle, but fortunately they don't bite and easily brush off. I haven't seen any wings yet.

Sunday 9th 51F,11C, quite still, with bright sunshine. A promising forecast for a ride? It was, but I came back again before lunch. With a shrub in a large bin bag hanging from knotted cord, shoulder straps. There was no other way to get it home. It was too tall/long to hang from the saddle.

Went out again after a brief lunch to take in a lot of hills, not far from home, with shopping on the way back. A swarm of the little beetles was performing aerobatics in the drive. They seem to prefer the shade. My jersey was covered in them at intervals. 47 miles.

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