5th October 2015 Jumped by a green light!

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Monday 5th 47F, 8C, thick mist, overcast, dead calm. If the mist clears I shall have a decent ride today. I have more wants on my life's list which are, quite probably, lying waiting for me some 20 miles away. A number of potential sources are only open on Mondays. Then closed mid-week before re-opening on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All the plans of trikes and men.. Two of the shops were closed on Mondays. The one that was open closed at lunch time before I reached it. A third doesn't open until 2pm. One of those which was open is closed on Fridays. How may miles did the tricyclist travel? Answer: 40 miles. Having been twice disappointed  by closed shops I ended up going even further to reach another shop. I knew it would be open but still returned empty handed.

With only a muesli bar for company I was suffering from hunger knock by the time I returned mid-afternoon. There were a lot of flies and clouds around today. The steady drop in temperature can definitely be noticed. Despite a light headwind coming back and occasional sunshine I kept my jacket on all day.

Tuesday 6th 53F, 12C, windy, overcast. A strong easterly wind will gust up to 40mph later with two days of rain arriving after that. Any thoughts of a ride had better be made early. In farming news: The beginning of pigs diarrhoea spreading season reminds me of the news headlines. Multi-resistant bacteria are increasingly being found in Danish hospitals. To make matters worse the Danish pig farmers are giving their month-old piglets so much zinc [instead of more costly antibiotics] that is making the multi-resistance far worse and has contaminated fields, equal in area to the size of the island of Fyn, 200miles^2, with dangerous quantities of zinc and other heavy metals. Only one in seven of Danish farmers is in profit. Pigs you win. Pigs you lose. By the way.. most of the Danish pig feed is being imported from former Rain Forest so think on before you order your third meal of the morning. The reason for so much zinc is the diarrhoea caused by the piglets being taken away from their industrial breeding units mothers at only one month old. You've had your [cheap] bacon. Now wallow in it.

I walked for an hour and a half in my usual loop through the woods. Hundreds of ducks on the pond. Birds of prey calling overhead as were a number of chevrons of geese heading south. Getting quite blowy already.

I left after coffee into a stiff headwind. Having fought my way there I headed back with a nasty crosswind buffeting me in the gaps between the hedges. I think the fine for running a red light on a bike is about £100 equivalent in Denmark. I'm wondering what the fine is for killing a cyclist with a green light! I was within two seconds of reaching a temporary traffic light when it suddenly fell across the road in front of me with a huge crash! We aren't talking about some piddling little thing either. It was full sized head on a tall pole and blocked the entire lane. I managed to ride around it but the traffic coming up behind me unable to get past. A worker crossed the road to pick the light up again but I doubt he thought to stabilize it properly for the very windy conditions. Where do I queue for my course of crisis therapy for severe PTSD? 15 miles, not quite road kill [yet].

Wednesday 7th 53F, 12C, gales and rain all day. Rest day being busy at something else.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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