21st January 2016 Burp2!

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Thursday 21st 17-27F, -8-3C, still and foggy. If it was lighter I could see the the hoar frost apparently. But that is still an hour away. Yesterday's hoar frost was remarkably short-lived as soon as the weak and very low sun peeked from behind the strange, lenticular blobs of grey cloud. The pain killers do seem to be taking the edge off the pain but have not removed it. Meanwhile, the tinnitus whistle seems to have stopped overnight leaving a rushing sound. Poor old devil! He thought he was invulnerable but was found wanting in the athletics, acrobatics and weight lifting disciplines. Then failed to qualify in the early rounds of the 2016 winter tricycling trials and tribulations.

Another circuit of the fields but anticlockwise past the lake. Only 10 Mallards today guarding an open patch in the snow covered ice. Saw hundreds of Greenfinches in a flock on the marsh trees and several gaudy Bullfinches in a hedge. Even more hoar frost but again it melted away in the sunshine. Then the mist suddenly dropped within 10 minutes before burning off again.  I'm not sure the walking is helping much. My hip is hurting so no ride today.

Friday 22nd 23-27F, -5-3C, breezy, a mixture of clear and misty. Sunshine is promised. I walked to the village and back. A cold wind seemed to cling to my skin. The sun kept disappearing into low cloud leaving a stark white disk.

There is a new sound in the Danish countryside. Massive wood chippers are now being used in the forests. As each tree is put through the chipper, by hydraulic arms, there is a great roar. From a distance of over two miles it sounds like a giant panting. A colossus on a scale which makes King Kong sound like a slightly out of breath, wood nymph! I nearly laughed when I saw council workers chipping lopped tree branches with a much lesser machine towed behind a tractor. A branch got stuck, so the "skilled operative" put his foot deep in the hopper to force the branch in... 

Later I actually went for a ride. Not so much of a problem with my back pain today. Cold riding into the wind though. My face was bright red all over when I glanced into a mirror in a supermarket. The windchill must have been down around -12C or 11F. Lots of different birds of prey about today. Fieldfares were foraging with the Blackbirds in village gardens. Fourteen miles and I was glad to be able to spin in low gears on the climbs. Exactly as predicted, the pain killers are giving me heartburn. Tried Slippery elm and plain active yogurt with little obvious relief.

Saturday 23rd 28F, -2C, light breeze with about 3" of overnight snow. [7.5cm] My hip/back/thigh felt okay until I had to get dressed. So the pain is still dragging on despite the painkillers. Pain + snow + thick mist = rest day.

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