27th February 2016 Misty? Driving? Whatever.

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Saturday 27th 32F, 0C, almost dead calm, very misty. Houses only 100 yards away are barely visible outlines. With light winds and some sunshine promised it would be an ideal day for a ride. I don't fancy my chances given my daily observations of drivers who completely ignore reduced visibility and speed illegally. Just as they do in all conditions. It is certainly brightening noticeably so the sun may burn off the mist by the time I am ready for a tootle.

A driver deliberately sped through a village yesterday where cyclists, including myself,  have to cross the road to reach the single, two-way cycle lane. He caught me halfway across the road and shared a a stolid stare without so much as lifting his foot from the idiot pedal. There are 50kph [30mph] 'lollipops' in both directions for literally miles along this stretch.  This is the exactly the same, blind village corner and dangerous crossroads, where I saw an ashen-faced girl sitting in a car which had been literally cut in half length-ways in a multi-vehicle "accident" inside a miles long, 30mph zone. No police? No cameras? No crime? No casualties?

Yellowhammers were chasing each other along the field hedges obviously with spring in mind. Some mists just make everything look out of focus. This was one of those. Partial visibility had almost doubled by the time I had finished my extended loop through scruffy woods. Have you noticed how much damage horses and ponies can do to grass? One return trip up the track to the woods and it is ripped to shreds! Back on the road and many cars were carrying smart MTBs to a competition in some woods not far away. Yes, I can actually find something in Danish, online! Though they usually insert incongruous links making it  more of a anti-decraption exercise than a simple search. I was quite tempted to head over there but decided against it when the last race start was already over by 11am.

An SUV passed me being driven slowly and sensibly. I was about to ring the Guinness record book people when it suddenly swerved twice, right across the double white lines! On a long straight at low speed! Obviously still too drunk to read the speedometer or to see the double white lines without a white stick. As, no doubt, was the young women who managed to put her car completely in the opposite lane on a local, blind corner, again with double white lines. How, on earth, do these morons survive? The roads are not a playground, fools! Deaths and injuries are not just another statistic! You do make me cross! 

I rode a hilly loop to get some more miles in. The lanes were very quiet and the villages deserted. Though not so the main roads I needed to reach my distant exit. I felt sorry for all the birds of prey perching in the wayside trees to save energy when food is scarce. They kept moving along the road and finding another perch only to see me trundling underneath them again. A black Scotty chased me up a steep hill on a quiet lane. I was only managing 7mph @ 100rpm in bottom gear and it was catching me quickly despite barking and howling continuously.  I wish I had that wind! Once I made the summit it hadn't a chance of keeping up but it must have covered a good half mile from home before finally giving up.

I spotted one of my favourite Corny dark chocolate muesli big bars on a supermarket checkout so that kept me going until lunchtime. It's becoming a bit of a habit but they aren't half tasty! Best eaten slightly warm to avoid breaking one's teeth in chilly weather. I just bung the bar in my back pocket and they soon become easy to chomp in big chunks. And no, I am not being subsidized by the weapons grade, sugary products producers. Corny just seem far better value than the bike shop energy bars and don't repeat on me. Mind you, you'd need a Bijou Camper 'Longflop' to carry more than half a dozen. Burp! 25 miles.

Sunday 28th 32F, 0C, dead calm, thick mist. Yet again the nearest buildings are completely invisible. The promise of sunshine has yet to be fulfilled by a wide margin. But yet, the sky has suddenly turned pink and it is snowing monochromatically into our misty, garden trees! The high humidity adds another layer of discomfort to the cold. I tried to work in the shed at 40F with 36F outside. My hands were soon aching from handling cold metal despite wearing "thermal" rubber, mechanic's gloves. Now the mist has cleared remarkably rapidly so I had better take the binoculars after all.

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