2nd May 2016 Oh dear, odour!

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Monday 2nd 43F, 6C, overnight white frost but it was soon gone, a gentle breeze with bright sunshine. The thermometer is rising fast so we should see 15C, 60F later. It is supposed to be windier but not so sunny today, but will remain dry. I had a short walk to even out the creases. Not many cars but lots of lorries, buses and coaches.

The road was so muddied that I had to choose my path carefully to avoid collecting mud on my boots! Then a tractor arrived to do some more muck spreading. Nobody should expect to stay at home without enjoying a good pong! It's no wonder they are all moving to the city or spending their days in the shopping malls! A hare scurried away along the spray tracks at the deep rumble of the approaching machine. I doubt a drenching with that stuff was going to help their love life! There was another smell on the air too with that distinct odour of chemical spraying.

10 am and it had already reached 13C, 55F which was yesterday's high point. The wind is picking up now and is expected to gust to at least 20mph. It is one of those odd days where there are no clouds but the vapour trails hang around for hours. The number of flights is quite unbelievable! Normally they go almost completely unnoticed and their trails are usually short lived. Fortunately they are usually far too high to he heard from the ground. How anybody lives near a major airport I have no idea.

Cowslips in the fields used to be very commonplace in my youth. Here a solitary plant adorns the edge of a field track near the woods.

It seems I am to be allowed out today though I still have no particular goal in mind. I'm not one of those people who can just get on and pedal away randomly in all directions. There has to be a reason or at least a potential target for photography. The 'Head Gardener' is worrying about an excess of sunburn on the aging tricyclist and the risks that involves. I slap on the 50SPF but it seems that is not good enough beyond the first hour. I ought to be grateful that she worries about me.

A tailwind going saw 18-20mph on the flat. Sadly I [almost] had to crawl back at between 8-11mph. The wind felt so strong that I could lean well forward without discomfort. Though resting my forearms on the tops allowed a couple of extra mph it was too painful to keep up for long. Perhaps I should be refitting the tri-bar extensions? It's not that they weigh very much. Only 24 miles today. Would you believe it needed three supermarkets to find ripe tomatoes, organic spuds and some butter? No, I didn't believe it either.

Tuesday 3rd 48F, 9C, calm, heavy overcast with rain promised. It might clear up later. It did, but I was "excused triking." Rest day.

I presume these doors were for the stables when horses reigned on the farm.

Wednesday 4th 43-53F, 6-12C, another white overnight frost, calm and sunny. It should be a pleasant day with fairly light winds. A gorgeous morning for an hour's walk in bright sunshine. I pottered around a local village taking snaps and keeping an eye and ear out for birds. There were several kinds of warbler singing away in the roadside hedgerows. Later I caught two Coots enjoying their morning bath as they threw bright water high into the air. Being back-lit by the sunshine it might have made a great picture but I was too far away. They were also well hidden amongst the water plants of the church pond. Lots of traffic today as I leaped repeatedly onto the verge to give the lorries plenty of room against oncoming traffic. Plodding back uphill into the sun was rather warm work.

It had just reach 60F, 15.5C as I rode off mid-afternoon. A tailwind helped me to 16-20mph but it was down to 10-14mph coming back well loaded. Second ride so far this year with bare legs. Only 7 miles.

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