19th January 2017 A martyr to marmalade.

Thursday 19th 36-40F, 2-4C, light winds falling. Heavy overcast. Brisk walk to the village. A few small birds in the hedges. Even more McLardy's litter scattered across the verges. Half a dozen bags of McChilitter this time. Plus a couple of new sugar saturated ChokerColour tubs. Saw a young chap yesterday carrying his day's fix: 10 liters of ChokerColour Full Strength. He was as close to a cube [hxwxb] as you can get without actually becoming spherical. 30 stone while still in his early 20s? What chance he sees another five years?

Meanwhile back at Chez Trifling I have plans for a ride after coffee and marmalade on toast. Probably 23 miles and all very hilly. So I should burn off most of the high fruit content marmalade. And, be suffering from tricyclist's "knock" long before I reach the last, long uphill drag on the way home. All the whilst fully laden with shopping and at least an hour after I would normally have eaten lunch. My endurance for the trials and tribulations of tricycle shopping regularly astound me. Or [probably] not. It's just that nobody else will blow my trumpet and there's nobody here to stop me from doing it myself. 😇

Late morning ride in drizzle for a few miles. Then it dried up a bit but the roads were very wet and dirty. Further light drizzle followed at intervals. Loads of McDiarrhea packaging litter everywhere I went. I detoured, as you do, so a bit tired towards the end. No choccy bar! Only 27 miles.

Friday 20th 41F, 5C, overcast, light winds. 40 minute walk along the lanes. Then  a alert morning ride. Saw a small woodpecker and a hovering female kestrel. A number of buzzard sized birds lumbered about or sat waiting for lunch to walk right up to them. The traffic was treating the reduced speed limits with complete contempt, as usual. 16 miles. Now I am safely back at home the sun has come out.

Saturday 21st 41F, 5C, misty and overcast start. Walked to the village and back. It cleared to bright sunshine at lunchtime. I put off my Saturday ride because of the thick mist. Now it is perfectly clear. Busy on a project and with no pressure to go out I wasted a perfect day for a ride.

Sunday 22nd 38F, 3C, heavy grey overcast, almost still. An hour and a half loop up through the woods. Saw birds of prey and noisy Jays. Became too warm by the time I started back so had to take my jacket off. Just the slightest skin of ice left on the village ponds. Late afternoon ride for 7 miles. It felt rather cool at first.

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