Monday 4th September 2017 The absense of clomp.

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Monday 4th 50F, 10C, calm, sunny. It was calm yesterday on my ride but often felt like a headwind despite my modest 12-16mph average speed. The wind turbines were standing still too so there was no doubt about how little wind there was. A slow worm was resting on the compost heap yesterday afternoon. I've never seen anything move so fast! It swapped ends too quickly to follow and then shot off into the undergrowth.

The wooded marsh seen from the entrance to the forest.

My morning walk took me over the harvested fields to the woods. Where I followed in the tracks of a forest harvester which had just disappeared from view along the main route. I never caught up with it within the distance I cared to reach before turning off on an uphill route. Then it was back along the bare ridge above the familiar landscape but from a slightly more dramatic viewpoint.

A flock of some thirty swallows were gyrating around an ancient oak in the field hedge. They seemed to follow me towards home. As I headed back to the road with my secondhand walking boots wet from the heavy dew. Fortunately they are Eccos and the membrane is still watertight after all this time.

Looking back towards the ridge. 

The membrane in the Salomon boots lasted less than a year and the guarantee replacements much less than that. My feet would instantly feel that horribly cold chill simply from crossing a damp lawn.

Thankfully the Ecco boots have remained comfortable as the toes gently turned up over time. The chances of finding another "as-new" pair in a charity shop, in my size, must be very slim indeed. They lacked in-soles, when I found them for a fiver equivalent, so I just borrowed some from the leaky Salomon pair.

The Eccos are so much nicer and very much quieter to walk in than the stiffer Salomon, but the Eccos are slightly more slippery on wet tarmac. Which is rather odd and took some getting used to. One wonders how they'd cope with damp rock if one were scrambling on cliffs or rocky outcrops in the hills. I remember that Vibram soles were always similarly slippery in my earlier walking and climbing boots. So how they remained in fashion for climbing and walking boots I have absolutely no idea. Local dogs used to bark madly when I clomped past their homes in the Salomons. Not so with the much quieter Eccos.

Late afternoon ride. Headwind going on the tri-bars. Quicker coming back. 12 miles.

Tuesday 5th 55F, 13C, rather overcast with speckled clouds.  Just a short walk. Busy day. No ride.

Wednesday 6th 60F, 16C, heavy overcast with potentially heavy rain on the menu. It was a pretty awful day with gales and cloudbursts.

Thursday 7th 54F, 12C, overcast and breezy. Wet morning followed by drier weather is forecast. In practice it wasn't a bad day at all and comfortable enough to be outside without a jacket. No ride today.

Friday 8th 55F, 13C, windy, heavy overcast with heavy rain. Expected to rain all day today and tomorrow. It brightened up in the afternoon but I was too busy for a ride.

Saturday 9th 55F, 13C, bright with a light breeze but rain forecast for later this morning. Possibly with thunder. Despite the independent TV weather forecast saying it would be fine it rained for most of the day. Only in the later afternoon did it ease off. With a few sunny period between light showers. We should have trusted the DMI forecast. There was patchy mist in the evening.

Sunday 10th 50F, 10C. Bright and clear but with showers forecast again. I haven't been registering the top temperatures of the day but will do so again soon. So, watch this space.

The only known, all-electric car in Denmark. Made in 1920 and still subject to the threat of crippling, annual import taxes to prevent "The Scourge of Electric Vehicles" should it ever take to the roads of Denmark.

Countless Russians will be hideously disappointed to discover that the goal of their planned visits to the [widely advertised] animal brothel in Copenhagen, does not exist. More fake news, Russian media propaganda, to suggest the low moral standards of the EU countries. What the vast numbers of Russian sex tourists will find to do now is a matter of some conjecture. Perhaps the Danes should just remember to keep their pets on a leash and avoid pallid, vodka-soaked, burly men in furs, lurking in shop doorways?

At least we know The Little Mermaid will be safe from their amorous attentions. She's such a cold fish! However, Copenhagen zoo might like to step up its security. The poorly maintained fleets of rusting buses, piled chaotically up against the gates, should be warning enough to bring out the high pressure hoses. I hesitate to use the term "water cannon" in case it starts a new war of words. 😉 Just a short walk in bright sunshine. The wind is picking up.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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