26th December 2017 A martyr to wind.

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Tuesday 26th Boxing Day. 40F, 5C, heavy overcast and very windy. Expected to gust to 45mph later on a 25mph base from the SW. Not our best wind direction because we have least shelter from trees and bushes. More rain expected too. True to form it started raining as soon as I reached the road. With the roadside hedge shielding me from the weather I proceeded until I ran out of hedge. Whereupon I retreated. To be buffeted by the wind and fewer raindrops thanks to my now walking on the wrong side of the road from the tall hedge.

A fierce dragon belches smoky fire out over the forest.

Never underestimate hedges for their ability to shelter. Only half an hour's walk but it all helps to burn off some of yesterday's Christmas chocolates. I was unusually well behaved and consumed only one, small tin of organic beer all day. Today was a horribly wet and windy day.

Wednesday 27th 38-40F, 3-4C, supposed to be a quieter day after the recent gales but still, with rain forecast for later. A rather dull, grey walk in a niggling wind. Not improved by spots of rain. Small, familiar birds moved along the hedgerows. A few gulls and crows sailed overhead. I was just looking at the ten most likely symptoms for dementia and obtained a perfect score! It didn't say where to collect my prize. So now I am even more confused.

Silkeborg City Council is reminding the forgetful to switch on their bike lights with new road markings. The irony is that it is mostly teenagers and schoolkids who ride without lights. Kids who have money coming out of their ears for sweets and drinks and constant mobile phone usage. While most supermarkets are selling bright LED back and front , bike light sets for less than a £iver equivalent. [Image borrowed for educational safety purposes from DR News website.]

Late morning ride to the shops with a hilly detour back home. Only 10 miles but it all counts towards maintaining fitness. Vast flocks of perhaps a thousand Fieldfares constantly on the move. They chirrup and fly very fast.

I was stuck in only two gears. Well, the same gear on the cassette but on two different chainwheels. As soon as I arrived home I inverted the trike and tried to let some oil run inside the rear flexible loop of outer cable cover. Then it was up on the stand and changing up and down through the gears as I turned the pedals. Better, but still not great. There is so much crap on the roads the trike often looks like a sand sculpture!

Thursday 28th 34F, +1C, much cooler, light winds, looking quite clear  with a risk of sunshine. I wonder if there are any indoor sports at the Winter Olympics? With a little more training I could be quite useful in the mixed geriatrics.

Interesting story in the Danish news on Gurgle's search algorithms. They are now so clever that they can provide the [legally] hidden names of pedophiles appearing in court by applying AI to clues in the press and online. I just hope there aren't any lynchings based on false information provided by searches. There is a parallel privacy argument going on about a Danish national DNA register. This is related to the unsolved, motorway, rock throwing cases.

A stealthy, pale dragon races across the blazing sky.
[At mid right above the tree.]

Do [we] innocents have anything to fear from a universal database? Or, rather, do we really have nothing to fear? A corrupted or hacked database could damage the reputation of countless innocents. A corrupt police force, or government, could easily use it for its own ends. How can you argue against the absolute proof of guilt by science? It's no wonder many governments try to control the internet. Imagine typing in the names of the Chinese top brass and getting a very long list of their obscene wealth safely stashed in secret bank accounts and offshore, seashell companies.

A quiet walk in almost dead calm conditions until I turned into the gentle southerly wind on an exposed lane. The traffic was very light. So quiet was it that I could clearly hear aircraft flying high overhead. That is really quite unusual despite the near constant, vapour trails. Too busy making sawdust for The Head Gardener to manage a ride today. Earning house points takes priority over pretty well, everything else. Compound interest, isn't it?  😎


Friday 29th 36F, 2C.  Light winds and some sunshine again. Let us hope that those suffering from colds make a rapid recovery. Our rural isolation must help us to avoid such problems. Surgical gloves or a wet wipe of the hands after supermarket visits might help further. For now, I just need to cure the silly old tricyclist of lifting heavy weights. Walked to the village in a thin, cold wind. Returning was a delight of orange clouds as the sun rose. I took forty three images where the last few days have been a famine of dulled inspiration. Late morning rain turned to a blizzard of huge snow flakes just after 1pm. No ride today.

Saturday 30th 38-39F, 3-4C, very heavy overcast with rain. Unbroken rain later will add to the general sogginess of everything. It's no wonder people put down paving slabs, concrete and asphalt! The rain has softened every gravel and grass surface to near liquid with standing water or puddles everywhere. No ride today.

Sunday 31st 40-45F, 4-7C. Mild but breezy, heavy overcast and wet. New Year's Eve. I only managed half an mile before the rain became heavy enough to warrant a return. Small, mixed groups of birds were moving ahead of me along the roadside hedgerows. A white/pale bird of prey moved on to another tree to distance itself. Later I drove to the city in wet weather. Even wetter coming home again. With lane-wide puddles in many places. Many shops were open to sell fireworks for New Year.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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