14th Decembrrr 2017: "He never inhaled 2." [UCI Director's Cut.]

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Thursday 14th 34F, +1C. Very, very dark at 8.15am.

Somebody called Froome has joined that other benighted, TDF cycling bloke and bingo caller, with a dodgy drugs dispute. News only now being released to the media long after the event. Did I miss the stream of obscenities from this one? Is Sky's "Innocente" Froome far too big a payday for the UCI to publicly suspend, pending formal enquiries?

Seasons Greetings?
Well it was [probably] red once upon a time!

Can professional cycling survive this latest denial of reality? Does anybody care any more except for the clinically insane who dance semi-naked on mountain tops? As a lifelong, cycling obsessive-depressive I don't even bother to watch the Sky Tours pro-cessions any more.  

The chain of Danish, Red Cross charity shops is paying serious money to local councils to rid themselves of unsalable stock at recycling yards. I hope the Kommunes appreciate their charitable support! I wonder if the "donations" are taxable as well? Probably. Everything else is.

Friday 15th 37F, 3C, cloudy with light winds and a risk of sunshine between wintry showers. I might be allowed out for a shopping ride. But first I must survive my morning walk. 8.30am and it's still struggling to get light.

Talking of which; I wonder if I should put a flashing red diode light on top of my fleece cap? It might wake up the somnambulant commuters with a nasty, iPhoney, road rash. The verge is your friend when such lunacy abounds. The snow has, thankfully, been all but washed away by overnight rain.

Rain pushed my departure time forwards so that I returned after dark @ ~4.40pm. Fortunately I was prepared with my brilliantly flashing, Smart lights already in the bag. Finally caught up with all the out of stock items from earlier shopping trips. 13 miles.

Saturday 16th 28-35F, -2+2C,. white frost but the puddles still have only a thin skin of ice. Clear sky with bright sunshine for my brisk, 40 minute walk. Going out of the trike after the ritual morning coffee. Hardly any sign of snow now and the roads are much drier.

Enjoyed a longer ride in bright sunshine taking in several villages. The GripGrab Nordic gloves were comfortable throughout. As was the soft Aviator [medieval] cap. Lots of ice on the lanes from field run-off. Returned well loaded. 23 miles. Saw only one cyclist out training but I couldn't catch him.

Sunday 17th 30F, -1C,  calm and clear with a white frost. Probably a replay of yesterday's weather with lots of sunshine.

Janteloven [Jante's Law] has kicked in [the teeth] with a vengeance. A foreign, orchestral horn player has been heavily fined for playing a single gig with another Danish classical orchestra. Her permission to stay listed only one orchestra. The second orchestra had lost its horn player to illness and she was invited to stand in. I know, I know. You couldn't make it up! 

It's not all bad news though. Britain's impregnable wall against funda-mental-ist terrorism has denied entry to an Indian lady with far too highly advanced skills at English. Had she been able to mutter a few words with a broad Scottish accent and throw in the odd expletive, she could have been allowed to live with her Scottish husband. See me, Jimmy!

Glad to hear Gravely Blighted is now completely safe from educated, English speaking Indians. Some British bank's call centers could do with her linguistic skills! No names, no pack drill!

Walked up to the woods and then back across the fields via the icy spray tracks. Stepped into an invisible,  wet sump and thoroughly plastered my boots! Watched several large herons circling the marsh. They are the most amazing gliders. Lighter than they look, too, because they can alight effortlessly on the very tops of birches.

A chap was refilling the pheasant feeders from an SUV as I watched from the top of the hill. He couldn't be arsed to reverse along the track so used the cropped field to turn round. A small mixed flock of pretty Bullfinches and Goldfinches were foraging in the hedgerows. They looked gorgeous in the brilliant sunlight as the sun scrapes the very bottom of our northerly barrel.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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