Friday 13th 2018 Unseasonal cloud?

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Friday 13th 70-78F, cool breeze from the west, warm bright and sunny with a few 'polyester' clouds.

Walked to the village. A pair of smart Moorhens were feeding four visible young on the lawn beside a private pond. One of the adults was climbing 3' from the ground in irises and reeds to collect insects. I see Coots all the time on the local ponds and seas but can't remember the last time I saw Moorhens.

Afternoon ride to the shops. I think we can accept the tailwind had something to do with a steady 23mph along the high street before I reached the shops. More like 12-14 mph returning heavily laden. with the wind roaring in my ears. The Great Danish Drought of 2018 may soon end with heavy rain promised for Tuesday and Wednesday. I'll believe it if I see it! Only 7 miles.

As an aside, I have been watching YT videos on the incredible degree of innovation in E-Bikes. Specifically E-mountain bikes at major bike shows. There is so much competition for lightness, appearance, power and fast charging.

They still need to work on the displays though. It's no use having 18 possible readings when the screen is small and the rider needs powerful reading glasses. Just to see the silly little digits while bearing down fast on a packed high street at dusk in the rain. They have that already on the bike computers and they are an absolutely dreadful base from which to innovate.

Foreshortened by zoom the huge fields shrink under an unusually cloudy sky.

There are some gorgeous machines out there with some of them almost affordable. Front and rear suspension, disk brakes and lightness make some very expensive, conventional, "steam pipe uprights' look very foolish indeed. Meanwhile the news has Danish scientists making a major breakthrough in rechargeable batteries with a modification to the anode chemistry.

Saturday 14th 58-70F, overcast, grey and almost calm. Expected to clear to sunshine later. Some recent global heat records make this Danish summer look quite silly but no less uncomfortable. The supposed drenching on Tuesday/Wednesday has already vanished from the charts. The EU is considering allowing farmers to harvest the grass on fallow fields to provide much needed fodder.

I was teased by a few drops of rain as I set off for a brisk walk in a light jacket. A grey bird of prey was sitting amongst the gulls and standing out like a sore thumb. Even through the binoculars it was too far away to identify any detail. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a Red kite circling tightly just ahead. After enjoying a few a few seconds of watching it folded its wings and dropped out of sight behind some trees. I never saw it again. The weather is still stuck at 60F at 11am with unchanged overcast. It reached 70F in bright sunshine at 15.00.

Sunday 15th 62-76F, a light westerly breeze with bright sunshine. I walked to the next village in quiet traffic and then climbed steeply up to the woods. Returning via the edges of harvested fields. Two hares dashed off but the birds seemed almost absent today.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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