28th May 2019 5/9 Blush! 😳

*

Tuesday 28th 53-58F, bright but rather cloudy again. The forecast is dry with sunny periods. I may get a short ride in to buy the stuff I couldn't get yesterday due to a lack of supermarket stock. My hedge lopping elbows need a rest to recover.

A private, garden copse and an adjoining field pond borrow each other's growth to expand on their own natural beauty.  The copse hides a large pond and masses of foraging birds.

I walked along the marsh and on up to the woods. The grass was over knee high and sopping wet. As, soon, were also my trousers. Having reached the pond I decided to continue onwards. Only a nervous pair of Mallards were visible on the water and even they made a  swift exit. The densely overgrown marsh was full of birdsong. As was the forest as I skirted along the side of the vast field. It wasn't cold enough for discomfort and my clothing quickly dried as I walked. Light and shadow played on the glistening prairie. As swallows swooped low over the ripening seed heads.

Late morning ride had me returning after a few hundred yards. The temperature was 58F but the wind was blowing right through me! Back to collect a cycling jacket and off again. Not going too badly as I kept the revs up to fight the wind. Only 12 miles.

Wednesday 29th 52F, another bright start with cloud promised. A light westerly wind made my walk to the lanes feel rather too warm on the way back.

There is a rumour, doing the rounds, that the recently abdicated, Queen Bozo of the Amazons is to use her 37 billion, tax free windfall to provide Amazon manual staff a living wage with full back pay. Just more fake news I expect. King Bozo would never allow it! 😉

An afternoon ride to the shops. A bit breezy. The tailwind helped me to 20mph on the way. Back down to 10mph coming home. A past, Danish cycle racer had a few words to say about the senseless way some people drive.. and cycle!

With half a million sports cyclists in Denmark he scolded those who ride two abreast in training groups when they impede the traffic. I have myself often seen the "entitled" cyclists riding three abreast or even with an idiot "outrider." A little consideration goes a long way towards smoothing the way for all road users.

I will often pull into a lay-by, junction or even a private drive to let a bus or lorry pass unimpeded. Many drivers will wave their thanks as I look back for following traffic before continuing. I use my rear view mirror every few seconds while cycling [and driving] to ensure I minimize my impact on the traffic. A trike needs just as much room as a cycle but its greater width often inhibits drivers from overtaking against oncoming traffic.

Interestingly, there was a questionnaire below the cycling, news story. In which I scored a dismal 5/9! I can't even blame the language because I understood the questions well enough. I once made a great song and dance about being repeatedly called a spastic by one driver. Why? Because I turned left without stopping and waiting on the right for the lights to change twice. In fact it is perfectly legal to turn left in one manoeuvre provided one doesn't impede the following traffic. So now I no longer need to feel guilty when I swing left at the lights on empty village roads. [Does not apply to the UK/Japan/Australia where the local rules for a right turn apply.]

One definitely needs a bell on a bicycle. BY LAW! I rarely see bells on racing bicycles so assumed they did not apply to me with my sporting pretensions. [Stop sniggering at the back!]

And finally, the Danes raise an arm with the hand held upright and palm forwards to indicate the cyclist is about to stop. I had no idea this was required by law. Even when stopping at a traffic light. Lessons learned. Must try harder. The comforting message for my poor showing was that I must rarely cycle or I would be in for many surprises. They are probably correct.

I am often surprised at the politeness of many Danish drivers. Even after twenty years here I still find myself expecting the UK's absolute worst [ie. Average] driving behaviour. Conversely, I would imagine many Danes have very nasty surprises if they try to walk or ride a bicycle in Gravely Blighted. If they survive to tell the tale!

Can you imagine a UK driver giving a second thought to a pedestrian crossing a junction? In Denmark it is remarkably unusual for any driver to menace a pedestrian or cyclist crossing a junction in the path of their vehicle. I would often hold back at a junction when I first came here but would be firmly waved on. Nor do the Danes run across the junction. They fully expect the driver to pause for them [the pedestrian AND cyclist] and have been taught to walk steadily at a normal pace.

My memories of the UK roads are "every man for himself" [Aka:Total anarchy] unless several large policemen are actually present. And even then... A UK driver actually holding back instead of cutting off a cyclist crossing a junction? Fake news! It never happened!

Did I tell you how incredibly rarely you hear a car horn in Denmark? Civilization arrived early in Scandinavia but never seems to have crossed the English Channel. I put it down to the corrupt, carriage riding, upper classes making the laws of the road back in 19th century Gravely. Look how they managed to ban road race cycling for over a century. It's no wonder the cyclist and pedestrian are 4th class citizens in Gerrt Briton. Every car owner imagines themselves [en]titled.

You never see a Dane running on a pedestrian crossing. The pedestrian has THE RIGHT OF WAY! God help you if you claim that right in the UK! You'd better know where the nearest A&E is situated. Or pray somebody cares enough to call an ambulance. Probably a foreign tourist? British drivers will lift your limp and bleeding body and dump you on the pavement to keep the traffic flowing! I kid you not!
 

Click on any image for an enlargement.

*