30th July 2019 Still waiting for rain.

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Tuesday 30th 67-77F, bright but rather cloudy. Thunder and cloudbursts promised, again. A clockwise walk around the block in light traffic. About 3 miles in warm 70F conditions. The verges are becoming quite luxuriant.

Another person has been injured by an electric scooter. One of those idiotic cycle lanes where buses stop to allow passengers to alight. Straight into the teeth of passing cyclists. The law says that cyclists must slow right down or stop and wait for the bus passengers to clear the cycle lane. This El-scooterist may have been ignorant of the law.  Or just plain ignorant. There's a lot of it about.

The law also says that cars must stop at crossings. This assumes that all car drivers will obey the law. The law does not allow for ignorant car drivers. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Common sense is often enough. This assumes that every ignorant twit has at least some common sense. This is patently not true. The world only keeps turning by averaging out the "entitled" ignoramuses by sheer force of numbers. That still doesn't stop most prisons from being heavily oversubscribed. This, despite the excess of ambulance chasers in the world.

An afternoon ride to the shops. Only 7 miles. Rather warm. It was very odd: The Trykit felt distinctly skittish. I stopped and checked all the bare brazing joints. Counted the wheels to be sure they were all still there. All seemed normal enough. I have had [what I presumed to be] school kids loosen the front Q/R a couple of times as they competed for the qualification heats at the Idiocy Olympics. They used to mass around the supermarket bike racks after school sometimes. But they are on their summer holidays at the moment. So none are about. I presume the perps are all competing for individual medals abroad. The trike seemed to settle down after it had passed the formal inspection. Weird.

19.30 and it is getting very dark. It can't just be the dust from the harvesters. Can it? The forecast is for thunder and downpours but it hasn't happened yet.

Wednesday 31st 65-67F, bright but rather cloudy. They have had heavy rain elsewhere but we are still waiting. The Head Gardener's rain collection containers were barely damp this morning. Yet another day with warnings of heavy rain hanging over us. Famous last words. I had just reached my exit when it started raining. I should have known better. The whole western sky was navy blue and black.

Fortunately I reached home again without too much drama except for a couple of deranged lunatics [blind] cornering at 60mph. The clipped beech hedge meets the road just there. So there is literally nowhere for me to retreat further from the traffic. Being deluded retards they always use a "racing line" which clips the inside of every inside corner. Thereby denying themselves the ability to extend their braking distance to the maximum.

Of course the hedge is completely impenetrable to their X-ray vision. Particularly at ten mph above the national speed limit. So they would never see the several cars leaving the houses situated just around the corner as they leave on their own, morning run. Before they are hit broadside on.

But what are the lives of a few children on their way to school? When the driver's need to have fun on the way to work excludes all else. After all, they have their air bags to protect them. So further brain damage is very unlikely in a side impact with another vehicle.

Besides, they have insurance against that sort of thing. It's not as if the insurance company gives a shit if drivers are lower achieving sociopaths. They are entitled to drive any way they like. And do. The anonymity of vehicle ownership allows even the dumbest of drivers to go unnoticed amongst the generally appalling average. Who is going to report their neighbour if they drive like a drunk?

It rained until 11am. Followed by showers. We missed all the cloudbursts which caused flooded roads across Denmark.

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29th July 2019 You don't want to do it like that!

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Monday 29th 67-84F, bright, white, northern sky with thunder storms and cloudbursts available for viewing this afternoon. Both Norway and Sweden have enjoyed record high temperatures in the Europe-wide heat wave. Cambridge Botanical Gardens has had its 38.7C/ 101F record confirmed after Met Office checks on its equipment.

Meanwhile, back at the hovel, it had reached a decidedly sweaty, 76F by the time I returned from my walk. It feels very hot and humid outside even in the shade.

The plants on the verge were providing nectar to countless insects. I was going to cross the prairie up to the woods but the stink from the black sludge was just too much. My nose was stinging before I reached the entrance to the field. Temperatures reached 84F in the afternoon. Well over either forecast!

No doubt the fossilized bicycle will be receiving our undivided attention later. In fact, it took another couple of hours to extract it without further damage using camel hair watercolour artists' brushes. A spot of WD40 and it'll be shining and ready for eBay by the end of the week: As an "Extremely Rare, Roadworthy, Antique, Barn Find." 

It shows a number of highly desirable, vintage features; Large section chain and seat stays with flattened ends. Horizontal saddle pin for reach adjustment. Broad gauge chainwheel. No obvious brakes. Coaster [back pedal brakes in the rear hub] were the norm back then. Size is 42cm BB center to the top of the seat lug. I'm throwing in the rusted saddle springs and bleached plastic saddle cover. Rear mudguard only. That will need a bottle of touch up paint.  Buyer collects, cash only with a starting bid of [what shall we say £500] "Buy it Now" at £750? I'm pricing it to sell. 😇

It was sweltering working in full sun at 80F. You can never have enough exercise at our age. The more you do, the more you can do, more effortlessly and without injury. "Use it or lose it."

The journey back to full activity after a break becomes harder the longer the lay-off. Better, surely, to keep at it to avoid aching backs and strained muscles? I can often feel some pain as I head off on my morning walk but it soon passes.

I didn't use to walk much at all when I was cycling every day. I now think that was a serious mistake. Walking has therapeutic qualities both physical and mental. It is far more relaxing than thrashing along on a tricycle. I still haven't learned to slow down. If I'm not breathless then I'm obviously not trying hard enough.

I climb out of the saddle as often as possible to share the load with different muscle groups and give others a rest. Finding the correct gear to provide just enough resistance is always a problem. Too little and I'm pedaling too fast and all my weight is thrown onto my arms. I am usually turning 95+rpm while seated. Which is far too high for standing on the pedals. Inevitably that means a change up of two to three gears or [usually] somewhere in the middle.

Once standing, I really don't want to be changing gear on high chain tension. I run 2x11 Campag with an 11-34 cassette and Chorus levers. Which ought to provide all the gears you could possibly hope for, but doesn't.

Find too high a gear and one's momentum is immediately lost. Which means dropping a gear to get the resistance down and the pedal revs back up again. Except that it has all become an ungainly mess by now. Any advantage gained from standing is soon lost. Sitting down again means the gear is now far too high to twiddle slowly over the crest. More gear changing and more breathlessness.

A trike behaves very differently from a lightweight bike on a climb. It can't be rocked from side to side to gain extra leverage. Now add a 70kg Abus Mini-U lock, six liters of milk, a bag of spuds and other assorted shopping. It becomes a very fine balance between maintaining inertia and just keeping going on some ascents.

The one great advantage of trike is that you can't fall over sideways as your speed drops below 6mph. If you can keep on pedaling and give thanks for having 2WD, you can crawl [slowly] to the top of Everest.

Just pray you don't need to do a 180° on a steep hill on a trike. Turning sideways to the slope means a very long, free-fall all the way back downhill! Ouch! You can't just lay a trike over and fall uphill like a bike. Nor lean far enough uphill to keep your balance. Because the top tube simply won't let you crank your leg that far to push your body weight in the right direction.

You'd better hope you were wearing thick, hide gloves. But why would you on a trike ride?  That would be silly. Like not having a low enough gear on a trike to survive any climb. What about keeping the nose uphill and dismounting?  Plates + asphalt + slope + only having front brakes. The unloaded front wheel will instantly slide backwards as fast as your slippery SPDs can carry you.

Try putting your feet down and lift the whole trike around you? Nice theory!  Again, it can't be done if you are carrying anything, at all. The trike is simply too heavy and awkward to lift in one go.  Remember you are wearing silly cycling shoes with even sillier, projecting plates/cleats underneath. Which have a combined coefficient of friction on asphalt which is so low most shipbuilders would be envious.

Electric bicycles are causing mayhem across Europe. There is already an aftermarket service for tuning parts to make El-cycles go even faster. A 74 year-old lady has been seriously injured after being struck by an El-cycle on a curved, two-way cycle path. I saw an advert in the Danish small ads for an electric cycle which "can easily exceed 60kph [40mph] for over 100km!" The legal limit is only 45kph for sports electric cycles. That's upper 20s mph. With 50kph [31mph] the national speed limit for built up areas. All figures are pedestrians permitting of course.

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27th July 2019 Duck!

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Saturday 27th 70-79F, bright and rather breezy with a milky sky to the north. Small blobs of cloud to the south. The latest heatwave is supposed to be a couple of degrees lower today. The TdeF was cut short by mudslides after heavy hail storms in the mountains.

My walk to the lanes was more plodding than brisk. There were pleasant moments when the wind picked up enough to cool me off. The roads were strewn with oil seed rape seeds. Presumably from a leaky, farmer's trailer. The tiny, black, ball bearings turning yellow when mistreated by cruel tyres.

I saw a runner disappearing along the lane in the time it took me to reach the junction. Which is really quite unusual. 73F at 9.30. The black sludge spread on the fields was really ponging today. It made me sneeze several times.

We were very lucky yesterday. An asteroid, with the energy of 30 Hiroshima bombs, whizzed passed the Earth within 1/5 of the distance of the moon. The asteroid was only spotted with a couple of days to spare. Thankfully, we were saved by El Chumpo's Great Border Wall. So that's alright then.

A later morning ride to more distant shops but without success. I had to shop more locally, on the way home, to restock the depleted larder. Rather windy at times from changing directions. The trees in the forest were roaring wildly as I passed through, pedalling for life and limb. Only 14 miles.

Sunday 28th 67-70F, overcast and windy. Possible thunderstorms and cloudbursts are promised. The heat is moving away into the Arctic which is already burning from wildfires. Icelandic scientists have raised a gravestone to a vanished glacier. A jumbled sky and towering cumulus gradually darkened on my walk. Electric blue chicory decorated the chest-high grasses of the verges. Competing with bright poppies and sultry thistles taller than any man.

I wrestled briefly with the massive and prickly stems of a wild rose bush. Which had hurdled itself willfully out from the hedgerow. As is their silly habit. To take up a good couple of yards of bare asphalt in a show of foolhardy rebellion. Countless red stems followed the rose's example and put out feelers onto the traffic lane. It has been a very good year for creeping plants.

Brief glimpses of a watery sun soon gave way to more threatening cloud from the east. Solitary gulls meandered listlessly across the landscape. Listening for rumours of the breakfast gong amongst their widely scattered brethren. A melancholy wind rose and fell in the thirsty trees.

THG is busy putting out her collection buckets to gather in every last drop to be had. To revive her all too numerous pots and sprawling but highly beneficial flower beds. Her reputation precedes her in local butterfly and bee circles. With no reservations required. Nor even a tip for the tireless and endlessly patient Maître d'. I have even heard that Hover flies, all in their best, stripey jumpers, worship THG as a deity. I know I do.

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the garden: It's Strictly Twilight Zone! THG hit a solid object while cultivating. [As she does.] Resulting in a full-on archeological dig to try to release a smallish [boys?] bicycle buried on its side in the garden. Another day of intensive digging should finally free it. I can confirm it is not a dinosaur. Nor even a valuable veteran. Though I do fear it will not be in saleable condition once extracted.

Quite why anybody should go to such trouble as to bury a bicycle is a mystery which will probably never be answered. The previous owner of our rural hovel having passed away to make room for our purchase. His international reputation for shoddy building work might have given a clue as to which direction he was headed.

One must pray the immature rider is not still entombed nearby. We dug up a dead cow and a dog at our last place. But that was Wales and the sort of thing you must expect. We are still fully prepared for the worst. Having the coroner on speed dial might have been sensible. If only we knew how to work these silly little telephones everybody seems to look down their noses at these days.
 

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26th July 2019 A Black day for El Chumpo?

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Friday 26th 66-84F, clear and sunny with a light breeze. Another day with temperatures in the mid 80sF. 28/29C is promised. "Only" 82F at 12.00. 84F at 14.00.

We came one step closer to Armageddon over the last couple of days. The Golden Dunny [Von Chump] threatened tiny Sweden with total nuclear annihilation on Junior Twatter. Herr Chump demands the instant release of a Black rapper who was arrested in Sweden for a public disorder offense.

El Chumpo insists the rapper [of colour] be released and returned to the US forthwith. Where he can be summarily executed by the nearest racist cop to provide Great US Justice for jaywalking whilst Black in the Greatest Country in the World. That is outside of Bowis's Gweatest Gowden Isles of Ewa. Or something like that. 😉

Bowis once worked for the Gwauniad Newscwapper. Which is renowned for its dyslekcikal gedlines before he was sacked and standards genewally impwooved. Google Twanslate's AI has yet to offer a service for The British Upper Classes Speech Handicap. They still can't find a Wosetta Stone amongst the vast warehouses of the Bwitish Woyal Jewel collections and umpteen palaces stuffed full of stolen Empire twinkets and tweasures from the Gweat Slave Ewa. 

Today I walked anticlockwise around my familiar route up through the woods and back the other way. I was entertained by a family of Kestrels practicing their flying skills over the giant hay bales. Later I had to cut through new growth in the forest to escape from the brambles and nettles on the usual route.

There was much activity on the prairies as the black sludge was being dumped into a vast muck spreader by a huge, front bucket loader. A tractor with a large rake implement followed the muck spreader to further distribute the goodness. Even up close it didn't smell half as bad as last year's. An hour and a half walk returning into 79F heat.

As the only explorer in the village perhaps I ought adopt a token military title. Major? Captain? Vice-admiral? Let's see now: Which rank goes best with Tricyklist? What about President? It seems any fool can be president these days. So why not me?

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25th July 2019 A living hell!

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Thursday 25th 73F at 8.00, bright and breezy but quite a lot of cloud. Today's Denmark will be rather warm. Or set new temperature records. Depending with which Danish weather service you choose to place your superstition. 27C or 31? Eany, meany, miney..

The really bad news is that Germany set a new "hottest ever" record yesterday at 40.5C or 105F. This follows on from Holland, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal. Today, Thursday, is forecast to be even hotter! Esbjerg in West Jutland could see 35C today. 95F.

Barking, but not baking, sociopathic French politicooze sneered at Greta of Arc from their air conditioned palaces. As their own citizens died from the heat. They have no AC? Then let them gum the finest, chilled caviar!

Scientists now say that 98% of the entire world has recently experienced record high temperatures. Even the Roman Warm period was localized. As was the Little Ice Age. Never before has the world warmed so rapidly and all over the globe. Previous warm and cool periods took centuries to form and to spread wider afield. Forget the bought and the gap toothed, retarded cynics on YouTube. Ignore Big Oil's billion dollar propaganda machine. We are well and truly cooked in our own juices and it may already be far too late to do anything about it. 

No global <cough> leader is taking climate either seriously or publicly. It's business as usual as they play their sordid, pork sword, fencing matches at our world's expense. And, as they accumulate their corrupt billions in hidden, private wealth. How many billions does it take to buy all the easily corruptible judges, politicooze, bankers and civil servants to totally control a country? Poo-tin, Chump and Sly will all go down in oral, world history as the last of the great Mafia boss dictators. Before the collapse of civilisation.  

Time for a walk before it is too hot to go outside! Wish me luck! 😊 There was no vast funeral pyre for a distant field today as there was yesterday. An extremely dangerous habit given the drought and endless, still unharvested fields. A noisy harvester started up across the fields but there was no sign of it. Huge tipper trucks have been dumping stinking, black sludge out on the prairie. They did this last year on a much smaller scale. So more of the same must be better? We must just all pray the wind doesn't change! It's bad enough the neighbour's lighting their stinking wood stove during a heatwave! How are we supposed to open our windows?

80F at 10.30. 85F at 13.00. It hovered for an hour before reaching 86F at 15.00 and then stayed there. Last year we had a heat wave with 87F [31C] in the shade. I was trying to work out of doors at the time and it was still exhausting under a cloth shade. The grass turned cream in colour.

Meanwhile new records were made again today in several European countries. 42.4C in Paris is nearly 109F. 41.6C, 107F in the west of Germany. 39.4C, 103F in the Netherlands. A new UK record of 37.7C nearly 100F! June 2019 had already set records tumbling. The five hottest summers since 1500 have all been in the 21st Century. No doubt tomorrow's news will have further temperature records to share.

You have to admire the total ineptitude of YouTube's advertising. Today I was treated to a compulsory 5 second advert in Danish for Genocidal McLardys. I would no more visit any branch of Genocidal McLardys than I would eat broken glass swilled down with battery acid. How can I make it any clearer than that?

Google/YouTube's adverts show exactly how low they have sunk in their unfettered, sociopathic greed for tax free profits. Hopefully,  before very long, Google/YouTube will find themselves in an international court as co-conspirators to Genocidal McLardys and Genocidal BIG Sugar for aiding and abetting global genocide.

Tomorrow there is, again, a split between the two weather forecasters. It's 30C or 27C again. Today DMI managed to get it right. 30C or 86F.  

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25th July 2019 Mad dogs and Englishmen...

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Wednesday 24th 72F, clear, sunny and warming rapidly. Fortunately we are on the geographical edge of another heat wave. Which should hold it down to about 27-28C. [80-82F] I may have to go shopping again.

Two items vanished in the short stay outside two different supermarkets. The items went into the yellow saddle bag when the trike was parked at the bike rack. Which is well out of sight of regular passers by.

There are always huge stacks of wares on pallets blocking the view of the bike rack from all the customers leaving the shop by the only exit. The pallets also force cyclists to take a wide detour to reach the rack in bad weather. Or when heavily loaded with shopping. It could be worse. One supermarket completely dispenses with its cycle racks to a fenced off collection of discount outdoor goods. A habit shared by other branches of this chain.

There was an odd sound in the garden just before I left for my walk. Possibly a juvenile bird of prey squawking in the huge willow trees. Though we couldn't see anything unusual. I saw a pair of buzzards circling over the nearest copse but they soon moved away to the west as they gained altitude. They had no offspring in tow.

I had a wave from a grateful lorry driver. His thanks for my taking to the verge to allow him to pass easily on a sharp corner with his vast, 7-axle container lorry. It has reached 76F before 10.00am. Already too warm for me. I had a headache in yesterday's warmth. I should probably increase my water intake substantially.

An old, thatched cottage from 1777 sits right on the inside of a sharp corner. With heavy traffic passing less than yard from the sunken, end gable, it has been empty for years.

Late morning, hilly ride to other, more distant shops. Warm and sunny with a tailwind going. Cruising at 18mph at over 100rpm. Had to visit four supermarkets before I finally found any organic potatoes larger than broad beans. It was pleasantly cool inside the supermarkets. Though some areas were a little, too cool for racing jersey and shorts! I'll know where to go if the summer temperatures become completely intolerable. Returned into the wind. Only 14 miles.

It has reached 82F [28C] at 13.30pm and still climbing. 83.5F by 15.30. I'm struggling to stay awake.. The temperature in my north facing, dormer window has been in lock step with the outside temperature. Though it is cooler downstairs I prefer my comfortable, computer chair and the view of the waving trees from my window. The rise-and-fall, steel framed, swivel chair, with arms, came from a charity shop many years ago. It has served us well.

16.00 and the outside temperature has dropped one degree. While the indoor temperature is at 84.4F [29C] and still rising. I've put the 12" fan on low for a bit more comfort. That was a charity shop find too. I used to take it to work and put it on when the temperatures inside the factory rose above 30C. The factory walls were vast, pre-cast concrete slabs with internal insulation and pebble dash outside. They used to heat up in the sun to become radiant heaters far too hot to touch! Which probably says more about their winter insulating qualities. Or rather, lack of. The entire building, including the extensive offices, was a thermal nightmare. I suggested a coat of whitewash on the southerly aspect but my genial advice went unheeded. Now down to 82F at 17.00.

Both Dutch and Belgian heat records have fallen bracketing 39C or 102F. Holland, amongst other European countries, lost thousands of  elderly and sick people in a previous heatwave. So the Dutch have been taking serious steps to limit the damage in such future extremes.

Meanwhile Greenpeace tried to stop Boris's triumphant motorcade to seek the Queen's permission to form a new government. They wanted to hand the new PM a letter about the climate and environment but their protest was soon pushed into touch. He has probably, already been tipped off about the 1% economic class [Aka: alien reptilians ] highly successful efforts to terraform the Earth to better suit their comfort needs. 👽 I'm joking of course. Absolutely no need to send the MIBs around! 😨 It's just the heat getting to me. Down to 80F @ 18.30 after a siesta.

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23rd July 2019 Too warm, already!

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Tuesday 23rd 62-78F, rather cloudy and slightly misty. The mist was highly localized and mobile. Providing brilliant backdrops to the woods one moment and then turning dull grey the next.

I really like this picture. The wonderful warmth of the undulating, harvested field. Dotted with huge bales to suggest distance and perspective. The background made moody by the mist. Small gaps in the clouds throwing the soft light of the sun haphazardly onto the vast stage.

The wind turbines were playing hide and seek on the hill. Only their lower masts were visible. So that the blades could only be seen on their lower arc and vanished above the horizontal.

I saw a couple of hares at quite a distance. Perhaps 200 yards away, despite their flattening themselves onto the field. It's odd how one's vision becomes so acute at spotting such fine detail in a complex landscape. I am constantly searching for birds and this must improve my eyesight by years of regular, daily practice. 

For years I'd struggle to read a clock on the office wall until retirement allowed me take up cycling again. This change seemed to trigger a rapid alteration in my distance vision until it became completely neutral. Instead of needing minus one diopter specs, for distance, I could stop wearing them altogether.

Before that I'd see a double moon and fuzzy stars when I looked up. The neighbour's fence and lights were always badly out of focus from dusk onwards. Now everything is perfectly sharp and I can focus on single branches on the horizon. I no longer needed glasses to drive at night. Whereas in the previous decades I would be blinded by most oncoming headlights. 

A ride is imminent because we've run out of essentials. Yesterday's all day rain put a damper on any chance of a ride. We are facing another heat wave today but the seaweed fondling merchants can't agree on its severity.

A warm and sunny ride with a headwind on the way home. Only 7 miles. It has already reached 75F at 11.30. 78F by 14.00 and it stayed there all afternoon. 84F in the shed proved too much and I retired indoors.

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22nd July 2019 Sensory overdosing.

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Monday 22nd 60F, overcast and breezy. Rain forecast for this morning OR this afternoon. Depending entirely on whom you believe of the professional, seaweed gropers.

This would make a tremendous hill for tobogganing!

In spotting rain and very flat light I walked my traditional loop up to the woods. Then back down the other side of the hill. Taking dozens of photographs I was treated to several unusual sights.

A pair of Bramblings were swinging wildly back and forth on jutting twigs on top of a draughty hedgerow. Unusual enough in my daily perambulations to warrant confirmation of identity on my return.

An inverted, ex-slow worm was lying on the track down from the woods. While a male Kestrel came down and began to preen itself on the field. Sitting about 100 yards away as I watched through my binoculars. Then  a female arrived and alighted nearby. Followed by a third. All three remained seated [or rather standing] as I plodded on. Taking even more snaps of the landscape as irritating flies tried to sit on my ears.

An oversized vintage lorry roared past on the road. Probably American, judging by its muscular appearance, deep tone and jolly paint job. Then a very noisy jet fighter came over below 200 feet. It was bristling with more weapons than a hanging posse looking for a crashed UFO.

I had just switched off my Lumix TZ7 camera and it takes literally seconds to restart ready for a snap. So I didn't have a chance to capture the jet [perhaps for a ransom?] before it was a mere speck.

It was lucky it wasn't a real UFO because nobody would have believed me. Many of the remaining crops are dented with oddly shaped flattened areas. Though we've had no aliens knocking on the door in the middle of the night and asking to use the toilet. Probably rior to a jolly abduction and a free jaunt around the Moon or even Venus. My total today was 81 pictures in and hour and half. "And they all look just the same, tra-la!" 

An odd story in the news about unhappy French cows dying near windmills.[Wind Turbines] "They" [the authorities] automatically assumed electrical/magnetic fields were causing the problems.

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49045742

What they should look at is infrasonics. Very low frequency [VLF] sound waves. Usually meaning below 20 Hz but they extend right down to fractions of a Hz. [Cycles per second] Most humans cannot hear infrasonics. Hence the name. [i.e.Beyond hearing.]

Infrasonics can cause so-called, sympathetic resonance [severe vibration] in the bowels, lungs and even the eyeballs. Wind turbines produce masses of infrasonics. It is said that the blades passing the supporting mast or tower cause the most problems. The authorities should test for infrasonics in all wind conditions in areas where cattle are reported as suffering from premature deaths.

The effects can be quite devastating in humans. Severe nausea and visual disturbance are easily caused. Larger animals, with larger organs, could well be hypersensitive to specific very low frequencies [VLF] which go quite unnoticed by mankind. Elephants use infrasonics to communicate over many miles. As do whales. Their incredibly deep call sounds, or songs, can travel right around the world in the oceans.

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19th July 2019 Overwhelming El-congestion!

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Friday 19th 67-73F, overcast but already warm. Not much sun on offer today.

The EU cabal commission [who?] has decided that it will be against EU policy to ban the sale of diesel cars from a set date in the future.[2030] Dugh? They really can't help themselves, can they? Give a very little person only a very little too much power and they'll be instantly corrupted and start an abusive [secretive] cult around themselves. Then give it a very silly and meaningless name, like: "EU commission." They even tried to lower the standards on diesel emissions until the courts made the EU commission's weaker standards illegal.

An afternoon ride to the shops to find stock of the special offer. So I bought ten! Because I could. That'll teach them! Only 7 miles with a headwind adding to my suffering on the vertiginous climbs on the way back. "Nobody knows the troubles I've had, tra-la." 😉

Saturday 20th 64-73F but warming rapidly. A rather breezy stroll in filtered sunshine out on the stubbled prairie. Because I could. A ride is imminent! Or not. I just pray I don't get caught up in the quote: "Overwhelming Congestion on Denmark's cycle paths" due to the "battery" revolution. Yet more El-scooterists fined for drunkenness aboard children's scooters.

Fear not! I have a solution: Assuming they are really serious about getting rid of the utterly selfish, filthy, polluting, motor traffic on statistically short journeys. They should add a second lane outboard of every, existing, cycle path. Reserved for electric bikes, scooters and skateboards only.

Make the narrowed, city streets all one way. Or two way, but with frequent bollards/chicanes. To force single vehicle passing in both directions while pausing for any oncoming vehicle(s.)

I guarantee that this will not slow the average motor traffic speeds. Which haven't changed [in cities] in decades from a walking pace. They should really be paying parking fees because they spend so much time standing still in an endless queue to the corner shop. Why is it a basic human right to be able to park outside your place of residence? You are blocking the road to the El-transport-revolution. Blocking our El-patho! Move! Do it now! Be gone! Væk!

The latest news is that the El-traffic should be split from the cyclists on Danish cycle paths. Somebody must be reading my nonsense. Talking of electricity: We had heavy thunder and rain at 18.00. Germany has safely crossed the threshold between green energy and doing the dirty. While June 2019 was the hottest on record globally.

In a desperate attempt to undo a century's harm, caused by architect's love of glass and cooking their building's inhabitants, they are now suggesting hanging plastic curtains housing algae to soak up CO2. Brings a whole new meaning to sails, doesn't it?

An unusual view from above of the marsh pond. The boxes are for bulk grain [duck food] to keep them present in large numbers for the hunting season. I'd drill holes in the boxes and turn them into bird hides.

The effect of these high rise curtains will have to be almost infinitely efficient to have any effect on USA's use of 85% air conditioning. Growing plants up the buildings would be far more sensible as long as I don't have to water them. Nobody seems to have thought of white paint instead of black roofing felt. CA causes a massive and already unsustainable load of CO2 to provide the energy needed. Further adding to the heat island effects of city structures and environments. Turning AC into a vicious circle. High rise buildings block cooling air movement and cause high localized winds at the same time.

How ironic that mankind is moving to the cities at precisely the point where city temperatures are rising faster than elsewhere. If I was of a superstitious nature I'd suggest that many of mankind's present woes are directly related to overpopulation and subliminal responses. Obesity is just a slow form of species suicide.

Running out of drinking water is the next giant hurdle in some countries. India and Australia are already in serious trouble. California had extended droughts. Food is becoming a scarce resource exacerbated by unprecedented heat, drought and flood. Given the present "nutters" in charge of the asylum our huge numbers could very soon plummet. Who will blink first in the Strait of Hormuz? Iran has vast numbers of unemployed and disaffected youth (27%) just dying for a cause. Any cause.

Sunday 21st 63F, overcast and blowing. Sunny periods are forecast. A breezy stroll to the lanes in busy traffic. Where did all the cars come from? Is there free beer in the village? On a Sunday morning? There's usually only a little traffic on a Sunday and it has been light all week. The solid clouds only began to break up around 17.30pm.

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18th July 2019 EU commission Bans 2030 dirty car sales ban!

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Thursday 18th 63-72?F calm and sunny start and warming quickly. I had to take my jacket off on the walk back from the lanes. Yesterday's rows of hay on the prairie were already baled and removed.

We have run out of some vital items so a slightly longer ride seems imminent. The local supermarket had run out of everyday items again. Just the price of running a shopping chain with infant labour. Clouding over as promised by the seaweed gropers now.

A late morning, hilly ride for 14 miles to be cheated again by the supermarket crooks having no stock of their "special offers." How many items constitute a minimum number of everyday goods, per week, to qualify as a special offer? One? Two? Three per branch? How soon can they restock after the special offers end?  One minute? Two? Isn't it odd that Denmark has no consumer protection?

Meanwhile the Danish <cough>environment<cough> minister has just approved an agricultural poison which is banned by the EU. Is this really what the Danes voted for in their recent election for a massive swing towards the left of green? This comes after years of environmental ignorance and trashing of existing standards by the right wing "Farmers Rool, OK, Party"

I wonder if this environment  minister believes in Global Warming? Or is he another Denialist? The headlines are promising a 70% reduction in CO2 by 2230 2130 2030. Including taxing airline tickets for those taking their 5th foreign holiday in a year.

With only the 3rd electric car [ever] to be rolled out onto a celebratory green carpet and thence onto Danish roads they have a very long way to go in only 11 years. By which time much of Denmark will probably look more like Carolina's Wetlands. They'll only be selling electric amphibious vehicles by then.

I wonder how many people check the height above sea level when buying their next house? You never see it mentioned in the estate agent's blurb. Large areas of Denmark will soon be strictly for The Welly & Waders Brigade. With a private submarine jetty to every back garden.

Denmark only has a canal system after heavy rainfall. When all the underpasses are set aside for fishing contests once the sunken vehicles have been cleared. They'll soon have to waterproof the electric scooters against 2 meters of immersion! And, provide emergency snorkels and masks in a 'smart' locked container.

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15th July 2019 Free beer! Burp!

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Monday 15th 57-63F, overcast and occasionally breezy. A walk to the lanes with little to report apart from the pleasure of exercising in the countryside. The traffic was very light. With sometimes several minutes between vehicles.

Today's [statistical] health report says 2½ hours of steady cycling and a pint of beer a day protects us from dementia. Sounds good to me! Where do I queue for my free beer?

And why I am I paying taxes on beer? When sugar loaded and health damaging beverages are free of such burdens?

A cynic might suggest that governments want the old to die younger to save on pensions. Though I expect they'd argue that health costs for the [non-foods] damaged populace would rise more dramatically then pensions. Is that why such crap remains so easily available at such low cost on demand? No limitation on opening hours? Nor age limits to drink this filth. No identity cards required. No scolding landlord nor sensible bar-person to stop you drinking yourself into a very large grave.

Imagine retiring after [say] 50 years of loyal attendance at a genocidal, sugar bomb manufacturer and distributor. Then, as you leave the gates for the very last time, you suddenly realize that you have never done an honest day's work in your entire life.

Only then does it begin to dawn on you how many people have actually died as a direct result of your own actions. Better drown your sorrows?  Choose your poison carefully! They say that the sociopathic directors of genocidal, cigarette manufacturers don't smoke. So, do the sociopathic staff at genocidal, sugar bomb factories drink their own crap?

Tuesday 16th 57-72F, overcast with a light breeze. The harvester had been out around the edges of the prairie yesterday afternoon. So I was able to take a more a direct route to the main track to the woods. Then walked back along the road. An afternoon ride was sprung on me by THG. Warm and breezy with some sunshine and countless flies in the air. I had to become a nose breather but it didn't slow me much.  Only 7 miles. I need a trailer since I stopped going out every day!

Wednesday 17th 57-71F, overcast, but calm, with a grey forecast. Another tour out on the prairie after the harvester had left long rows of hay and stubble. The field having been completed the baler would follow on.

There was a remarkable contrast between the spacing of the rows on the large field compared with a more normal harvester just down the road. Almost 2:1 at a glance.

There was a flock of immature mallards near my bank on the marsh pond. They paddled gently away from me and then paused and waited. Before rushing noisily off across the pond surface in a panic.

It turned continuously sunny, with thin, streaky high cloud, just before lunch and reached a warm 71F. Appeals to be allowed out fell on deaf ears. Perhaps the signs will be more favourable tomorrow?

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12th July 2019 Bergy, can you spare a dime?

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Friday 12th 62F, heavy overcast, occasional heavy rain and distant mist. Thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon. Walked to the lanes and back. Two ducks went low overhead and a large deer dashed across the road right in front of a car. Close, but no blood.

The mist makes the low hills look almost like distant mountains.

It rained briefly enough to be heard falling but lasted only a couple of minutes. A brilliant Yellowhammer flew down with a Chaffinch for company and watched me approach within a few yards.

A woman in Battersea, in the UK, has been killed while riding an electric scooter. She was in collision with a lorry on a roundabout. Electric scooters are illegal for normal use in the UK. They may not be ridden on the public roads, cycle paths nor pavements.

 Electric scooter rider killed in Battersea lorry crash - BBC News

Saturday 13th 60F, overcast and very misty. It is supposed to be sunny periods. The weather persons are using the wrong seaweed again! It was dry but the mist still clung on as I left for my morning walk. Spider's webs were everywhere. Made visible by the dew. It tipped down in a 20 minute cloudburst yesterday afternoon. I was stuck in the trike shed and couldn't get back indoors without getting soaked! Today, at 10.45, the sun suddenly broke through. Chance of a ride? Better ask THG.

Tax-free Faceberg will have to go through the fluff [lint] in his trouser [pants] pockets. He'll be looking for small change for misusing data on tens of millions of users. He's been fined pocket change in yet another, infamous, US billionaire's plea deal. The price of two cups of coffee for the lowest paid office staff?

Nice work if you can get it. [Ambulance chasing, I mean] Only in the land of the free [billionaires.] Yay! 😉 Tax deductible fines on 1% taxes on $22billion in profits?  It's no wonder The Berg's shares went up on the news! Berg is a mountain in Danish. How appropriate!

Talking of hills: I cheated today and enjoyed a five mile, hilly [mostly uphill] detour peaking at around 1-in-6! It meant 19 miles in total with a headwind on the return leg. I knew I'd pay for it when I was able to cruise at 20mph on the way. Going extremely well today considering my limited mileage of late. Returned heavily laden as usual. I was whacked on the lip by a suicidal insect going the opposite way. I didn't see it but it must have been a whopper!

Sunday 14th 57-63F, grey overcast but calm. Haze softening distant views. Walked to the village and back. The Sunday traffic was quiet. Lots of birds about. Both forecasting services were completely wrong. Not a breath of sunshine all day and it remained 10F cooler than expected.

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9th July 2019 Pootin's worm problem!

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Tuesday 9th 57-65F overcast and calm but some sun promised.  Slept in until 8.00 dreaming about lorry deliveries to a castle on top of a steep hill. It must be all that ranting! I'm usually ready for the day by 6.00-6.30am.

After a flat refusal for morning coffee, to immediately follow after breakfast, I set a personal best time in freestyle walking to the lanes and back. Busy at home all day.

Wednesday 10th 55-67F, warming quickly in wall-to-wall sunshine. Walked to the lanes in a pleasant, westerly breeze. No need for a shopping ride today according to THG. Tomorrow is forecast cloudy so my leash might be loosened slightly.

Thursday 11th  57-65? F, grey overcast with a light breeze. I have been given the go ahead from The Controller for a ride to the shops. We have run out of organic tea again. A serious problem, because our usual, organic tea was withdrawn from the only supermarket chain stockist. You can still get any organic or toxic fruit tea you like but not organic breakfast tea. You can keep your Earl Grey, thank you very much.

So it's a 14 mile round trip to buy another, less desirable product. This has been going on since our arrival here. Every time we settle on a quality, Organic, wholemeal, sliced bread it is quickly withdrawn and replaced by something completely inedible. The Danes like Rye bread and [and palm oil!] So we know whom to blame!

It got so hard to find good quality bread that we went over to Organic, wholemeal, brown rolls, or we would starve. It is only a matter of time before "they" change over to their own brand and make them completely inedible. Own brand means crap in Danish.

Every supermarket chain brags about all the organic products it has on offer. Try finding an organic lettuce or decent tasting tomatoes! The organic milk is always the first item to have empty shelves in the cooler cabinets.

It was hilarious to read that the profits of big US tech companies are to be taxed at 3% by France. The US is screaming foul play and an attack on US companies. Yeah, right! Which other companies operating in Europe pay no taxes on their massive profits? Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon & Microsoft rule the entire world. All are US companies and monopolies in their own fields which heavily and negatively impact on European economies. All without contributing a bean from their profits. Often they enjoy subsidies to set up a tax-free servers in mega-building and insist on get-out clauses which no other companies could possibly enjoy. Economic invasion by any other name?

Back to climate and Pootin's most recent ravings on wind power and bird deaths. He must be believing [or writing] his own propaganda. The number of deaths from turbines is absolutely minuscule compared with most other common structures. Billions of birds die globally in impacts with the glass of office towers. Domestic cats kill billions more.

But, oh dear, it gets even worse: Pootin now wants to protect earth worms from wind power, tower vibrations! You couldn't make it up! It hardly needs mentioning that Russia's entire economy is built on gas, oil, coal and corruption. Without it, Russia will revert to the Soviet era levels of abject poverty [and corruption] but still enjoy dirt cheap vodka.

I wonder whether you can buy vodka cooking stoves? For when you can't afford the trillionaire oligarch's gas bill.

Walked to the lanes and beyond in very light, spotting rain. I kept hearing odd sounds like an agricultural machine, or even a digger. But found nothing despite exploring much further along the quiet lane than usual. There is literally nowhere for anything like that to hide. With large fields on both sides of the road likely to show any tyre tracks. Very odd indeed. Perhaps I'm hearing things? As I gird my loins for the coming ride, the southerly windows are suddenly wet with rain. Bøøger?

I was finally let out of the Servant's Entrance gate with a name tag firmly pinned to both trike and rider. Fourteen miles later I returned heavily laden into fine drizzle.

I can confirm that these new-fangled, wireless collars. The one's with electric shock electrodes, work rather too well. I think I'd just prefer to be "chipped." Then I can concentrate on the traffic instead of waiting for the next jolt. 😉

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8th July 2019 Denmark has a Consumer Ombudsman?

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Monday 8th 57-63F and a bright start, but a bit breezy. I walked to the lanes and beyond to try and capture the familiar landscape in a different light. The camera tries to make everything too dark when it is pointing straight into the early sun. So I hid under an oak for some shade.

I was treated to a close view of a harrier hunting along the hedges without much obvious concern for my presence.

Just saw a news story about an online app which did not list all the hidden extra charges for [supposedly] discount hotel reservations. This was described as "false advertising" by the Danish Consumer Ombudsman. I didn't know Denmark had an ombudsman! Nor any other kind of consumer protection. [At all!] Perhaps it was fake news?

Or, perhaps they have just started in a brand new job this week? Paint still wet in the new-build, palatial offices in a prime location? With sprawling, landscaped grounds all carefully manicured? Spacious private offices, strewn with tasteless, original, Danish modern daubs and hideously embarrassing, childish sculptures?

All tastefully furnished with only the very best in Danish architect designed furniture. Like £1000 plastic, canteen chairs. You can't blame them though. They are all at it from newly appointed government ministers spending large fortunes on their [always temporary] private offices. And on downwards in the pecking order of "entitlement." My own bosses used to steal paper and pens for their kids at home so Gravely Blighted isn't totally innocent when it comes to [stealth] corruption.

I wonder if we'll ever hear an ombudsman's report about the Danish, big shed, big chain, white goods and electronics retailers? Businesses which routinely slap hundreds of pounds [in Kroner equivalent] on top of the advertised, online prices on their sophisticated, interactive, sales websites. Which charges are completely hidden until the customer turns up to collect their purchased or reserved goods.

And, are then bullied into paying £150 extra just for a Windows 10 installation on PCs and laptops! Or, going all the way home empty handed. I kid you not! This is normal practice at one of the vast retailer chains in the nearest city in my own direct experience. Without consumer protection these illegal charges ought to come under European consumer law. Even if there is no such thing in Denmark.

If a pure bred Dane does not invent something independently, then Denmark must wait until they do. It is Jante's Law. Which means Denmark must wait for a pure bred Dane to invent the electric car. Before Danes can buy them at three times the price they sell for elsewhere. Or, wait for a pure bred Dane to invent consumer protection.

Or, what about adding an extra £150 [equivalent] for supposed checks and calibration on sealed, factory-fresh TVs? Or having only ex-demo stock when you arrive at the other big store across the road? Despite claiming specific stock levels [5 or more] on their sophisticated, interactive, sales websites. How is that possible when you made your reservation to purchase just before getting into the car to go and collect it? They claimed a special offer of end of season models. Not bløødy ex-demo!

Why are so many of the Danish, online sales websites of white goods identical? No competition? Where's St. Margrethe Vestager when you really need her? She could become the very first consumer affairs minister for Denmark and make daily headlines as she cleaned up this whole sordid mess. 

False advertising? Don't even get me started on the completely routine, Danish supermarket's, dirty tricks to entice customers into their stores. With empty claims of special offers, every single week, which never, ever arrive. Two chains are infamous for this practice and the others aren't exactly innocent.

Different prices at the checkouts from the advertised prices in the weekly "special offer" comics. Emphasis on fictional and having nothing to do with reality! Then there's Danish supermarket advertising double-speak. Where "several varieties" in their printed "offers" comic means only one variety and that was [supposedly] sold before the shop even opened. Even though you were waiting outside for them to open and nobody came or went through the locked doors. Then, absolutely consistently, the fictitious "special offers" are all back on the previously empty shelves as soon as the prices return to normal. It brings a whole new meaning to "box shifting."

All this would mean heavy fines in the UK but has been routine business practice for years in Denmark. All these businesses would be facing a court in Gravely Blighted. Where they have had consumer protection for decades. All you'd have to do over there is to get in touch with the Local Trading Standards Office. Denmark's retail mafia, quite obviously, need fear no such intrusion into their daily, very questionable, business practices.

Another favourite, Danish, online sales trick is to claim stock in a "remote" warehouse but at slightly lower prices than true stockists. But, surprisingly, the item is still available with their usual promise of 2-3 days delivery as you place your order. It's just that every time you order anything online from these same online retailers the "remote" stock is a wholesaler, or importer. One with no stock and a 6 day delivery service for the underachieving, box-shifting liars whom you ordered from!

The trick works every time because they only send you a confirmation [i.e. pre-printed] form email stating the doubling of delivery time AFTER you have confirmed your order and paid! If you had ordered from a business with physical stock on their premises you could have had it by next day! Then they have the nerve to send you another standard [pre-printed] form email asking you to judge their performance online. Because "service is at the very top of their sales drive." How do you spell "krooks" in Danish? I must look it up sometime.

A 7 mile round trip to the shops in breezy conditions with not a lot of sunshine. Still going surprisingly well for an [occasionally] angry, old fart.

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6th July 2019 Flashers are not all bad.

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Saturday 6th 55F, and raining with a heavy overcast and more rain promised for most of  this morning. The temperature records continue to fall like skittles around the globe. This time it is Alaska's turn to enjoy over 30C [86C] temperatures. The record high temperatures are leading to forest fires and thick smoke. Thank goodness global warming is a myth or we'd be in serious trouble!

Electric, "kick-along" scooters are causing mayhem in several Danish cities. The young in particular are blamed for riding too fast, in the wrong places, while completely ignoring the rules and the law.

There is a minimum age of 15 for hiring these things but this is being ignored by those who own credit cards or smart phones. Many young teenagers routinely employ these to pay for their sweets or cigarettes in the supermarkets. Overcoming the payment system for electric scooters is hardly rocket science. Particularly when their age is not registered on their tech. Or they get somebody older to unlock the scooters for them.

One idiot was reported to be riding repeatedly, under power, along the aisles inside a supermarket. The maximum speed limit for these "children's scooters" has been set at 20kph. Which is 12.5mph, but many machines are claimed to be much quicker than the law allows. Given the intended, congested inner-city use, simply reducing their speed would be an obvious and instant way of reducing their fatal attraction for the "battery heads."

I am certainly not against alternatives to traditional means of transport. Far from it. It is just that intelligent rules must be set to protect riders and everybody else. All such changes demand a learning curve from users and non-users alike. I worry about already overloaded drivers as well as pedestrians and cyclists badly misjudging approach speeds of these scooters and even faster electric bikes.

Perhaps they could be fitted with headlights which flash more quickly [increased frequency] with increasing speed? I have long advocated compulsory flashing lights for all cycles. The flashing makes them far more visible and instantly recognizable at any distance. They also ought to be fitted up high for maximum visibility. The old fashioned, hub height lights were only useful to light the road ahead with dim, incandescent bulbs.

Years ago I used to commute along a very long straight road. This started in the dark of winter and then later on as it got steadily lighter with the arrival of spring. Flashing cycle lights were visible from incredibly long distances. Fixed [i.e. continuous] beams could have been literally anything in the dark. They always needed very close proximity to be recognized for what they really were. Usually the handlebars rocking from side to side with the pedalling effort finally gave them away.

Having been denied my morning walk I went out for 40 minutes after lunch. It is odd how warm and different the light looks pm. Probably about 50% cloud overhead. Not much to report other than a westerly gale blowing the grass and trees [and me] around.

Sunday 7th 55-63F, heavy overcast and breezy. The forecast suggests we should be enjoying sunny periods. By the time I had returned from my walk to the village the cloud was beginning to break into blue patches. At least the westerly wind kept me cool as temperatures soared by another whole degree. It remained mostly cloudy all day.

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5th July 2019 Every choice may come back to haunt you.

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Friday 5th 55-65F, rather overcast with only rare glimpses of the sun.

There is some minor damage to the crops but I don't think wet weather is to blame. Small, flattened areas might be due to downdrafts or perhaps wild deer sleeping there overnight. The patches just seem very obvious against the uniform perfection of modern crops.

Danish researchers say that people should choose iron free double glazing instead of triple glazing. The cost to the national health service from treating symptoms for a lack of vitamin D due to light blockage runs to billions. It just goes to show that no single choice is without its own, complex problems.

A British group of scientists say that electric vehicles will not cure traffic problems. It may even make them worse if prices fall to the point of increased vehicle uptake. A large number of city dwellers don't own a car due to lack of parking and traffic congestion. Doing without a car has lots of health and social benefits.

Though it may not be appropriate for rural inhabitants due to dwindling public transport services and greater distances to ever more centralized shopping. The habit of drivers shopping centrally after work, before going home to the dormitory village, has rid the British countryside of large numbers of village shops and services.

Denmark seems to have avoided this problem with most, larger villages having at least one supermarket from amongst the popular chains. Building of brand new supermarket outlets still goes on here. A useful retail trick which seems to have been largely missed by Gravely Blighted. Where car owners seem to ignore transport costs and convenience when it comes to maintaining a local outlet. The elderly are driven out of the village. Where their families may have lived for centuries. Simply due to a lack of shopping facilities and poor and expensive bus services due to a lack of demand.

A late morning ride to the shops. Rather windy but it remained dry. Only 7 miles. The clouds steadily cleared to blue skies after 17.00.

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4th July 2019 Hybrid's extend reliance on oil into the future.

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Thursday 4th 54F, much cooler and overcast with showers. Some heavy. It was cooler overnight, too. I had to grab more bedclothes in the middle of the night. My morning walk is postponed but only until THG spotted a break in the clouds and shoved me firmly out of the gate.

Fortunately it stayed dry apart from the odd, lorry, tyre spray. I watched a bird of prey through my binoculars as it worked across the fields parallel with my route. It disappeared from sight behind some trees and then suddenly crossed the road in front of me. It seemed to have a white collar or shoulders with overall brown above. Several tractors with big bale trailers went past so they must be busy out of sight somewhere down the road.

I read that Gravely Blighted has suffered a drop in hybrid car sales following the removal of subsidies for this class of vehicle. The UK government wants to concentrate on "cleaner" all electric battery vehicles. Of which there has been a strong rise in sales. Manufacturers must be praying their massive investments result in strong sales.

Norway is very close to 50% sales of electric vehicles following heavy subsidies. It was an expensive exercise and largely thanks to the huge oil sales funds set aside for future generations. Though it does put Norway in an excellent position for early compliance with CO2 targets. No doubt Denmark would celebrate if it enjoyed 0.5% sales of EVs.

As a side note: Norway has just set two LOW temperature records for cold weather in July. With snow blocked roads in the northern uplands and -6° frosts. No doubt the very even torque, from very low speeds, enjoyed by most electric cars, makes driving on snow rather easier than with petrol engines. Which often require a choice of a higher gear to pull away on slippery surfaces.

I must remember not to drive my Lambos or Ferraris if Denmark should ever have snow again. Unfortunately, none of this is likely. There is bound to be one cool winter soon and all talk of global warming will be over. At least until, the next, prolonged heatwave and drought.

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2nd July 2019 A martyr to raps.

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Tuesday 2nd July 56-63F, bright periods but rather cloudy. With the sky moving rapidly from the west. Windy too, at times, but highly variable. I have a touch of hay fever this morning. Yesterday's strong winds may have lifted some pollen up to my exalted position on the trike. Or perhaps it was all that ducking under the gusts?

A walk up to the woods and back down by the direct western route. Which was a foolish mistake because oil seed rape is all but impenetrable even where it meets the hedges. Needless to say I was stung and scratched quite thoroughly by the time I had extricated myself and returned to what passes for civilisation locally. Fortunately a dab or two with Witch hazel was as good as a general anesthetic but without my having to miss anything. The "glider winged" bird of prey sailed effortlessly through our garden just as morning coffee arrived.

Wednesday 3rd 60F, bright but cloudy and breezy. The sky is fairly whipping across outside my north-facing, dormer window. Bright clumps of cumulus set against a blue sky seem to be growing larger by the moment.

At first it seemed the atmosphere had been scrubbed clean. With sharp edges to every landscape. Later, as I returned the same way from the lanes, the distant trees had taken on a  bluish hue. I thought I could hear a harvester in the background but nothing was visible. Sounds were amplified by the strong westerly wind. Making the traffic noise seem distinctly "overblown."

Yesterday I moved the HDMI cable from one socket to the other [HDMI 1 to HDMI 2] on my Samsung monitor. Then found my blog text and other websites had gone distinctly wonky. [If you will excuse the technical term.] Returning the cable to the rear socket [HDMI 1] instantly returned everything back to crispy wonder and light. It is lucky I am such a master of this new-fangled technology, isn't it?

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1st July 2019 "It's my errand..."

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Monday 1st July 62F and overcast. The forecast is cooler with some sunny periods. A warm walk to the lanes in a westerly breeze and warm sunshine. The same bird of prey was circling on the other side of the trees from the mink gulls again. Unfortunately it turned tail and flew out of sight on my arrival. This bird had the same, long, slender wings but rather mixed brown above with noticeably bright, yellow feet.

A baler and a wrapper went past behind large tractors so they are already harvesting somewhere. An odd morning, 70F at 11am, with some black clouds, gales and only brief glimpses of sunshine. I have an errand to run later so could sneak in a ride on the trike. "It's my errand and I'll ride if I want to, tra-la! 👶

There was even a heavy shower after lunch. Which was certainly not forecast. So the roads were wet in places as I rode to the shops. The temperature dropped like a stone in the shady forest! Going well with a diagonal tailwind allowing 21mph on the flat riding "furiously" into the village. Climbed a few rises out of the saddle just because I could. 10mph and a real struggle on the way home. As I hid under the top tube, but only as required, when the head-on gusts became really fierce. Only 7 miles.

I forgot to mention that all electric cars must henceforth have a folded piece of cardboard rubbing in the spokes. The intention is for the near-silent vehicles to make a noise like a cheap moped while in motion. Presumably in the vain hope that the odd OI!NB! [Obsessively Inattentive! Neck Bender!] will avoid being mown down when "walking suicidally while phoning." [WSWP]

A length of combine harvester twine, running back to the driver's position, will ensure that the vital "sound producing" card is inserted into the spikes only at lower speeds. At higher speeds I can personally confirm that cars, like the Tesla, are as noisy as common, or garden, 4WDs. All thanks to tyre noise from their unusually large wheels.

No doubt luxury models of electric car will insert a platinum credit card into the spokes on demand from a tug on a hand woven, finest silk cord. Just to prove their belonging firmly to the 1% as they pull up outside their 6 star hotels sounding like a rusting, 1950s Vespa, with a broken exhaust.

There is a great danger that more mundane, electric models will suffer from a critical lack of suitably noisy cardboard. The announcement on artificial, electric vehicle, noise producers [AEVNPs] coincides with a new law on sugary drinks packaging. Making them compulsorily returnable and recyclable against a fixed charge on purchase. Not a moment too soon, do I hear?

Fear not! If you run out of packaging cardboard for your EV, mid journey, then there's always the nearest verge. Where vast moraines of McSlobs packaging is bound to be available at no extra charge. Though you may want to don thick rubber gloves for your litter picking. Just in case there is any "genetic material" left on the packaging. We don't want any "nasty outbreaks," do we?

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