28.05.2023 Look, no hands!

 ~o~

 Sunday 28th 51F. Overcast, after earlier hint of brightness. Light, variable breeze from the N-NW.

 I must have picked up a bug somewhere. I keep feeling cold, headachy and slightly dizzy. Slept until 6am. Back aching. I need a walk. Lots of flowers coming up in the garden. I still haven't mowed yet. 

My late wife's flower bed is blooming without my help.

 Whitsun bank holiday Sunday and Monday. Many of the shops are shut until Tuesday. Though not all. 

 9.00 14C/58F. First glimpse of sunshine. Blue splodges appearing. The birds provided the entertainment on my walk, as usual. So many voices from invisible sources. 

 The roadside hedgerows, which were cleared a few years back, are now growing new species and heading for the skies. Some of the trees must be 8m high.  Loads of poplars. They grow like weeds. Three tabby cats sat and glared. Or hid from me. A solitary male pheasant hid out in the middle of a large field. With only a low grass crop for cover. It didn't work. 

Grubbe Mill near Fåborg. Wind and water.

 9.45 15C/60F. Continuous sunshine. I keep mulling over suitable routes for a ride. So many options, but I have already covered a lot of ground. I know, SE to near the coast. I have remembered a suitable goal. Haven't been there for years. How well will the GPS route in the Nyon cope?

 I didn't use GPS guidance. Only the mapping occasionally. Just to confirm my direction where a choice wasn't signposted. I reached my goal after a slight detour. The conditions were perfect. Sunny, but not too hot. So I kept my cycling jacket on all the way there and back. My knees are slightly pink. The jacket covered my arms.  

A self built, domed house from a US kit. My wife and I visited it years ago. We were given a tour during the construction phase. It was my goal today to see if it was finished. It obviously was and to a high standard.

 I climbed what must be the three longest and steepest hills on Fyn today. Dierness, Håstrup and Jordløse all have serious climbs. I quickly overtook half a dozen clubmen out training at the bottom of the Dierness climb. 

 They were already out of the saddle in the first few yards and using the whole width of the road. So there was no point in sitting behind the untidy bunch. It was not only steep but went on and on. They were no match for Sport mode and my 110rpm climbing cadence. There were lots of cyclists out today. Including a few on e-bikes.

 14.00 16C/63F. I rode 80km [50 miles] at an average of 26km/hr, 84rpm and 96W of power. I wasn't hurrying and used Tour mode a lot on the way. Hoping to save the battery. It wasn't enough and I still had to change batteries on the way home. The 1st battery was down to 16% by the time I finally stopped. 57% Sport mode. The rest in Tour. 71% motor assistance. 29% my own input. There is usually a 3:1 difference. This must be due to the use of so much Tour mode.

 After the battery change I could use Sport mode. To fight the light headwind on the last leg. I should have tipped the saddle up at the nose but couldn't be bothered to search for the correct hex key. It felt as if was sliding forwards slightly. The saddle was leveled carefully yesterday. It really needs a slight upwards tilt.

 Sunday dinner will have to be with gravy and chips. I didn't buy any more spuds and the shops were closed.

 It worked out well. I needed to use up the chicken and mushrooms. The chips provided filler in the absence of boiled potatoes. I threw the last of the baby carrots in with the frozen peas. Then boiled them for as long as possible. They were perfect by the time the chips and chicken were ready.

 Thanks to the continuous fine weather I am catching up on the laundry. I also did two days worth of washing up.

~o~