~o~
7.00 I have an appointment at 9.00, in town. To have my ears scraped free of wax. My lower back hurts so I need a walk. Which means no more waffling for the moment.
Multi-billionaire, Mr 1%, of Gravely Blighted, has decided he doesn't need to worry about climate change. It is already far too late. So more empty promises won't change a thing.
Keep on driving your filthy vehicles until you die of old age. Or climate change gets you first. Rain? Flooding? Snow? Wind? A new weather record is being set somewhere. In the time it takes to read this. Northern Sweden has just had 38cm/15" of snow in one night. Earlier and heavier than ever recorded in September in well over a century since they started recording.
Meanwhile Greenwashing Denmark still believes in empty, official promises. The government will hand loads of taxpayer's money to its commercial sector. To pretend to capture CO2. The real experts [scientists] say it will be another waste of time and money. Just pretending to invent new or unproven technology. Putting off the inevitable hard choices. Instead of doing something serious about climate change.
8.00 Just returned from my walk. The imported soil seems to be spreading further southwards. Though there hasn't been much activity over the last couple of days. The image above shows the immediate, rain collection area beyond the new earthworks. The sloping field acts as a huge funnel. A field hedge hides the continuation upwards. To the forest on the summit of the hill hundreds of meters away. While the pooling area, for any run-off, has shrunk to almost nothing.
9.00 I had better have a shower and get ready.
10.30 Back from town in bright sunshine. I won't need to go back for four months this time. My ear wax build up was minimal. Now I really ought to go for a ride. The southerly wind is dropping steadily after yesterday's gales. Gusting to 13m/s or 30mph until late afternoon. Despite the frantic motion of the trees at times. Warm, dry days will soon be in short supply.
11.00 A favourite goal would be Bogense on the north coast. A lovely little, mostly unspoilt, coastal town. Tailwind going, but risks more of a struggle coming back. About an 80km, mostly gorgeous and undulating, round trip with minor detours. I should take my lunch rolls. Plus the usual Corny micro-bars and micro apple juices. I could even take a water bottle in one of the pannier bags. Second battery for a relaxed and effortless assistance on the return. If I stretch out the duration the headwinds should be lighter later. Drop my average speed to avoid a self-induced gale.
16.15 I have returned from a ride to Bogense. 85km or 53miles. It was windy and the headwind on the return journey was a nuisance. I changed the battery late in my ride. At around 25% remaining charge. Then rode home in Turbo mode. I suffered from saddle soreness as usual. This was while wearing a pair of my three bibs. Padded cycling shorts with braces. I really must investigate chamois cream!
The route I took was through delightful countryside. Effortless on the way in warm sunshine. I had the quiet lanes almost to myself. I stopped to eat my bread rolls on the way. Only to discover that the honey and cheese were now firmly intermingled. Fortunately they were still edible. The sun was veiled on the way back. With much more cloud. The headwind made it feel completely different.
On the main roads there were a few criminally insane drivers. Who, rather than lift off to let a single approaching car go past. Floored the accelerator and overtook me. Just as the opposing car narrowed the road between us. The oncoming car driver almost never has the foresight to drive nearer the verge when the see a cyclist ahead. That would require they were actually reading the road. Which would demand they had well above average intelligence for a car driver.
The overtaking, mentally retarded drivers always shot past me. With barely a foot of clearance. Not ideal in windy conditions on consistently rough roads. When I was being pushed about at random and trying to avoid sunken drains and pot holes. These morons obviously haven't heard of the MINIMUM 1.5 meter EU clearance rule when overtaking cyclists. Or obviously consider themselves above such "petty nonsense." Because the cars they drive give them exemption from the law and all other such "trivialities."
Which is why the police catch such vast numbers of speeding drivers. Had they set up a speed trap today they would have caught many more. There had been road resurfacing for many kilometres. Which was not yet complete. With endless ridges of [very] loose gravel and no road markings. So the speed limits were lowered. As indicated on many, temporary signs placed at short intervals. Reducing the normal 80kph to 50kph. [50mph down to 30mph.] Few if any driver adhered to this legal limit. Did any? I can't be sure.
Talking of resurfacing. Countless months after leaving excavations on a cycle path covered with dangerous, rough and loose gravel. They finally sent in the asphalt team yesterday to smooth the way. Of course the main road was resurfaced immediately after the excavations were completed.
Cars rule the road. Cyclists in "cycling friendly" Denmark are still a very long way down the pecking order. Whatever rumours you might hear to the contrary. The rough gravel stretch was only a couple of hundred meters from a school. Where the cycle sheds are packed with probably a hundred bikes on a typical school day.
"They" [the local authorities] have recently LOWERED a speed bump protecting the school. Sited on the main road which passes the school. Why? Because too many cars were being damaged by taking the hump at ridiculously high speeds. As clearly shown by the damage to the rather gentle hump!
The speed limit drops to 50kph hundreds of meters from the hump! The speed limit beyond that is a short stretch of 60kph uphill. God know why it is raised to 40mph on the hill. This hill is following a long stretch of 50kph [30mph] in a village. Where drivers habitually speed. So, in theory, drivers have probably 2km [2,000 meters] to get their speed down to the standard for built up areas. As they approach the hump and then cruise onwards past the school, but usually accelerating!
Woke just in time for a cup of tea and marmalade on a toasted roll. No more drinks now until tomorrow. I am experimenting with a 6pm drinks cut-off time. To try and reduce my nightly visits to the bathroom. I do miss my milky coffee after dinner. To wash away the taste of the food I have just eaten. I had to get up only once at about 3am last night. The night before, after my usual coffee, I was up on the hour every hour!
Dinner was just wrong. I had little in the larder or fridge to choose from. So I went with pasta and peas. With cold tuna as "the meat." The salty, wet and cold fish just did not work with the hot veg. Never again! I didn't like the Fettucini pasta either. Preferring the Pastella Organic Fettucini. Which is much less "rubbery" and tastier.
~o~
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