12.03.2024 55km.

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 Tuesday 12th 37F/3C. Another cold, grey, misty day. With an easterly breeze. Up at 6 am after another restless night. 

 I started the day with a glass of cold water. As per the doctor's orders. Very unpleasant medicine! It was really hard work to finish it. It's no wonder they invented "alternatives." Would alcohol free beer be better? Just a thought.

 7.15 The greenhouse is looking far more untidy. Than I remember leaving it last night. Just can't get the staff! Time for a walk. At least the trees aren't waving back at me today. 

 I shall be riding over to my English friend's place later. Into the wind going. Helpful tailwind on the way back. About 26km each way. Depending on the route. 52km is about 32 miles round trip. Hilly, but pretty by almost all of the possible routes. I prefer the narrow lanes to avoid the roaring traffic. Taking any of the various routes purely on a whim. Fresh Danish pastries must be bought at a village baker's on the way. We both like Spandaurs. Rings of flaky pastry with sweet custard in the middle. Very messy to eat!

 8.30 Back from my walk to the lanes. I saw seven Teslas in the ten minutes it took me to reach the junction to the lanes. After that it was mostly small cars on the walk back. Two vast tractors went past with huge wheels and a matching 6-wheeler, muck spreader behind. So wide that they were always bridging the double white lines. 

 A red Tesla only just managed to squeeze through on a blind corner. Very quick thinking by the driver!The scale of these agricultural vehicles was unbelievable. One of them turned into a field, spread its long arms and started to cover the ground in seconds. Driving remarkably quickly from boundary to boundary. Over fewer spray tracks thanks to the colossal wingspan. The image above was taken from over 200 metres away. So doesn't capture the scale. GPS guidance and spray tracks plus the enormous wheels mean that most of the field is not subject to heavy loads during spraying and muck spreading.

 The considerable time saving is required to invest in such colossal machinery. On larger farms, with ever fewer staff. These may even have been contractors. Many smaller farms are struggling to continue. Or have already given up. Passing on a farm to one's offspring means the next generation literally has to pay for it. Which is rarely viable if a loan is required.  

 14.30 Returned from a 55km ride to see my friend. A cold headwind knocked a few kph off my average speed on the way. I was more tired on the return journey. So used Turbo to climb the hills. The battery was all but flat by the time I reached home. Under 20% charge. Probably less than 2km left in Turbo mode. Though it doesn't stop driving the motor until it drops to 15%.  On past rides I have had to swap batteries to get home. I have put it onto recharge.

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. 

~o~