10.08.2025 20 km in a gale.

 ~o~

  Sunday 10th 58F/14.4C [7.50] Bright start to another mostly sunny day but with a westerly wind and lower temperatures. Reaching 20C/68F at 15.00.

 Up at 7.10 after being up in the night. I got up at 2.30 and returned to bed two hours later.  

 Stay at home and continue tidying? Or go for a ride? Eeny, meany, miny... go? 

 11.00 I was glad that I hadn't committed to a longer ride today. The wind was unpleasantly strong and shrieking in my hearing aids. Turning down the volume rather defeats the point of them. I rode to the village to shop. 

 Then took a farm track on the way home. Where I had seen people walking dogs and cycling over the years. Without ever having explored it. After turning right near the farm buildings I had the wind behind me now. It was a very reasonable rough gravel track. Which first wandered across a prairie and then dived into the forest.

 I eventually arrived at the back of the golf course. Just as I had expected. The mature trees and greens made a gorgeous sight in the bright sunshine. As I filtered slowly between Sunday golfers. To reach the familiar forest road. 

 Where I turned left and took the usual route home. Involving negotiating the vast cobbled yards of the stately home. Before undulating through more woods. Until the "straight as a die" descent to the last village before home. It was here that the headwind was at its worst. I saw several cyclists on my ride. 

 The choice of 70PSI in the forks, to match my weight in kg, is proving ideal. I think the pressure was set too high prior to my purchase. Now the bike seems to float over most bumps and hollows. Instead of jarring.  

 I have recovered a large, catering trolley from the chaos in the garden and parked it beside the dark leaved plants. Which allows the shorter specimens to be off the ground until they grow too tall.  

 15.00 Yet again I am dripping with sweat. I have moved the large chest of drawers from the bottom of the stairs. To allow the aquarium to take its place. The oak chest is now in the NE corner beside the TV. I was tempted to lift the TV onto the chest of drawers but it would then be 30cm/12" higher. Which would make it even more dominant. 

 I have been struggling against the weight. To adjust the fish tank and its cupboard stand to be perfectly level. Moving the aquarium across the room required patience and two furniture trolleys. Plus lots of wedges, levers and scraps of timber. I had to lift the stand enough to wind the screwed feet upwards. So that they did not catch in the carpets on the journey.

 There isn't room for the fish tank anywhere else on the north wall. It would block all hope of having dining chairs on the ends of the table. Not that I think it likely to be entertaining more than one unfortunate soul at a time. I had better have a rest now. Do I dare to have a nap after being up in the middle of the night? Probably. 

 I made a Sunday dinner with Bisto gravy. An organic, pork chop, mushrooms, peas, carrots and mashed potato. The gravy was a smidgen too wet. 

 

  ~o~