New wheels.

17C, light MW, 4/5 cloud.
Got new wheels. Though the rest of the car is over ten years old. Much of the reason to change the wheels was cosmetic, plus a worry that the old rims were buckled. Now they are fitted, I am surprised by the improvements- lighter steering, no wobble, and it’s much quieter.

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ride home: another extended route, 21 miles, double the usual commute. I have to wonder how long I can sustain these rather refreshing addons. No doubt the equinox will impose next month.

Last hot day?

21°C, clear start.
Heavy rain is coming tomorrow. Perhaps this will stand as the last day of summer.

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Morning sun.

Ride hometracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 11.57mi, time: 44:54, speed: 15.46mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/375559587
I took a variation on yesterday’s route through lanes and villages. On a fine day like, this it was pure pleasure rather than a rush to get home.
Tomorrow, there may be heavy rain.

Hot September.

25°C, sun and light S breeze.
After work ride tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 24.2mi, time: 01:33′, speed: 15.50mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/374566469

Another after work ride. Didn’t feel as sprightly as yesterday, but it felt okay. I suppose I was somewhat hungry at the time.
Photo- taken this morning at about 6.40. walking Rosie. Strange was that small patch of fog in the lower end of the field. It had cleared before we left.

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lost– have you ever lost something and become almost obsessed with finding it? Do you re-trace your steps over and over? Even view the lost things are mundane and not worth a great deal? I do. It’s only a bag of shopping, but it has stuck in my head. If you see it, it’s the one with:
2 bags of bread flower,
A packet of pasta,
Dog bags,
Fresh garlic.
Box of loose leaf tea

It’s here somewhere, I am sure.

After work.

tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 19.67mi, time: 01:15:09, speed: 15.71mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/373427865
Extended the commute home today.
Did consider this route before the big holiday but either rushed good and grabbed the race bike, of rode further west. Its a good route though. I was surprised by how quiet some of those roads were not long after rush-hour.
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Dennis,

17°C,cloud.
For the first time in twenty years, I am going to the dentist today. A filling dropped out last winter and today it will be replaced. There was a moment a few weeks ago in the check-up that reminded me of childhood trips to church. We were supposed to confess sins, but being kids we hadn’t done anything wrong so we made things up. Aren’t kids supposed to be innocent anyway, but that was the catholic church. That guilt ridden haven for child molesters, never could get morality right.
Anyway, the Dennis asked me how long since my last appointment (confession). Her mouth fell open at the answer. My choice.

Been, done it and caved in to the anaesthetic. She said it would take 20-30 minutes- I thought that meant drilling so agreed to the needle. She was only cleaning out the hole for the new filling and only drilled for another few minutes. I now have a properly working white tooth.

I resisted the temptation to say: “see you in another twenty years” as I left.

14*3

CK:Distance: 32.73mi, time: 02:01:37, pace: 3:43min/mi, speed: 16.15mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/36823944
I hoped to get weight down this summer so I can enjoy cycling more. 200lbs seemed a good number to aim for.
Well, here I am, 198lbs. It won’t last though. Normally, I gain half a stone in the winter. That itself is not such a problem, it’s good to have some resources in case you get ill.
As an aside
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This is the tree stump where I have cooked supper in Glen Coe over the last three years. Nostalgic moment.

Last card.

Today’s ride: CR-Distance: 55.32mi, time: 03:31:23, pace: 3:49min/mi, speed: 15.70mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/366243771
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last week of the holiday and a mountain of marking looms. England’s weather did a grand job of welcoming us back from the med. Temperatures reached 24C, even higher out of the shade.
As always, I ride better the further I go. The first ten miles were stiff and un-natural in feel. But after twenty miles, and numerous short bursts out of the saddle, the good feeling came back.
A problem next week will be sitting at work when I am used to long periods of exercise. I can sympathise with the restless kids though.

Monte Corona, Corsica,

30°C, hot, sunny, ne wind.
Big climb: through endless pine and beech forest. The walk in was a long steady gradient through forest. A magical fairytale forest filled with strange animal sounds and clouds of butterflies that rise as you walk. Feathery lichens littered the ground and pillows of alpine flowers were in full but tiny bloom. What an enchanted place, intoxicating.
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What a big climb too, a long long slog I stopped at the refuge, a wooden hut provided for hikers on stage 1 of the GR20. Three horses waited nearby, untethered. Were they used to bring up supplies for the warden?
From there, I found the trail to the col and thence the summit of Monte Corona, 2,144m. Bolders covered the ground which made for good scrambling. They were solid, made of granite and offered a good grip.
I couldn’t stay at the summit for long, I feared loss of light at end of the descent in a dense forest.
A day of good fortune though. An easy, fast 2 hour descent got me to the road just as light failed. Only then did I need the head-torch. Even my frayed boot-lace held right to the end.