12°C, sun and light rain.
Something in this pond is watching. There were two ripples from their dive for cover as I approached. Yesterday there was a glassy eye, a frog I think. Actually, two.
That’s great for such a small garden pond.
From the bottom of my garden, I see space for essentials like a compostheap and a larger pond. The Electric fountain can go though.
6°C, after a snowy start, the next was vigorous.
A chance to try something seen at my old house, an igloo. The snow wasn’t really suitable, it refused to compact densely. The roof fell in before this photo.
Anyway, the real house: I have the keys, the place is all mine.
7°C, sun with few showers.
I get the keys tomorrow.
Maybe, I should blog about its modernisation here. The long wait is over, now the hard work begins.
8°C, light S breeze, light cloud.
I rode Paddy Wagon with MapMyRide+! Distance: 49.59km, time: 02:03:55, pace: 2:30min/km, speed: 24.01km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2747744446
Running at speed, I had a very enjoyable spin. Once I passed my new house, I headed south along the coast rode and faced this amazing atmospheric effect. There was a fan of crepuscular rays reading down beyond the pier. The most remarkable part, in my opinion, is that the rays didn’t seem to suite touch the sea. They ran out of energy in an impossible way. ‘Beautiful’ describes it mildly.
7°C, brisk SE wind mostly dry but misty and dull.
I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 70.64km, time: 03:24:16, pace: 2:54min/km, speed: 20.75km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2743892431
While most of the rest of this country is clearing up after snow storms, our snow is long gone. We’re under return polar maritime air. This airmass gap travelled tens of thousands of miles over sea collecting water vapour as it went. Now it’s gloomy, misty though slightly warmer.
This ride included a cafe stop where I thought over life’s troubles. On the table was a copy of Pro Cyclist. A magazine with some in-depth features including an analysis of the ways sleep is affected by athletic training. It’s relevant to me. I’m currently writing this at 04.20, a time that I’m usually awake and up.
2°C white cloud and strong E. Windchill very significant.
I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 12.95km, time: 02:27:16, pace: 11:22min/km, speed: 5.28km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2740750153
It looks as though it’s about to drop into the water.
Lancashire has a crack in it.
There are rows of these grooves, probably cut to prevent flooding in the middle of these very flat fields.
All day, that wind was a feature on this open route. Some sections were sheltered but not many. They provided some respite and reassured of in my choice of clothing. I wore the same as the Ainsdale dune route a few da p ago when it was a good 4°C colder. Today felt colder. Feeling slightly cold for a long time takes a very long time to warm up again. A factor to consider for ML assessment this summer.
Wintery, -2°C, cold brisk E with some sun and snow showers.
I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 13.50km, time: 03:53:01, pace: 17:16min/km, speed: 3.48km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2737465336
Top temperature today was -2°c though the snow underfoot was still quite powdery. Take away for windchill and it’s -11°C. You can avoid that in the dunes, much of the route runs in the valleys. I chose one of them to stop for lunch. Part of the route was familiar and marked with coloured posts.
The initial idea behind this route was to include a visit to a wreck out just below the mean tide line. I knew the sea would be far out but there was lagoon like water blocking the way. There is no way that I’d wade out to the sand bank where the wreck lies, not in this weather.
Fun thought- the image of me, knelt in remote dunes negotiating details over the mobile of my new house purchase in bracing winter weather.
+1°C, cold stiff wind from East. Sunny and snow on ground.
I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 22.24km, time: 01:23:28, pace: 3:45min/km, speed: 15.99km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2735446345
Steal softly through sunshine, steal softly through snow.
~Captain Beefheart.
We should aim to do things never tried before. This afternoon, I cycled in snow for the first time in half a century. It’s the black ice that scares me most but today’s snowfall is still quite powdery. It’s only as slippery as soft mud, but cleaner.
I’m not very good at this yet, I’m not brilliant in mud either. The problem for me is pushing away the fear of crashing. It’s good to remind yourself to relax arms and your grip. Push your shoulders down so your movement over uneven ground is fluid and sooth. However, it certainly was fun. The times I stopped, the beauty of this weather was obvious. That deep cobalt sky filled shadows which set against the golden sun. There were puddles of ice crusted puddles in fields, and puddles of cobalt in any dip in the clean white snow.
Wind chill is fierce, cold eats through your clothes and your nostrils. Best to keep the ride short. A long outing in this takes a long recovery to warn back up after. At least the sun has warmth, especially in wind shadows.
4°C dry and sunny.
Drive south to collect stuff for my new house. The wait should be over early next month.
Music has meaning again. During the ugliest most stressful stage in my last job, I would listen to music. But it had lost something. I no longer got the shivers. My senses were dulled so much by the accumulated tiredness.
Anyway, I drove home with the iPod set on shuffle. It seemed to be in a good mood. It played interesting tracks with hardly any need to skip any. Even the difficult types of music showed its magic. Fred Frith came up a good few times as well as Zena Parkins.
I have only bought a few discs in the last 12 months but the desire is coming back. Hurry along the time I can set up my stereo.
+1 to +5°C, sharp ESE wind. Dry with bright blue sky.
I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 80.44km, time: 03:53:29, pace: 2:54min/km, speed: 20.67km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2729584762
In today’s Daily Mirror, the subheadline is ‘Temperatures colder than the Arctic’. What a stupid, blatant lie. They’ve printed that one before. It’s only a few degrees below in the UK.
I didn’t expect the photo to come out so badly. The lens must have steamed up. This is taken at CafeVelo which is by two small lakes. A very nice cyclist cafe, a good replacement for The Beehive by Rosliston.
By the time I got there, about 10, most of the ice had gone but the wind picked up. My feet and fingertips were cold. Actually, it felt as though there were pebbles inside my shoes. A cafe stop was essential to warm up.
The next leg, I could enjoy a tailwind and enjoy the scenery. The light is wonderful today and the roads, quiet.
Anyway, I set off for an early one. What spectacular weather, the light was sharp which cart deep incised shadows. All was tinged with blue from the cloudless sky.
Micycle 