11°C, storm force wind, SW.
Heavy but not torrential rain here. It’s warm and roads are lined with puddles not floods.
Sefton, I like this place more in bad weather. I could see twenty odd statues by Antony Gormley. When misty, the furthest fade to invisible. Today, sand whips along the wet, flat beach. I didn’t think it would do that on yet sand. Such is the wind strength.
11°C, SW wind, brisk, rain.
We sampled true darkness last night.
BBC
A long power cut just before bed-time. All power was lost, including phone signals. Only the sound of house alarms filled the darkness. To the north was an orange glow with regular flickering red under the clouds.
My clever comment? “It’s the mother ship”
Most people have a light on their mobile, I used mine to find the camping lights.
Head-torch and lamp ready. Be prepared.
It was bed time anyway, but I thought about how cities would be without so much artificial light; we would cope.
4°C, W wind, clear sunny to start.
I rode Kona Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 17.67mi, time: 01:49:37, pace: 6:12min/mi, speed: 9.67mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1263120421
The familiar canal route is never too familiar. Last time on this same circuit, the grass was verdant and long. Now decaying leaves cover soft muddy ground. Hardly saw anybody this time. Even on earlier rides, people were out walking dogs in fine weather.
Over the summer, care was needed over hard lumpy soil. Now it’s so soft that the gears need clearing sometimes to keep them working.
The mud will be deeper over the next two months, but I am happier keeping upright as my skill has built up compared to last January.
The return leg was on rough muddy lanes. Here, the front tyre picked up a puncture, probably hawthorn. Re-inflation held at about 35psi. I’ll check it again in the morning. Washing the bike took long enough.
Icy start, 3°C, wind building.
Found: Soft Machine ‘Fourth’ album. It has no cover but the disc is in excellent condition. It’s the 1971 CBS pressing. There are hand-written notes on the cardboard sleeve; not my hand. It only cost £2.60 whenever I bought it, probably 20 years ago.
Soft Machine 4
10°C, light SW, clearing sky but yet muddy roads.
I rode with MapMyRide+! Distance: 23.80mi, time: 01:40:35, pace: 4:14min/mi, speed: 14.20mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1261941013
New tyres make the bike feel much more secure on poor surfaces. Rain has washed debris and mud onto the road. All good then, I started slightly grotty, it’s been a tiring day at work. Once warned up though, it became worthwhile extending the route a bit.
A mile north of Whittington, I stopped for a pee. Somewhere dark and quiet, I laid the bike in a gateway and went into a field. Aiming for a hedge, I walked into the blackness. The muddy ground gave way to a ditch. In I fell. On the positive side, there was no water in the ditch, or anything sharp. A metre down, I landed in soft mud. Safe.
I laughed in my own schadenfreude, even before I climbed out. The only effect was some nettle rash, and that doesn’t count.
Fresh but mostly dry. 6~10°C, some showers on a fast moving wind.
My head of dept. called me into her room this morning. Then her 6th form group burst out with ‘Happy ‘Birthday’. I stood there, feeling slightly awkward but uplifted. My year 9 overheard it and rang the same when I returned. They also thought I should get a birthday badge. They’re difficult to find for numbers over 30, so here’s an idea.
Get a 15 Today badge and wear it upside down.
Yes, it has been a good day. I left early to get some miles on the bike. Nearly 50 in all today; should have ridden 51 but that wasn’t practical. Most of the ride, I didn’t know how far I’d gone so far. At various crucial turn points, there was no light to see the clock and I didn’t want to stop in the rain to check.
I rode with MapMyRide+! Distance: 37.37mi, time: 02:41:28, pace: 4:19min/mi, speed: 13.89mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1259651025
Plus the 10 mile commute this morning.
4°C, fresh and reasonably dry. There was rain in the night.
I rode Fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 50.47mi, time: 03:23:13, pace: 4:02min/mi, speed: 14.90mi/h. Fitted the orange winter wheels.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1257322077
The only notable point about this ride was that I didn’t stop. Fifty miles in one sitting. It felt fine too. Even after getting home, I had enough energy.
6°C, light NW. Rain to start and clear later.
Commute with MapMyRide+! Distance: 14.99mi, time: 01:48:39, pace: 7:15min/mi, speed: 8.28mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1254815419
Sketch in the margin of my planner.
Set out in rain but full of energy. At 9 miles front tyre lost pressure on an awkward stretch of road. Soon, all was lost and I had to walk about half a mile to a brightly lit pub. The new tube only lasted another mile or so. I can’t keep putting tubes in so decided to walk the remaining 3 miles.
At least it was dry by then. It’s so difficult to reliably fix a tyre when there is dirt all over the road. That dirt includes thorns. Also, I need tyres I can trust, so both will have to be replaced with something more resilient.
8°C, clear, calm before the gales.
Do women generate their own body-heat? It’s a problem that caused conflict with my ex many years ago. She wanted the house hot, I didn’t want to open the windows with the heating switched on. Sometimes, I had no choice. A little voice inside tells me it’s wrong to wear shorts in the house when the heating is on. That tells me the heating is set too high.
This house has gas central heating, as most modern houses do. It’s insulation is not, however; the best.
To set the scene now, I have two lodgers: both young, one male; the other, female. Both have said they are not cold with the house temperature as it is.
However, this troubles of a little:
This picture is the smart meter at 7am this morning. Those pulses of electricity ran all night. It’s probably an electric heater. So far this month, the electricity consumption is double that of last year.
The solution is to ask for a supplement for the heating bill (as agreed in the contract). It seems a shame to ask both of them because the guy is quite frugal with power consumption.
Let’s see whether it’s the same tomorrow morning. It’s quite easy to forget to turn a heater off, especially those that do not have a built-in timer.
12C, wet and showery, brisk SSW.
I rode Fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 28.99mi, time: 01:54:37, pace: 3:57min/mi, speed: 15.18mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1241984279
Only a short outing today. Dark skies threaten heavy rain carried in from the southern approaches. Those threats were carried out, but it was never cold.
Everywhere you look, some days, there are little inanimate characters.
Micycle 