19°C, warming up.
Sunday is cycling day, it’s been a tradition of mine for at least 25 years. But today, despite the fine weather, is different. There are no social plans, or work prep that are getting in the way. Today, I can’t be bothered.
Maybe it’s a virus sapping my energy, or cumulative tiredness, or even that end-of term approaching feeling.
I don’t know, but no cycling today.
Grey cloud at 800m, light wind but dry.
25 Year 10s on Silver training for 3 days in the Dark Peak area of the Pennines. This is much better training than we have done before, 3 days simulates their qualifying expedition more closely than other training ‘exercises’ we’ve run in the past.
Venture onto Kinder Scout.
Day 1: onto kinderscout and return late. I took a nice group with a middle range of fitness. We let them put tents up and travelled with medium weight packs. The navigation was fine even on the Kinder plateau. It’s nearly featureless up there, so am excellent opportunity to teach some Nav. techniques. The tracks across the Moor and bog are not clear in the least.
We’ve dedicated 3 days of training for this group and it’s worthwhile that they have to acquire entirely new techniques compared to the mainly rural farmland they are used to.
On the last leg we crossed a group of girls from Hull doing their Silver Qualifying. They were almost at camp and some visibly exhausted. In contrast, others were quite upbeat. They chatted, they even said they disliked their accents. Sounded fine to me!
Delays meant we missed the gate so we took the road. It’s nice and easy to follow in the gloaming. Torches on at 10pm.
As soon as we arrived my group were horrified to hear that midges were there. This group were traumatised by midges a few weeks ago on bronze practice. None had midge nets. Some elected to cook near the barn and dive into bed later.
Some were hard to pervade to cook anything. So what if you have no appetite, that’s not why we’re eating tonight.
.
10°C, light SW wind, heavy rain subsiding to light.
It has been a winter of storms. So many have passed over this island, and more are jostling to do the same. There are so many that we could regard this as all one storm rather than a chain of individuals. The Met Office now gives them names, Imogen is on its way.
With the scene set, picture a muddy field in the Wirral, most of the grass is obscured by thick gravy like reddish mud. In this field is the venue for a schools inter county Cross Country race series.
I took the young lad (who, it turns out, did very well for his school).
I dropped him off, on time and then took off to move the car.
Most of the day saw me searching for him having missed the race. Meanwhile, the youngest groups ran first.
I picked a spot where I could be easily seen, and could easily watch the races go off.
The images remain in mind now, it reminded me of a horse race. Lean and lithe, these kids stood pale from the cold and high on adrenaline. All sinewy and with only one thing on their minds, their race.
The start gun, actually was the proper thing, and loud too. The kids stood on the line, straining for a clue that the gun was about to fire. The whites of their eyes were visible. They took the event seriously, and very seriously.
Soon, the trigger pulled, all set off across the acres of gloopy mud. The front runners remained fairly clean but the trailing ones soon picked up the sloppy mud kicked onto their legs and lower bodies as they shrank into the far edge of the field.
Later, they would finish, strung out with a hollow look on their faces. Some would wobble to a stop and vomit from the exertion.
All the while, others stretched and sprang up and down to prepare themselves. Or, maybe they were cold.
The weather didn’t let up.
5°C, brisk SW clear blue above though. Rain held off..
I rode The Jake (fixed) with MapMyRide+! Distance: 24.17mi, time: 01:36:35, pace: 4:00min/mi, speed: 15.01mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1304385173
Storm building over Liverpool Bay. A brisk wind blew from that direction, but it didn’t seem to get any closer. Maybe that’s the effect of the Welsh hills. There could be hail in that cloud-head. Despite the strong wind, it didn’t get any closer. Fortunately.
8.00 am, Stormy with heavy rain, moderate S wind.
On the drive north, Saturday Classics is playing on the car stereo. Tansy Davies did a selected playlist of Contemporary Classical music in a show broadcast on 2nd Jan. 2016.
Tansy Davies (photo: BBC)
One piece in particular caught my ear: Hans Abrahamsen: Schnee.
http://bbc.in/MjILVs
Inevitably, a selection contains pieces that vary in their appeal. Some don’t work their magic, some are stunning. Ironically, Davies included one of her own compositions which I would put near to the stunning end of the scale.
At the time, in the car, it seemed a bit odd for a presenter to include some of her own work. That doubt evaporated when the piece started. There is already one T. Davies CD in my collection, and some Ligeti (which is also wonderful).
At another time of day, the drive would have been difficult. Heavy rain glazed the road so markings were more difficult to see. Many drivers don’t sense the risk and drive well over the speed limit regardless. I thought: I want to buy winter tyres soon.
Gorgeous!
Film, Hanna, 2011
Hanna, brought up to be an assassin, leads in this road movie. Most of the introduction you need has been said elsewhere. This film has been out for years so you can find reviews out there.
Saorise Ronan’s performance was superb, (as it was in Atonement). This film is payable as- watchable to good, but left me feeling slightly let down. The film has that dated quality of art-house cinema from the 1980s, films like Diva, or Peter Greenaway’s lesser films. There were self-consciously arty scenes and fight scenes that would fit in a manga story. But, it’s not a 80s film.
For me, it lacked that personal involvement in the lead character’s plight. However, acting was good enough, and in Ronan’s case- faultless. I blame the director for my minor misgivings.
Ronan is one to watch, perhaps a new Tilda Swinton for the future.
10°C, calm grey and dry.
As she walks in the room
Scented and tall
Hesitating once more
And as I take on myself
And the bitterness I felt
I realise that love flows
…(Portishead- The Rip).
~~~
Today, I meet my car. We will go for a drive and I will closely inspect what I am soon to hand over thousands for.
I rode Fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 19.66mi, time: 01:12:08, pace: 3:40min/mi, speed: 16.35mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1215746635
Two weeks off, and I return. Fresh and like a coil, to unspring.
11°C, grey cloud and fairly still.
The Diamond Challenge: is a 60th year event run by DofE. We’re invited to submit a challenge, made to ourselves, and raise £60. An appealing idea, it’s just a question of choosing which one.
1. End to end. Cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats. 900 miles, roughly.
2. Inaccessible Pinnacle, on Skye, a stack climb that needs ropes.
3. Three Peaks. Again?
4. The five Sisters of Kintail, actually seven Munros including a wild-camp.
Or…do more than one from this list?
The Diamond Challenge site suggests ‘pushing yourself out of your loosen zone’. A cliché, I know but I thought this over. If I pick one of the above, I would be right there, in the dead middle of my comfort zone. That’s where I feel the best. Does that mean I can’t do one from that list?
Well, I might anyway.
15°C, still and sunny.
I rode Racelite with MapMyRide+! Distance: 36.92mi, time: 02:23:08, pace: 3:53min/mi, speed: 15.48mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1197051723
Returned in failing light.
Both new lodgers are now moved in. It’s been a year since the last one moved out. On getting home after the bike ride, I had to smile. The place was busy with house-making activity. One was cooking; the other, fixing his room. A nice homecoming.
15°C, waves of sun and thin fog.
Finally, no more long hours choosing a car, I’m sick of car showrooms. The hours I have spent in these places over the last 3 weeks!
I went back to VW and put a deposit a Golf estate. Back to the first car after test driving 5 others from Audi and Volvo.
Micycle 