The worst ride to work yet. Involved a severe deflection by a lorry, a tarmac bounce and later, stitches. Parts the collision I can’t remember, there are two gaps in my memory and since, I have  been behaving like a dopey person. Later I find out the damage to my bike, it’s being brought back as I write.

I have witness details and damage to repair- my phone broke in the fall, the bike may be out of action for a while too.
Drew this picture while waiting in A&E, it calmed my hands at the time, took away some of the shaking.

This must have taken some time to build up. Ice on a hedgerow that froze each time a car splashed in this puddle.

Got home slightly cold, but warming up from a long time in the cold takes ages.
Still struggling with bad gear-changes; 2 for & 1 back all the time. Maybe (as suggested) it’s the jockey wheels. They’re cheap to replace.

After so long bleating about a lack of exercise, I have bought a turbo-trainer for the bike. It works well enough during the 1h 10′ session I had today.

NE winds brought light showers from the North Sea today. This new fleece long sleeve shirt did the trick- no chills for me. I have ot recommend this stuff, even when wet, it’s warm in the way that woollen shirts are.Weather like this is great for rainbows- even in the middle of the day- possible because the sun is still quite low.
Today has the earliest sunset of the year.

Somewhere near Packington, Leicestershire.

In lanes like these:

This was the scene, nearly home, only 10 miles to go in Seckington.

wearing the same clothes again.:
Off to see Devon Sproule later.

Made it half-way home before remembering something left behind. The ride back then added 8 miles to the total journey. But contrary to expectation that made the ride home easier. It’s all about the benefits of a good warm up. I can only conclude that cycling to work would be easier if work was further away.
Morning briefing & a bit of assembly.

Better start packing again. Cycled slowly to start with- combine harvesters only do 12 mph on a single-track road, no room to pass. But after 6 wheels rolled over along 3 tracks, a perfectly unharmed frog flopped several times to the verge.Lucky damned frog: there go the quick, here are the dead. He was too fast to catch on camera. May your luck contine..

In a break with tradition, we didn’t go to Flying Legends: Duxford. Shame really, it would have been good- They have a FW190 taking part in the show.
5 Signets, gone- to join the bigger flocks I expect.
Heracleum mantegazzianum: "Giant Hogweed" found at the edge of a drainage ditch near Market Bosworth.

It stands about twice my height, and is furiously poisonous I am told. It has this strange property where the sap, if it gets onto skin is toxic in the presence of daylight- phototoxicity. The scarring can be permanent or even lethal.

Another shot for scale.