Today was predicted to be as warm as 28 celcius which, for North West England, is distinctly warm. We had a rather cool June and early July, at least in the North of England, so now the temperature is about where we’d expect it to be for mid July, which is usually the hottest timeContinue reading “Riding on a warm day.”
Flower of the Week, 9th July.
Rose campion, or in Latin lychnis coronaria, is one of my favourite garden plants. My wife and I “borrowed” some seed heads from a garden on our way back from seeing a total eclipse of the sun in 1999. They were the bright scarlet form at the top of the page. Later we acquired, byContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 9th July.”
A shorter boat trip than I’d planned.
Our son is home for a few days and he left his kayak here. Today would have been a great chance to take the kayak and my pedal powered dinghy down to the canal to sail around together. As is typical of young people he got a more tempting offer in the form of aContinue reading “A shorter boat trip than I’d planned.”
Choices.
Last week I had a good week of activity with 2 mountain bike rides and a trip in my pedal powered boat. Today the weather was good after some early drizzle. The TV news has mentioned a hot start to July but that must only apply to the southern regions. We’ve had daily maxima inContinue reading “Choices.”
Flower of the Week, 3rd July.
We don’t have much in the way of colour themes in our garden, preferring to mix all kinds of colours together. At the moment, though, we have some strong yellow flowers in various parts of the garden.
Taking it easy in my boat.
I’ve had quite an active week, exercise wise, with mountain bike rides on Tuesday and Wednesday. After a more restful day on Thursday I wanted to use my pedal powered boat today. I also walk our dog, Freddie, every day but only when we walk a hill will it ever take much out of me.Continue reading “Taking it easy in my boat.”
Second ride in 2 days and more tyre testing.
It’s extremely rare that I ride my mountain bike on consecutive days but I rode both yesterday and today. I have occasionally used my bike and pedal powered boat in this way, though, so it isn’t exactly unprecedented. Yesterday I was expecting it to rain today, so even though I’d been invited out for aContinue reading “Second ride in 2 days and more tyre testing.”
Testing my new tyre.
The rear tyre of my Boardman FS Pro mountain bike was worn out, with virtually no tread in the middle. It might seem as if this wouldn’t matter so much in dry, summer conditions but it does. In north west England we can get mud after summer rain. Also you need grip at any timeContinue reading “Testing my new tyre.”
Flower of the Week, 26th June.
Foxgloves contain a heart stimulant, digitalis, which can be extremely dangerous. They are a biennial so flower in their second season, though sometimes will survive to flower again. They produce tiny seeds prolifically and seem to prefer a dry and harsh environment.
Improving my Whyte PRST4.
I enjoyed my last trail ride up Great Hill on my Whyte PRST4, a full suspension mountain bike from 2004. A lot, however, has changed in bike design since those days and I was left wondering if the PRST4 could handle some of the trails which I routinely ride on more modern bikes. It onlyContinue reading “Improving my Whyte PRST4.”
Mountainbiker 