We have acquired about a dozen Acers or Japanese Maples in our garden over the years. They seem to cope well in positions from fairly shady to full sun. All ours are of the finer leaved Acer Palmatum type rather than the broader leaved Japonica. They exist in a wide range of leaf colours fromContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 20th October 2024.”
Are you thinking of buying an E bike?
I see more and more E bikes whilst out riding and am currently riding one myself. Unfortunately I have no choice since I’m waiting for a heart valve to be repaired, which means I have to moderate my level of exercise. I don’t imagine that, without this medical issue, I’d have chosen to have electricContinue reading “Are you thinking of buying an E bike?”
Flower of the Week, 28th September 2024.
After our delphiniums had flowered in the summer we cut them back to the ground. Now they are blooming again. What an autumnal treat!
Flower of the Week, 24th September 2024.
There’s no doubt that autumn has begun in our garden, though we do still have some gorgeous flowers. Whilst the acers in particular are showing their autumnal glories above, the rudbeckia, Black Eyed Susan is still a brilliant yellow. The Sweet Peas continue to perform whilst, to the left of the photo, we have plentyContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 24th September 2024.”
Good to get out.
Sometimes I have a specific aim for a mountain bike ride. It may be a particular route or to achieve a time on a preplanned ride. Often I like to go to a trail and repeat a short section to practice riding skills. Yesterday, though, I just wanted to get out on the bike toContinue reading “Good to get out.”
Flower of the Week, 14th August 2024.
Our garden is showing the first signs of “going over”, when many plants are looking past their best. We do, however, have quite a few blooms which start later and so are still at their peak.
My local hill.
Today I rode my E bike, based on an aging Trek Fuel EX8, to my local hill, Healey Nab. It’s quite clear when you reach the hill that it doesn’t get the use it used to get and for several years has had no official trail maintenance. Vegetation is growing too close to the trailContinue reading “My local hill.”
A trail ride in the sunshine.
Sunshine has been at a premium in Northern England recently. Yes, it’s been warm overnight due to high levels of cloud cover but the days have generally been cool and overcast. The Jet Stream has been way to the south of us, often stretched across the Bay of Biscay, which puts us in Arctic airContinue reading “A trail ride in the sunshine.”
So, whatever happened to mountain biking?
I’ve been writing about my mountain biking for over 5 years but recently I’ve written very few posts. I’ve mentioned a number of times that I’ve had to radically alter my riding due to a heart valve problem, which developed suddenly in June of last year. This has meant that I must not stress myContinue reading “So, whatever happened to mountain biking?”
Flower of the Week, 16th July 2024.
So much is happening at the moment that, rather than focusing on individual plants, I’ll show you a view of parts of our back garden. The garden is looking good despite the fact that, due to “Global Warming”, we’ve only had a single day that was vaguely warm! Still, it’s saved us from having toContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 16th July 2024.”
Mountainbiker 