Lets hope May is a bit better!

I had so many plans at the beginning of the month, some did come to fruition, others were lost to circumstance. There were the issues with one bike, the delayed rebuild of another, the issues with my Father, the whole trip to Yorkshire ate up a week and then of course the weather has been less than kind. I've done a lot less riding than expected and i've failed to write anything, on the plus side i do have a second bike running and the garden is looking quite green with young veggies.

So what have i been up to this week? Well Thursday i thought i'd take a ride over to the Forest of Dean, i've not been for a while and i thought i'd get in a longer, hillier ride. The forecast suggested showers, the first of which hit just after Chepstow as i headed for the Wye Greenway, the old Wye valley railway through to Tintern. The new jacket did its job and by the time i'd felt my way through the tunnel, it was dry.

I was quite fixed on my lunch stop, in retrospect i should 've been more flexible. I passed one, two, three options, number four being my destination. After the climb out of the Wye Valley i was enjoying the downhills when a movement caught my eye, i slung on the anchors and there they were, a whole family of wild boar, three adults and four humbugs just metres away from the road. Of course i've seen them in wildlife parks / farms, seen their spoor and heard them in the forests but this is the first time i've actually seen them in the flesh. By the time i reached for my camera they were gone but it was good to see them. Moments later i discovered my lunch stop had closed for the day.

There was nothing else to do but push on, it was only 14.00 but it seemed that i would have to resort to a petrol station or pricey farm shop unless...I reached option five at two thirty catching him just before he started to shut up shop, a burger and tea were gratefully purchased, 70km were behind me, around forty more lay ahead. After recrossing the Severn the wind was fairly well behind me which may have disguised the injury that became apparent on the last significant climb - my good knee was no longer good, pushing hard was painful, not good news. I finished the ride at 112km and close to 1100m, was that the knee issue? There was no swelling and it seemed okay for walking, maybe just a slight strain then.

Friday just slipped away from me, i've no idea where the day went apart from purchasing some tomato plants to supplement my slow to germinate seeds. Then Saturday had a forecast that suggested regular showers so, not wanting to push the knee too much and wanting to dodge the wet, i set off for a short leg stretch, 50km in total. The knee seemed okay and whilst damp, i didn't actually get rained on so that was good.

Today looks like we will see double figures later so i'll go out a bit later, but i've already done the important bit, chapter 33 of On The Edge, Live Another Day, is now up for your perusal.

What will the new week bring? Warmer weather perhaps, the month of May most definately but first there are a couple more days of the near extinct April to get through.

Until Wednesday then,
Tschussie!
Madeline Anafrid