but i've got an excuse or two, honest.

Excuse number one, I've been out on the bike today, partly due to midweek weather but mostly as it was the second bun run of the year!

Excuse number two, after the ride i cooked Sunday dinner for me an' Aunty Bev.

It might be May but the weather is still playing silly sods, i swapped Thursdays ride to Friday to miss some wet that didn't happen, instead i had a grey and sub 10c ride of @ 100km on Friday. It wasn't meant to be a hard ride but i did end up on Dundry/Chew Hill (depending on which direction you are going), a draggy, 10%+ climb over a couple of miles before a shorter, steeper switchbacked descent into Bristols southern suburbs. Having climbed some 170m its disappointing that its only 223m high at the top, in Sheffield i lived not far short of that and hills continued up for another 150m but this is nearly as high as it gets around here - unless you go into Welsh Wales (English Wales, just east of Sheffield is only 100m asl!)

Saturday was actually quite warm and sunny but i only got as far as the supermarket. Which brings us to today, a 70ish kilometre ride taking in the Hill bun frest - a charity tea and cake event run from April to October and well supported by the local and not so local cycling community. Whilst it hovered around a leg baring 12c most of the day, the early sunshine was replaced by cloud and as i set off to return to Brizzle the first of several showers dampened the day.

Todays 'dinner' was Lamb shank served with 5 veg, 2 pots, Yorkshire pud and a red wine sauce - we passed on dessert!

With all that out of the way, i've posted the next Gaby chapter, Rattenfanger!, which sees our heroine start her first senior level race, gripping stuff?

That's my waffling over, i'll be back midweek,
Tschussie!
Madeline Anafrid