Things ran away from me again but its good news at least.

Lets catch up on the week before the exciting stuff though.

Monday - got my run in before it got too warm then spent most of the rest of the day formatting Gaby Book 12 2nd edition for publication.

Tuesday - I woke up a bit unenthusiastic about going for a ride but after breakfast I felt I had to go out. Well I hadn't got a clue where I was headed and the stiff westerly didn't fill me full of excitement which resulted in an aimless bit of lane exploring around the Chew valley and then Blagden reservoir. I was feeling a bit happier by now and so I ended up doing a loop around to Cheddar, stopping for my vittels halfway up The Gorge.

After eating and now with the wind behind, I finished the ascent before riding the length of the Mendip massif where I picked up the A39 towards Bath. A stretch of the bike path followed but it was getting a bit too busy as we headed into greater Bristol so I finished the ride on the roads instead. The 111km felt enough with the heat/wind combination and 1200m of climbing!

Wednesday - Hiking, and I made an effort to get off a little earlier than last week to avoid a bit of heat if nothing else. So the plan was to follow the Avon upstream for a bit from Hanham Lock, by the time I reached the river, it was already quite warm and the lack of cloud suggested it would only gain heat until sunset. If Sundays river walk was mostly under trees, todays was just the opposite, the trail following the river around a couple of loops across the water meadows to Keynsham Bridge.

Then more meanders, a food stop on the river bank then a departure from the river towards Bitton village. Why leave the river? well with public transport use frowned on, I still had about 10km to walk back and that largely uphill! Anyhow, up to the village then across the fields to get a picture of a Bronze Age barrow (not the best example but at least its still upstanding), before starting the long, on tarmac haul, back into Brizzle. I was glad to stop at Lidl for a chance to get out of the Sun's fiercesome rays for a bit after which it was pretty much all downhill back.

23km in the end, a few sore spots from a rubbing knapsack and what will develop into quite an additional degree of tanning on exposed parts, not burnt, just a bit tender!

I'll do photo blog for todays hike on Friday.

And so to the main attraction. Well after all the keyboard bashing on Monday, I got the new files of It's a Swiss! posted to Amazon yesterday and lo, today both print and Kindle variants are available!

Which brings us on to todays freebie posting! After the excitement of the TT win it looks like the weather might be trying to interfere in any repeat in Sundays race, before then its a quiet day for the Apollinaris clan as they explore the setting of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's dark interlude. So have a read of Alpine Storm and see what they get up to in the Pfaffenwinkel.

Well I think that's all for now, next post the photo blog on Friday then a new chapter on Sunday.

Tschuss
Madeline Anafrid