I hear you cry.

In this exciting instalment - bike rides, writing and more blackberries so lets start at the top.

Thursday then, the forecast suggested a dry day and I had a half formed idea of a lunch stop, so, armed with maps and sandwiches I set off southwards aiming for initially, Castle Cary. Things went a little awry quite quickly, I had a route in my head but the autopilot took me on a different road which in turn developed into a long way around to getting back on track! Oh well, no issue, I continued through Shepton Mallet and reached CC where I picked up signs for Yeovil, the idea being to then stop at the Fleet Air Arm Museum for lunch. Once more I got carried away so instead of going through Yeovil I ended up directly at the shut museum where I did indeed stop for my sandwiches.

Next was a run for the coast, to take advantage of a bit of rail wind back to base, a brief stop to look at the High Ham windmill then into the Levels. I was still a way from the brine when I had my first touch of damp but a pushed on, had another bit of extra with a diversion at Brent Knoll before getting to Weston with a persistent drizzle. Okay, tea and chips on the sea front, rain coat on then a damp last leg, indeed with a sometimes helpful wind.

I knew it was gonna be a long ride but not the 205km it turned into!

Friday was a bit weird, I couldn't settle on doing anything and ended up doing a short walk and not much else.

And then the forecast for Saturday included thunderstorms so not ideal riding weather so I swapped the ride for writing, a suitable indoor activity. You can't just sit and write all day, well I can't, so I did fetch some shopping and then ventured out into the damp for another kilo of blackberries from the back lane - well they work well with joghurt for breakfast! The really good news, I completed another chapter of book 26 - hopefully i'll get another good session tomorrow (Monday).

Which brings us to today. I didn't really have a plan for todays ride, no castles, mountains, windmills or megaliths called out so I just headed out through Bath to see where I ended up. These unplanned rides can be quite fun, today I rode up famous Box Hill on the Bath Road, looped through Lacock to Calne then up to Royal Wootton Bassett before landing near the source of the Thames for my lunch stop. Then it was across the Cotswolds to Stroud where a 'sausage in a bun' a la CMOT Dibbler, beckoned along with a cuppa before starting the into the wind haul back to Brizzle.

End result another 185km to the pot, the 11th 100 mile plus ride this month!

Tonight then, I bring to you The Suitor from book 2 and Life & Everything from book 21, I hope you enjoy them.

Tschussie

Madeline Anafrid