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and a return to more autumnal temperatures!
Hope you all have had a good Star Wars day and/or May Day holiday.
It's almost a standing joke in the UK that Bank Holiday weather, regardless of the general trend, is always cold, wet, windy - perm any two from three! The May Day weekend had of course been pretty okay, dry, fairly sunny, even shorts warm but by Sunday evening the wind was getting up, hinting at what was to come. My plan was to go for a decent-ish walk, wind is less of an issue on two legs, so when the day arrived dry i quickly organised a flask of coffee and light rations and set off into the distance.
Bev's gaff is well out of the city but its still more urban than i'm used to, the first hour was just getting to the ring road but, other than the wind it then became more pleasant on lanes to my target, a nursery out towards Westerleigh, north of the M4. It was nice to get out of the wind for a few minutes, Dobbies (a huge nursery chain) it was not but as you do, i ended up with more than i expected, a tiny Spruce and a couple of colourful ground plants to add a bit of colour to the very brown vegetable beds! Somehow it all fitted in my rucksack and i started the return journey.
I had in mind a spot for my coffee break and set off to join the Yate bike path, another ex railway line which connects to the Brizzle bike routes, you can get from Bath/Bristol to Yate without using more than half a mile of road and even that is almost all quiet lane. Anyhoo, i stopped a few times for flora pics, the hedgerow flowers are a bit later at showing themselves this year, but eventually i found a perch at Brandy Bottom colliery. They stopped coal extraction here in 1905 and the remaining buildings are under preservation, not very picturesque but pleasant enough for coffee and a sausage roll.
From there it was back under the ring road to Pomphrey Hill and on to Rodway Hill, the wind now whipping up somewhat as i returned to a more urban landscape. The rain arrived with about thirty minutes left to walk, not hard but enough to get you wet, thankfully my jacket kept me fairly dry and warm! It was a fair walk, my feet a bit sore but what would you expect after 18km (11 miles)?
I wasn't done even then, i had to sort out the bike, actually only a loose clamp bolt but its awkward to get to as it sits behind the brake cable inside the lever. Not a big job and hopefully the bike is now back to full operation although i need to replace a very worn chainring later in the week!
Tuesday is of course, usually a bike day but the wind was still howling and to be honest, i was still feeling a bit sore after my tumble, so i changed my plans around. Non essential stores have largely been open again for 3 weeks now during which time i've avoided visiting any, i didn't need to and anyway, the shopping masses would be filling them! But i had to eventually succumb, there were a few things that i didn't want to get mail order and others which i've been waiting since December to purchase so i ended up taking a walk to IKEA! Yeah, i know but i like it, apart from the face masks, it was almost like pre Covid - minus the nursery non shoppers who use the stores as cheap entertainment.
Of course, i returned with more than i set out for, no tea lights and i did actually find everything i had on my list - i usually fail to find something! I got back slightly wind blown but at least dry after a further 6km or so of walking. After a cuppa it was into the garden for planting pest prevention, this time for a new bed that'll have more brassica's and some carrots.
Today its back to the normal programme, BC blog then a food shop this afternoon. It's another chapter from The Visitors today, 27, Autumn's Here - another fairly long episode with bike racing, history, cheer and - well you'll have to give it a read!
Well that just about rounds things up for today, have a good May the Sith and look out for more on Sunday.
Tschussie,
Madeline Anafrid
