Geez, anyone would think I had everything planned out!

I'm not a religious person, far from it but the Western calendar is so tied to the Christian church that you can't help but use the god botherers 'celebrations' to define the year. Normally I'd be looking forward to a trip to Germany about now - the Spreewald Marathon is usually held two weekends after Easter - not this year though. Easter, the start of Spring, is also when I generally start thinking of getting the legs out and summerising the bikes - well this year its still a bit cool for the former but I've taken the mudguards off the bike which gives a quieter ride if nothing else!

The moving target that is Easter can be confusing too, this year #1 grandsons birthday is after Easter, next year its before, the year after its the same weekend and so on. as a result, I had to send out Easter and birthday presents together, there will be overload for a three year old this time around!

So whether you are a believer of fairy stories or just use the weekend as a marker, have a good Easter and don't eat too much chocolate!

The weather has been a bit milder through the week but even so, on Thursday I was back in full thermals for my ride. With a stiff easterly forecast that's the direction I headed, out through Aqua Sulis to Box then instead of directly up the hill I took off on the shorter climb towards Melksham. A closed road changed my plan a little, so I ended up taking a few lanes to bypass Corsham and on to Lacock where I elected to follow the Wiltshire Cycleway for a bit. I like to think I'm reasonably fit but the steep ramp out of the Avon valley required a couple of stops - perhaps it was the headwind?

Over the top and in the shadow of the Wessex Downs i started a more northerly route up through Calne and along to Lyneham, eventually stopping for my 'lunch' at the back of the airfield. The sun was out and other than the chilly wind that I'd fought for 80km, it was really quite pleasant. The route back did at least have the wind largely behind me, across to Malmesbury before a deviation through Badminton and the drop moff the western edge of the Cotswolds.

All in all not a bad day, 126km and just shy of 1000m, i was certainly feeling more enthused.

Friday was a mixed bag - starting with more bike mechanics, a new tyre on my steed before a failed service on one of Bev's steeds - frustrating but I'm sure we'll get it sorted. Then it was shopping for the weekends food, we're having a sort of roast later and I needed to get the meat.

Which brings us to Saturday. The wind had moved more to the north so once again I hatched a plan for a tailwind return. And so I took a laney route north, toying with the edge of the Cotswolds on my way up the Severn Vale before deviating towards Stroud. It was windy and just on the right side of freezing so I took a stop at 'Ben's Kebab Van' for a cuppa and a well deserved bacon and egg sandwich!

Suitably refreshed I followed the Cotswold canal up the Frome valley (no, not the Bristol or Frome River Frome but the Stroud Frome - confused, you will be!) before climbing out onto the Cotswolds, taking a south easterly route across the wind to Minety. From there it was more tailwind around Malmesbury and along to Sherston where, with 99km under the belt I stopped for the sandwich's that I'd not eaten at Stroud. The wind was still cool, less noticeable on my back but folk were still wrapped in warm coats and despite the sun, I didn't tarry too long.

From Sherston its a pretty direct route back to Brizzle but at Acton Turville I turned south, a few lanes took me onto the Fosse Way which I followed south for a bit before deviating through Marshfield in search of a new route down to the Avon valley. I missed my turn so i ended up back on the Fosse (a precursor to Hadrians Wall, the Fosse links Exeter and Lincoln 230 miles away in an almost straight line across central England) which I then followed down to Batheaston and thence through Bath and back. 150km, 1250m of up - not a bad days ride, whilst I'm still some way behind my target mileage, the gap has closed some.

Today we have sunshine, blue skies, a light breeze and we might just be making double figures temperature wise, I'll take a short walk after lunch. But first its the final chapter of Avoidance, the long journey home across France for a decent cup of tea! Ahr Prinzessin isn't high on action but it ends with our heroine in a happy place.

With the conclusion of Book 22, postings of Book 3 will now go to twice weekly for a couple of weeks or so before Book 23, Ontario starts.

That's it for today, enjoy the rest of the weekend
Tschussie,
Madeline Anafrid

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