to a busy couple of weeks!
Monday was a busy day here at 'Bell Acres'. First up was getting the laundry going then whilst that was going it was wrapping and packing my Grandsons 5th birthday present - five, where did the time go? Then it was put the washing on the line before heading to the Post Office for a long wait to send said parcel north to GOC. It was turning into a very pleasant day by now, almost windless, verging on warm and only a few clouds to occasionally obscure the sun.
Once back, the next job was sorting bikes, yes in the plural. Firstly, after Sundays settling in ride, Bev's toad bike needed the gears resetting a bit, nothing major but essential nevertheless. Job two was even quicker, literally 2 minutes to tighten a valve core on Foxy then re inflate the tyre. Time for a cuppa!
The biggest job was to lay the new flower bed and start the planting. I got the bulbs in but of course they made no visual impact whicg resulted in a trip with Aunty Bev to fetch a few plants to give immediate colour. We ended up with over 100 plants which took me @ an hour to plant out, et voila, one instant flower bed!
And so to Tuesday. According to the Met. Office it was going to be dry and bright warming from low single digits to low teens c, i was undecided how best to use this, eventually setting off northwards. By the time i stopped at Frocester to consume the pasty i'd taken along it was warm enough to lose the top jacket, the warmth of the sun ebcouraging me to dally a while before setting off for the return.
I took a loop towards Stroud then turned south and east, climbing steadily through Nailsworth to Avening before a final push onto the Cotswold plateau. The wind seemed to have increased now, not strong but enough that you knew it was against you, i only broke free for a few minutes an hour and a half later before a final push saw me stop the clock with 125km showing and just a few metres shy of 1k metres of vertical. It was nice to be out, it was warmer but still not warm despite how some people were dressed, maybe i'll get down to shorts over Easter?
Today of course is mizzly, well it saves me watering the plants at least! I will get out for a walk this afternoon, nothing too exciting but i do need a few groceries as the cupboard is looking a bit bare! It is partly by design, i don't want to have excess food going to waste whilst i'm away afterall, its also making me use stuff that has been sat in cupboards etc for far too long, i have enough Spaetzle to feed a small army!
So indeed it's countdown time, just days to Easter, i'm not religous but i do like chocolate and this year my GS celevrates his birthday on Easter Saturday. I'm also reminded that my trip to furren parts is under a fortnight away, the last pieces of the puzzle are dropping into place, accomodation is being paid for, decisions on currency need to be made, airport transport booked and packing done.
That about wraps things up for today, back on Sunday,
Tschuss,
Madeline Anafrid
Comments
Chocolate
Is a religion. If you do it right.
Ron
If it's not a secret
Where are you heading, if it's not a secret? Once mentioned Spree Wald? Or something else, not so flat?
Not a secret
I’m going to Berlin for 3 days before dropping down to the Spreewald to ride the Radmaraton. Because of budget constraints and limited flight options it couldn’t be shorter or longer without a lot more expense using a distant, bigger airport. In the past I’ve just had a long weekend or had longer afterwards.
The event is an RTF, that’s RadTourenFahrt which is the same as a sportive event, not a race but mass participation so this year @1400 riders will tackle the 200km event I am doing. There are 5 food stops and it’s usual to ride in an informal peloton of riders of a similar standard. Having said it’s not a race everyone will be out to complete the event in a good time, my best is under 7 hours including the stops. The route often has small variations but this year almost half is on roads not used in all the years I have taken part (the first was in 2007, this is #11)
Events over 200km are described as marathons. The Spreewald event is one of the flattest around, this year the ascent is expected to be under 400m total, to put that in context, back in Yorkshire I’d expect over 1000m in 50km as a minimum!
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Sidetracking a little
As you say, you have taken 10 tours already there. The map shows Lubenau and other locations in German and Sorbian. Do local people still speak Sorbian?
No idea!
I wouldn’t have a clue what it sounds like but at a guess some probably do
Madeline Anafrid Bell
It has to sound
It has to sound more like Polish, not like Czech. Sure, not like German. It would be interesting how it sounds to you. As I understand, you don't speak any Slavic language.
Twenty years ago I was in Südtirol, it's officially Italy, but everyone spoke German. Better German than in Swabia or Bavaria.
According to the Met. Office
According to the Met. Office it was going to be dry and bright warming from low single digits to low teens
And you actually believe the incompetents at the UK Weather Service, the organisation that has trouble getting the Daily Forecast right, never mind next week.
I don't
'believe' a forecast, it is after all just an educated guess! That said, the MO is fairly good as a guide for the wider picture, if they say rain it probably will but not neccesarily at the time and location you are at as they are based on fixed points which could be a good way from you. A Bristol forecast is for the City centre which is 150m lower and several miles away from where i am which might mean their dry is my mizzle etc, etc
Madeline Anafrid Bell