This isn't much fun is it? If it carries on raining like this then I'm going to have to either hibernate or emigrate. Where would I go though? I actually quite like it here despite the miserable weather. If nothing else, it gives us something to moan about and keeps us on our toes. As the weather changes through the seasons, so the world around us changes too and the same run, ride or walk is totally different in the winter compared to the spring or summer. On that note and despite the weather God's doing their best to make life a misery, I've started to notice small signs that better things are on their way. For a starters, it's that little bit lighter of an evening. A few weeks back it was pitch dark by 16:30. On Friday I was still outside finishing off a few bits on Project Patio at 17:00. It may only be 30 minutes, but it makes a big difference and as the days go on the evenings will soon start drawing out. The Daffodils are just starting to poke their heads through the soil in the new beds in the back garden, as are the Aquilegia and Crocuses and there are plenty of Snowdrops adding a bit of winter colour to the hedgerows and gardens. I noticed plenty of Catkins adorning the trees when I was out walking in the rain over the weekend and the Sparrows, Tit's and Finches, along with the ever present Squirrels are all still going about their business if you take the time to look for them. Without a doubt, better days are on their way, and hopefully a reduction in the Coronavirus kerfuffle and a relaxing of the lockdown restrictions with them. Until then though I guess we will just have to keep safe, stay in and find other things to do, whilst planning future adventures. To that end, I suppose I'd better take advantage of a couple of hours sat in front of the fire over the next week or so and sort out my seed order for the allotment. It wont be long before the sun warms the greenhouse up enough to start thinking about sowing some of the early veg and I don't want to be caught napping! Whilst the weathers been doing it's best to help out the lockdown and keep us at all safely at home this week I've been hiding in the workshop, pottering away, trying to occupy my time productively between stints on "Project Patio" and other chores. After my reasonably successful attempts at spoon carving the other week I thought I'd set my sights a bit higher and have a go at carving a bowl/plate. Like with the spoons it was a pretty steep learning curve, but once I'd figured out how to do things with my limited selection of hand tools, I don't think this turned out too badly. I've got to admit that I'm quite pleased with that. There are quite a few things that I would do differently next time and it could be a lot thinner and more delicate. But, I've learned a few things along the way and that's the important thing in my book. In other news, I've mentioned before how I enjoy laying in bed for a few minutes when I first wake up listening to the birds singing. The Robin's normally signing it's heart out in the morning and the Blackbirds and others often join in for a bit of morning chorus too. "The Emma's" got quite a "soup kitchen" going for the birds in the front garden which helps keep them (and thus me) happy and I thought that I'd best do my bit too. So, in a return to my more normal standard of rough carpentry, I took advantage of a rainy morning this week and knocked up a couple of bird houses. Apparently different birds like different size entry holes and the Robin likes an open front, so one size won't fit all. Unfortunately there not all going to fit in the space available at home so a couple are going to have to go up to the allotment. I just need to decide who might need a home where first. It's a hard life when that's the top of your decision making tree isn't it!
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Here we go then, the start of 2021 and time for some new adventures. Normally the 1st January is Knacker Cracker day (the stupidest, but most fun running event of the year), unfortunately, along with just about everything else, Covid's put a stop to that. It's a shame then, that Covid didn't put a stop to the local war re-enactment society's attempt to replicate great battles of World War One with endless salvos of fireworks last night. I was sorely tempted to nip round this morning with the angle grinder and big drills to get my own back when I got up at cold O'clock. Luckily though I had better things to do! What can be better than a bit of revenge, I hear you ask? Well, if I can't go cracking my Knackers I might as well make use of my time and start the year as I mean to go on with a bit of socially distanced marathon running. 26 miles on New Years day. I think you'll find that's what Bank holidays are made for! It was far too cold to sit at home and I'm far too tight to put the heating on, so I was out the house just as it started to get light, onto deserted, but bitterly cold roads. A heavy overnight frost and low laying mist ensured that it wasn't likely to warm up any time soon, but well wrapped up, with multiple layers, it was a lovely morning to be out and about. With no real route planned I pushed off along the quiet roads towards Odiham, thinking that staying on the roads would be better than the muddy trails and tracks, with the roads being a bit less slippery than the paths and fields. All correct assumptions on my part, but by Jove, running on the roads is boring! One foot in front of the other, with nothing to distract yourself. No puddles to jump over, no holes to avoid, no gates or stiles to break your stride, just easy plodding along! I've not been this far on the road for a while, having done all of last years long distances off road and I must admit that it's not something that I'm in a rush to repeat. Needs must when the Devil drives though and 26 miles on the road is better than no miles, and a fine way to get the new year off to a good start in my humble opinion. 3:56 for 26.5 miles in the cold's certainly nothing to shout about, but it kept me warm for a few hours, burned off a few more mince pies and made room for the bacon sandwiches that greeted me on my return! I'm not saying that it was cold in the week, but I went out for a few easy walking miles one day in the week and got caught out when the weather took a turn for the worse and I wasn't prepared for it. I'd got up to a bright and crisp, frosty morning and thinking it might be a bit slippery out left the bike at home. With the sun shining I'd wrapped up warm but left the waterproofs at home. You'd think I'd know by now that that's a school boy error. 5 Miles from home and the sky's opened with heavy wet snow. Within 10 minutes I was soaked and cold. By the time I finally got home I was so cold that I had to get "The Emma" to release me from my trousers as my fingers wouldn't work! Let that be a lesson to me. No matter how close to home, or benign the weather looks, you never know what's coming! As I mentioned the other day, after a few cold days out in the van I've decided that heating is required, so it's time for a new project. The insulation I added during the initial build does an admirable job of keeping the temperature bearable, and if your just coming in and going to bed it's fine in any weather. It's when you get back cold and wet with no way to dry your wet kit, that it's a bit of a bummer, so I've acquired a cheap and cheerful diesel heater, courtesy of those masters of knock off products (China) and our friends at E Bay. There's plenty of space under the van floor so that seems the logical place to mount it. Unfortunately, being a non standard installation it's going to have to be a make it up as I go job, not that, that's ever stopped me before. First things first then and we need some way to mount our heater. A bit of thinking whilst out running and were off. I'll get some paint on it this week, not that there's much chance of it ever drying at the moment and then have a look at getting it fitted. Unfortunately, fittings going to require the removal of the front seats and floor covering, so in a bit of irony, I need it to warm up a bit before I can go much further!
There's not much to report on this week. It seems to have been endlessly wet and windy and whilst I've been out and about, none of it's that interesting. I had a trip down to see "The Old Cheese" in the week and a weekend out in the van to see "The Boy". Other than getting very wet on more than one occasion that's about it though.
I did manage to get in a few running miles Saturday morning, pre lunch with "The Boy". It was crazy wet and slippery though and hard going. When the grounds really slippery it certainly gives your core a good workout as you struggle to stay upright, so whilst it's slow going it's probably a good bit of training. I stopped off in the van on the way home Saturday night and had a really windy night in a rather exposed site. The wind had clamed down by the time I got up and I managed a few good hours of walking in the winter sunshine. Other than that, I've been busy sorting a few bits out for Christmas, more of which next week. For this week though that's about it. I'll leave you with a few pictures from the last week and hopefully have a bit more to talk about next time! Before we get into the bones of this weeks exciting episode of stupidity I thought I'd just drop this photo in. I clicked this whilst out running early Tuesday morning. According to my phone it was -2 and certainly felt like it, but I think you'll agree, when you get to see the sun coming up like that it more than makes up for an early start and chilly fingers. Anyhow, gratuitous pictures aside, I thought that I'd best get this months instalment of "Marathon A Month Madness" out of the way this weekend before the Christmas festivities get into full swing and I'm too full of Christmas pudding and Mince pies to walk, let alone run. I took the van down to Alresford Friday night ready for an early start Saturday morning, although the fact I didn't wake up until nearly 07:00 sort of messed that plan up. It always takes me a good hour to get myself going before a big run, I can't be doing with running until I've had breakfast and at least 2 brews, so I didn't actually get going until half 8. However, once I did drag myself out of bed and into the great outdoors it was quite a nice morning, a touch on the damp side, but still warm for the time of year and although we've had quite a lot of rain recently the Oxdrove Way, todays chosen route, was mostly still runnable. As expected there were a few muddy areas, where vehicles have churned up the track, which took a bit of dodging around and leaping over, but in the main it was OK. I've run sections of this a few times over the last couple of years, so the routes familiar and easy to follow, without having to think too much about it, an ideal situation when your watching where your feet are going to avoid the slippery bits and puddles. And, as we've seen in previous instalments, I'm not actually very good at finding my way around, so easy and familiar is always good in my book! By mid morning the sun had put in an appearance and as the half way point came and went I was thoroughly enjoying myself. A brief pause at the 20 mile mark to snaffle a marmalade sandwich (the choice of champions, as far as I'm concerned) gave me the chance for a brief breather before the final couple of miles. A final couple of miles, which handily, when you've already done more than 20 miles, is all up hill! Up hill or not, the final few miles passed without incident and I was back at the van with another 26.2 miles completed in 3:46:10. I don't think that's bad going for a winter off road marathon with plenty of slippery muddy bit's and more than it's fair share of big potholes and divots to dodge around. That's that then, twelve 26.2 (or more) mile runs completed in 2020. I'm happy with that and think that it was a worthy challenge, more so considering I've had to do half of those runs on my own, unsupported, due to the Covid situation. I suppose that the next question is do I carry on next year and try to make it 24 in 24 months? I guess you'll just have to keep on watching this space to see what I decide! In other news, I dug this lot out of the back of the cupboard earlier in the week. There's 4 Kilner jars with various concoctions made from allotment fruit and various spirit bases there. The most surprising thing is that they date from 2016 and 17. There was a time when nothing alcoholic lasted more than about 10 seconds here. Oh. how times have changed that things can sit maturing in the back of the cupboard, untested for 4 years. I must confess, that I had a little taster as I was bottling them up and the 4 years maturation certainly hasn't done them any harm. I'll get a few labels on them this week and they can go back in the cupboard with all the other treasure for a few more years! Surprisingly (or not) it took me a while to get going Sunday morning, not helped by the weather I'll hasten to add. I'd initially planned on getting a few bike miles in, but as I've said before, riding your bikes not much fun in the rain, so once I finally got myself going, I pulled on the weatherproofs and winter boots and plodded around a few miles of local paths and bridleways.
Despite the constant drizzle it was good to be out, stretching yesterdays tired legs. I suppose the weather helped, but it was surprisingly quiet out and I think I only saw two or three other people in the whole time I was out (and they were runners!). By the time I got home, wet, hungry, but happy, there wasn't much time for anything else, bar a few hours off pottering around in the workshop and a quiet evening sat in front of the fire. That's not a bad way to wrap up a winters weekend though is it? There's something magical about sitting in front of the fire with the wind and the rain lashing against the windows, knowing that your snug and safe! It's a shame my rubbish phone camera won't take a picture in the dark as Friday night was a real treat. I'd taken the van down to Alresford after tea, ready for a bit of early morning running on Saturday. The day had been dull and overcast with a few rain showers, but just as I set off the sky's had started to clear, and by the time I was safely ensconced in my little hideaway the moon was up and shining brightly. My quiet little haven for the night was sufficiently far away from the major towns that there's a lot less light pollution and the stars were out in force. So, with an extra jacket and wooly hat on, and with brew in hand, I sat out in the dark for half an hour or so, contemplating life and admiring the millions of tiny lights above my head. With the stars shining, an owl calling in the distance and the sounds of the little critters going about their business in the undergrowth, it was a magical 1/2 hour. I'll happily confess that I'm as bad as the rest of us for hiding myself away behind closed curtains, staring at the idiot box night after night. But, it's amazing what's hidden behind those closed curtains. There's a whole new world that wakes up when the sun goes down. A world that we are missing out on with our hectic lifestyles and requirement to be constantly entertained. In my opinion, there's a lot to be said for occasionally turning off the trappings of modern life and taking the time to just stop, listen and stare. After my early night, I was up early Saturday morning, ready and raring to go by the time it got light just after 07:00. My ever faithful weather forecaster ("The Emma"), informed me that the weather was going to get worse as the day progressed, so it made sense to make hay whilst the sun shone. Well, I say the sun shone, it was more of a dark, dank, overcast, autumnal morning than wall to wall sunshine. Never mind though, at least it's not raining (yet). Pushing out from my overnight spot my plan was to pick up the Oxdrove Way, for what would hopefully be a few pleasant hours out. Within the first 30 minutes I'd passed 2 groups of Deer, quietly minding their own business, numerous rabbits, pheasants and similar game birds and paused for a few seconds to watch a Red Kite scanning the ground below for it's breakfast. The trees are still carrying a lot of leaves for the time of year and the autumn colors are still quite spectacular, so there was no shortage of scenery to distract me from the task in hand. Surprisingly, considering the amount of rain we've had over the past few weeks, the going was still quite good, with the paths continuing to hold up against the ongoing deluge. How much longer that will be the case is anyone's guess. I suspect that the ground in this area doesn't drain too well as previous experience has shown that this can be a really muddy run in the winter, today though, things were still fine and dandy. As the morning progressed I got caught in a couple of showers and the wind steadily increased, making for some quite hard sections at times. It's surprising how much harder things become in a head wind, and even more so when it's coupled with the rain in your face! You wouldn't think that the wind could make such a difference and require so much effort to overcome. A steady plod eventually saw me back at the van well before the worst of the forecast weather hit, with an easy 22 miles under my belt. Not bad for a gentle Saturday morning jaunt and more than enough to build up a bit of an appetite ready for lunch. "The Emma" was spot on about the weather and by the time I'd got home and had a shower it had really deteriorated. The wind had picked up significantly and was tearing the dying leaves from the trees, before giving them a good soaking with lashings of rain. With bad weather putting a stop to project patio, I filled the afternoon with some productive pottering's. I was going to make a Orange and Sultana tray bake for a bit of a treat. That was until I realised we didn't have any orange juice. Not to worry, if nothing else I'm inventive, so Tea cake it will have to be, and very nice it is too. Half an hour or so peeling the little onions from the allotment yielded enough to make a couple of jars of Pickled Onions. And I finally got around to crushing up the bonkers hot chilies which have been hanging in the airing cupboard drying for the last 2 years. It's taken this long to get round to it as if the truth be told, I'm scared of them! They are without a doubt the hottest thing I've ever come across. Just handling them is a risky business, one false move or wipe of your face and it's game over! I've got no idea what to do with them, so for the time being they've moved from their long term airing cupboard hideaway to a jar, whilst I consider my next move! Sunday morning still didn't look too promising when I got up at an even stupider time than normal. Nice one clock changing stupidity. Why we have to mess around with the time is beyond me, why can't we just leave it as BST all year round and enjoy the lighter evenings? I really didn't feel like getting cold and wet out on the bike so went for a wander round the local hills for a couple of hours instead. Granted I still got thoroughly soaked in the process but it never seems quite as bad when your on foot as it does on the bike. I guess there's no wind chill to worry about and somehow you seem to stay dryer walking than you do on the bike. It was an enjoyable morning out though, despite the rain and the sun even managed to make a brief appearance a couple of times. With there still being no chance of getting any proper productive work done on the patio I pottered around on the allotment in the drizzle for an hour or so Sunday afternoon, before retreating into the workshop where it was a touch drier.
There's always something to be busying yourself with and I've got a couple of little back burner projects on the go, ready for just such an occasion. That's the joy of having an endless supply of hobbies and interests. Whilst there's never enough time to be doing everything you want to do, there's always something to occupy yourself with! Ahhh, that's more like it, normal service appears to have been resumed and after last weeks heat wave, things seemed to have returned to normal. I've had a few days off this week, obviously perfectly timed as usual, for a few days of strong winds and constant rain, you couldn't make it up could you! Not to be downhearted though I've still managed to get out and about a fair bit, starting on Wednesday (my first day off) which coincidentally coincided with rain from 08:00 until 18:30! My original plan had been to spend a couple of hours on the allotment getting the new roof on the shed, followed by that most hated of jobs, putting a coat of paint onto the newly prepared workshop doors. I even got as far as the allotment, before I thought "sod this for a game of soldiers" and valiantly retreated back to the safety of home for some lunch. With no end to the rain in sight and going slightly stir crazy I eventually thought "Sod It", got my waterproofs on and headed out for a few hours of walking in the rain. I ended up sloshing my way around a very wet 10 miles, following one of my local off road running routes and whilst I'm not going to pretend that it was the best day out I've ever had, there is something quite satisfying in taking on the weather and winning! The forecast for Thursday looked a lot brighter, so I had the alarm set nice and early, with the plan being to get a few bike miles in (with a plan B and C up my sleeve just in case). The forecasters were spot on though and the morning dawned fine and bright, ideal cycling weather, with a promise of plenty of sunshine, nice temperatures and a fun day out on the cards. Out of the house for 07:30, I headed up towards Newbury, before turning West towards Hungerford, Marlborough and Calne, then dropping down towards Devises and heading for home via Pewsey and Whitchurch. It's not a bad little run this with plenty of varied terrain, including a couple of big ascents in the early stages and a nice flat run in to the finish, just when you need it. The roads are nice and quiet with most of the traffic using the major routes through the area and there's plenty to look at to keep your mind occupied. With 112 miles under my belt, my tan topped up and a few more calories burned off, I was back home by late afternoon, leaving plenty of time for a spot of tea (and a couple of beers) with "The Emma" having made the most of what was forecast to be the best day of the bunch. Things weren't looking quite so clever Friday morning, with a strong wind already blowing and forecast to get worse as the day progressed. Unsure of what to do with the day I thought I'd start things off with a bit of a run, that way no matter what happened later, at least I would have achieved something! I much prefer running in the morning, although it's not very often that I get the chance during the week, so you have to make the most of these opportunities. An hours running set me up nicely for a morning on the allotment and I've finally managed to get the shed re-roofed and watertight. It feels a lot more rigid now that it's sat on a proper base and adding some triangulation to the new roof's helped things along. With any luck it will last a few more years, or at least long enough to repay the expenditure in roofing felt and a few bits of timber, £50 is still a lot better than the £200+ to replace it though so I'm more than happy with that. I just need to add some new door hinges and a hasp and job done. Oh and sort out all the stuff that's in the shed and now in a big heap on the floor. There's no rush now as at least it's dry and hopefully not going to blow away! With the wind from the South West and growing in intensity as the day progressed I was in two minds what to do with the afternoon. Whilst it was blowing a gale and pretty humid it was still warm and dry (ish). Eventually my adventurous side won out and I packed up the bike for a cheeky overnight jaunt. Out of the house by 16:00 I pushed down towards Salisbury plain in a roundabout direction, fighting the wind for a fair portion of the time, but taking my time and enjoying being out and about. This is another good little route and one I've used plenty of times before. There's not only plenty of good Bivvy spots, but you pass through quite a few little towns too, which are always handy for a resupply of biscuits or a spot of tea. Not trusting the weather, I elected to stop fairly early to give myself plenty of time to get the Hammock and Tarp well set up and pegged down and was in bed, being gently rocked to sleep by the howling gale that was ripping through the trees before 22:00. The wind woke me a couple of times in the night, as did the rain lashing against the Tarp at some point in the dark. I however stayed dry and quite enjoyed laying listening too it, as it tried unsuccessfully to spoil my fun. By the time I woke up the wind had died right away and the sun was just making an appearance over the horizon, with the promise of another nice day. A quick cup of tea, stow the gear away and I was on the road again for 06:30, pushing down through Amesbury and on towards Salisbury and the promise of breakfast once I got to the other side. It makes sense to try and get Salisbury out of the way whilst the roads are still quiet as it's a bit of a traffic black-spot. If you can be through and out the other side before all the idiots get up and the roads become gridlocked then that's worth delaying breakfast for as far as I'm concerned. Salisbury, safely negotiated I knocked out a few more miles, before finding a secluded little spot to settle down for a brew and a somewhat delayed breakfast. Sitting in the early morning sunshine, having worked up an appetite, instant porridge and a couple of Scotch pancakes never tasted better. Breakfast over and done with it was back onto more familiar roads for the last few miles, heading for home via the river Test, Stockbridge and one last slog of a climb out of Whitchurch. Considering I was in two minds over going out due to the strong winds, I'm certainly glad that I did as it was a great little overnight adventure, made even better by the fact I stayed warm and dry. I really should get the Bivvy stuff out more often as it's always great fun, provided it's not raining of course! After an afternoon at home catching up on the odd jobs, I took the van up to Kingsclere for the evening, ready for a few miles of easy running in the morning. It's a far more relaxed start to the day, when all you've got to do is get out of bed, put your running shoes on and set off, plus it's always nice to sit by the side of the van and watch the sun go down. A far better use of an evening than sitting staring at the TV in my opinion, but that's another discussion altogether.. There's not a great deal to say about Sunday. Following the now familiar trend, it rained heavily overnight and was blowing a hooley in the morning.
Despite the poor conditions and somewhat tired legs I managed a steady 12 miles along familiar tracks and trails, enjoying the early morning peace and quiet and was back home in plenty of time for lunch and an afternoon stroll along the Canal with "The Emma". Not a bad few days off then and if the truth be told I could do with a couple of days back in work to let my legs recover! Every now and then I seem to get lucky and this was one of those weekends. Starting with the few days of leave I randomly put in for a year ago, actually coinciding with some of the nicest weather so far. Keen as always to take advantage of a couple of days off, I had the van loaded and a full weekend of fun planned, starting with a cycling jaunt down to Swanage on Friday. I'd plotted a nice little route, starting from Awbridge just outside Romsey, heading down through the New Forest, Wimborne and Corfe Castle to Swanage before returning along the coast via Poole and Bournemouth. Which, if I didn't cheat and take the ferry across from Swanage to Poole, looked like a fair 200Km. Having had a quiet night tucked away in a car park in Awbridge (with the permission of Brian the Caretaker, who I found to be a jolly nice chap) I was up and on the road for 06:45 on what promised to be a scorcher of a day. I had a pretty good idea that it was going to be hot when I set off wearing just a T shirt. I'd normally have at least a couple of layers on and be feeling the cold at that time in the morning, so to be about as naked as one can be when riding a bike and not be feeling cold was pretty unusual! As is the norm at stupid O'Clock in the morning the roads were deserted and I made quick progress through the New Forest. I've said before that I'm not a massive fan of this area, thinking it's a bit overrated, but in the quiet of the morning with just the Ponies and wild cows for company, I wondered if I'd been a bit harsh in the past? By the time I'd got down to Wimborne the world was waking up and the traffic heading for the seaside steadily increased. Unfortunately, much as I try to stick to the little country lanes, occasionally you have to either cross the main roads, or join them for a short while, in order to get to your destination, and as I joined the A35 and A351 for short periods my speed was reduced to that of the car traffic. It's not very often you can say as a cyclist that the cars are holding you up. It's normally the other way round, with the drivers being mildly inconvenienced for 30 seconds whilst they overtake. In this instance though I was certainly glad be be out in the warm sunshine, with the breeze in my face and not stuck in a tin can crawling along whilst worrying about trying to find a parking space with all the other beach lovers (please remind me of that next week when I'm moaning about getting wet again). By the time I reached Corfe Castle at about 10:00 the main road was totally gridlocked with beach bound traffic, sitting slowly overheating in the sun. Luckily, or maybe not so, dependent on your way of thinking, my route took the narrow, yet stupidly hilly, back road option and as I gently sweated my way uphill the fleeting thought did cross my mind that maybe I was the idiot and maybe sitting in Traffic was the better option! Of course sitting in traffic is never the better option and despite the uphill struggle I was probably on my way home again before most of those people I'd passed had got there and found a parking space. Swanage itself was heaving and I didn't hang around, a quick photo of the sea to prove to "The Emma", disbelieving soul that she is, that I'd actually been there, refill the water bottles and off again. That's more than enough time at the beach for my liking. It was not long after leaving Swanage and about as far away from the Van or home that I could possibly be that good luck, or not as the case may be, occurred and the rear gear cable decided that being one length of cable wasn't as good as being two. How is that lucky I hear you ask? Well, I've religiously carried a spare cable and 2 multi-tools (one with a set of pliers on) along with a whole host of other useful but never used items around with me for the last few years. Every now and then I look at them and think "do I really need to lug that around with me? Whats the chances of needing to change a gear cable at the side of the road"? Well, that's the second one I've changed at the roadside now, the first being in the middle of nowhere on my way from Lands End to John O Groats. Granted I could just change them every now and then just in case, reducing the likelyhood of snapping. But I'm an engineer and I just know deep down, that never works! Either way, 20 minutes later, having utalised all my tools I was back on the road. No need to call for rescue, no need to struggle back home in just one gear and another disaster averted. I've even replaced the spare in my bag just in case and won't be thinking about loosing that bit a weight for a while longer! Coming back along the coast it was interesting to see the number of cruise ships laying unused at anchor out in The Solent. I suppose the Coronovirus palaver has effectively put a stop to cruising, like so many other things. But, seeing the millions of pounds worth of massive ships, sat bobbing around unused was a bit of a shocker and a site not normally seen on the South Coast. If nothing else it gave me something else to think about as I slogged along the coast road with all the other road users (certainly not my best bit of route planning I must admit, and a mistake I hopefully won't make again in a hurry). Once I was away from the coast it was just another couple of pleasant hours, plodding back up through the New Forest, enjoying the cool of the forest areas after the heat of the open coast roads and not having to worry quite so much about frustrated car drivers. A smidge over 10 hours for 128 miles, including replacing the gear cable, that's not a bad day out by my books and being back at the van in time for a bit of tea and a cold beer sat in the evening sun definitely made the early start worthwhile. Considering I was on the edge of the New Forest it seemed rude to not stay another night and have an early run on Saturday morning, although I must confess that my legs thought differently and it was a bit of a struggle to get going in the morning. Get going eventually I did though, and although hard going on tired legs I had a great couple of hours following little paths and tracks through the forest and heath for just under 10 miles, which was more than enough. Unfortunately, I needed to be in Bristol for work Monday morning, so putting part 2 of my weekend plan into operation I spent the first part of Saturday afternoon travelling up to Chepstow, which is no where near Bristol, but I'd got a cheeky little cycling route lined up for Sunday and it's closer to Bristol than home. Whilst hunting round for somewhere to hole up in the van I came across a sign for the Wye Valley Walk, well I say came across, what I actually mean was I unknowingly parked up right beside it. Always up for a bit of exploration I thought I'd wander down the marked way, which looked pretty unappetising, running between a school and some houses. Boy, I'm glad I did though, I'd not gone 100 yards when the path became a track running along the side of a steeply wooded gorge following the river Wye. In all I wandered along for 6 or 7 miles following the track up and down on it's meandering path, stopping to stare at the imposing vistas which occasionally appeared through the trees. A little bit of Googling shows that the Wye Valley path runs for 138 miles from its source near Aberystwyth, through Rhayader, Builth Wells, Monmouth, Ross-on-Wye and onward to Chepstow, all of which are lovely little places in their own right. 136 miles is a good week's walk if your backpacking, and looking at the route it takes in a bit more detail, this is definitely one to keep in mind to do as soon as the opportunity arises and if the rest of it is as picturesque as the Chepstow end it will be a real treat. As I mentioned earlier, the whole point in coming to Chepstow (if we ignore the work word) was for a bit of Cycling and Sundays planned route took me from Chepstow up to the North of Abergavenny to loop around the base of the Brecon Beacons before coming back down again. Always a glutton for punishment I knew this was going to be a hard day out from the start, the climb out of Chepstow is enough to make you think twice and that's the easy bit, up into the Brecon Beacons and the final climb back into Chepstow the work really begins. Another early start meant I had the long hard slog out of Chepstow all to myself, but also meant that I had the downhills to myself too and could just let the bike roll whilst keeping an eye out for potholes and wildlife. It's not very often that you don't have to worry about traffic coming behind (or in front of you) and I made full use of the opportunity, building up a good sweat on the uphills and feeling the still chill air quickly cooling my sweaty body on the fast downhills. Through Abergavenny before the motor bikers came out and onward up into the Brecon Beacons, with the sun still low in the sky and the dew still on the ground the hills looked magnificent and I soon forgot about the complaints from my tired legs as I took in the scenery opening out around me.
The Brecon Beacons are a beautiful part of the country and like many such areas, too steep to turn over to mechanised farming, they have retained their old world charm, with little farmhouses, sheep dogs out waiting for their masters to begin their days work and small isolated fields supporting a plethora of wildlife, these parts of the country deserve a special place in our hearts and history. As you can no doubt guess, I was in my element, totally absorbed in the scenery and having the time of my life. The 20 odd miles between Abergavenny and Crickhowell must rate as some of the most scenic cycling I've done, and I've rattled up a few miles over the years. OK the roads aren't the best and it's pretty hilly, so your going to need a good level of fitness and stamina to enjoy it, but, and it's a big but, it's days like that, that make all the days out in the rain and wind worthwhile! Here we go then, after all those months of digging, fruit cage building, seed sowing and watering the allotments finally starting to repay all that work, and I'll tell you something, there's nothing better that freshly picked, home grown produce. Having spent weeks watching them grow and slowly ripen the feeling when you pop the first Strawberry into your mouth straight from the plant makes all the graft worthwhile. You can keep your shop bought, perfectly shaped, uniformly ripe offerings, these bad boys are the real thing. They may be odd sizes, uneven colours, and funny shapes but they knock the socks off those tasteless shop bought attempts, they're just so sweet and tasty. And while we're on the subject of allotments and cooking, how about this little lot? Fingers crossed and as long as everything goes according to plan we will be pretty much self sufficient in vegetables from now until the end of the summer and beyond. I'm currently picking; Strawberries, Loganberries, Cherries (Not many and from the front garden orchard), Peas, Broad Beans, Rhubarb and Radishes. In the next few weeks we're going to be into; Gooseberries, Red and Black Currents (Not many due to cutting the bushes back hard to make space for the fruit cage), Courgettes, Cucumbers and Cabbages and from there on it will be more vegetables than you can shake a stick at! Talking of getting some miles in to burn off the cake calories, I was out early Saturday morning working on my appetite and came across this little fellow. It was accompanied by a sign saying "Hello, I'm Sally the Snake. Please add more pebbles to my body to see how long I can grow".
I don't know why, but I've been struggling a bit with the old motivation this week and when I got up on Sunday morning I just couldn't face the thought of going out to play on my bike. It was a beautiful morning though so staying at home was out of the question, maybe a bit of slower paced walking action would be the answer and help to get a bit of adventure back in my life? So, decision made, I stuck a brew in my flask, found some leftovers in the fridge for lunch and headed up to Kingsclere to pick up the Wayfarers Way. I could quite easily have started from home and done pretty much the same route but going out in the van for a change seemed to make it a bit more of an adventure. 99% of today's 16 miles was on paths that I run from home on a regular basis, however it's all a bit different when your walking instead of running. It's a bit easier to just stop and take in your surroundings and because your not constantly looking to see where your feet are going to avoid falling flat on your face, you see the little things that you don't get to see when running. With 16 miles of glorious Hampshire countryside under my feet, I got back to the van, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated just as it started spitting. It doesn't get much better than that and you know what, I'm looking forward to going out on my bike next weekend!
Well, at long last it seems to have temporarily stopped raining and that means normal service can resume. So, with Saturday dawning dry (well it wasn't actually raining, although it had rained for most of the night), it was winter cycling gear on and out for a few chilly miles. I didn't go far as I had bigger plans for most of the day, but still managed 60 miles, out via Kinsgsclere, up to the edge of Hungerford and back via Whitchurch, nothing to strenuous, but a good leg stretch none the less and good to be out. With the cycling fun over for the day by lunchtime, it left me plenty of time to put part B of my weekend plans into operation. So, say hello to "the Emma", a quick shower, bit of lunch, sort out of the walking and overnight Bivvy kit, say goodbye to "the Emma" and I'm good to go again. OK, it wasn't actually that quick, but by 15:30 I was on my way to the station, with the plan being to get the train to Winchester and walk back home again, via Alresford, taking the opportunity of a dry night too try out my new winter sleeping bag. The 16:00 train from Basingstoke got me into Winchester for half past and I set off, aiming to pick up the start of the South Downs Way, for an easy start in the right direction. I must confess that I did have a moment of "what the hell am I doing" as I walked through Winchester, passing all the pubs full of people enjoying a post shopping pint, or getting started on their nights out, as I set out for a few hours of walking in the dark and the prospect of a possibly cold night. It didn't take long to put those fleeting thoughts to the back of my mind though and remind myself that I was more likely to remember my night out in a years time than they were their's, and this is far more fun than another wasted day, feeling shabby from a few too many the night before! Quickly out of town and onto the South Downs Way proper, I made good progress, the path here was wide enough and sufficiently well trodden that I could find my way without resorting to a torch, the background light being sufficient to see the way and I plodded steadily on for a couple of hours before stopping for a brew and a tin of hot Mulligatawny soup for my tea. You could say, and you would probably be right, that it's not haute-cuisine, but that tin of soup, sat in the dark, in total silence, with just the stars for company, was up there with some of the best meals I've ever had. Anyone can go and eat in a top notch restaurant, but it takes a special kind of idiot to eat soup out of a saucepan, with a cut down desert spoon, in the middle of nowhere, in November! By 20:30 I was a mile or so from Alresford, with 12 miles under my belt since leaving home and having just had a bit of a navigation blunder, getting disorientated in the dark, whilst looking for a path, decided to call it a night and get my head down. Bivvy up, tucked away under some trees, I was tucked up in bed by 21:00, laying, quietly listening to the owl's calling and some church bells tolling the time away in the distance, as I drifted off to sleep. I stirred a few times in the night and the sky had cleared, with less light pollution, the stars were bright and clearly visible and being clear the temperature had rapidly dropped (not that it was very warm to start with). I slept well though, the new sleeping bag performing better than expected, and, whilst the temperature must have dropped to close to freezing I stayed warm and snug. Early to bed and early to rise, I was up again for 06:00 and on my way by half past, with a frost on the ground, the sun just coming up and views like these to speed me on my way, I couldn't have asked for a better start to the day. A brief stop for breakfast just before Alresford, and the chance to stock up on some cookies for brew o'clock on the way through, saw me picking up the Wayfarers walk path for the journey home, cutting steadily through the Hampshire countryside with just the birds, sunshine and a couple of mountain bikers for company. Home again by mid afternoon, with 28 miles of enjoyable walking and a late Autumn frosty night out under my belt, I don't think that's a bad way to waste 24 hours and hopefully a bit more memorable than a few pints, a kebab and a hangover!
Well, this is pretty rubbish isn't it! I'd had plans all week to get out Friday night and into Saturday for a bit of walking, but the great British weather seems to have put pay to that idea. Friday night in my own bed it had to be then, and to be honest, when I heard the rain lashing against the windows in the night I was glad to be there! There was a brief break in the monsoon Saturday morning that I managed to take advantage of, with a cheeky 10 Mile walk around some of the local footpaths, getting back home just before the rain returned with a vengeance. It was a funny old morning though, with a strong wind blowing, but still really warm, the thermometer on the van was reading 14°C when I went out first thing and I can quite happily believe that to be correct. The wind has bought down plenty of Chestnuts and I stopped along the way to pick up a hat full (it was too warm to wear it and I didn't have a bag), we just need it to cool down enough now to light the fire so I can get the Chestnut roaster out. Lighting the fire when it's this warm just leads to having to spend the evening sitting in your pants, as it soon gets too hot, and no one should have to put up with that. There's not much else to report from the mornings jaunt though, the puddles are getting deeper and the paths muddier by the day, best stand by for a hosepipe ban next summer! With rain having stopped "playing out" on Saturday afternoon I needed something else to occupy my time and this bad boy caught my eye. This is the first year I've grown Squashes on the allotment instead of traditional pumpkins. I like pumpkins, but the only thing my limited cooking skills seem to lend them too is curried pumpkin soup, and they don't seem to keep very well either. So what to do with it? Not having any idea what it was going to be like, or even what was inside, soup seemed like the best option. The beauty of soup is that you can hide any disasters with the liberal application of curry powder or Tabasco sauce. Winner! Simply chop it into bits, that's easier to say than do, bit of oil, salt, pepper, a few chilli's and peppers that need using up from the greenhouse and an onion, bung it in the oven for 40 minutes and hey presto, one ruined oven tray! Chuck it all into a litre of boiling vegetable stock, make loads of mess whizzing it up and as if by magic, lunch is served. Yummy it was Too! And if you've got the oven on to roast some veg, then you might as well take advantage of the hot oven and make a cake. Sultana tray bake anyone? No? Just me then, don't mind if I do! Sunday morning things were looking better, not only was the sun shining when I got up, but, the clocks had gone back. For the normal people putting the clocks back is a chance for an extra hour in bed, in my case, it's an extra free hour of playtime. If I get up at 06:00 as per usual it's now 05:00, result, the only downside is trying to convince my stomach that it's not lunchtime at 10:00! Oh, and the minor issue of having to go to bed in the middle of the evening as I still think it's bed time when it's now only 21:00. Anyhow, with the sun shining it seemed rude not to take advantage and get out for a little pootle around one of my favorite local routes. So, brews drunk, breakfast 1 scoffed, breakfast 2 made (Thermos full of porridge with sultanas) and a brew in my flask, I was out of the house by 07:30 leaving the lovely Emma snoring her head off in bed. It's a lovely little ride this one, it's pretty much 15 miles downhill to Alresford, then 30 miles of rolling terrain through the Western edge of the Southdowns national Park and the Meon valley, crossing the South Downs way twice en-route, finished off with a 15 mile uphill slog back home. Apart from the bit too and from Alresford it's all lovely quiet little lanes (and even the bit too Alresford's alright) with some lovely views and very little traffic. There was loads of wildlife out and about, probably making up for being stuck in their nests, holes, or wherever they hide when it's raining, with lots of squirrels beavering away making hay whilst the sun shone and a surprisingly large number of horse riders out and about, all lovely to see and helps to pass the time.
And that pretty much was my morning, apart from a brief stop to admire the view above, whilst supping my brew and eating breakfast number 2, it was just a morning of plodding along, soaking up the late Autumn sunshine and generally enjoying being out and about. As always 60 miles on the bike passes for faster and is immeasurably more enjoyable that the same distance stuck in the car, but like all good things, must come to an end, and, as per my original plan I was back home again in plenty of time to sit down for lunch, lovingly made by "The Emma". It may only have been a sandwich, but when it's made by someone else (someone who doesn't just fold a bit of bread around a lump of cheese and call it done) and you've worked up an appetite it's so much better. |
Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
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