A positive thread

[rmurphy195]

I like vising all sorts of interesting (to me) places when out on the bike. I also would give York Minster a miss (massive entrance fee) but go down the road a bit to the railway museum insted (free entry, and a really quaint tea room on one of the platforms!).

Along the peak district trails you see lots - mills and industrial-sized lime kilns (Monsal trail), odd little agricultural limekilns if you look hard enough (Tissington trail), old quarries and other industrail archeaolgy (all of them, but the High Peak trail at the Cromford end is packed with stuff, both adjacent inc the national stone musem and the high peak junction wharf, stationery engines in steam and so on)

The cycleways around Ironbridge show you some interesting old stuff , and anyone using the Bristol-Bath link should take the time to look at what is there - early suspension bridge in Bath, some wonderful cast iron bridge support pillars. And a train of course in season! And of course if riding in from the other side of Bristol there's the Clifton bridge, the cliff railway remains and, if you go on the opposite side of the river to the A4 you stumble across all sorts of stuff. Plus of course examples of other work of Brunel and others around and in the harbour area, including the hydraulic engine house that once powered much of the harbour machinery.

[Jon Lucas]

Churches often offer the only opportunity for shelter in the countryside and for a dry picnic spot with seats in their entrances, so greatly valuable to any cyclist.

[Cyril Haearn]

Just looked at my profile, I have most posts on *Brexit* not here

Not going cycling today, just staying home making special lentil soup, that is enough to be positive about

Quoted before: there is nothing worse than a young pessimist
Except maybe an old optimist

[Cyril Haearn]

Churches often offer the only opportunity for shelter in the countryside and for a dry picnic spot with seats in their entrances, so greatly valuable to any cyclist.

They smell good too inside, a bit musty

I do love ascending church towers, it uses the leg muscles in another way up and down endless spiral stairs
The highest is at Ulm in Germany, 768 steps, 143 m high. The platform is nearly at the top of the spire and a bit tight. But it is caged in so one can not fall off

Conwy Castle in Wales is good too, one may ascend several towers there

[al_yrpal]

A poll conducted by the manufacturer’s organisation, EEF, found that 40 per cent of the companies questioned were planning for growth in 2018. Britain’s manufacturers are more upbeat about the state of the global economy than at any time since 2014 and believe demand from overseas will sustain their businesses. Investment into the UK’s tech sector reached an all-time high in 2017, creating more opportunities. UK-based firms attracted £2.99 billion of new funding – almost twice as much as 2016’s total of £1.63 billion. This was almost four times more funding in 2017 than in Germany, where investment totalled £694 million last year, and more than France, Ireland and Sweden combined. In the UK film industry, big films in 2016 contributed £7.7 billion to the UK economy – 80 per cent more than five years earlier. The Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed a 51-month high. Manufacturing output and new orders have both expanded throughout the past 17 months. In addition, more businesses were established in the UK last year than in any of the world’s other developed economies - some 218,000 new businesses in the UK last year, a 6 per cent rise year-on-year. The UK is also the world’s best prepared country to make the most of Artificial Intelligence and high-tech industries, which create higher paying jobs in communities across the UK. Finally, the UK topped the Forbes annual survey for the first time of the best countries in which to do business.

[Cyril Haearn]

Not sure whether *economic growth* is good news, even in the Knowledge Economy it will likely increase resource consumption

Read the weather forecast, looks like there will be no winter this winter

Mind, 2013 there was lots of snow in March

[Cyril Haearn]

Had a bit of snow yesterday so I walked into town instead of cycling, a nice change cos I cycle nearly all trips

It was the only choice cos the bus service was suspended *until further notice* (about 3 hours)

[Cyril Haearn]

+1 for cyclo-cross, it is great to watch
Depending on the weather the riders might be able to ride the whole course or might have to shoulder their machines and run a lot, they get a bit muddy
There is not so much money in it, that might be a good thing mind

[Cyril Haearn]

I am looking for a new job, it is much easier now, one just fires off e-mails, it is easy to apply for dozens of jobs a day +1

Years ago one had to print and copy documents, often a handwritten application was demanded, then go to the post office, spend money on stamps €€€

But sometimes one is asked to suggest how much one wants to earn, I think that is a bit embarrassing, what might one write? +/-€?

[Cyril Haearn]

Been cycling most days this month but yesterday I had to go out in my car, had not used it for a whole month, I was scared that the battery might be flat

How pleased I was when it sprung into life at the touch of the starter!

[Cyril Haearn]

Went to the cinema again today

Often awful music is played between films, I once had to complain about it

Today The Clash played "I fought the law", I was so pleased I complimented the projectionist

[Patrickpioneer]

I am a full time carer, most days i can find just one hour to ride and today was one of those days. Rat bike sang sweet, the sun shone and it was bloomin great, I am very lucky.

[[XAP]Bob]

Been wondering if something was up on the trike, whether the brake on the left needed fettling...

Realised what it was this morning - the left mudguard was pivoting slightly on it's bolts (the rear bolt was just slightly loose).
Pulled into a bus stop, pulled out the toolbag, tightened it up... blissful silence (when the road was smooth)...

[Cyril Haearn]

I am a full time carer, most days i can find just one hour to ride and today was one of those days. Rat bike sang sweet, the sun shone and it was bloomin great, I am very lucky.

Hope you know how lucky you are to live in Wales too
Cymru am byth!

[eileithyia]

Sunshine, snowdrops and almost spring in the air ....