A positive thread

[MikeF]

Yesterday was a windless day. Weather not too cold or hot. Motor traffic seemed very light (school holidays?) so I rode on roads that I wouldn't usually choose to ride on. Nice bit of flatlandia, but even the hillier bits seemed easier.

Went out today on a old bike that would be now termed a hybrid. Hadn't ridden it for well over a year. A much slower ride and I went along the busy A264 in Tunbridge Wells, but all vehicles gave me plenty of room. Several cyclist passed me, but all gave a cheerful greeting. Legs aching slightly after 33miles on that bike.

[Cyril Haearn]

I do love little museums
The cycle museum in the Middle of Wales is not so little and very good
Local history museums are often interesting and the staff have time to talk

Visited several literature museums
Fortunately, as someone said, studying literature is a rather quiet and unexciting matter
Very good for keeping the brain going as one gets older and older, mind

You will be very keen on Hay on Wye then
..
..

What about Blaenavon Book Town?
I really want to visit the 'Bottom of Wales' again sometime, need a whole day for St Fagans, not interested in Our Great Capital City, but there must be plenty of little museums &c in the Valleys, would you care to recommend your top ten?
Diolch yn fawr iawn

Can't find Pontypandy on the map, where is it hidden?

[fausto copy]

We cycled to Blaenavon a couple of years ago and missed the "book town" but found ourselves at the Heritage Centre.
A wonderful little museum with lots of great info and a section devoted to Alexander Cordell too.

Another gem is the Rural Life museum in Usk.

We also wanted to visit the Mining Memorial at Senghenydd but only got as far as Caerphilly from Cardiff as it was too damn cold and windy in November.

For some strange reason I'm finding myself attracted to bits of sculpture and really want to visit Six Bells to see the giant miner.

fausto.

[Cyril Haearn]

How green was my Valley?
The book town in Blaenavon started because Hay was full but I fear it folded into the pages of history

There are plenty of stories from South Wales, for example Guto Nyth Bran of Llanwnno, he was a great runner
His mum sent him to Aberdare to buy yeast while she put the kettle on, he was back before the kettle had boiled
Or the cuckoos of Risca

[fausto copy]

I hope Hay is still full, as last time we visited there were a few empty shop units.

Wiki says it was Pontypridd not Aberdare. There's now a statue to Guto in Mountain Ash.

I didn't know about the cuckoos.

And now I've got "The Bells of Rhymney" in my head.

[Cyril Haearn]

The source is Chwedlau Gwerin Cymru/Welsh Folk Tales, National Museum 1989
I am still afraid of the Afanc, an awful monster that lives in Llyn Tryweryn or Llyn Barfog, two giant oxen dragged it out of the water..

[Mistik-ka]

In just 48 hours we've gone from this …

Oh-tannenbaum!-(April-17).jpg (8.41 KiB) Viewed 1305 times

… to shorts, a quick pump-up of the tyres on our solo bikes, and the first ride of the year for Mrs. M-k and me. Spring may have come a little late to the Canadian prairies, but it was worth waiting for.

[roubaixtuesday]

First swallow of the year seen on a wire while I was cycling home tonight.

Also a toad walking across the road, and a buzzard soaring.

All in warm sunshine wearing shorts and short top.

Isn't nature wonderful!

[Cyril Haearn]

I do love short stories written by amateurs
Just read one about someone who works as a guard, he was on the first train of the day and cheered up the sleepy travellers with harmless jokes (about the weather? Was it still dark?) He finished work at lunchtime, had a burger, then an ice-cream. The waitress smiled at him
Not much happened
I must read it again

Much better than a novel with 800 pages

[Cyril Haearn]

In just 48 hours we've gone from this …
Oh-tannenbaum!-(April-17).jpg
… to shorts, a quick pump-up of the tyres on our solo bikes, and the first ride of the year for Mrs. M-k and me. Spring may have come a little late to the Canadian prairies, but it was worth waiting for.

Please report back in another 48 hours, whether winter is really over
Have you read about the eternal snows in Scotland? There are places where snow survives the summer, and people who seek and document those places
Beats sharing the Bheinn with thousands of tourists I thonk

[Mistik-ka]

Please report back in another 48 hours, whether winter is really over

Oh yes, it's done.
Yesterday morning I called Mrs. M-k to the window: "Look — there's a patch of bare grass in the pasture!" (For the first time since November.)
By mid-afternoon nearly half the pasture was bare. We took the tandem out for a five-mile spin around the neighbourhood. The temperature was +18º. (Last week we had an overnight low of –20º)
This morning there is no snow at all on the pasture and the grass is beginning to show a misty shade of green. In a little while I'll mount the panniers on the tandem for our weekly shopping trip to town.
I'm not saying we won't see a late freak snowstorm, but if we do it will be transient.
Around here once Spring gets the bit between her teeth there's no holding her back!

[Cyril Haearn]

Did 48 km last Sunday, visited a couple of cultural events, got cold and wet, had to visit a well-known fast-food store to avoid the knock
Only did 12 km today, visited an all-day cultural event, learned a lot, fortunately it was inside an old church (cool in both senses) because outside was summer
Fortunately spring and autumn are the main seasons here

[Cyril Haearn]

Good cycling weather today 1.5, cool and damp but not really raining, best thing was that almost no other cyclists or walkers were about, less motor traffic than usual too

Did 51 km, longest distance cycled in a day this year, enjoying the *right* sort of tiredness back home

This is my 99th *positive* post

[Patrickpioneer]

On a positive note I am looking forward to Bryn's 100th positive note
Patrick

[Cyril Haearn]

At your service

Driving home from work was a bit trying, got home and did not sit down (turning bad energy into good), went straight out on my bike.. to the cop shop
...
To do a good deed, to hand in some house keys I had found while cycling in the country. I told the policeperson where I had found them (17 km away, in the next county)
"That is sporty", he said
"Should I travel 30 km to hand them in at the responsible cop shop?" I countered
Fortunately the situation did not escalate, I was not arrested!

Someone somewhere will likely be very pleased to get their keys back

Wondering what good deed I will be able to do today