A positive thread

[Cyril Haearn]

Right again, weather is quite pleasant, trees coming into blossom, birds screeching, there seem to be many good-tempered people out strolling
Cycled to five book-swap stations yesterday, acquired a dozen books

[peetee]

It’s a feast of colour here after months of continuous grey. Gorse and daffodil in golden sunshine with clear blue sky. Mmmmmm.
My garden is a blank canvas and when I moved here 7 months ago I bought thousands of seeds collected over many years and from several gardens. Many of them are in seed trays now and I have no idea if they will all come to fruition but the first seedlings, flax and delphiniums, are showing through.

[Graham]

Signs of spring . . .
Yesterday, after a volunteer session in the woods, wielding my salvaged billhook * I wandered over to the meadow to observe three commas ( butterflies ) flitting about. They were nice enough to stay still for some minutes whilst basking in the sunshine. The meadow was at an early stage of a flush of primroses and violets. Lots of bumblebees too.

A few days earlier I chanced upon three lapwing in a random field on the downland ridge. I was alerted by the characteristic burbling calls/song. Some lapwing acrobatics observed . . . delightful.
(Normally, we have to go to highly specific sites to see them around here. )

One day I was lucky enough to get a really good look at a firecrest. Flitting around a lot, but in full view with favourable light. Usually I can hear them, but hardly ever get a good view.

* billhook - found during a litterpick. Abandoned and badly notched. Now out of intensive care ( filed, ground & honed ). Probably a Morris Devon pattern.

[Grandad]

Regular weekly solo ride today, enjoying a very springlike day. Only difference was no cafe stop, as per covid rules, so the hunt was on for a bench or seat for a 15 minute break to eat the Brunch bars.

I've been riding this area for over 30 years but the only outdoor seating I could think of was outside pubs and cafes and somehow it didn't seem right to use these. Then I remembered....

In the early part of those 30 years very few time trials had proper headquarters in village halls and the local 12 hour was no exception. The HQ was a tent on a wide grass verge at the junction of a minor B road and a tiny lane. This verge is now occupied by a wooden memorial seat, put there to commemorate one lifelong worker for the cycling community, with the subsequent addition of plaques for later worthies.

It meant a longer ride than I had planned, but sitting on it in the warm sun and sheltered from the wind I enjoyed a 15 minute trip down memory lane.

Got home to find a club e-mail cancelling all clubruns - will have to research more benches for the next few months, or at least until grass is dry enough to sit on.

[Cyril Haearn]

Found an old hollandbike saddle years ago, huge springs, heavy, never used it, decided to dispose of it
I put it on the seat at the bus stop when I visited the recycling containers
Before one could say 'Djamoladin Abdujaparov' a GoB gent on bike cycling by spotted and snaffled it

[Grandad]

Solo ride in lieu of the cancelled clubrun. Very little traffic anywhere but a lot of walkers in lanes near the villages. These were clearly not regular walkers - no rucksacks or specialised clothing and boots - mostly couples in ordinary casualwear.

One of our regular cafes is doing takeaways. Located 4 benches that I must have passed umpteen times without noticing them.

[Cyril Haearn]

Next 100 km day ride soon, not done one for a few years, then aiming for 161 km/100 miles, not cycled that far in a day since 1991

[rmurphy195]

Just had a Mother's day cuppa with our daughter.

She (with baby) at one end of the lawn with her own flask of tea brought from home, us (at the other) with our cuppa made in the kitchen. "Social Distancing"!

[al_yrpal]

Solo ride in lieu of the cancelled clubrun. Very little traffic anywhere but a lot of walkers in lanes near the villages. These were clearly not regular walkers - no rucksacks or specialised clothing and boots - mostly couples in ordinary casualwear.

One of our regular cafes is doing takeaways. Located 4 benches that I must have passed umpteen times without noticing them.

Same experience for me this morning, many family groups walking along the lanes dressed for driving around in their SUV. I feel very sorry for so many people because its obvious there could be a backlash and ban from the nice places to exercise like seafronts lakes and hills.

Al

[colin54]

Good to see the lambs today in the sunshine.

This cottage has been under scaffold and tarpaulins for the past couple of years, it's
emerged with a crisp new thatch, very nice.

[eileithyia]

Good to see the lambs today in the sunshine.
P1120772.JPG

This cottage has been under scaffold and tarpaulins for the past couple of years, it's
emerged with a crisp new thatch, very nice.
$matches[2]
$matches[2]

Yes I have been watching that cottage over the last few years while under tarpaulin, good to see it finally being worked on and brought back to life with traditional thatch....

[eileithyia]

Blue skies, lambs in the fields, we are still allowed to do some cycling.

And yesterday I embarrassed my son by doing some Miranda-like galloping across a field.....
Be more like Miranda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmKtC8_4_wM

[colin54]

Blue skies, lambs in the fields, we are still allowed to do some cycling.

And yesterday I embarrassed my son by doing some Miranda-like galloping across a field.....
Be more like Miranda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmKtC8_4_wM

Funny , you could try the same sort of thing in a drop bar bicycle style, back pedalling might be tricky though.

[Grandad]

Alongside the normally busy A21 Pembury Bypass at 11.am. Traffic very sparse. Only a short wait to get this shot.

[peetee]

Today’s program of events was bought to me by the number 2.
2nd ride out on my ‘new’ steed.
22 miles
22 butterflies!