A blur of speed

Today’s picture shows the Regent’s Canal where it runs along the back of the London Zoo.  It is another picture from my sister Mary and I have put it in because we need a bit of sunshine.  (I’m short of pictures from round the world to add a touch of variety to my daily post. )

Once again there was no sunshine here but it was unseasonably warm and it didn’t rain so we were moderately grateful for that.  Dropsc0ne went round the morning run today but I was unavailable because I had to go and get some blood taken for my regular tests and I was feeling a bit too tired anyway.  Sandy came for a cup of coffee and when he left, I packed the Avanti into the back of the Kangoo and took it off to the bike shop on Longtown for its after sales service.

Levi was very optimistic that the repair to the gear cable would not be a problem and he will also fit a kick stand and my mirror.  Then the bike will be fully kitted out for town riding and gentle touring.

When I got home, I had a bite of lunch and then got the (fairly) speedy bike out of its winter hibernation.  I haven’t been out on it since November 15th so I had to pump up the tyres but otherwise it was in very good form.  It must have been listening to me talking about the belt drive bike because the transmission was very smooth and quiet.  It obviously doesn’t want to be overlooked.

In fact there is no chance of that as it was a great pleasure to be out on a lightweight and responsive bike again.  I pedalled up to the bottom Callister hill and stopped to take a photo, only to find that I hadn’t packed my camera.  In spite of the very gloomy weather, I wanted to take a picture or two because it had been too dark to get any decent pictures from the garden so I turned round and cycled home.  I packed the camera and repeated my journey, this time stopping from time to time to take a snapshot.

I took this first one to show that not all the bridges round here are made of substantial stone.

I have been looking a lot at walls lately and this one near the bridge caught my eye.

A little further along the Wauchope, I met another little bridge.

And once again, a wall near the bridge nudged me into paying it some attention.

Across the wall, I saw this view.

The camera is so brilliant in poor light that it is hard to convey what a grey day it was.  Although it was only 3 o’clock when I took this picture, it was dark enough for me to turn the back light on the bike on.  I stopped to do this a few hundred yards further on when I got to the modern bridge at Wauchope School.

Just to prove to myself that I could do it, I nipped over the fence beside the road here and lay on the ground looking up at one of my favourite blasted trees.

I even managed to get up again which was a triumph.

It started to rain as I approached Callister and rather than go on and get wet, once again I turned for home.  This to-ing and fro-ing made for a nineteen mile journey.  I have now cycled on six of the last eight days and although I have only done 80 miles in that time, I do feel that I am edging back to some sort of fitness after my cold.

In the evening, I went to the Archive Centre with Sandy and Jean.  It was nice to be back on a Thursday night after a few weeks on Wednesdays because Thursday is Archiving night and it is is very satisfying when things are as they should be.

I did take one garden picture during the day.