The red bike reborn

Today’s picture shows Dropscone with his bike back from the mender after it had been crushed by a car

We were fortunate in being able to dodge the showers this morning as we went round the morning route. Although we met traffic at almost every junction, we got round in a reasonable time in the face of a stiff breeze. By the time we had sat down to coffee and ginger biscuits (economically purchased by Dropscone from the Greggs seconds shop in the Botchergate), the rain was pouring down.

I had seen this blue tit before we went out.

This great tit was about when we came back. You can see the rain.

Mrs Tootlepedal went out to a meeting in the morning about rural sustainability. It’s like being kind to children or always tidying up, everyone is for it but it is harder to make happen in practice. If the countryside was sustainable on a big scale, we wouldn’t have all these people living in cities but I am sure something good will come out of the meeting if Mrs Tootlepedal was at it.

While she was out, the birds were unusually active around the feeders.

A chaffinch tries to dislodge a siskin

Notice that a female chaffinch is doing the work, while a male looks on. The sun came out from time to time and here we see a female chaffinch having made it onto the sunflower seeds. We think of birds as being very agile but in the strong winds they need to flap a wing now and again to keep their balance.

Some birds are bigger than others. This is a jackdaw wrapped round the lard balls.

The potentilla outside the sitting room window is getting better every day.

When Mrs Tootlepedal came back, there was talk of a cycle ride but the ever present strong wind and the threat of rain put paid to that and she spent a useful afternoon in her garden. I wandered around there too with my camera in my hand.

The irises are beginning to make a show.

I spent some time trying to get good close-ups of flowers but the camera and lens combination doesn’t give me quite the results I want. I feel a birthday present coming on. Here’s are some of today’s efforts.

You can see the evidence of alternating rain and sunshine.

I used a tripod to take this picture of an icelandic poppy. I don’t know if it helped or not.

This aquilegia has a definite look of a pink daffodil about it

I took this shot  the other end of the path along the back of the garden, looking towards where yesterday’s picture was taken from.

Instead of going for a cycle ride, I took my speedy bike down to Longtown in the back of the Kangoo to continue the search for a cure to knocking noises. We are going to try something less than a complete wheel replacement and see how we go. On my way back, I stopped for a short walk at Broomholm.

The start of my walk

This is what lay beyond the gate

When I grow up, I am definitely going to own a park with mature trees like this.

I was walking in the wood along the edge of the park.

I was taken by this brilliant green show on my way back

Even the road back along the banks of the Esk looked gorgeous.

I stopped at the Kilngreen on my way home but there were no exciting seagull shots to be had so I took this standard shot of Langholm Bridge instead.

When I got back, the birds were still about.

The goldfinch wonders when the greenfinch will give it a go.

In the evening, I went to the Archive Centre with Jean and Sandy. Jean took on the task of copying 49 disks for the Heritage Trail while Sandy worked on a great set of photos that we have been lent by Betty Little and I put a couple of weeks of the E & L into the database with intermittent help from Jean. Afterwards, we adjourned to the Douglas for a very well earned drink.

The variable weather seems set to last for the next few days so the cycling will be  a bit of a lottery. On the plus side,  my breathing was much better today.