Today’s guest picture caught the eye of Bruce who was on a visit to Edinburgh’s Grassmarket. You may need to click on the picture to read it properly.
Today started with a visit to the dentist to check on the enduring toothache after my recent tooth extraction. The dentist peered into my mouth and said cheerily, “That’s good, you won’t need to go to hospital to have that treated.” My response was one of modified rapture as they say. Still, he says that the pain may go away in a week or two so that gives me something to look forward to.
It was damp early on and once again the garden was full of wet petals and leaves….
…but it soon dried up and turned into a very nice morning.
I made the most of it by mowing a lawn and taking some garden pictures.
Today’s new flower is another Iris. Mrs Tootlepedal really likes the white outline to each petal.
After lunch, I went out for a cycle ride as my joints were feeling a lot freer after my visit to the physio yesterday. The start of the ride was delayed as I had to deal with a flat tyre but once I got going, everything went well and the pleasant warmth of the sunshine was more than enough to compensate for the lively breeze.
I didn’t want to do any hill climbing so I did three laps of the the seven mile trip to Wauchope School and back, a very undemanding route, and finished in good order.
Mike Tinker was visiting when I got back. He and Alison have just got back from a week’s holiday in Wales and they enjoyed it so much that he has already booked a two week holiday in the same place for next year. We are still thinking about a holiday for this year and may get organised before it is too late….or we may not.
After a shower, I went for a little walk as it seemed too good a day to waste indoors and the forecast for the next few days is not promising.
Langholm is surrounded by four hills and I was able to see them all as I went round.
I started by crossing the Wauchope into the park…
…and walked along Gaskell’s Walk…
…until I came to the Auld Stane Brig…
…where I crossed the Wauchope again and joined the road that I had cycled along earlier in the afternoon to go back to the town. I had one more river to cross…
…and a lot of wild flowers in the verges to enjoy.
In the evening, I went with Susan to Carlisle to play recorders. As we drove in, we passed the bus bringing my daughter Annie from the station in Carlisle to stay with us for a couple of days.
The recorder playing was enjoyable, the sunset on the way home was delightful…
…and the presence of Annie when I got home rounded off a day that had started gloomily, improved by the hour and ended just about perfectly.
After a complete failure to provide a flying bird recently, a flock of homing pigeons at exercise allowed me to have many flying birds of the day today.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Didn’t you buy tubeless tires some months ago? How is it that you get so many flats? Your town is beautiful! 🙂
I have never had tubeless tyres and this is the first flat for a good long time so you must be confusing me with another cyclist. I use good hard wearing tyres and out the flat down to the newly laid gravel or one of those potholes.
Lovely local views today, I always enjoy those. Glad the weather is so nice as my friend is visiting Scotland for the first time and I would like her to see it at its beautiful best.
It is looking pretty good just now.
The husband day care made me laugh. We have a different name for them here.
The iris with the white edged petals is unusual. I’ve never seen one like it.
The landscape photos are beautiful. I was surprised to see the river so low.
Although there have been a lot of rainy periods lately, it has mostly been light rain and as the country drains quickly, the rivers have stayed low.
Love the husband daycare and the phrase “modified rapture” which, as we are in separate hemispheres, I intend to use liberally from now on and unashamedly claim as my own. The iris is gorgeous.
I think that W S Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan probably owns the copyright on modified rapture but I am sure he won’t mind. I use it a lot.
The countryside is beautiful again with the green grass and leaves on the trees! You were able to get a month’s worth of flying birds in one shot, a very good trick!
I did think of cutting them out and using them one at a time.
Love the bridges of the county. Sorry to hear your mouth is still paining you. I had a visit from my eldest daughter today also so my day has been pretty good too 🙂
Daughters are a ray of sunshine in my view. (Sons are too of course.)
Beautiful iris. Hope the tooth problem resolves soon. Lovely sunset picture.
I wish you’d share some of that fine weather, down here it’s still very, very damp! Not even a pedal again today. I don’t mind the rain, even the consistent downpour, I can currently hear on the conservatory roof. If I was setting out for work, no problem, but setting out in this downpour, on a leisure trip, just makes me stay in bed! Wimp or what?
A sensible wimp at the very least. Cycling should be fun when it is voluntary.
Your guest photo gave me a good chuckle! 😀 I find it so interesting how everything around your town is named, every hill and valley. I don’t know that we do that much here in the U.S. I like it, it gives each thing special meaning. Enjoy your time with your daughter!
Every knowe and every stream has a name.
Thumbs up on the bridge, TP. Is ‘stane’ ‘stone’?
It is.
A good walk with beautiful views. And what a sunset!
Not as good as the one the week before when I didn’t have my phone with me of course.
Did he tell you you had dry socket? That hurts terribly!
He did and it does.
Owie. I have had that! As miserable as anything!
The sign made me chuckle and the iris is beautiful. Sorry your tooth is playing up, nothing worse than toothache even if there is no tooth any more. The sunset was lovely, even with the pylon.
Toothache is even more annoying when there isn’t a tooth to ache and it still aches.