Today’s guest picture is a welcome burst of sunshine on a very gloomy day. It comes from Langholm exile Tom in South Africa. He lives in a wine growing district and tells me, ” The vines look good, the farm dams are full and the weather lekker. The shade cloth is to protect the grapes, berries or fruit and gives a better harvest I’m told.”
There was nothing good to say about the weather here as it rained all day.
It sums the situation up to say that the highlight of our day was a trip to go shopping at the Co-op.
Otherwise, Mrs Tootlepedal caught up on more administrative work for the buy out group and I stared out of the window.
There was some excitement as I saw a coal tit on a bottom perch…
…and later on, I saw it on an upper perch.
There were sightings of siskins..
…and plenty of chaffinches again….
…which were practising looming up today.
I got a distant view of a robin…
…which flew off before I could unwind my zoom lens. A blue tit was kinder to me.
In the afternoon, I was so short of things to photograph that I took a picture of the oxalis on the windowsill…
The I sneaked out to the greenhouse to record the excellent growth of Mrs Tootlepedal’s Bulgarian carrot chillis.
I did think of putting my full waterproof gear on and going for a wet walk but the thought was not transmuted into action.
Once again I slowed my life down to such a speed that breakfast ran into coffee, which in turn ran into lunch, and then lunch and afternoon tea almost collided, and the day ended with a sibling Zoom and pan fried trout for tea without the need for me to do anything interesting or useful in the tiny gaps between meals.
I must have have speeded up somewhere for a moment or two though, because when I looked over my photographs in the evening, I found that I had set up the bike to nowhere in the garage.
I only checked to see if it was still working, I didn’t actually make any use of it. Keen cyclists have their indoor bikes attached to sensors and screens and can pretend that they are racing up Mont Ventoux while going nowhere. I just stare at the garage wall and wonder if I can stop pedalling yet without feeling guilty.
However, winter weight is already beginning to become apparent when I visit the bathroom scales, so I may have to bite the bullet and get on board if the miserable weather continues.
There is the promise of some sunshine tomorrow and patient readers may get a more cheerful post.
The flying bird of the day is a greenfinch showing that however hard their wings are flapping, flying birds keep their heads very still.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Ha. Your road to nowhere set up,or as I call it the turbo torture chamber😊but it’s better than doing nothing.
I did a few miles on mine this week and as you’ll be well aware it takes a real effort to get started.
I have my garmin to look at and just try to keep my avg speed to about 11mph,which sounds easy but actually takes a bit of effort (there’s no coasting).
It rained all day here to,so I idled my time chopping up logs for our wood burner which was quite a good workout.
Nice vivid shot of the blue tit..
I don’t have a set up which includes a computer on the bike to nowhere so I just count my revs from time to time and try and keep up a reasonable cadence.
One of these days I will remember to read your post on tbe blog page, not just in the email. The photos are so much better, and the header appears…
I am pleased if you do. It is designed to be read on the blog not in the email or on a phone.
I have an interest in Mrs. T’s Bulgarian carrot chillis, which caught my eye. How “hot” are they? Are they cold tolerant enough to live in the greenhouse all winter?
They are medium hot when they are red and not too bad when they are still green. We are not big chilli eaters so we use a small bit at a time. This is the first year that Mrs T has grown them so I don’t know if they will last the winter.
I think that oxalis is the very dark leaved variety, which I like very much.
The chili peppers make me want to make some tomato sauce but it’s too late for that.
I like the African violets in the header too. I never had much luck with those but Mrs. T. obviously knows what they like.
Benign neglect seems to work on the violets.
It works on many plants.
I listen to podcasts when I am on the road to nowhere on my Exercise Bike.
Good idea. I usually turn to jazz.
Interesting comment on the flying bird, thanks for pointing that out.
Sorry about all that rain. Some fine bird portraits.
We are used to the word lekker as our daughters Dutch In-Laws use it a lot especially when they are enjoying a meal.
I’ll remember to use it.
Lekker…tick…new word to remember! Lovely guest photo – it looks a very productive valley. Like the look of those fine chillies in the greenhouse and the violets and oxalis indoors- hope your bike to nowhere goes somewhere soon.
The chillis have done well. Of course Langholm is the chilli capital of Scotland.
didn’t know there was such a thing as chilli carrots – Mrs TP is a horticultural wonder. We dont have a turbo trainer so its out we go.
They aren’t really carrots. They are just called that because of the colour.
i knew they weren’t carrots but have never seen them that colour – only red and green
They are unusual.
I’m impressed that Mrs T has chilis in the greenhouse this late in the season. I may have completed my chili plant too soon.