7th April
I got my bike serviced by East Side Bikes and back on the same day. Next day the sun was rumoured to be out so I jumped on my newly tuned bike and headed East. I had a notion to hunt for early Orange Tips along the Tyne where I'd seen them about this time last year.
I got my bike serviced by East Side Bikes and back on the same day. Next day the sun was rumoured to be out so I jumped on my newly tuned bike and headed East. I had a notion to hunt for early Orange Tips along the Tyne where I'd seen them about this time last year.
I needed to get to East Linton but thought I might go there via Gullane to check on a couple of likely spots for any flutterings. I went into Gullane then followed our usual run-route down the John Muir Way. There were a few Peacocks and Small Ts but while it was all very pleasant I felt I should not dally too long as there were quite a few miles to cover.
new chain, new cassette, new derailleur, new saddle
Now the saddle was newer, sleeker and lower. I could feel I should put it a bit higher but didn't bother. Big mistake. A 57 mile ride over quite a lot of slow offroad ground left my left knee crocked, due to incorrect saddle height. And it bugged me for a couple of weeks. I raised the saddle and it was fine after that; but let that be a lesson!
Incidently I asked at the bike shop were they quieter or more busy on account of C19. Answer: much more busy - almost all of the extra custom being servicing bikes - removing 10 years of dust from hall bound cycles and blowing up tyres. Although it is sad and unfortunate about the amount of death and hardship from the virus, it has also brought about a lot of very good stuff. From people going out running and cycling, to driving less and not flying off on holidays. (I don't say this lightly as I should currently be chasing butterflies in Tenerife.) In fact it has brought about a lot of the eco things that putsy-faced Greta could only dream about. In fact a couple of things I've been glad not to hear a jot about recently are her and brexit.
Remember when that filled the news every night for 3 years? It would be a blessed relief except the news is now 100% virus and largely unwatchable. That and NHS heroes to clap. It's almost as if the Tories weren't the ones wrecking the NHS until just recently. Wonder how long their love of the NHS will last, beyond corona? In fact it will be interesting to see how quickly society returns to flying to conferences instead of zooming and the bikes begin to gather dust in the hall again. I'd give it 6 months. Hopefully a few of the new runners will stick with it, if only because this has proved one thing over everything - baseline fitness and health determines life or death when it comes to the crunch.
Remember when that filled the news every night for 3 years? It would be a blessed relief except the news is now 100% virus and largely unwatchable. That and NHS heroes to clap. It's almost as if the Tories weren't the ones wrecking the NHS until just recently. Wonder how long their love of the NHS will last, beyond corona? In fact it will be interesting to see how quickly society returns to flying to conferences instead of zooming and the bikes begin to gather dust in the hall again. I'd give it 6 months. Hopefully a few of the new runners will stick with it, if only because this has proved one thing over everything - baseline fitness and health determines life or death when it comes to the crunch.
How many deer on the golf course?
FORE!
deathly cruise ships harboured in the Forth
raggedy old timer - but strong flier
My first worry was the Tyne riverside paths would be off limits. However they were "open" as usual. They are quite narrow in places and I also worried there could be too many folk. However I only saw about 10 people max in the 6 miles from E Linton to Haddington, and there were plenty passing places to ensure large amounts of social distancing. I just dawdled along on the bike, looking for butterflies and if someone was up ahead I waited until a large open field or similar before passing. Far more hazardous proximity going supermarket shopping. The lovely weather raised spirits and everyone seemed happy to politely make room and smile and wave at each other.
Sadly it seemed I was just a few days too early for the Orange Tips. If there were any whites about I never saw them. Quite a few Small Ts and dozens of peacocks - maybe over 30, difficult to say as they would be sunbathing on the path and lift off as I came past. Sometimes flying ahead of me on the trail and landing again. Or spooking up another and the 2 would spiral off and upwards, into the blue sky. It was an amazing day, even without the OTs.
Sadly it seemed I was just a few days too early for the Orange Tips. If there were any whites about I never saw them. Quite a few Small Ts and dozens of peacocks - maybe over 30, difficult to say as they would be sunbathing on the path and lift off as I came past. Sometimes flying ahead of me on the trail and landing again. Or spooking up another and the 2 would spiral off and upwards, into the blue sky. It was an amazing day, even without the OTs.
beautiful riverside trails
At this point I was unaware there was any kind of limit on the amount of exercise suggested we were allowed. I am still not certain there is a general agreement about this although many have suggested it is an hour. Many others ignore this totally and are happily posting their daily runs and cycles exceeding an hour on strava. A BBC online guideline for the Coronavirus "rules" updated in the last couple of days says "The UK government hasn't set formal time limits for exercise." (Wales has and is a lot stricter.)
57miles
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