tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54509348555647462992024-02-26T17:35:21.760+00:00What this bike needs......Out in the sticks with a sewing machine and a bicycle.LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-45984213473487246922023-09-23T18:00:00.012+01:002023-09-24T18:33:13.641+01:00A Four Day Bike Tour around Four Counties<p> After trying to arrange a bike trip for what seemed like weeks, I finally did, setting off on Wednesday, 6th September, the start of the very hot period we had recently, when temperatures rose to 30 degrees C or so. I originally had a vague idea of where I wanted to go, which was on NCN Route 246 south through Andover, and then to Mottisfont on Route 24. After that I wasn't quite sure whether I'd go west or east. I spent ages looking for places to stay, which is the bit I don't like, as it's mostly done in front of a screen. In the end, the B and Bs that looked nice and had vacancies slightly dictated my route, but that was fine. As I was looking for them online, I thought to myself - </p><p>"Can't you get booklets listing B and Bs any more?" </p><p>My parents used to have such things. It turns out that an organisation called <a href="https://bedandbreakfastnationwide.com/" target="_blank">Bed and Breakfast Nationwide</a> does just such a booklet. I have seen it in years gone by but not lately. At my second B and B I was given one, and this is what I will use in future, as well as their website, which I had not seen when I'd searched the internet. </p><p>When I write a blog post, especially one covering several days like this, it takes me so long that by the time I've done it there's another ride to write about, so I thought that this time I'd try a slightly different format - the one I use in the notebook that I keep of all my rides. Let me know what you think. Also, sadly I seem to have somehow lost a lot of the photos I took, so I hope I can make it interesting enough with just words!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 1, Wednesday, September 6th, home (Oxfordshire) to Appleshaw (Hampshire, via Berkshire).</b></p><p><b>ROUTE</b>: East Challow, Letcombe Regis (Court Hill youth hostel) Great Shefford, Welford, Kintbury, Walbury Hill, Faccombe, Ibthorpe, Tangley, Clanville, Appleshaw.</p><p><b>WEATHER</b>: Hot by the time I got to the top of Court Hill.</p><p><b>WEARING</b>: Vest top, cotton shirt, Peter Storm zip-off trousers, socks, Hi-Tec shoes, Rab jacket (windproof). At top of Court Hill removed jacket, swapped socks and shoes for sandals, unzipped bottoms of trousers. Vest top also removed discreetly later. Shoes didn't come out of panniers again.</p><p><b>COMMENTS</b>: Left at 8. Had a small amount to eat en route, then at Great Shefford went off route by about 3 miles to Priscilla's Kitchen at East Garston for breakfast. Not quite the marvellous food I was expecting from what I'd heard - in my opinion 7/10 overall. Very good service though, and nice place generally.</p><p>Next proper stop was Kintbury, first one at the level crossing, where I watched two goods trains go by, then another at the canal. I love canal boats - the painted decoration in particular - and watching them go through the locks, which I think are amazing, especially considering how old they are. [One of the photos I lost!] Wished I could cycle along the towpath as it looked so inviting. Another day perhaps.</p><p>Hilly out of Kintbury, but managed well. Walbury Hill, 974 feet - another story!!!! Probably the toughest bit of my cycling life so far! Always knew I'd have to push but didn't think it would be for this far. Road officially closed so very little traffic. Extremely hot by now but thankfully mostly shaded until the last bit. Then yet more hill, but not so steep, and downhill to Faccombe, through woodland, where I stopped to eat. Got water at Faccombe church - first of many churches to provide me with water. [Another lost photo - a flint built church. Flint buildings common in this area.] </p><p>I was following the route on my Garmin so far (though had map as back up. Would never go without one) but missed turning up a track as I was too busy looking around, at some tents by the road and what looked like a gypsy encampment next to them. Nice garden though. Dogs barking. Later chatted to the very friendly couple (man shaven headed and tattoed) that occupied this encampment (off-gridders perhaps?) and they asked me if I was looking for somewhere to camp. I said no, but might be another time (I hope to). They then said I could camp in their woodland any time! They directed me to the track, saying it was the least hilly way to Appleshaw. Eventually found it. Big mistake....it had looked OK on google earth but it was hilly and stony, and I had to push for most of it. The couple I'd spoken to had assured me it was rideable.....well, at the very least you needed a mountain bike, and ideally a fat bike!! Or maybe even a motocross bike! And was it really the least hilly way? I do wonder what some people's definitions of hills are. It's all a bit subjective really isn't it? I took their word for it, but later realized that their opinion of hilly might not have been the same as mine. And a hilly stony track isn't the same as a hilly road!!! Result - lost about an hour, meaning had to rush last few miles to Appleshaw. Pity as they were lovely quiet lanes, with not just weeds growing down the middle, but practically a lawn, and a very lush one at that!</p><p>Cleaver Cottage B and B. Clean and comfortable and quiet, but "could do better". Host friendly (husband.) Was able to lock bike up in garage. Tea and coffee selection low quality, no fresh milk, no shelf to put toothbrush etc. on, nowhere to put soap in shower, shower head and basin taps needed descaling. Mug rather stained.... Cleaner one provided the next day while I was out. Had to go into field next door to get phone signal to message Husband. Ate a tuna fish thing. Shower, then bed about 7.30!</p><p><b>MILES: </b>Slightly over 40. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 2, Thursday 7th September, Appleshaw to Goodworth Clatford and a bit further</b></p><p>Bed comfortable, but hardly slept. A hot night though a breeze through the open window was cooling. Think I might have had a bit of heat stroke - head aching a bit, face throbbing, heart racing. Put wet kitchen towel on forehead during night. Drank lots of water. Fine by morning though. Breakfast at 8. A relaxed day was my intention.</p><p>Host (wife this time) did not introduce herself or tell us that toast was DIY. Bacon, egg, sausage, tomato, mushrooms - not bad. Orange juice (no bits) fruit yogurt, prefer natural but there wasn't any. Tea was stewed. Jam and marmalade cheap as chips - probably from bottom supermarket shelf. Bread for the DIY toast was cheap sliced stuff. One guest had come from Essex to fish at Stockbridge in the famous River Test. Talk of the Test leads me to one of my claims to fame, of which I have a few...) - Norman Thelwell, the cartoonist who drew pictures of fat little girls on fat ponies, lived on the Test, and was a customer of my dad's in his wallpaper and paint shop in Winchester. I met him myself once when he presented me with a magnum of champagne I had won in a raffle (goodness knows what I did with it!) when I worked in Bristol in a bookshop. </p><p>Very interesting guest opposite me! Lindsay from Creative Chic [can't get link to her website to come up properly] - a professional kitchen cabinet painter. Self taught, started with painting her own furniture. Is soon to be doing a TV programme with Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. Has been featured in posh magazines. We chatted a lot about what's going on in the world. She was working in a kitchen with the Aga going - in this heat!!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ROUTE</b>: Towards Thruxton, East Cholderton, Monxton, Abbots Ann, Anna Valley, Upper Clatford, Goodworth Clatford, back to Appleshaw almost the same way.</p><p><b>WEATHER</b>: Very hot again.</p><p><b>WEARING</b>: Same as yesterday.</p><p><b>COMMENTS</b>: Left at 9.15. Original plan was to cycle down NCN Route 24 to Mottisfont, down the Test Way cycle path, a distance of about 32 miles there and back, maybe varying the return route. However, needed to take it really easy after yesterday, so knew I'd probably only get as far as Stockbridge, taking in the villages en route. Cycled south towards Thruxton, then to Monxton. Got water at the church, and went in. A previous rector was Michael John Grylls. Any relation to Bear, I wondered? Beautiful spot by the chalk stream (the Pillhill Brook) with two benches. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxGOvF0ByDrVsCGtOVRqhrXv2t48NbDdPbH-vcQOUxKUlhWdrIE2h1oOGd1TwlVSVbhmUVu8YsrS9C_8VtGZVGy-BaMABHp4HbyMEQZHIRHcEcMfcPylmrM-oazzKKr57GxSdHe8Go60niognVmHdIEnAZMqeA3BG6NE648bLmMlZ1EkumDKlaEBm52B0/s3264/Day%202,%20Monxton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxGOvF0ByDrVsCGtOVRqhrXv2t48NbDdPbH-vcQOUxKUlhWdrIE2h1oOGd1TwlVSVbhmUVu8YsrS9C_8VtGZVGy-BaMABHp4HbyMEQZHIRHcEcMfcPylmrM-oazzKKr57GxSdHe8Go60niognVmHdIEnAZMqeA3BG6NE648bLmMlZ1EkumDKlaEBm52B0/w640-h360/Day%202,%20Monxton.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Had to just sit and look, as the poet W H Davies said in his poem "Leisure" - </p><p> "What is this life, if full of care,</p><p> We have no time to stand and stare?"</p><p>Young couple came over with little boy and older man, father of the dad I think. He was Italian, 81, and sat on the bench by me and told me about his experiences in Italy in the war, how his father had decided they had to leave their house because of bombs getting closer. Mother protested, but father insisted, and when they were 200 yards down the road a bomb fell on their house....they walked to a relative's house, foraging for food along the way.</p><p>Then to the pretty village of Abbots Ann, where I had coffee outside the village shop. Very friendly people in shop. Not that far from Winchester , where I was born and bred. I remember this village being mentioned in my childhood, but don't know why. Cycled past the watercress farm owned by Vitacress - never seen so many, and such big, watercress beds. [Another missing photo!]</p><p>In Anna Valley I couldn't resist going into <a href="https://www.greenfield-pork.co.uk/holding/" target="_blank">Greenfield Farm Shop</a>. I like to support farm shops. Bought tomatoes and a delicious sausage roll. Upper Clatford and Goodworth Clatford both very pretty villages, and clearly popular with visitors. Lovely spots to sit by the River Anton, which is the former name of the River Test, apparently. Never knew that, despite this being my home county. Laid myself to rest - literally, but not literally, if you know what I mean...) in the churchyard at Goodworth Clatworth, where I also filled my water bottles with lovely cold water.</p><p>Headed off on NCN Route 246 south towards Longstock, but as I was going uphill I knew I shouldn't even attempt to get to Stockbridge, because of the heat. Turned round and went back. Even though I was taking roughly the same route I didn't mind as I always think it's different when you're going the opposite way. Took a slightly different route, however, through Abbots Ann, then sat with my feet in the icy cold brook at Monxton for several minutes. The cooling effect lasted long after my feet had dried off.</p><p>Further on I noticed some fresh figs for sale outside a house - bought two for 50p, ate one. Never had one before, only dried ones. Hmmm... very little flavour. Threw the other one away. Back to Appleshaw, where I cycled up the other end of the village and looked inside the church, then sat on the green and consulted my map as to tomorrow's route. Back to B and B about 5 pm. The lady of the house came over and chatted a bit, which slightly made up for the lack of conversation from her this morning. Shower again (don't normally have this many showers, but I was certainly glowing a lot! I have been saving water since "they" asked us to in the hot summer of 1976), cup of coffee made with one of the Taylor's coffee bags I'd taken with me. They're not bad - far better than the Nescafe instant that was provided. Ate another tuna fish thing. Bed again about 7.30. Managed to get message to Husband to let him know I was ok.</p><p><b>MILES: </b>About 20 </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 3, Friday September 8th, Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire</b></p><p>Slept better, woke about 10 pm but went back to sleep till about 5.30 am. Up about 6. Breakfast at 7.30.</p><p>Just bacon and egg today - wasn't keen on the tomato or mushroom yesterday. Orange juice, fruit yogurt, toast. Cafetiere of coffee - I suspected it would be better than yesterday's tea and it was. Lindsay had breakfast a bit later than me but again we had an interesting chat. Also chatted to a couple who were visiting relatives nearby. </p><p><b>ROUTE</b>:<b> </b>Penton Grafton and Penton Mewsey, Upper Enham, Enham Alamein, Little London, Smannell, Stoke, Hurstbourne Tarrant, Ibthorpe, Upton, Vernham Dean, Fosbury. </p><p><b>WEATHER</b>: Very hot.</p><p><b>WEARING</b>: Same, but with change of shirt. As usual, removed vest top later.</p><p><b>COMMENTS</b>: The roads around Penton Grafton and Penton Mewsey were lovely for cycling, and again I took it slowly, enjoying my surroundings. </p><p>Next stop was one of those places I'll always remember - <a href="https://www.oaktrack.co.uk/" target="_blank">Oaktrack Farm Shop</a>. It was in the middle of nowhere and I'd hoped might also have a cafe but apparently it didn't. </p><p>There was - a plant nursery, their own meat and veg and eggs for sale, locally made preserves, pigs, sheep and chickens nearby, a small amount of local wool, some cards by a local artist, various gifty things, cheese in the fridge and also something white in jars. I asked what it was, and was told it was lard, from their own pigs, and was 50p a jar (they re-use jars too). I have started using lard again in the last couple of years or so, and very tasty it is too - bacon and eggs fried in it are the best! I do what my mum did, and spoon the hot fat over the eggs. (I also like the edges of the white to be just a bit frazzled.) 50p is a good price (I pay about 60p for 250g in the supermarket) and it's traceable of course. I have seen it much more expensive than that online. I had noticed all the tables and chairs about the place and wondered if they did in fact do refreshments, so I asked and she said -</p><p>"Oh, I can do you a coffee!" </p><p>Turns out that they can't at the moment run a cafe but they do have events where they do teas either outdoors, under cover of their barn or in a lovely log cabin. So I had a coffee (bit too hot...but the surroundings more than made up for it) and sat in the beautiful little orchard drinking it. </p><p>It cost me £2.44 which included the half dozen or so tomatoes I'd also picked up!!!</p><p>Then wandered happily round outside looking at the chickens, kids, and sows and piglets - Oxford Sandy and Blacks -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUgD8EZqyEshT77-jGE7nPluhGbFHgpKVLfJBYN3bzoqgvK-_Tj83U2i20vNkzPIaVIpomcHoDEdSzKHovulviByh4WWNfH1cGbcCog9EypMH3A5OePKhSeQQcSJZvs7c2Iu5fcopPrpEXBgOVet29DLMVMCpOFpkprKJzWdMsBd-qzaJaHKVgyiFcIAO/s3264/Day%203,%20Oaktrack%20Farm,%20piglets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUgD8EZqyEshT77-jGE7nPluhGbFHgpKVLfJBYN3bzoqgvK-_Tj83U2i20vNkzPIaVIpomcHoDEdSzKHovulviByh4WWNfH1cGbcCog9EypMH3A5OePKhSeQQcSJZvs7c2Iu5fcopPrpEXBgOVet29DLMVMCpOFpkprKJzWdMsBd-qzaJaHKVgyiFcIAO/w400-h225/Day%203,%20Oaktrack%20Farm,%20piglets.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>More lovely quiet roads, still very hot. To Upper Enham and then made a slight error in navigation (yes, again...) and ended up in Enham Alamein, another familiar name from childhood. But the thing is, to me this is what cycle touring is about - not worrying if you take a wrong turn sometimes, but just enjoying whatever you come across. Never knew the origin of the Alamein bit of the name, but read about it here - </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyidB1eTQYojKKi_3lU-HJ2FgrVVThwJgM9fK4EOmF8EnldDrnS6dRbWpi5spcSpRJKQFF9e3sfMucBb2FsfKeIcSzYVOLGOk9Pf7-VSahmgDIJqMK_CBZoDMpOEPLS3F7mGlTYZly_nef7ZS5l2vjbNY_ZFPi_VqWsJ01M36ra4WhtQwSFCPPzjS1Roc2/s3264/Day%203,%20E%20Alamein%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyidB1eTQYojKKi_3lU-HJ2FgrVVThwJgM9fK4EOmF8EnldDrnS6dRbWpi5spcSpRJKQFF9e3sfMucBb2FsfKeIcSzYVOLGOk9Pf7-VSahmgDIJqMK_CBZoDMpOEPLS3F7mGlTYZly_nef7ZS5l2vjbNY_ZFPi_VqWsJ01M36ra4WhtQwSFCPPzjS1Roc2/w640-h360/Day%203,%20E%20Alamein%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VfCF7pKUM1uQXCG8cpuMq-oc8XCxpQ-leUB4Z3YBe1QRDQfi1jYD5McoOmGzWIYe0fZT1cih5YMe3XVDqJXsDLoI0O_yRVcKitWdJKqi3vo3dGHAknTltypLwFixCoYbFKsd6WstHsiZkBHmbmQVdAqMZ1ebcQ4esVDCL2Jwbp9A9VAHgZLjeXJXvmrF/s3264/Day%203,%20E%20Alamein.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VfCF7pKUM1uQXCG8cpuMq-oc8XCxpQ-leUB4Z3YBe1QRDQfi1jYD5McoOmGzWIYe0fZT1cih5YMe3XVDqJXsDLoI0O_yRVcKitWdJKqi3vo3dGHAknTltypLwFixCoYbFKsd6WstHsiZkBHmbmQVdAqMZ1ebcQ4esVDCL2Jwbp9A9VAHgZLjeXJXvmrF/w360-h640/Day%203,%20E%20Alamein.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carved from a fallen oak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM281AjIn-4s_nWhZ3GZYgXQez_adwU09D_Q9z01Co716KdgxRa6cQTPPwUEHg5kI7BGXcugvG0yN9typTlpEXmLHsxLi218EWU0ocHkhdVch1-564antK5p_m7tgK6V737F1F-Lk8YtU6KqzeJ2z1OfbYO-SZ2HHTk4YW7Qb2LsMUeAgxljmxmb7Hjwnl/s3264/Day%203,%20Enham%20Alamein.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM281AjIn-4s_nWhZ3GZYgXQez_adwU09D_Q9z01Co716KdgxRa6cQTPPwUEHg5kI7BGXcugvG0yN9typTlpEXmLHsxLi218EWU0ocHkhdVch1-564antK5p_m7tgK6V737F1F-Lk8YtU6KqzeJ2z1OfbYO-SZ2HHTk4YW7Qb2LsMUeAgxljmxmb7Hjwnl/w640-h360/Day%203,%20Enham%20Alamein.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>One of the names on the statue plaque was Simon Weston, burnt badly in the Falklands War. Then another error - !! - and ended up in Little London, where I sat on a style to eat, in the shade. Two cyclists passed and asked if I was OK. Always nice when another cyclist does that.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TOSAAoXs2K6eSjNhfEkO-IlQ2lYabN7TzRqZoXpd0PCUtX23NB-O4un0aN7n2fxhzYrj0pFd0fBBBPtTaUaF3GfgR7bFG6a5tLdR-4-WCQs8Y7dr-C16-FEeXF8BboEg8yVzLJ7HwRFZdZW8IuHrs9XWTdkXQiRsWhrW2rH_snceguqwSW3r4MSC-7tI/s3264/Day,%203,%20Little%20London.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TOSAAoXs2K6eSjNhfEkO-IlQ2lYabN7TzRqZoXpd0PCUtX23NB-O4un0aN7n2fxhzYrj0pFd0fBBBPtTaUaF3GfgR7bFG6a5tLdR-4-WCQs8Y7dr-C16-FEeXF8BboEg8yVzLJ7HwRFZdZW8IuHrs9XWTdkXQiRsWhrW2rH_snceguqwSW3r4MSC-7tI/w400-h225/Day,%203,%20Little%20London.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>A school at Smannell looked more like a prison, with its heavy green metal fencing round it. Many of them have this these days. In fact, it's unusual to see a school that hasn't got it round it. I ask myself - why is it considered so necessary these days? </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHhFTygzEPXNiAmy-swqKockNLExr6KepG8-HukVvvvBdIhNG3B5ljmKlAyywwv5gLQTtPXhiry2EgOPkqQLgmAS-Fo7KqusordIDjhOFu3rguGdgmokq2z4pv612A_dXmy_yPgrtGGzb9EeuKCBzdxOZ6uzNO3Vjxd5gzHwZu620cIo5txQ0YOlynkPC/s3264/Day%203,%20school%20or%20prison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHhFTygzEPXNiAmy-swqKockNLExr6KepG8-HukVvvvBdIhNG3B5ljmKlAyywwv5gLQTtPXhiry2EgOPkqQLgmAS-Fo7KqusordIDjhOFu3rguGdgmokq2z4pv612A_dXmy_yPgrtGGzb9EeuKCBzdxOZ6uzNO3Vjxd5gzHwZu620cIo5txQ0YOlynkPC/w640-h360/Day%203,%20school%20or%20prison.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The pub opposite was much more visitor-friendly, obligingly filling my water bottles with cold iced water. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M3_NAz60g2pry3gss3sQBNxYm1Snqn00nwwhRDwvtotdgYf-J1uy3Ql7jRwrEFyoaqFb10EPC1DYhCAymWXVm-QHTm2PDyAmandKh564FwAl75qbdggNoSlcKlXllxBs1M3FrrDgBhplwMmdZIX6oixzDndCYmijKgGeVRiXg0qHozgVMRDmNJ9Zi-6F/s3264/Day%203,%20pub%20that%20gave%20me%20water.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M3_NAz60g2pry3gss3sQBNxYm1Snqn00nwwhRDwvtotdgYf-J1uy3Ql7jRwrEFyoaqFb10EPC1DYhCAymWXVm-QHTm2PDyAmandKh564FwAl75qbdggNoSlcKlXllxBs1M3FrrDgBhplwMmdZIX6oixzDndCYmijKgGeVRiXg0qHozgVMRDmNJ9Zi-6F/w640-h360/Day%203,%20pub%20that%20gave%20me%20water.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Up a hill towards Stoke (not "on Trent" but on the Bourne Rivulet). Stopped in the shade for a drink and along came another cyclist, and we got chatting. This is what I love about my cycling trips - all these random people I get chatting to! He was a lorry driver cycling home from Whitchurch to Andover, on a roundabout route. The next day he was going to be doing the Morris Major Audax, a ride of 200km starting from Kelmscott Manor (not far from me) with his son. Did they survive in the heat, I wonder???</p><p>On to Stoke where I diverted slightly as I'd spotted a phone box library, always hard to resist. Got these two books, despite knowing that it would, of course, add extra weight on my way home - </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tceo0bZrMqSvvsVvgmmfvQr4n-nX_8E58lQWz1iHO3oRY6ztSOOBzLg_4eIh3Qa5EE1IezAVqmMxkD-XV1qkEErMgSgqDfHD2dFcl_LZGeWRvVX0BoQfJfn2m5-7-N6Tym7v8xVY4TxAXZzE_psTmz1uVUT179TNuXVdUlDP9zkAcmgrCsr_Bs1oVzHN/s1164/Day%203,%20books.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1164" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tceo0bZrMqSvvsVvgmmfvQr4n-nX_8E58lQWz1iHO3oRY6ztSOOBzLg_4eIh3Qa5EE1IezAVqmMxkD-XV1qkEErMgSgqDfHD2dFcl_LZGeWRvVX0BoQfJfn2m5-7-N6Tym7v8xVY4TxAXZzE_psTmz1uVUT179TNuXVdUlDP9zkAcmgrCsr_Bs1oVzHN/s320/Day%203,%20books.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Then on along the Bourne Rivulet - completely dried up, and looked as if it had been for months. Stopped at Hurstbourne Tarrant church for water. Successful again, this time indoors. A wooden cover had been left open revealing a sink, at which I washed my face and filled my bottles. I was just leaving a note in the visitors' book, thanking them for their water, when I noticed a man in a mask in the porch, clearly slightly reluctant to come in when he saw me. We greeted each other and he did come in. I have never worn a mask, or had the jabs. I am very aware of how the events of the last 3 1/2 years have divided people, and I really felt I should try and have a conversation with him about his mask wearing. I had walked away from the church but knew that if I didn't go back and attempt to talk to him then I'd regret it. So I turned round and went back and did so. He did admit that in this sort of situation a mask "isn't really necessary " but he said I would never convince him that they didn't work. However, at least we had managed to have a civilized, though short, conversation about it. He wished me a good day. [Can't get that paragraph to align left - grrrr!]</span></div><p>I had had it in my head for several miles that I fancied scones and jam and tea, even though I rarely eat such carbohydrate-rich things any more. Spotted an open office door with a lovely bicycle outside, and went and asked the two ladies therein if there was a shop in the village, and/or a cafe.</p><p>"Yes, up at the garage. And the cafe is behind it."</p><p>Surprised that a wealthy village like this only has a shop at the garage. Think they are missing a trick. The cafe was good in some respects - scones and jam and cream scored 10/10. Tea, though in a fancy pot with an infuser in it, was too strong, even when I added hot water (which I requested. Remember the days when a pot of tea always came with hot water?). Sat outside on astro-turf....probably plonked on top of the tarmacked surface to give it more of a garden feel (remember it was behind the garage?) but it didn't really work. Just looked tacky. Service not bad but again - "could do better". I do think that shop and cafe assistants are simply not taught how to give good service these days. Felt rather bloated afterwards....</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2AfxBi3Bfdb6upNdX7_lehTyvt6o6TijtwzU9XyesYalYsAmECYH6Ot-o3ucNMr4OHA06OG9KJ0NWpy2Xm-pyQhM08EjuZ-nrZfDj3p1KuLlAoJYaTGqzZCVtXZSU9GOyUTasUnthzguy7E29ci5cON4yMrCT5VD3GL86Y_v0WEMslAj-Qqebresmkbn/s3264/Day%203,%20Cream%20tea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2AfxBi3Bfdb6upNdX7_lehTyvt6o6TijtwzU9XyesYalYsAmECYH6Ot-o3ucNMr4OHA06OG9KJ0NWpy2Xm-pyQhM08EjuZ-nrZfDj3p1KuLlAoJYaTGqzZCVtXZSU9GOyUTasUnthzguy7E29ci5cON4yMrCT5VD3GL86Y_v0WEMslAj-Qqebresmkbn/w400-h225/Day%203,%20Cream%20tea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is your mouth watering?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Ibthorpe next (around which I had skirted on that stony uphill track on Day 1) then Upton and Vernham Dean, along that dried up Bourne Rivulet, and finally Fosbury, where my next B and B was. I have sometimes quoted Pop Larkin from The Darling Buds of May before, and will do so again - <a href="https://talmage.co.uk/accommodation/" target="_blank">Talmage House</a>, was "Jus' perfick!" Bike was locked away in garage, then - oh the joy of seeing my cool, calm and welcoming room with lovely en-suite, lots of books, white linen tray cloths, spotless glasses and mug, good quality tea and coffee (coffee bags, same as mine!) fresh milk, fresh water, and a smiling, welcoming host. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxKEt44n3_DsevP8H4Ztbru2yyDGYEZet4SiqltqmRXkWCbX3ERdbEsFFLNAvb-rejWZyUSsfFPNVCrWCam_KSMe9Pz0u6-hmRX2rRJyn6KdPTcKeqLVSqeBR6MhD0LmFbBDIvScaKXv5_4VXtM93JKUx7I0IFE6sGV1zH0YIkDdG8T6i0xjDoUHubwCf/s3264/Day%203,%20lovely%20bedroom!.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxKEt44n3_DsevP8H4Ztbru2yyDGYEZet4SiqltqmRXkWCbX3ERdbEsFFLNAvb-rejWZyUSsfFPNVCrWCam_KSMe9Pz0u6-hmRX2rRJyn6KdPTcKeqLVSqeBR6MhD0LmFbBDIvScaKXv5_4VXtM93JKUx7I0IFE6sGV1zH0YIkDdG8T6i0xjDoUHubwCf/w640-h360/Day%203,%20lovely%20bedroom!.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Oh and Wi-fi too, but my ancient phone doesn't know what that is, and I'm jolly glad it doesn't. Had shower, went for walk to try and get signal to send Husband message (unsuccessful, but had done so earlier at Upton). Wandered round the lovely garden, said hello to the chickens, and a cat, which ran away from me. Bed 7.45, where I sat up reading about Vernham Dean and its water supply problems of the past. Maybe the dried up rivulet was quite normal. Sounds of owls as I lay in bed, windows wide open.</p><p><b>MILES: </b>22</p><p><b>Day 4: Saturday, September 9th, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire</b></p><p>Despite the lovely room and bed, did not sleep much. Up at 6. Breakfast at 7.30 - had fresh fruit salad and natural yogurt, orange juice (with bits), bacon and egg (could have had other stuff, too), toast (not DIY!) and home made marmalade. Tea good, not stewed! Lovely chat with Jenny, my host, who gave me the B and B booklet. Cat - not the same one as last night - very friendly, rubbing up against my legs. I like cats but had I not then Jenny would have sent it on its way.</p><p>Chatted about how doing B and B is really something you do because you enjoy talking to people, and don't mind sharing your home with them. The other place just didn't have that homely feel.</p><p>Left at 8.20.</p><p><b>ROUTE</b>:<b> S</b>halbourne, Bagshot, Hungerford, Eddington, Chilton Foliat, Straight Soley, Lambourn, home.</p><p><b>WEATHER</b>: Hottest day of the year.</p><p><b>WEARING</b>:<b> </b>Same as yesterday (feel the need to mention here that I do change certain bits of clothing each day...) </p><p>Long uphill, managed OK, and then down into Shalbourne, another lovely village - </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2noPOsjoBxtsIDChIqyE3gLKaJDoTPh6FMo3EMhYHTIeB5nTcAVROCcV2JroQZ2HM12TXcYwEjzZ_vNn4qQ_1c2E-jm5CsyPyqkJRBvv3RVvhN2bdDDD66COCKP3jaXJ14uw0QbtyVMsTeLgMa_z0duW-FsjUqmeJxCVGpiaC6zGR2hkv8k4-00kPf9o/s3264/Day%204,%20Shalbourne.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2noPOsjoBxtsIDChIqyE3gLKaJDoTPh6FMo3EMhYHTIeB5nTcAVROCcV2JroQZ2HM12TXcYwEjzZ_vNn4qQ_1c2E-jm5CsyPyqkJRBvv3RVvhN2bdDDD66COCKP3jaXJ14uw0QbtyVMsTeLgMa_z0duW-FsjUqmeJxCVGpiaC6zGR2hkv8k4-00kPf9o/w640-h360/Day%204,%20Shalbourne.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Trouble is it's mainly only the rich that can afford to live in England's villages these days. We only do so because Husband started work on a farm years ago, and when he was made redundant we were allowed to stay on in the house, though had to then start paying rent, which by law has to be less than the full market rent. </p><p>Another error of navigation meant I took a bridleway, near Bagshot, that was longer than the one I should have taken. More pushing!! At least it wasn't hilly and stony this time. Looked at the map after getting home and thought maybe it wasn't such a silly mistake, as the bridlepath I think I should have taken looked more like a footpath and there were no signs. Finally got onto NCN Route 4, and saw the bridleway I should have been on, which was more like a road, and thought -</p><p>"The Road Not Taken...." by the poet Robert Frost. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuQdtJFcOgnaXfO1rZwofBigatmNoRva40AstSz08jqF_aTyS--DxxS5wJ6af6Lz9K1amqKcaOcBf1pni40UjDEl7J0yDeupUinbDUABD1BQV9UlKcStagF8Z1vIERLMHlzblJrsfEjeXkVlcoJIgA2osqPYWxRgPKYoX9v90u-T5QoZOjCkit_KqFd7Y/s3264/Day%204,%20the%20road%20not%20taken....jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuQdtJFcOgnaXfO1rZwofBigatmNoRva40AstSz08jqF_aTyS--DxxS5wJ6af6Lz9K1amqKcaOcBf1pni40UjDEl7J0yDeupUinbDUABD1BQV9UlKcStagF8Z1vIERLMHlzblJrsfEjeXkVlcoJIgA2osqPYWxRgPKYoX9v90u-T5QoZOjCkit_KqFd7Y/w360-h640/Day%204,%20the%20road%20not%20taken....jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much better than the one I did take!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I like a bit of Robert Frost.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5uZtDh4TNR91-c0eBq-9nOKvTWXDPBDrtDQ-BHx7z1OXlAZ0mz8iuTIYmLLR_lV-CUvqBGOSwKNBXFBqHkLxZR7gFr7kjuWou0g0eUuwFxhy2Nat4UQwns2ZKxeqWU_uVXksqOCPoNGFlXV_oyDpognimqL91ml5hUe9udKA3y3H9egqdpvc0DTawxIP/s3264/Day%204,%20NCN%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5uZtDh4TNR91-c0eBq-9nOKvTWXDPBDrtDQ-BHx7z1OXlAZ0mz8iuTIYmLLR_lV-CUvqBGOSwKNBXFBqHkLxZR7gFr7kjuWou0g0eUuwFxhy2Nat4UQwns2ZKxeqWU_uVXksqOCPoNGFlXV_oyDpognimqL91ml5hUe9udKA3y3H9egqdpvc0DTawxIP/w360-h640/Day%204,%20NCN%204.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NCN Route 4 sign on the left. To Hungerford.</td></tr></tbody></table>.<br /><p>Cycled on into Hungerford, passing cyclists coming the other way. I also saw this lady in her garden at the top of the hill when I got to the main road.....</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpT2411cTpoBVKD5HUvziqfXl8lTvo-QidgmiSkyyfkh5NQ9agT8uTzoHtjhSlhqOTMyFnB8DGWqC32qBpNO3HFX10koXeKjFrImTHjDtA61H6ZPASWcPHPJCttK3M3sNk2sglDBoV2SS9gxq_mNzL0-_FWkF5K5z-4nv6ZmYl5CAiU9z6BZnKI91yuBn/s3264/Day%204,%20lady%20in%20garden.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpT2411cTpoBVKD5HUvziqfXl8lTvo-QidgmiSkyyfkh5NQ9agT8uTzoHtjhSlhqOTMyFnB8DGWqC32qBpNO3HFX10koXeKjFrImTHjDtA61H6ZPASWcPHPJCttK3M3sNk2sglDBoV2SS9gxq_mNzL0-_FWkF5K5z-4nv6ZmYl5CAiU9z6BZnKI91yuBn/w360-h640/Day%204,%20lady%20in%20garden.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope she sat down in the shade at some point...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Unlike all the other people I met, she wasn't very chatty...<br /><br /><p>Locked my bike outside some shops using the AXA lock that's permanently affixed to the back wheel, then got out the extra <a href="https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessorieslocks/safeman-compact-pocket-cable-lock/" target="_blank">Safeman lock</a> I'd bought earlier in the year. It's known as a cafe lock, i.e. not terribly thief proof but designed to make nicking your bike take longer and therefore less likely. Very lightweight .Had used it before but not for a while and couldn't remember how to use it!! So I just relied on the AXA lock. Had a chocolate chip ice cream cone (£3.50!!) standing in the shade, by the Kennet and Avon canal I'd stopped by 3 days ago, a few miles east of here at Kintbury. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyGxX9RlOXQa9vEUPIDEU7gOziXDdXXNiutDhIBHqDtIc-5OIGQYPyXbM9FDEvMdn4HsDE6lqFv1GiXClfnVPp4IyG73SKbc82ovBHwFgBMDO0x6TFsblACqHsc0mqXfOmK2ixAvhCdO0ZF_bRodjYtgR3al9-P55ZCSMyjXGOcnexFM3LpBy1zS7sZGX/s3264/Day%204,%20Hungerford.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyGxX9RlOXQa9vEUPIDEU7gOziXDdXXNiutDhIBHqDtIc-5OIGQYPyXbM9FDEvMdn4HsDE6lqFv1GiXClfnVPp4IyG73SKbc82ovBHwFgBMDO0x6TFsblACqHsc0mqXfOmK2ixAvhCdO0ZF_bRodjYtgR3al9-P55ZCSMyjXGOcnexFM3LpBy1zS7sZGX/w640-h360/Day%204,%20Hungerford.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Don't know what the temperature was by now but it was, to put it mildly, EXTREMELY HOT. After a quick look round a gift shop, I was eager to get out of the town, and away from the traffic. Don't think I've ever seen Hungerford so busy. Found my way out of town through Eddington. Changed my route plan slightly in order to be certain of passing another church, at Chilton Foliat, to get more water. If there wasn't a tap then there was a pub I could ask at. Incidentally, every church on this trip had a tap, either inside or outside. </p><p>At the church I noticed a lot of cyclists - it was Ride and Stride Saturday, when cyclists or walkers visit as many churches as possible to raise money for the churches. I felt as if I was doing this on my tour just to get water, but without the sponsors!! They'd come from near Avebury, and they'd all paused for refreshments. They had a back up van and offered me water if there wasn't a tap, but there was, this time inside, over a bucket. Actually now I come to think of it the sign on the open door I went through to the tap had said "WC", but I couldn't see another door to one. Surely the bucket wasn't ...? I don't think so... But I don't know where that WC was! As there were other cyclists resting inside the church I didn't have the nerve to wash my face under the tap..... </p><p>I stopped at the top of the hill out of the village, to dowse myself in water again, to drink it, and to eat and look at the map. There was another church further on but slightly off route, but with a short cut to it if I was reading the map correctly, so instead of taking a more scenic route towards Lambourn, I headed to where I thought the short cut started. Couldn't find it (I'd misread the map) so carried on up to the main road. When I got to the junction, and looked to the right, I thought - </p><p>"I just can't face an extra hill..."</p><p>And so I carried on to Lambourn. I knew I'd probably have enough water to last me until I got there. The stupid thing is that I had brought an extra bottle with me on this trip, a flexible one that didn't take up much space or weigh much, but every time I filled up my two usual bottles I forgot to fill that too! Still, I always had enough. Another rest at the top of another hill, and then a lovely long downhill into Lambourn - "valley of the racehorse". Lots of money here, but also drugs. Our old house got broken into once, on a Friday, when there was nobody at home. It was en route to Lambourn, and the police (who never caught the thieves, of course...) said it was probably someone looking for cash (which they found!) to buy drugs for the weekend. </p><p>Into the church again for water!! This time I couldn't see a tap outside, or a sink, or a sign to a WC.... However, when I spotted a heavy wooden countertop on one side of the church, I remembered the sink at Hurstbourne Tarrant and suspected there might be a sink underneath. I opened the cupboard doors below, revealing the underside of the sink! The counter top was very heavy (designed to put off people like me?) but I lifted it up, fixed it in place with the ingenious brass catch on the wall, and filled up again! And washed my face.</p><p>I'd also bought a packet of ham in the Co-op, thinking I'd only eat it if I really felt hungry in the next 6 miles or so to home, but in fact I demolished all three slices, sitting on the verge <a href="https://charleshills.co.uk/">here, outside the garden of the white house </a>being tantalized by the sound of a large water fountain behind the hedge!! </p><p>I was dreading this last bit of the journey, as it involved a stretch of about a mile of unshaded road, which in my head, if not in reality ( as it always comes at the end of a ride) - is always a slog. However, by now there was a slight breeze behind me, and it wasn't as bad as I'd expected. Another rest/drink/pour water over me in a shaded spot and it was then on to the last real uphill section before home. Just keep pedalling and you'll soon be home, I told myself. And I soon was! </p><p><b>MILES: </b>27</p><p><b>Some concluding thoughts:</b></p><p>None of these daily distances was anything out of the ordinary, but the heat and the extra stops needed for cooling down made them seem like a lot further. However, I was pleased that despite the heat, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, and felt I managed well. My only disappointment was not getting to Mottisfont. It was only the heat that stopped me. </p><p>However, much as I love a good B and B, I would enjoy the breakfast more if it came after I'd got a few miles under my belt. That thought, and watching this video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-_Dsq03XP0" target="_blank">Susanna Thornton</a>, about cycling with her 87 year old dad, gave me ideas for my next trip. Instead of moving on each day to somewhere new, they based themselves in Hereford in what looked like self-catering accommodation, and explored from there using buses and their Bromptons. I'd like to try having a base and exploring from it each day. </p><p>Here's a quote to end on, from England by Bicycle, by Frederick Alderson - </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9geeJeJMCtxb5sr2QBHRdxU53PBhIyLDnTWIR0gKAU5cXIFDYdI_LuCFsjS4eMtW3h3lXRWvCHpYAUFbxSoWl4_mcMfBk05f0Q6iJW_pXiXpwrkUi0jDP6mz-ptLZqFs4cEUjT2bVEE696aLA5mXdCfGIj2rkdDc1x2gvf0y3v71egRe1WGAw7wVanfP/s1003/bike%20book%20quote.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1003" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9geeJeJMCtxb5sr2QBHRdxU53PBhIyLDnTWIR0gKAU5cXIFDYdI_LuCFsjS4eMtW3h3lXRWvCHpYAUFbxSoWl4_mcMfBk05f0Q6iJW_pXiXpwrkUi0jDP6mz-ptLZqFs4cEUjT2bVEE696aLA5mXdCfGIj2rkdDc1x2gvf0y3v71egRe1WGAw7wVanfP/s320/bike%20book%20quote.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm all for "wayside rests". </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTBALyru0fFZTtsRwkl3Mi-iL7PgeDL-GVDjIq98MOlD-V19MwLFohr7FqGRwkNt_OQPYCHAaZZyS9KtU4JU0cyPDDJSV6r4E28zAQnOURKJu2ZIKHVP2Ipisdz25QRDS8aWVLLaKmD66faU1Bsn-V_lx2dwUDvz2xUqP1WLaS40qpGZ4XKqMovZnAXaB/s1057/Bike%20book%20quote%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1057" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTBALyru0fFZTtsRwkl3Mi-iL7PgeDL-GVDjIq98MOlD-V19MwLFohr7FqGRwkNt_OQPYCHAaZZyS9KtU4JU0cyPDDJSV6r4E28zAQnOURKJu2ZIKHVP2Ipisdz25QRDS8aWVLLaKmD66faU1Bsn-V_lx2dwUDvz2xUqP1WLaS40qpGZ4XKqMovZnAXaB/s320/Bike%20book%20quote%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like that - the "carefree spirit".<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-89678475933676746152023-06-29T17:00:00.105+01:002023-06-30T09:42:16.930+01:00Bob the Brompton goes to Devon!<p> Last week, Husband and I planned to go to Cullompton, in Devon, to visit our daughter, and I realized this was a good opportunity for me to take the Brompton in the car and cycle/take the train home. As happens so often when I am considering a longer or more unusual bike ride, I find myself getting nervous and mentally backing out, thinking of all the possible difficulties, and that's exactly what happened, emphasized by the newness of this adventure with Bob. However, as our 2 year old grandson has a habit of saying - "Did it!".</p><p>My original thought was to cycle to the station at Tiverton a few miles from Cullompton, get the train to Bristol, cycle the <a href="https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/bristol-and-bath-railway-path/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwy9-kBhCHARIsAHpBjHj5t82FJR0VFgZQU3s217v1atXylPBeYsJr8Nlr7Gx0D5eUuFZCV8AaAg4ZEALw_wcB" target="_blank">railway path to Bath</a> (I've long wanted to ride it), wild camp overnight nearby, then get the train the next day to Swindon and cycle home from there. However, I realized that this was too much new-to-me activity in one go, too much luggage to think about getting onto the train, and I only had a couple of days to plan it, and so I decided instead to do the whole journey home in one day.</p><p>Cycling trips like this take me ages to plan. I've got a spreadsheet of what I need to take but it still took me a good few hours over a couple of days to plan exactly what I needed for this particular trip, and the first leg of the route. I knew what the second leg would be, having already cycled it <a href="https://whatthisbikeneeds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here, (4th paragraph down)</a> </p><p>Regarding luggage, I had to think about the act of getting the bike onto the train; I needed both hands free for this, one for the bike and one for the bag - a Brompton Borough bag, which easily contained all I needed - which goes on the front of the bike, so the best place for any other bags was on my back, hence I also took my small 5 litre rucksack, strapping it to the rack when cycling. So, for the first part of the route, I needed to get from Cullompton to Tiverton Parkway, which was a choice of either a fairly straightforward one out of the town and then onto a cycle path which takes you straight to the station, or a slightly longer, but more scenic, route, but one which needed a bit more navigating. </p><p>On the morning of the Monday when I left my daughter's, I had a rough timetable in my head of the day. I decided that if I got away soon after 8, I would take the longer more scenic route. If it got to 8.20 I'd probably take the shorter route, which, once I was on the cycle path, would be straight there without needing to look at the map. Neither of the two routes were very far, one about 5 1/2 miles and the other 7 1/2, but as I said, with the longer one I had more to think about as I had to navigate more, which meant memorising as much as I could but no doubt having to stop and check the map as well. I found out that when you're suddenly cycling in a different area, rather than having cycled to it, it's very different. I wanted to buy a railcard at the station too, so that would add on some time, though I'd already filled in the form. In case you're wondering, I obviously hadn't got time to wait for one to arrive in the post, and I don't have a smartphone so couldn't get a digital one, which I wouldn't want anyway....I do possess a mobile phone but it is about 14 years old. All I want it for is the odd phone call or message. And even that I could happily manage without!!</p><p> As it happened, by 8.20 when I left I had already decided to take the cycle path anyway. I was a bit concerned about the roads in that area being quite busy, and both narrow and hilly in places. I'm still getting used to the Brompton and to knowing what I can manage in the way of hills on it, so this decision was all about making life easier for myself!</p><p>You might by now be thinking - "Get on with it!" But I am always curious as to what goes through other cyclists' minds when they are planning a trip, hence my detail in case you are curious too! </p><p>Now follow me out of Cullompton if you will.... I was too intent on getting to the station to take photos at this point unfortunately. Trying to find a different road out of the town to avoid the busier road wasn't successful, but I know where I went wrong so next time I'll get it right. I had to get off on a hill as I hadn't engaged the right gear; I stopped at the top for a drink and my second clementine of the day (more on food later). Finding the cycle path out of the neighbouring village of Willand wasn't as easy as it looked on the map. Back at home I'd done my research on where it was, and I checked the map again. It was only when I saw a postman driving down a tiny lane between two buildings that I realized that that must be where it started. I also saw a blue NCN sign - I hadn't realized it was part of an NCN route. <i>Why are the blue NCN signs so small and hard to see, and why aren't there more</i> <i>of them?!!!!!</i> "They" want us to cycle more so why don't "They" make it a bit easier by spending more money on better signage, for a start.... I wish I'd taken a photo of the usual tiny hard-to-see sign at the start of the path just to show anyone who's not familiar with them how ridiculously tiny they are.</p><p>I got to the station a bit later than planned, so I gave up on buying the railcard that day and just bought my ticket (a real paper one....). Then the moment of folding the bike in public for the first time came! And yes, I did mess it up slightly! but I sorted it out and was rewarded as I got on the train with the lady behind me saying - "I think you're very brave!" I felt rewarded anyway! The train wasn't crowded and I successfully put the bike on the bottom of the luggage rack, and then found a seat right in front of it, where I could keep an eye on it. Some people actually lock the bike to the train, so I've read, to deter opportunist thieves. Phew, Stage 1 of the journey successfully completed! The only eventful thing that happened was that later I went to the loo, came back, and after a while realized I hadn't got my rucksack - which contained all the important stuff. My stomach turned over as I imagined that someone had pinched it when passing down the aisle. Then I realized I must have left it hung up in the loo, went back, and there it still was - thank God!</p><p>I had to change at Bristol Parkway, and again I was nervous about this, having only 12 minutes to change, and not being familiar with this station. As it happened all I had to do was cross a matter of yards from one platform to the neighbouring one - no stairs or lift involved. Again I got on the train and put the bike on the bottom of the luggage rack, and found a seat in front of it. Stage 2 successfully completed! About 40 minutes later I arrived at Swindon, and, breathing a sigh of relief, immediately made for the cafe, where while waiting to be served, another cyclist, and owner of a Brompton he didn't use any more, came up and chatted to me about mine. I can see that it is definitely a bit of a conversation starter - like dogs and babies! I think I'm going to get a lot of enjoyment out of it.</p><p>Up to that point I had only had two clementines, plus water and tea to drink. The reasons for this are to do with what's called "intermittent fasting" - leaving a longer gap between your last meal on one day and your breakfast on the next. It was also to do with feeling nervous about a ride and wanting to just get on and go rather than trying to force myself to eat while in that nervous state. Once upon a time I used to feel almost sick if I didn't eat before going out in the morning, but I have discovered now that I feel much better when doing this, even when I go out on my bike. The other day I went 15 miles before stopping to eat. So, I ate my lunch, trying not to wolf it down in my hunger (origin of that expression - the digestion of dogs starts in their stomachs, not in their mouths as does ours, so for them "wolfing it down" is fine!), bought an apple for later, and then for the first time in my life used the lift (well, obviously I've used a lift before but not at a station) to get down to the exit. </p><p>Then to unfold the bike, again for the first time in public. I think by now I was getting slightly more confident and I did it correctly, and off I went on my cycle ride out of Swindon. Please forgive the awful quality of these photos - I'm putting them in just to give some indication of what my ride out of the town was like. My camera has stopped working and I was using Husband's old smartphone.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGemEXyymLf2Y_KqXC6EaCKXF9SGyHeE7g_BtInrJVcVsNp1fyEK5sEhb2FmdaoOV1oH_4U9JLOUNWa_WOCugAMyHjr4fiZQgyEeKmJEFSwNbbUnYfiIyi9-EE3ZfF9NZEQwofI4EE2osngSVg1nyxlcwqDMwhWW2D3cZx69bQA7m4JxefXqeE90HQF_97/s1600/1%20Just%20left%20the%20station.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGemEXyymLf2Y_KqXC6EaCKXF9SGyHeE7g_BtInrJVcVsNp1fyEK5sEhb2FmdaoOV1oH_4U9JLOUNWa_WOCugAMyHjr4fiZQgyEeKmJEFSwNbbUnYfiIyi9-EE3ZfF9NZEQwofI4EE2osngSVg1nyxlcwqDMwhWW2D3cZx69bQA7m4JxefXqeE90HQF_97/w300-h400/1%20Just%20left%20the%20station.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just left the station. Beautiful Swindon...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />This is the world famous "Magic Roundabout", in the middle of Swindon, and is actually 5 roundabouts, if I remember rightly. It's OK once you are used to it, but if not.... I remember a friend telling me that her husband used to go quiet when negotiating it...When I took this photo there wasn't much traffic about, surprisingly.<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OmpoYLnZOm7-lDCR3bDkIWXuZzQLsFUn0qpkBdaaWIkzggTGRI-IhczPOKrwFVAiwRfNLJDKfmjrswG76vPXS3DomY64gzJRiasBYLzjJsYMngycj9aUlSJR2A6f6_AhnckglijOmjFbbGgP2RWf4rmK9bx8qQS0YOBjwn8G_IfNyZeRfU2GDiD03P76/s1600/2%20Magic%20roundabout.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OmpoYLnZOm7-lDCR3bDkIWXuZzQLsFUn0qpkBdaaWIkzggTGRI-IhczPOKrwFVAiwRfNLJDKfmjrswG76vPXS3DomY64gzJRiasBYLzjJsYMngycj9aUlSJR2A6f6_AhnckglijOmjFbbGgP2RWf4rmK9bx8qQS0YOBjwn8G_IfNyZeRfU2GDiD03P76/w400-h300/2%20Magic%20roundabout.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Magic roundabout"!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquVTz8Jld32okaSerMsYofP93UJa9EIhc-VScnzUEiT0TlA4pN_Qpkl8hlzV0xI_AiwfUaJ8k4G4HSC4guPUAKV1GT_CCo9Z1rOjOeD98Fe6RDNYBaRSeXzPgE5txW00mKIVD0oDCH91oJl0IK_JIh1VvcxIswVMGdrdkkyyCBQLy7OK0nhmebp9MggVG/s1600/3%20Shrivenham%20Road.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquVTz8Jld32okaSerMsYofP93UJa9EIhc-VScnzUEiT0TlA4pN_Qpkl8hlzV0xI_AiwfUaJ8k4G4HSC4guPUAKV1GT_CCo9Z1rOjOeD98Fe6RDNYBaRSeXzPgE5txW00mKIVD0oDCH91oJl0IK_JIh1VvcxIswVMGdrdkkyyCBQLy7OK0nhmebp9MggVG/w300-h400/3%20Shrivenham%20Road.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrivenham Road - getting greener...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As I said, I'd done this ride before so didn't need to consult the map, but, yes, you've guessed it, I still managed to go wrong. but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it teaches you to use your brain! I looked round me at my choices, and realized which direction I needed to go in, and was soon on the right path. </p><p>Apart from some quiet roads and backstreets, I rode on cycle paths, and over this bridge -</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25klMoAmMdH6m9vpQfes_tBjLSGnNFmeNodVXphpBW9WVfXqzP8ZgnK2ffltbZS8EPkzwJacoKfPYaZULJf8DllbIghVwLckpJ1qS2aC4g2-s3yRIPcQ2zV1NcGXqo8A-rk-2sXN1td805LjqFUp65y1kCYDSNhdTrhdLQg3CoUBWqq_n-YVQE0mJbndE/s1600/4%20near%20Go%20Outdoors.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25klMoAmMdH6m9vpQfes_tBjLSGnNFmeNodVXphpBW9WVfXqzP8ZgnK2ffltbZS8EPkzwJacoKfPYaZULJf8DllbIghVwLckpJ1qS2aC4g2-s3yRIPcQ2zV1NcGXqo8A-rk-2sXN1td805LjqFUp65y1kCYDSNhdTrhdLQg3CoUBWqq_n-YVQE0mJbndE/w400-h300/4%20near%20Go%20Outdoors.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over the A419 near Go Outdoors<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>until I got to the Cop Shop on the A420 -<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ccYLj42DwyBXOVkdUDHqUGdPc33f68jiyrZVu411zdiLrhKzTgqZYAPW3sY0JpPhOptpB7KNyxWypBIOuEgJl01TG92cqyBd7UVg1B1f88zdswVAESFXMw5JSDoK6xl7w4VbfSOB1VP095-q4iX6dVd8tuXRWlEQ-6g5sWlp0F-L89Wk_6LdSllONJMN/s1600/7%20The%20Cop%20Shop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ccYLj42DwyBXOVkdUDHqUGdPc33f68jiyrZVu411zdiLrhKzTgqZYAPW3sY0JpPhOptpB7KNyxWypBIOuEgJl01TG92cqyBd7UVg1B1f88zdswVAESFXMw5JSDoK6xl7w4VbfSOB1VP095-q4iX6dVd8tuXRWlEQ-6g5sWlp0F-L89Wk_6LdSllONJMN/w400-h300/7%20The%20Cop%20Shop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div><div><br /><p>and then I was out of town and onto this bridlepath - </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk45W_hV-n6Rac_ahvd7c-dgvC7azcJ6P_XRHTyoF67jfeSnZkr2HwyMIBUEvEzfNEy46ATAagfx5__zx_S0nmJ2TmpQ6MNmObwaz7PI9ZwtW64t2kra1qD0o_D7taUL1KJ1cnJQ32TjPQOxJv27PJdCOFPkUCK1RwGoWuXl0eYOmJMdP1TrbKECQxaRkM/s1600/8%20Bridleway%20to%20south%20Marston.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk45W_hV-n6Rac_ahvd7c-dgvC7azcJ6P_XRHTyoF67jfeSnZkr2HwyMIBUEvEzfNEy46ATAagfx5__zx_S0nmJ2TmpQ6MNmObwaz7PI9ZwtW64t2kra1qD0o_D7taUL1KJ1cnJQ32TjPQOxJv27PJdCOFPkUCK1RwGoWuXl0eYOmJMdP1TrbKECQxaRkM/w400-h300/8%20Bridleway%20to%20south%20Marston.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridlepath (where the yellow arrow is) to South Marston </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>From South Marston I went through Nightingale Woods to <a href="https://rovesfarm.co.uk/">Rove's Farm</a>, to buy some more food to keep me going.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37fTvngzUIeGbLYYqSYtHmP6PO4h4mVsR9Yp4Ls02NIScEUclhScpwxB_XzuDN9-7wM4xPaJAnn6OtO9Zp24RYZyyRNMI-Ey5buCKJrlPNvmXTYqEyDS3AD-aNMbrimLeQF8LuF9ABlB8jc16EESYMRgDVj2sJIjqlzGZBk_xTIw1xVSPoalhw0Uwma41/s1600/10%20Rove's%20Farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37fTvngzUIeGbLYYqSYtHmP6PO4h4mVsR9Yp4Ls02NIScEUclhScpwxB_XzuDN9-7wM4xPaJAnn6OtO9Zp24RYZyyRNMI-Ey5buCKJrlPNvmXTYqEyDS3AD-aNMbrimLeQF8LuF9ABlB8jc16EESYMRgDVj2sJIjqlzGZBk_xTIw1xVSPoalhw0Uwma41/w400-h300/10%20Rove's%20Farm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brompton Borough bag on the front, rucksack on the back, home made bag on the stem.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Incidentally, I made this stem bag, to put my water bottle in, from a chalk bag -</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JNlKu1tiSfZBp0ZGbGqvIFXo1CeBhbOKVSP5AEW3nID4N9QEI8axs8YpX_ZmqabM0dtWUTFB14FpganNQdBOyNTPnff3YQanEiunArfXOt4gc1crxKaBPkqmGOGYeTmYebV_5sncucgNuPVsoJKSiWtkzTcDFCcNsp5jLfVTq0NQ5ETUc3YBOZHYZatA/s2592/Stem%20bag%201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JNlKu1tiSfZBp0ZGbGqvIFXo1CeBhbOKVSP5AEW3nID4N9QEI8axs8YpX_ZmqabM0dtWUTFB14FpganNQdBOyNTPnff3YQanEiunArfXOt4gc1crxKaBPkqmGOGYeTmYebV_5sncucgNuPVsoJKSiWtkzTcDFCcNsp5jLfVTq0NQ5ETUc3YBOZHYZatA/s320/Stem%20bag%201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><p>I was able to push the bike right up to the cafe/farm shop (behind the buildings in the photo) where I felt it was safe to leave it while I went in. They have a drinking water tap where you can fill up your bottle, as well as loos. Then it was on through Sevenhampton (Ian Fleming is buried there) Shrivenham, Longcot (stopped again for water - there was a tap outside the church. The water from these church taps is always deliciously cold!) and Uffington (John Betjeman lived there) to home a couple of miles away. I did not attempt one last local hill, because by then I was tired and hot and again because I'm not sure of what I can do on this bike, and now didn't feel like the time to try. I got home at 5 pm, having left my daughter's house at 8.20 am. About 27 miles (peanuts!) in total on the bike, but a long day! </p><p>I am amazed by how comfortable the Brompton is to ride. It wouldn't be the bike I'd choose out of my 3 to go on a long tour - though plenty of people do - but I'm more than pleased with what I've been able to do on it so far. </p><p>Money - about £1650 with the bag and a couple of upgrades - well spent!!! I don't mind being honest and revealing how much things cost sometimes. but you know that noise that people make when you've told them the cost of something and they think it's a lot? Well, someone did just that recently when I told them the price in answer to their question. I could have spent a long time in conversation about it...</p><p>In conclusion - what a great way to travel!!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-54388261938242936142023-06-16T18:00:00.041+01:002023-06-16T18:00:00.137+01:00Cooking breakfast outside on my Trangia stove<p>Before I explain the title of this post, let me just tell you about my trial run to Swindon railway station. I'd already ridden to Didcot station on Bob the Brompton and wanted to compare it to a route to Swindon station, which is a bit further away from us. I didn't ride the Brompton as I wasn't at all sure of a part of the route I'd chosen, which was a bridleway, so I rode the Koga. I cycled via Uffington, Shrivenham and Bourton and then on a bridleway to the village of Horpit, on the outskirts of Swindon, after which I had to negotiate unexpected building works for a new road near the Commonhead roundabout. Despite there being no signs for pedestrians or cyclists, I found my way through, and then it was on to the cycle paths, or quiet roads on NCN route 45, in Swindon all the way to the station. The whole journey there was 19 miles and took me about 4 hours.... but I didn't set out to do it as fast as possible, but to explore a possible route and to enjoy it. And to chat to people like the lady with a dog who came along just as I was emerging from a field, having been looking for a bit of privacy to obey the call of nature (unsuccessful) and asked me, probably because I was well off the footpath that runs through the field, if I was lost! We had a nice chat and then further on I was successful....</p><p>The bridleway was very muddy in one or two spots but I got round them, and by now they will probably have dried up. It was a really lovely route as far as the roundabout, and even after that in Swindon town it was mainly traffic free. It's rather an odd feeling to cycle somewhere you've only ever driven to before. "Did I really get here on my bike?" I found myself thinking.</p><p>I would just like to add a note about Swindon here: As a child I had some friends who lived down the road from me, in a flat over a shop, and when they moved to Swindon my mum made a negative comment about it (I can't remember the comment specifically) and ever since then whenever I think about Swindon, in my mind it is a grey place....it's that thing of associating names and nouns with colours. </p><p>My route home was to go out of Swindon through Lower Stratton and past the police headquarters, and then I was out in the countryside again and going through the village of South Marston, then Nightingale Woods and Rove's Farm (had cup of tea in the cafe and looked round the farm shop) , Sevenhampton (burial place of Ian Fleming), Watchfield (home to the Defence Academy of the UK - I wouldn't mind a snoop round there..!) Compton Beauchamp, and the hilly and winding B4507 to home. 39.46 miles in about 8 1/2 hours....</p><p>So - back to breakfast outside. I'm not someone who just goes for bike rides for the sake of it - I like to have an aim and a purpose behind it. As well as cooking breakfast outside, I wanted to see if some bridleways and byways were rideable on my bike, for future rides perhaps. With reference to the stove, I have often used my Trangia burner with cross members, and kettle, to boil water for coffee (and no I don't pour it on boiling, I leave it to cool for precisely one minute) when out on a ride, but had only ever used the whole stove (a Trangia 25 Duodossal) to cook breakfast in our garden, and it hadn't been particularly successful. I knew that I had to challenge myself to take it on a bike ride and cook in the wild (with the hope of doing a spot of wild camping this summer) so that was the aim of this ride. After much map reading I decided on a route, and while preparing to go I remembered that on that route there was a very beautiful and peaceful wooded burial ground at Sheepdrove Organic Farm. This is it - <a href="https://sheepdrove.com/natural-burial/" target="_blank">Sheepdrove Natural Burial Ground</a>. Jus' perfick! as old Pa Larkin of The Darling Buds of May would say. There were two good climbs on the way there, one of which I knew I could do, and did, and the other I knew I couldn't (up to the Ridgeway) and didn't....but I like to have a go.</p><p>The owners of Sheepdrove Farm, Peter and Juliet Kindersley, of Dorling Kindersley Publishers fame, live in the house below, on the byway - the house is very unusual, surrounded by trees on three sides, and the garden is beautiful, though my photo doesn't do it justice.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOzNCumTOuKxg5v1-yg0rczLyLgN5GOMM1IpswfK6rVCVG2oWq_QObT9R8eE0VKh0QQCqyjxx-wDuP9f7PawARBxkbcLsgil9Ej7W_IIsjUm8TgZNEXfJ26jbKuYIc847nzmeOgFGTzC0pZGLJgeXjfrNHl7Q-i9nNqEnyJNWcBTrfAEIe7NJbtLRyA/s1296/IMG_4082.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOzNCumTOuKxg5v1-yg0rczLyLgN5GOMM1IpswfK6rVCVG2oWq_QObT9R8eE0VKh0QQCqyjxx-wDuP9f7PawARBxkbcLsgil9Ej7W_IIsjUm8TgZNEXfJ26jbKuYIc847nzmeOgFGTzC0pZGLJgeXjfrNHl7Q-i9nNqEnyJNWcBTrfAEIe7NJbtLRyA/w640-h478/IMG_4082.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>And opposite. Not a bad view to have from your house.... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HRRbfpIwphu86_Y7cB4xHsh-xktvq87gRCgrX7_kojy0EoFaoX2CghaN8t5RchrWKny34y-VRsX8bhNdX3EcPkK5W2fndA8c4Sai68B5GlfzSCiB2oZyUh5qPNeUXlpy4dCirnq-yNQxBLnhihxzK43LwzIyPjmyJNnJ4-EsoJ20A10w7o1eXnGvBQ/s1296/IMG_4086.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HRRbfpIwphu86_Y7cB4xHsh-xktvq87gRCgrX7_kojy0EoFaoX2CghaN8t5RchrWKny34y-VRsX8bhNdX3EcPkK5W2fndA8c4Sai68B5GlfzSCiB2oZyUh5qPNeUXlpy4dCirnq-yNQxBLnhihxzK43LwzIyPjmyJNnJ4-EsoJ20A10w7o1eXnGvBQ/w640-h478/IMG_4086.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I chose a nice spot on the edge of the wood, with a fairly new grave (the mound in front of the bench, complete with dead tulips. Incidentally, none of the graves are marked with names.) and a bench. As Mrs Armitage would say - "What every campsite needs is somewhere to put your stuff!". If everything has to go on the ground, including yourself if there isn't even a log to sit on, then it all gets a bit tricky, I have discovered. A bench served the purpose of both table and seat. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpX29maBAG1i_i1KAXJJkaQLlAuurZjzdPMgFGtEe-2y8qr6ltCENuXnNvX15WmFbt_Ee5NT4Gl_etATRjUMdA4ShT0SolJoWd2m03gPdVnja5Yni2bzicjQ9V7cYjnPCxYxQ0qJkOqOa1CAWNQaDI5MtsKL52kZ7_BcWYpvNo02tNZCIgpPS5OGB6A/s1296/IMG_4089.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpX29maBAG1i_i1KAXJJkaQLlAuurZjzdPMgFGtEe-2y8qr6ltCENuXnNvX15WmFbt_Ee5NT4Gl_etATRjUMdA4ShT0SolJoWd2m03gPdVnja5Yni2bzicjQ9V7cYjnPCxYxQ0qJkOqOa1CAWNQaDI5MtsKL52kZ7_BcWYpvNo02tNZCIgpPS5OGB6A/w640-h478/IMG_4089.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>A bit burnt but still very tasty, and better than my garden attempts - <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqtCt-7pFkIQLAq1p6YAMNJabvIGHshm56fIIuXj3zzLM3Ahx96tlUel9nR16MWYPTAHCwbUwHLhCtcFUJ_dZb0vn9F29XJUcjcb95KXL_IphMFam7ljZwnDkcyXfKtEQU7wS8bqkLlH-fawwQvj4Ef5JXT-8NQ7OYfJA0Qmaobb6oY6MBIhkw5V72g/s1296/IMG_4090.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="968" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqtCt-7pFkIQLAq1p6YAMNJabvIGHshm56fIIuXj3zzLM3Ahx96tlUel9nR16MWYPTAHCwbUwHLhCtcFUJ_dZb0vn9F29XJUcjcb95KXL_IphMFam7ljZwnDkcyXfKtEQU7wS8bqkLlH-fawwQvj4Ef5JXT-8NQ7OYfJA0Qmaobb6oY6MBIhkw5V72g/w299-h306/IMG_4090.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><br /><p>I also had yogurt and banana and my home made elderberry syrup, and two <i>small</i> chocolate digestives - I don't often have biscuits these days but my son and family, who have recently been staying with us, had left them behind and I took upon myself the onerous task of finishing them. It was a lovely spot to sit and eat, and I thought - I must do this again! However..... I was just packing up when a group of mourners appeared on the path ahead of me, which shocked me a bit! I wondered if the smell of bacon and coffee was lingering in the air..... Fortunately they weren't visiting "my" grave, and in fact they didn't even glance in my direction, though they were only yards away. </p><p>Having had quite a chilly start (it's been like that for many days now, chilly days that take ages to warm up, and I have only just stopped wearing winter clothes) it was now getting pretty hot, and after leaving the wood I removed two layers from on top, and the zip-off bits of the zip-off trousers I'd recently bought. I am always interested in what other cyclists wear (unless it's lycra...), so in case you are too, these were Peter Storm men's ones. They actually fit me really well, though I don't think I've got a manly shape.... The men's clothing in Go Outdoors, where I bought them, is always in colours much more to my liking than the women's, and they also seem to have a better choice of styles and fabrics. I bought some women's Brasher trousers a while ago, in a synthetic stretchy fabric, although I don't normally go for fabrics like that, and for a while I really liked them for cycling in, as they were very comfortable. I even bought a second pair. However, they have gone out of shape and look terrible. The Peter Storm ones are a much nicer cotton mixture fabric. I used to like Craghoppers trousers and shorts until they too started using synthetic stretchy fabrics.</p><p>And after that I rode on bits of bridleway, and parts of the Ridgeway, going east. Some were easily rideable, like this part of the Ridgeway (you can see why it is called a white road) and some I had to get off and walk. I nearly fell off once, but recovered myself and bike in time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fbFb1Gs5hRwEZIUbvcz5CizjkHNdOFcvXB6swFA8kjjLXSSi6O7fydKOCtkF-Zy8TkzEnLT62Bk5IAHfZvjnOVmuoWBUuOkivlTQOi9fXKO9dcsBWWVYTcLYJg-90o77_RpQ8DJhXWGNbl56GRxoxvlfgAnC6FDIG296fYGRSFKmtkukXSGPIiPZBg/s1296/IMG_4097.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="968" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fbFb1Gs5hRwEZIUbvcz5CizjkHNdOFcvXB6swFA8kjjLXSSi6O7fydKOCtkF-Zy8TkzEnLT62Bk5IAHfZvjnOVmuoWBUuOkivlTQOi9fXKO9dcsBWWVYTcLYJg-90o77_RpQ8DJhXWGNbl56GRxoxvlfgAnC6FDIG296fYGRSFKmtkukXSGPIiPZBg/w299-h400/IMG_4097.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>In the photo below, looking down from the Ridgeway, the arrow on the left is pointing to new houses (there are thousands...) built on the east side of Wantage, the one in the middle points to the road to Wantage from Newbury, and the one on the right points roughly to Didcot power station.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EC4J8v-taOJ7fT2knsx_5Gq9cCHSxGfizg-bbFv38MQzxATCuXkOPwMl0dD6ZU0BP_78fbpj__pn-9YDq3t4OUyWuMb-gAMEPI30qqvcbdk9xM-g8nARX7ZiuYaJtVx8hi55e4101l4oKMxFjsgoe3mA7gDkq8fgRqLge2SFecjSxrLHVA1sA-OHyQ/s1296/IMG_4102.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EC4J8v-taOJ7fT2knsx_5Gq9cCHSxGfizg-bbFv38MQzxATCuXkOPwMl0dD6ZU0BP_78fbpj__pn-9YDq3t4OUyWuMb-gAMEPI30qqvcbdk9xM-g8nARX7ZiuYaJtVx8hi55e4101l4oKMxFjsgoe3mA7gDkq8fgRqLge2SFecjSxrLHVA1sA-OHyQ/w640-h478/IMG_4102.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Another part of the Ridgeway, looking east.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUYhIHg1z5i9F54nRb5Vz1mhA3PPCye7h-AQ9KWvcxiQSLhFWoixIS_x9_eLQWhyr9tsL_UbDakz3G9nhpejEJheeng982xd0kryfV40EdwEZ6CU3sLcXIsJbiIehShaUM2OxRKhoJBfb-qbyul373Vn5wyT253pXjP-tnLI84QP-w4UHWOLPDHovPQ/s1296/IMG_4103.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUYhIHg1z5i9F54nRb5Vz1mhA3PPCye7h-AQ9KWvcxiQSLhFWoixIS_x9_eLQWhyr9tsL_UbDakz3G9nhpejEJheeng982xd0kryfV40EdwEZ6CU3sLcXIsJbiIehShaUM2OxRKhoJBfb-qbyul373Vn5wyT253pXjP-tnLI84QP-w4UHWOLPDHovPQ/w400-h299/IMG_4103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p>I took a byway down from the Ridgeway towards East Hendred, and then turned off onto part of NCN route 544 and headed west to Wantage, and then home, refilling my water bottles with lovely cold water from a tap outside Ardington church.</p><p>I am glad to have completed the challenge of cooking outside in the wild, and I really enjoyed doing the off-roading. I wouldn't want to do it in the winter on my bike, but at this time of year it was fine, and made a lovely change from riding on the road all the time, and I don't mind at all having to get off and walk. About 26 miles - in 8 hours!! That's my kind of cycling!!</p><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-9433268027383227112023-04-24T18:00:00.026+01:002023-04-24T18:00:00.209+01:00I like my Koga again. And meet Bob....<p> It's been a long time since I posted. I have continued to cycle but not very far, and mainly just to go shopping. Sometimes events happen in life that cause you to take a break from things, even things that you love doing, and to think about why you do them, and indeed <i>should</i> you do them. Undoubtedly events of the past 3 years or so have caused me to do just that - to take that break, both from longer cycling trips and from blogging, even though I didn't really do it intentionally. However, I feel as if now it's time to get back to more cycling, and back to blogging. Part of my original intention when I started the blog was to help other people, because I had found other people's blogs very helpful (and I still do), and I do feel that in my own small way I have something to offer, so here I am again!</p><p>In my last post I wrote that I was going to sell my Koga. Well, I didn't get any interest, so knowing I was going to be keeping it after all I decided to spend a bit of money on it (again!) and try and sort out the problem with the saddle not being in quite the right position, by buying a more laid back seat post. Previously I had found that my choices were limited because of the size of the seat tube, but then I realized that if I used a shim I would have more choice. So that's what I did.</p><p>This is the seat post I bought. It is probably only a fraction more laid back than my previous one but it's enough to make a difference. As a result the bike is much more comfortable, and is now my favourite bike to ride, and because the saddle is so comfortable I have just bought another to replace the one on my Trek. It's wider than the Bontrager one that's on there which has served me well for many years. Perhaps one's rear end has widened with age.... It didn't take too long to wear in the first Brooks - about 100 miles - so here goes with the second....</p><p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzMv9yTa9A6YvT8IAG1ku5iDmWJkZMShAcVyeyb-62-akkLdKfiXSeh3mmIMWmO79ujlRyHSAsWomxYho6NJnnvKylsJG0unq6CCHTfsG-WTnDqIDowhhrZcdhia2G3tRhjBzihD90M6cavTSRlUykhuU4AfqvcDkyPJOGNf-rDF9Lu84E8KGYtUOUQ/s2592/IMG_3989.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzMv9yTa9A6YvT8IAG1ku5iDmWJkZMShAcVyeyb-62-akkLdKfiXSeh3mmIMWmO79ujlRyHSAsWomxYho6NJnnvKylsJG0unq6CCHTfsG-WTnDqIDowhhrZcdhia2G3tRhjBzihD90M6cavTSRlUykhuU4AfqvcDkyPJOGNf-rDF9Lu84E8KGYtUOUQ/w400-h299/IMG_3989.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKytFRbCNVrv82xCBRRLXrrb1ac4GZlOwv0nL40lf1IFIlwTUUMBLuARwRr87SxkB65AL4y3Es9clOvHBxhA7DS0_Rs5Fsmqrl3O5byjsbzJo4HR1txz-bUP_oFtkJdlcYUuJUmBzRZojJIkDFFU0v5i6VQVBY8We-DG1ID27QhVdia2TUKRTbBZiNw/s2592/IMG_3988.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKytFRbCNVrv82xCBRRLXrrb1ac4GZlOwv0nL40lf1IFIlwTUUMBLuARwRr87SxkB65AL4y3Es9clOvHBxhA7DS0_Rs5Fsmqrl3O5byjsbzJo4HR1txz-bUP_oFtkJdlcYUuJUmBzRZojJIkDFFU0v5i6VQVBY8We-DG1ID27QhVdia2TUKRTbBZiNw/w400-h299/IMG_3988.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Carradice panniers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I also bought these Carradice panniers to replace the expensive Ortlieb ones I'd bought. I think I made a mistake in getting the larger size - I wished I hadn't, and sold them and bought these. I think they were about £55, a very good price for what you get. I realized that I really don't like not having outside pockets on my panniers, which these have. The panniers are not waterproof but that doesn't bother me, and anyway they have waterproof covers tucked inside zipped pockets. The only thing I don't like about them is the fact that when you lift up the flap to get to the inside, the flap doesn't stay up (like it does with my old Karrimor ones) because it is not flexible. I need to find some method of fixing/hooking it in place while it is up.</p><p>So, I am really enjoying riding this bike again!</p><p>And now, Koga has a baby brother, called Bob. It's a Brompton!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtlWs3z8X-CIjy7hXr7NsVLyNJ_b-9CfsayJP2uxfH_Rlw0WUFjIpiKS_eAaUvWf7QhGr4Zd0Fyc-aZas6WU2JnVEdFFRRca0RUWa4zo2jEPT-XU6y2gWv5Ffhh-_KYfpvLqnCU2ehQgYefuo6Co7GT6Vo2thxK-smBBYrKGhXagE81hJLJ77XBNTqA/s2592/IMG_3993.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtlWs3z8X-CIjy7hXr7NsVLyNJ_b-9CfsayJP2uxfH_Rlw0WUFjIpiKS_eAaUvWf7QhGr4Zd0Fyc-aZas6WU2JnVEdFFRRca0RUWa4zo2jEPT-XU6y2gWv5Ffhh-_KYfpvLqnCU2ehQgYefuo6Co7GT6Vo2thxK-smBBYrKGhXagE81hJLJ77XBNTqA/w400-h299/IMG_3993.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I have long wanted to take my bike on a train, in particular to enable me to get to our daughter's in Devon, without having to have a lift to the station at this end. I hear stories about people taking their full size bikes on trains (in this country anyway) and having problems, so have been reluctant to try. When I was young you could just put your bike in the guard's van and that was it - easy - and I did it on more than one occasion. I began to think about a folding bike, and about how much easier this would make travelling by train, or bus. One person who finally inspired me to get one was <a href="https://youtu.be/MfTOuSJKamE" target="_blank">Wiltshire Man</a> on YouTube. Husband and I both love his videos, and often watch them together. He's not far from us, in Swindon. I also got some opinions from our local CUK group on folding bikes. I'm not a member any more but still keep in touch with them on Facebook.</p><p>So a few weeks ago we went to <a href="https://www.warlands-cycles.co.uk/" target="_blank">Warland's Cycles</a> in Oxford, I tried one out, and the next day picked up a C-Line Explore. I'd expected to have to wait for one, but they had several in stock. I'd highly recommend this shop. It's really old fashioned but up-to-date at the same time. I also bought a Brompton Borough bag to go on the front, and got them to change the chain ring to a smaller one, to make climbing hills easier. There are 6 gears, a combination of hub and derailleur. The stem bag which you can see in the photo I made from a chalk bag; it does the job of holding a water bottle beautifully. The rack bag was donated to me by our Eldest, and has small zip-up drop down panniers, which I'm delighted to say work with this bike. </p><p>We are slightly nearer to Didcot station than Swindon, depending on the route, so I had a few short local runs to get used to the bike and then decided to to do a test run of a ride to Didcot. I used part of the <a href="https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/svcn-opens/" target="_blank">Science Vale Cycling Network</a> to get there, and also some of NCN Route 544 to go a bit further afield. This was a fairly flat and easy to follow route, plus Husband works in Didcot so I could come home with him. I have to say I am absolutely delighted with the bike! One or two bits of the route have quite a rough surface with loose stones, and another would have been very muddy if we hadn't had a couple of days of dry weather. I think that the surface could be much better in these places, and it's a shame that having spent what must have been a lot of taxpayers' money on this route that it has these bad spots. </p><p>On the whole I was amazed at how comfortable the bike was. Even the saddle is remarkably comfortable! Although I've ridden to Didcot in the past, doing it on this quite different bike gave me a real sense of achievement and when I got to the station, I thought - "Wow! I've done it! What possibilities lie ahead...!" And by the way, the bike is very easy to fold and unfold. </p><p><br /></p>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-50335252746988354702021-11-08T17:00:00.001+00:002021-11-08T17:00:00.218+00:00Selling My Koga Women's (Mixte) 53cm Signature Traveller bike<p> I haven't posted much over the last few months - perhaps I am becoming like another blogger I follow, who, when I commented favourably on one of his posts, replied -</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #38761d;">Thanks Lizzie! I tend only to post when I've got something to say that's inspired me! I'm glad that the post has inspired you.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>I've also noticed that many of the bloggers in my list of blogs I follow have not posted anything for several months, whereas they used to post more often. I wonder if that is a sign of the times. Life has changed considerably for all of us in the last 21 months or so. Perhaps many of us give priority to different things. One thing I would like to write about in the future is the change in the diet of Husband and I, in connection with health. Hopefully that will happen.</p><p>You may wonder, then, given the title of this post, where I am heading! Well, I'm not sure that this will exactly be an inspiring post, but nevertheless I thought I'd write it. I am selling one of my bikes, and until I do sell it I shall be down to the one bike, my faithful Old Lady Trek, as I like to call it, or my everyday/shopping/short rides bike. The reason for the sale is that I have not really enjoyed riding my Koga since my last long trip on it in September 2019, when I rode from Derbyshire home to Oxfordshire over 4 days. It may be that this bike is ideally suited to longer, loaded trips, and I don't really want to keep a bike which has that quality, and nor can I afford to. Even on these longer trips, I have only ever ridden with two panniers, something on the back rack and a very small bag on the handlebars. I don't think I will ever need to ride with more than that, and I think a different sort of bike, would suit my needs better.</p><p>However, it is not just that. I have no idea why it is that I can no longer get comfortable on this bike, the main reason being that I cannot get the saddle far enough back. It must be the geometry of the bike, but why I should have this problem now and yet it wasn't always the case I do not know! I even swapped saddles for a while, taking off my favourite and recently hacked Brooks B67 and replacing it with one of my spare Bontrager saddles, which I can get a fraction further back. However, it's still not far enough back, and also I do so like my Brooks saddle, especially after that hacking which I described <a href="https://whatthisbikeneeds.blogspot.com/2020/09/butchering-my-brooks-b67-saddle.html" target="_blank">here</a>, that I don't want to ride this bike with any other one. I looked into buying a new seat post with more set back but unfortunately the size of the Koga post is not the most common, and finding one was almost impossible, and certainly a lot of money.</p><p>I also have to confess a long term slight disappointment that this bike isn't steel (or a colour that I like! I know that colour sounds so unimportant but I think if you are spending a lot of money on a bike then you want one that you like the colour of!) which I believe, rightly or wrongly, would make for a more comfortable ride. I always wanted steel, but when I was looking for a bike in 2016, and after the disappointment with my Oxford Bike Works bike which I wrote about <a href="https://whatthisbikeneeds.blogspot.com/2017/07/my-new-bike-koga-traveller-mixte-version.html" target="_blank">here</a>, I could not find another steel bike that I liked. So, finally, I have made the decision to sell. Here are some pics, and if you are reading this and are interested in buying, then I can send more. I know that this bike will suit somebody out there, even if it doesn't suit me.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzo55CmWzLsgRiICEFeHbM8wXZm2FbqOsOUECSdM3tGWOzfw8x9EG4B9PZ705Ssrd7FTpflbE0SUPK4lvngMWn3Ijq24C6kx8PQtOlpqZwM_IKEzTp-HLBDPX1ami6Psh0fARNsbFmYx2u/s2048/IMG_3648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzo55CmWzLsgRiICEFeHbM8wXZm2FbqOsOUECSdM3tGWOzfw8x9EG4B9PZ705Ssrd7FTpflbE0SUPK4lvngMWn3Ijq24C6kx8PQtOlpqZwM_IKEzTp-HLBDPX1ami6Psh0fARNsbFmYx2u/w400-h299/IMG_3648.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YScN0NxGmktgmX7nd2GFve4NXkj-y7dPQ09EmGM037PD_aYEdc_Zw72C1331GQuL8eO0ppuLicASBJeTuPPMtoizbQ5ptZxk4b_ecA8aSXcHd4Iz9nSdtXr92FuLBL4zjmyJTbUknxn9/s2048/P1030591_LI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YScN0NxGmktgmX7nd2GFve4NXkj-y7dPQ09EmGM037PD_aYEdc_Zw72C1331GQuL8eO0ppuLicASBJeTuPPMtoizbQ5ptZxk4b_ecA8aSXcHd4Iz9nSdtXr92FuLBL4zjmyJTbUknxn9/w400-h300/P1030591_LI.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjZQZ5X3obvMGtf97eFVUTNkf0bf8fEh086AEhmk84mZZfgH6I74zLBjchllQ_mvyvfIoG6uQqJEntR_f-KDiiWuWWIRJ7a3IpXB3dipp2txmw6kjG4NVT6ARR3-kh6gIba6OLPzXX3yx/s2048/IMG_3641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjZQZ5X3obvMGtf97eFVUTNkf0bf8fEh086AEhmk84mZZfgH6I74zLBjchllQ_mvyvfIoG6uQqJEntR_f-KDiiWuWWIRJ7a3IpXB3dipp2txmw6kjG4NVT6ARR3-kh6gIba6OLPzXX3yx/w299-h400/IMG_3641.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19MKOdBiTTkKtx1shQC5qdpIlFxnLOv8NhaGPcqQxp32AYdoTF8r_jC3tdISFRJCuyHrX7vc7VsIcenEh5KgeEaO1PcxFSF09yxDejAYNNagoftx37gfbJLxOAD11mUPUuRWDTWpf3xca/s2048/IMG_3642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19MKOdBiTTkKtx1shQC5qdpIlFxnLOv8NhaGPcqQxp32AYdoTF8r_jC3tdISFRJCuyHrX7vc7VsIcenEh5KgeEaO1PcxFSF09yxDejAYNNagoftx37gfbJLxOAD11mUPUuRWDTWpf3xca/w299-h400/IMG_3642.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHuBVy5WAzZ3ZuSlpBUCe2coUUfwx65NNN41EZcLMX7Ah18-BkcL7vAR2yH-J1865Mwwm1i94g7MK4uOFQNWWzTz0VBoZ3zZ-t8ylPuNl2ELiWuLDcJheDhpvBf2PqinPdIwTeP8mQly5/s2048/IMG_3655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHuBVy5WAzZ3ZuSlpBUCe2coUUfwx65NNN41EZcLMX7Ah18-BkcL7vAR2yH-J1865Mwwm1i94g7MK4uOFQNWWzTz0VBoZ3zZ-t8ylPuNl2ELiWuLDcJheDhpvBf2PqinPdIwTeP8mQly5/w400-h299/IMG_3655.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Details - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Shimano Deore 30 speed gearset</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Magura hydraulic brakes HS33</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Schwalbe Marathon 37mm tyres</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Frame - KOGA Aluminium 6061</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Tubus rear carrier</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">B&M Lumotec IQ Cyo RT lights</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Pletscher stand</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Axa lock</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Bell with compass</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">2 bottle cages (with 1 original bottle if you want)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Pump</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3241; font-family: Inter, HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue Light", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Weight - 17.1 kg</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The bike is really like new. I replaced the trekking bars with Thorn Comfort bars, and the Koga pedals with some larger platform ones, which in my opinion are much better than the Koga ones. The bike has had a very thorough clean and oil and is ready, as they say, to ride away! And the price? £1300. </div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-16984769767463698452021-10-09T18:00:00.004+01:002021-10-10T17:22:10.225+01:00For sale - Bernina 801 Matic<p> I have recently become the owner of this lovely Bernina Record 930, in a Horn cabinet -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMd2wDISTCa8ZRloQwtrhrcdR4cW8gNYHOc9W0bjdq7V_4V7xExMYmEnV5R3tfEik6eF6inTiER-IYPeXD4NdNStIvtszi7PGEofl5g3nEQ9w22s23G0GqkolpLm-_ttPcoPgOk73uyR2/s2048/IMG_3692.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMd2wDISTCa8ZRloQwtrhrcdR4cW8gNYHOc9W0bjdq7V_4V7xExMYmEnV5R3tfEik6eF6inTiER-IYPeXD4NdNStIvtszi7PGEofl5g3nEQ9w22s23G0GqkolpLm-_ttPcoPgOk73uyR2/w400-h299/IMG_3692.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The drawers on the right pull out further to give more working space, but it suits me to leave them half in. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcPseZy-4QWmqW4WTDS1Xo37AaPx7JY24hOsZ7lCXAHZ4XvOwtZCOozD4gVNi8EoWcgMqPrSoqNa_Dx_UZSb4plXbar1UKMbMpgXkMOLXMHxQmvGp34eisvJkmcZETvhPllWAX98eGOc2/s2048/IMG_3695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcPseZy-4QWmqW4WTDS1Xo37AaPx7JY24hOsZ7lCXAHZ4XvOwtZCOozD4gVNi8EoWcgMqPrSoqNa_Dx_UZSb4plXbar1UKMbMpgXkMOLXMHxQmvGp34eisvJkmcZETvhPllWAX98eGOc2/w400-h299/IMG_3695.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93m2KuaBC4AU1B6AR5Infj11jys6jRoBSYMMuBSEXQcMyYA2i0eZ4WN6ce_As0YZC_auBAunH-LtWg1F1qFCgMMNcRNFW7RnLQO9ndsl9FG8auMZUQyYbb_Kl1iC5YMn9KJzRiM75Rbgt/s2048/IMG_3694.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93m2KuaBC4AU1B6AR5Infj11jys6jRoBSYMMuBSEXQcMyYA2i0eZ4WN6ce_As0YZC_auBAunH-LtWg1F1qFCgMMNcRNFW7RnLQO9ndsl9FG8auMZUQyYbb_Kl1iC5YMn9KJzRiM75Rbgt/w400-h299/IMG_3694.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I had been slightly hankering after a 930 for a while, knowing that they were considered extremely good machines. It was a question of - well, if one ever comes up.... A Horn cabinet had also featured in my dreams.... so when the two together came up for sale on Gumtree I made some enquiries. It was a couple of counties away, so in my first couple of emails I sounded out the seller to see if she might offer to send it - which she did! She was in fact extremely helpful all the way through, and the transaction couldn't have gone better. I used Shipley Couriers as she herself had used them before. All went well and everything arrived in good condition.</p><p><br /></p><p>This Sewfit cardboard folding sewing table was also part of the deal -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlOrKorepS-6RxtbOPrQ7Q_bW7oLJXVfoUD2aUo6P4Ow6_DdOy6BPl6sIX3erBrOm5MjFCJseH4p_rG8sfo-bFry-c4rup7wsM1k_iw1olsOXbDmHWn3OcDknpYOrgVMwwKHfUn0be6pJ/s2048/IMG_3672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlOrKorepS-6RxtbOPrQ7Q_bW7oLJXVfoUD2aUo6P4Ow6_DdOy6BPl6sIX3erBrOm5MjFCJseH4p_rG8sfo-bFry-c4rup7wsM1k_iw1olsOXbDmHWn3OcDknpYOrgVMwwKHfUn0be6pJ/w299-h400/IMG_3672.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It packs down flat, is surprisingly sturdy, and doesn't take up much space on our landing when in its box. I also received a pile of really lovely fabrics as a free extra - the sort I would have chosen myself! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The machine was owned from new by the seller's mother, and the cabinet too I believe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had to completely reorganise my sewing room but am very pleased with how it is now. I just need somewhere better to store fabric, as at the moment it is in a cupboard in boxes and I can't easily just pull a piece out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So - my Bernina 801 Matic has served me very well for nearly 9 years, and I shall be quite sad to see it go, but go it must, to help pay for the 930! Here are some photos -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cpl3hlEaqKIZxu9j-MameEvZLu8ljTQZsShkHka_6bYLQyKQs7jJ8IutRCVuez8J5RXLTaaeMrzc-Ejc6msiAsSXjIQATmqomS-Fx6JcW4x87Xs6QfIKe9mPqRPpUVEvb_NWocCB9oZp/s2048/IMG_3677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cpl3hlEaqKIZxu9j-MameEvZLu8ljTQZsShkHka_6bYLQyKQs7jJ8IutRCVuez8J5RXLTaaeMrzc-Ejc6msiAsSXjIQATmqomS-Fx6JcW4x87Xs6QfIKe9mPqRPpUVEvb_NWocCB9oZp/w400-h299/IMG_3677.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEd42IVCIlmFytI9_ElWhwfhHJkgLAGtQAvZTTCyvxvi_JqvrUm9KKYga776gZhVcOQvMOeaYZ2oV62noQienRujn1PbMGtlpMfzQpp8xoD88urQnf9BSmP9rRlkEceZ00BOYLt71Jb7E/s2048/IMG_3686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEd42IVCIlmFytI9_ElWhwfhHJkgLAGtQAvZTTCyvxvi_JqvrUm9KKYga776gZhVcOQvMOeaYZ2oV62noQienRujn1PbMGtlpMfzQpp8xoD88urQnf9BSmP9rRlkEceZ00BOYLt71Jb7E/w400-h299/IMG_3686.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5-C3w8mY21ihRSlMDZ0q699ZNxnv1UaDvrUFVKmlyp2sN8bY6f1YrFDJdIBhN3Ksa3z6I2LK5Ymw_ZBoKrc91daGIfkAVCd9rNZhcV-thoFfSWmZTAkilHaT0X7vbl-s4gCsXpZ5DwB-/s2048/IMG_3675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5-C3w8mY21ihRSlMDZ0q699ZNxnv1UaDvrUFVKmlyp2sN8bY6f1YrFDJdIBhN3Ksa3z6I2LK5Ymw_ZBoKrc91daGIfkAVCd9rNZhcV-thoFfSWmZTAkilHaT0X7vbl-s4gCsXpZ5DwB-/w400-h299/IMG_3675.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZaQDhlZeE4kJIK9OjnHXOyu3w0uc3Pqo_DvPMWysMgZppwdgZ9nO-V_j6KakT6AtuM0T8lFECeul0ogR8u-b91sVDA281Xk0mbI_DsSKhpWIYTqdbGQd8i5AW9HHZXVUSePACNmhQw9yy/s2048/IMG_3676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZaQDhlZeE4kJIK9OjnHXOyu3w0uc3Pqo_DvPMWysMgZppwdgZ9nO-V_j6KakT6AtuM0T8lFECeul0ogR8u-b91sVDA281Xk0mbI_DsSKhpWIYTqdbGQd8i5AW9HHZXVUSePACNmhQw9yy/w400-h299/IMG_3676.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRY7P3tJN3dcPJOJ_8C14lF05VcbHjU6-v3E9E6ArVGfYBBoxFMAfUeqiQpPQmYM8ZW95Gk5MeZvQL7W2cmGkuDL0_WL2aJ3XwXf2O254zZlPNQWBHJU7XkMqJFRfzoKi0nwXaw6HT93c/s2048/IMG_3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRY7P3tJN3dcPJOJ_8C14lF05VcbHjU6-v3E9E6ArVGfYBBoxFMAfUeqiQpPQmYM8ZW95Gk5MeZvQL7W2cmGkuDL0_WL2aJ3XwXf2O254zZlPNQWBHJU7XkMqJFRfzoKi0nwXaw6HT93c/w400-h299/IMG_3680.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlkbpYJd18CVRY-N7a8kGXV0DTE61kyyee1lBIwCmraDerTFSeApo2MDP64GgBVlbj9X6of8GBmK7oB2raL78x-_YrI-FxDjuhqqetolYkWZQhJ8-dj0mbagJrBJUYSn9sFXFZNJJX8GQ/s2048/IMG_3681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlkbpYJd18CVRY-N7a8kGXV0DTE61kyyee1lBIwCmraDerTFSeApo2MDP64GgBVlbj9X6of8GBmK7oB2raL78x-_YrI-FxDjuhqqetolYkWZQhJ8-dj0mbagJrBJUYSn9sFXFZNJJX8GQ/w400-h299/IMG_3681.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacodHHLTSI8BhfQ-b_Z4DAGLe6NvDcWmsgiN_aj4RdiLEOnF1YcOAEhjmxdFYt01C_s5-kzsY7S7MW6UTEKxdBoC-6GjzYoNjreLLPz1foN4njtQsZCyL3q_xYHTKAu2668typmlwnlHm/s2048/IMG_3689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacodHHLTSI8BhfQ-b_Z4DAGLe6NvDcWmsgiN_aj4RdiLEOnF1YcOAEhjmxdFYt01C_s5-kzsY7S7MW6UTEKxdBoC-6GjzYoNjreLLPz1foN4njtQsZCyL3q_xYHTKAu2668typmlwnlHm/w299-h400/IMG_3689.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwKv8rXfuJ5n6logvrvxNCm2mBDOAV9Ylrz8jdXl_s6yFkAgteYI-PjWCPr26fck4cXPP_n5sMyFZhNom0WDV9ER7vQxMZ_Eiv5zD8fNSvH6ix87UNMdN2FI3KoPrzbaFytH1JRqWsGO1/s2048/IMG_3691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwKv8rXfuJ5n6logvrvxNCm2mBDOAV9Ylrz8jdXl_s6yFkAgteYI-PjWCPr26fck4cXPP_n5sMyFZhNom0WDV9ER7vQxMZ_Eiv5zD8fNSvH6ix87UNMdN2FI3KoPrzbaFytH1JRqWsGO1/w400-h299/IMG_3691.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhFGWOJimSvIFzZchyZtiNCwkyny6Y1mJ-MKKOsXm1rgK-EASSa81Hm_rvAv90O_1HQJRezz-ABCh8qf-AYNXf5YxWn4S43IdnmA-4ONX6o7Akl1guISN0EUJ44S2RNPSjBSPbb60hHWb/s2048/IMG_3696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhFGWOJimSvIFzZchyZtiNCwkyny6Y1mJ-MKKOsXm1rgK-EASSa81Hm_rvAv90O_1HQJRezz-ABCh8qf-AYNXf5YxWn4S43IdnmA-4ONX6o7Akl1guISN0EUJ44S2RNPSjBSPbb60hHWb/w400-h299/IMG_3696.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have kept it clean and oiled and it works as perfectly as the day I bought it. If you are interested, or know anyone who is, the price is £300. It's also on Gumtree. I am not intending to put it on Ebay, as you can no longer sell on there without registering your bank details with them. I can't see why they needed to change their payment policy so will not be selling on there again.</div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-29988879964224220202021-04-15T17:30:00.003+01:002021-04-15T17:30:00.240+01:00A few useful bags I've made lately.<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in 2017 I made this messenger bag -</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllIqp4celBZi1iubsW8W1cm6_ybXrkGix5zixtZ2vsAzKTTjJJy7MrQfvS6qfTpRWXTNe9vt8M_IVgf5Bj0TRchtWVNOvMIKhrPR5m1uGHpTh8fLxg3nnpXtNCAvhvU5AtmELhk5BWQTJ/s1600/IMG_1796.JPG" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllIqp4celBZi1iubsW8W1cm6_ybXrkGix5zixtZ2vsAzKTTjJJy7MrQfvS6qfTpRWXTNe9vt8M_IVgf5Bj0TRchtWVNOvMIKhrPR5m1uGHpTh8fLxg3nnpXtNCAvhvU5AtmELhk5BWQTJ/s400/IMG_1796.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">which was a very useful one, and which I could handily stuff into my panniers went I went shopping on my bike. However, it was never quite big enough - it needed to be about an inch wider - so I decided to make a bigger one. That first bag was made from a jacket which I'd bought in a charity shop, but with them all being shut at the time I had to bite the bullet and buy brand new fabric. Actually that was quite a treat for me! I ordered a metre of waxed cotton (which looks black but is actually very dark green) from <a href="https://www.profabrics.co.uk/" target="_blank">Point North</a>, at the reduced price of about £8, and made this bag -</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWvxGS7RB6oKaxOUvom_AhP9LE8R1K8ch2yhqN-q__Dn2RZmLkCWKL-ouXwjizqqy7T3hM1CJ_OlVPydcpJ15lxFzrJ83kwCwtH6Ap2ajCLvWoPYjucsHZDQutZw9RwDzeVVRQJY_H2W0/s1874/IMG_3428+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1874" data-original-width="1553" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWvxGS7RB6oKaxOUvom_AhP9LE8R1K8ch2yhqN-q__Dn2RZmLkCWKL-ouXwjizqqy7T3hM1CJ_OlVPydcpJ15lxFzrJ83kwCwtH6Ap2ajCLvWoPYjucsHZDQutZw9RwDzeVVRQJY_H2W0/w331-h400/IMG_3428+%25282%2529.JPG" width="331" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQASH1Z_vodlxCvQ_6MYQQ23hUpg_yOj53jyChcAdG5fwuSJoaZY_Fcip7TGUYV0vpXgt67nsmbvHnWNItQ8AZbZjcd-yeE8aXn1lYvRgZe1-2X_slrfQU0UWXLeuw3-BXzj7YPJHI7wMt/s2048/IMG_3429+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1496" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQASH1Z_vodlxCvQ_6MYQQ23hUpg_yOj53jyChcAdG5fwuSJoaZY_Fcip7TGUYV0vpXgt67nsmbvHnWNItQ8AZbZjcd-yeE8aXn1lYvRgZe1-2X_slrfQU0UWXLeuw3-BXzj7YPJHI7wMt/w293-h400/IMG_3429+%25282%2529.JPG" width="293" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, because I changed my mind half way through about how I was going to construct it, partly in order to be able to attach the little pocket on the side more easily, it ended up too big..... I knew I was never going to be happy with it, so I unpicked it all and made this one, which is much better, but I left off the small pocket -</span></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jh9shnYMrZbjvntDrhGK9ZyrpLOke_rqCSYy7QpG_oxApOr3SmD0dIG54RsITHE37X1ogQstDXkpmZmRxk6ngC9TZRCkSSNzYo6i7FMf_DVanFsj2VaHAeJcXs6iVTdFVvP3kQZ52Cyp/s2048/IMG_3472.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jh9shnYMrZbjvntDrhGK9ZyrpLOke_rqCSYy7QpG_oxApOr3SmD0dIG54RsITHE37X1ogQstDXkpmZmRxk6ngC9TZRCkSSNzYo6i7FMf_DVanFsj2VaHAeJcXs6iVTdFVvP3kQZ52Cyp/w299-h400/IMG_3472.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_xTews3Kme0Eg2dr6Rv9RYn4d5Hj83du2xI_H6RO9PyE772yjnZdSQkuWKSWgWYVkpJSlUglE57uJSdX-IRsLK4te0meb-teeRMhznmIITdwPcmuRw5_10kub_5RYbHejZ0-TGnPN_4z/s2048/IMG_3471.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_xTews3Kme0Eg2dr6Rv9RYn4d5Hj83du2xI_H6RO9PyE772yjnZdSQkuWKSWgWYVkpJSlUglE57uJSdX-IRsLK4te0meb-teeRMhznmIITdwPcmuRw5_10kub_5RYbHejZ0-TGnPN_4z/w299-h400/IMG_3471.JPG" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Space for the glasses at last</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLuQPTQ34ckHNnif3oaFWE9gsYaifbd7TR-fHb3Foa5d4KBCKAYt4uA5W55jnWERDd9Y2b2-BeI44jPvuhNwLGUNaUFESlnwMH7BpvvMdNLY4HksuIa2F2ySAK6XdxX-l0-nlN1Lmcx9k/s2048/IMG_3473.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLuQPTQ34ckHNnif3oaFWE9gsYaifbd7TR-fHb3Foa5d4KBCKAYt4uA5W55jnWERDd9Y2b2-BeI44jPvuhNwLGUNaUFESlnwMH7BpvvMdNLY4HksuIa2F2ySAK6XdxX-l0-nlN1Lmcx9k/w299-h400/IMG_3473.JPG" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog clip for extra security </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You can actually get a lot out of a metre of fabric (I think it was 150cm wide) so then I also made this </span><span style="font-size: medium;">roll-top rucksack -</span><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyJlnnV92QZJ1eNsvOv_nxs97y67nxAq2g55WMzivCuJSMAPWVO44gL4NTFmFfm9m5uzWYFhwU9As8s4c32AgQdpMEQVPrVvrrwr_Xo4d5FuwimJgatQQMPOOyjpI84TLoAP78FEuLmM-/s2000/IMG_3454+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1470" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyJlnnV92QZJ1eNsvOv_nxs97y67nxAq2g55WMzivCuJSMAPWVO44gL4NTFmFfm9m5uzWYFhwU9As8s4c32AgQdpMEQVPrVvrrwr_Xo4d5FuwimJgatQQMPOOyjpI84TLoAP78FEuLmM-/w294-h400/IMG_3454+%25282%2529.JPG" width="294" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I like the simplicity of a roll-top fastening. I didn't have very suitable webbing for the straps so had to cut a wide one in half lengthways, so that I had enough for two, and then bind the raw edge with grosgrain tape (another recent favourite of mine). It does the job! The fastening is made from a belt from an old favourite Craghopper's skirt. I left the skirt behind in our B and B on holiday once, and when I rang up about it, mysteriously it had never been found....</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, for my 5l rucksack -</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqai2pViWWz7g3DyOOUNQT7uEZ_DR5fcYC960TuzZ-fAvXK3-pmJPCikzOORpLjWTiqOGW2AXRnHv-9C18NGpoYtQluGM8lR4ZV0tB0JGukIpYlPNMa9WPVU6IEnLt-wkQTbeofFz8qV-4/s2048/IMG_3500.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqai2pViWWz7g3DyOOUNQT7uEZ_DR5fcYC960TuzZ-fAvXK3-pmJPCikzOORpLjWTiqOGW2AXRnHv-9C18NGpoYtQluGM8lR4ZV0tB0JGukIpYlPNMa9WPVU6IEnLt-wkQTbeofFz8qV-4/s320/IMG_3500.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;">I made this extension -</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSno_dhdfvNQFasv8eXAoX43M0h7ZJm2r5yPed6Jpi8JJfQURSmyYjxAem7EB8HYuxwLR3IsENdu3RPproGOwJu1V9oZG3sItcgGQmg1jk8wBtDwn_vxb7SbK8yFV3oJRKHhecQhnN11U/s1995/IMG_3480+%25282%2529.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1995" data-original-width="1392" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSno_dhdfvNQFasv8eXAoX43M0h7ZJm2r5yPed6Jpi8JJfQURSmyYjxAem7EB8HYuxwLR3IsENdu3RPproGOwJu1V9oZG3sItcgGQmg1jk8wBtDwn_vxb7SbK8yFV3oJRKHhecQhnN11U/w279-h400/IMG_3480+%25282%2529.JPG" width="279" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5xg_qNhryfHDNcXj0kNKpS7tCpuEHOERU85-q7Jydmc4AiIpC3mFtjtmjhWH2Tw8XPRf8fJP50rkBPtGpSqw88iG35C01QEiwIOm6c2SrxhRu6V38fXAD4traHyIRAW1xyWrozJlhBp8/s1608/IMG_3481+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="1608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5xg_qNhryfHDNcXj0kNKpS7tCpuEHOERU85-q7Jydmc4AiIpC3mFtjtmjhWH2Tw8XPRf8fJP50rkBPtGpSqw88iG35C01QEiwIOm6c2SrxhRu6V38fXAD4traHyIRAW1xyWrozJlhBp8/s320/IMG_3481+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Folds up small.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I find that although the rucksack holds enough for a day's walk, if I remove a jacket or jumper then there's really no space for that. I made a pattern from the rucksack, and added loops to the extension and some extra ones to the rucksack itself. The fabric came from a free windbreak, and the zip from a bag I had picked up in the verge one day. (Husband gets quite embarrassed about my picking things up when we're out together, and sometimes says "You're NOT picking that up!") I think the yellow cord was free from somewhere too!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I tried it out on a walk the other day when I took my jumper off, and it worked really well! I was so glad I'd made it.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then Husband said one day that he could do with a bottle holder to hold the 250 ml bottle (Nalgene, we both use them in this size) that he often takes out on a walk. He wanted it to attach to his belt. So, using fabric saved from old panniers and some ripstop (more new fabric from Point North) I made this -</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpbosGOY0wW2VBemjXIbnlIQFVyrZwa0n1vSruTiJ95_C1KIcuKB6bFmxj2FOAfOMlMWLRVv8_HYs2cdWRugigggzWul-tixj37m8JRTDU5-U67zrZ88y9FIfhqdDTCFokpxGP3qPzjE8/s2048/IMG_3485.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpbosGOY0wW2VBemjXIbnlIQFVyrZwa0n1vSruTiJ95_C1KIcuKB6bFmxj2FOAfOMlMWLRVv8_HYs2cdWRugigggzWul-tixj37m8JRTDU5-U67zrZ88y9FIfhqdDTCFokpxGP3qPzjE8/s320/IMG_3485.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBFYtdghSqEUtPtXZjBLw5eG1kVw7_bc7h044eGuQ0MIWtuiPhwbobavT8OzL4fTUUPI5ZnmoM1hLl_e0WqD2NP9nYrQOzMS1FBPFYWfaPoafPRgTeAHUBmPE606C6rA2q2vS19Hoqfw4/s2048/IMG_3486.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBFYtdghSqEUtPtXZjBLw5eG1kVw7_bc7h044eGuQ0MIWtuiPhwbobavT8OzL4fTUUPI5ZnmoM1hLl_e0WqD2NP9nYrQOzMS1FBPFYWfaPoafPRgTeAHUBmPE606C6rA2q2vS19Hoqfw4/s320/IMG_3486.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HEhKR_w5CELcDKaGSrCqdW30Sm5W3fkyqqqNv3mB2D_ZhBZe0-hVE-2h8gmyI2KcMIdbUgMipSXItDMgS_WZzC5UBKhvDqU4p_sMpjM1RTNsHCwJZdfiWZA_MuattJH5szcxDr-F8On5/s2048/IMG_3487.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HEhKR_w5CELcDKaGSrCqdW30Sm5W3fkyqqqNv3mB2D_ZhBZe0-hVE-2h8gmyI2KcMIdbUgMipSXItDMgS_WZzC5UBKhvDqU4p_sMpjM1RTNsHCwJZdfiWZA_MuattJH5szcxDr-F8On5/s320/IMG_3487.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottom was very difficult to get right</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VQa5x9HMNRDSWSa-KtWFLqKKeoqtwZM5Ixl85jnAThHE28EHvEIImPUPGKHeqq28n65lP_1lsTkm9-sT61Nzq02uQH2DYsuHNzpOvj9-9VSpBraDM6YOYE7TONe4dPjRMLiO_d0sQCwc/s1528/IMG_3488+%25283%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="1051" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VQa5x9HMNRDSWSa-KtWFLqKKeoqtwZM5Ixl85jnAThHE28EHvEIImPUPGKHeqq28n65lP_1lsTkm9-sT61Nzq02uQH2DYsuHNzpOvj9-9VSpBraDM6YOYE7TONe4dPjRMLiO_d0sQCwc/s320/IMG_3488+%25283%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I actually took enormous care to line up the seam, but the ripstop moved, hence the misalignment. I couldn't use the new roller foot I'd bought, in that position, so couldn't stop the fabric moving. When you make something that you've designe</span><span style="font-size: large;">d yourself then it's only when it's finished that you realize how to make it better, and if I make another one I'll put the seam somewhere else as I don't like it there (even if it were lined up properly! So we'll call this a prototype.... Husband was pleased with it though!</span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And one last thing! some time ago, I bought a brand new camera bag from a charity shop, for about £3, thinking I could flog it for a fortune (it has worked for me sometimes!). However, it didn't sell, so I unpicked every bit of it and ended up with a lot of webbing, various fastenings, big bits of Velcro, a good zip, and some bits of fabric. There was a zipped mesh pocket inside the bag, and I kept that whole. It has now become the reverse of this little pouch, which I intend to use for first aid and other essentials on my bike, or in my rucksack -</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbcp3BEtUGYMggDgAvqF6LVDmegoXd2DV7aEBsWWm198taMVTQeGU2V4k_iTROXtiCppZSB0yMsvcQamr9g3Mx-eOzLPOQvL7US6nQm71I0vQNXYYzHesjZ45XwR9R8HkSPdQkI2rZfRO/s2048/IMG_3501.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbcp3BEtUGYMggDgAvqF6LVDmegoXd2DV7aEBsWWm198taMVTQeGU2V4k_iTROXtiCppZSB0yMsvcQamr9g3Mx-eOzLPOQvL7US6nQm71I0vQNXYYzHesjZ45XwR9R8HkSPdQkI2rZfRO/w400-h299/IMG_3501.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE6qCql2P6ArTqUWfojbWKnyft5-vI-RmlRY6SY-IxonPLDVwPDlMXvVvxzZgz4oIAlVNz_n5R9RFAtsxvsNWuk3X5kNdpwybl6rMAvi8nbNIA171YlAqA4zKRapHRgqr6YNLcRqerRTx/s2048/IMG_3503.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE6qCql2P6ArTqUWfojbWKnyft5-vI-RmlRY6SY-IxonPLDVwPDlMXvVvxzZgz4oIAlVNz_n5R9RFAtsxvsNWuk3X5kNdpwybl6rMAvi8nbNIA171YlAqA4zKRapHRgqr6YNLcRqerRTx/w400-h299/IMG_3503.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The salvaged mesh pocket</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ztQE0Y4eeYNzDMTbcELtKaODw3_XP3cp6aHY6DIrBEmqmQ9peHIAOxIle3DtoK8YfPmr-lMZmEAf-OINdHV-ouP5KUHNbSthkqDTEXvOo4LPGBhGog_VVnOH1-DCCjtL6Koqo5swz4Mw/s2048/IMG_3502.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ztQE0Y4eeYNzDMTbcELtKaODw3_XP3cp6aHY6DIrBEmqmQ9peHIAOxIle3DtoK8YfPmr-lMZmEAf-OINdHV-ouP5KUHNbSthkqDTEXvOo4LPGBhGog_VVnOH1-DCCjtL6Koqo5swz4Mw/w400-h299/IMG_3502.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleated pocket</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Please don't look closely at the corners - they are not neat! I need to practise corners on binding. but I'm pleased with this and it will be really useful.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I have some other similar projects in the pipeline, but something for grandchild number 6 (that will be our third in 6 months!) due very soon, now takes priority.</span></div>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-91814142886869093592021-01-20T17:30:00.002+00:002021-01-20T18:48:55.973+00:00New zip in sleeping bag<p> At the end of last summer, I bought a bivi bag, an <a href="https://alpkit.com/products/elan" target="_blank">Alpkit Elan</a>, wistfully thinking about future bike trips...... So far I have only slept in it in the garden, in a summer weight sleeping bag I had bought from Aldi. The problem with the sleeping bag was that the zip was not on the same side as the one on the bivi bag. I hadn't given this a thought when I'd bought the latter. I turned the bag over when I slept in it, so that the zip would be on the right side, although this meant I had to fold down the head shaped bit, which wasn't very satisfactory.</p><p>I knew we'd got another one - an ancient very basic one I'd had as a teenager, so was mystified when I went looking in the cupboard where we keep such things and found a rather better, 2-3 season Karrimor one (but not the ancient one - where did that go?). I thought it must have belonged to Elder Son, but it didn't. I have no memory of ever buying it! Unfortunately this one also has the zip on the wrong side, but it's a fairly decent bag and so I decided that it was worth attempting to put a zip in on the correct side.</p><p>I bought the zip months ago and have now finally got round to inserting it, and am quite pleased with the results. The first thing I did was to make two lines of stitching down the appropriate side, with a gap of about an inch in between, so that when I cut the bag the filling (polyester) would stay in place. It proved quite tricky as the fabric was slippery and wouldn't move along under the presser foot very well. </p><p>This is the result -</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA4BMAPO6Hn-9MqRopqQCFdljAilDw3xZfsesLmMk2EZ82yUU55ishlME8AYAhmJktPZM8Ume6QmM63chUp-TIeO6_WyrowuGWjhl8Qe4u_g8S8ZoRDUBRp3bKgreQ37suH_0fTnQVUv5/s2048/IMG_3416.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA4BMAPO6Hn-9MqRopqQCFdljAilDw3xZfsesLmMk2EZ82yUU55ishlME8AYAhmJktPZM8Ume6QmM63chUp-TIeO6_WyrowuGWjhl8Qe4u_g8S8ZoRDUBRp3bKgreQ37suH_0fTnQVUv5/w478-h640/IMG_3416.JPG" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />On the right of the photo is the original zip, and on the left the new one.<div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvVn5eaeIKHHyhWSPsHPW5thbwvfg5s7dezV5QgVla_c0pSXA5mJUdlnMl-umiIoHsPi3AhvsrTE9QmQfUrtuAhVJcaCcVlLVHX9NqHDMwWtc2YFryy7IcueNqsoz_CH_8ExU8p-lLoFZ/s2048/IMG_3417.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvVn5eaeIKHHyhWSPsHPW5thbwvfg5s7dezV5QgVla_c0pSXA5mJUdlnMl-umiIoHsPi3AhvsrTE9QmQfUrtuAhVJcaCcVlLVHX9NqHDMwWtc2YFryy7IcueNqsoz_CH_8ExU8p-lLoFZ/w640-h478/IMG_3417.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I finished off the bottom of the zip with a piece of ripstop fabric that came from a sample I'd bought. </div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMX5Ezt2ME8O3xcczfcEGRXoOhzmq_QGRXUHzLKj1In4n9XnNDjPxF2pY8wvo5QjcBrttZr13ONXiBVWTZMd4cRf4K77CApOIZLGhZGvAj5qH1rVHdUdcP9CobxHFqLhv09S0807fxbdN/s2048/IMG_3418.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMX5Ezt2ME8O3xcczfcEGRXoOhzmq_QGRXUHzLKj1In4n9XnNDjPxF2pY8wvo5QjcBrttZr13ONXiBVWTZMd4cRf4K77CApOIZLGhZGvAj5qH1rVHdUdcP9CobxHFqLhv09S0807fxbdN/w640-h478/IMG_3418.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I had to be a bit creative with what I used to make a cover for the new zip at the top. The other sample pieces of ripstop I had weren't big enough, so I stitched together several pieces of trouser kick tape. It does the job! Velcro holds it in place. I have still got to put cord stops in place where the safety pins are.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTQgRuVazaz2D0TF6G23mfRwho3qEc9ZHpkhG8vgmrVoTw2IkU49wUHvD_cshID11RV-y2vJ18nDkGCuV6mnSo00g8SWLzZZYdNwweAaAdE88ThzsyhsxHIr4Wji9HcyPnep5T0CZyEXT/s2048/IMG_3419.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTQgRuVazaz2D0TF6G23mfRwho3qEc9ZHpkhG8vgmrVoTw2IkU49wUHvD_cshID11RV-y2vJ18nDkGCuV6mnSo00g8SWLzZZYdNwweAaAdE88ThzsyhsxHIr4Wji9HcyPnep5T0CZyEXT/w640-h478/IMG_3419.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here I have joined together the casing which holds that cord, having joined the cord itself first.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURNpHOTL1yeig5EqdWQV1VuoEYBh8vq9euCgN0G7XdQdHfA8ossDHyJL07XH7Fab2BO1y04P5NRvszgDegjELM1UHBwxSj1kjpEcpLYMhHi69rsVl_khsal8T-oUJJQOOCJFqVXgM-Iqq/s2048/IMG_3420.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURNpHOTL1yeig5EqdWQV1VuoEYBh8vq9euCgN0G7XdQdHfA8ossDHyJL07XH7Fab2BO1y04P5NRvszgDegjELM1UHBwxSj1kjpEcpLYMhHi69rsVl_khsal8T-oUJJQOOCJFqVXgM-Iqq/w640-h478/IMG_3420.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I would have liked to have top stitched the zip, as per the original, which would have held the tape of the zip more out of the way underneath, but the fabric, plus zip, would have been very thick and I didn't think my machine would cope with it. It's not strictly necessary as the zip works perfectly well without this extra stitching, so I didn't attempt it.</p><p><br /></p><p>It wasn't an easy job and none of it is very neat, but I've done what I set out to do and am pleased with the result.</p><p><br /></p></div>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-73332929623606252572020-09-25T19:48:00.001+01:002020-09-26T19:12:43.696+01:00Butchering my Brooks B67 saddle<p> Here's the result of that butchering -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1uouWO24lVFMA7iO2iKTvZxRdYKjmBvH0Yss-WO-icMXKi1LCUIn-EVriZaYxo1NWKKnC8n-uXCmS5y9Kbcz_g2aCAgSRuXzR0T2owGawHbwJeWry0zr4LFy-Sg7cIwO4oazBv7Blli7/s2048/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1uouWO24lVFMA7iO2iKTvZxRdYKjmBvH0Yss-WO-icMXKi1LCUIn-EVriZaYxo1NWKKnC8n-uXCmS5y9Kbcz_g2aCAgSRuXzR0T2owGawHbwJeWry0zr4LFy-Sg7cIwO4oazBv7Blli7/s320/IMG_3310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>and here's the story behind it -</p><p><br /></p><p>I haven't ridden my Koga much this year, owing to the Brooks saddle becoming uncomfortable again. When I first had it, once I had got the tilt and height correct for me, it was extremely comfortable, and I could ride long distances on it without needing any padded underwear. Then I had some trouble with it last year when it became very uncomfortable,<span style="color: red;"> </span>and also creaked a lot, and on that occasion tensioning resolved both issues. Did it now need more tensioning? I tightened it up a small amount while it was on the bike, but it didn't really help. I was a bit mystified as the change seemed quite extreme. I had read one or two cases of people finding their Brooks saddles uncomfortable after having been comfortable, so thought that perhaps I was unusual in this, but maybe not unique.</p><p>I decided to take the saddle off, and have a good look at it to see if I could see any reason why it might have changed. Amongst other things I found that underneath it wasn't quite symmetrical, and that the tensioning bolt didn't run parallel to to the rails,<span style="color: red;"> </span>but I couldn't see why this would affect it now and not have done in the past, unless perhaps the extra tensioning that it seemed to need now just wasn't happening due to this. I had tightened the nut quite a lot more and tried it out again, but although the creaking was much improved, probably due to my having given the saddle clamp and seat post a good wipe (though they weren't very dirty) it was still uncomfortable.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0tEbI66CRHt46jnENB2zTXnjw494poZAAXHEnhLX_jH8V_ZWMcrx7EpBnElxm4wTReqlJW2yGACzYkWCPmdYeqVTPMhvTaJeTs5rbfvR95X-jRb-5olYwpt4ce2UEW4BffBLORO34IkU/s2048/April+2020+Tension+bolt+not+parallel.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0tEbI66CRHt46jnENB2zTXnjw494poZAAXHEnhLX_jH8V_ZWMcrx7EpBnElxm4wTReqlJW2yGACzYkWCPmdYeqVTPMhvTaJeTs5rbfvR95X-jRb-5olYwpt4ce2UEW4BffBLORO34IkU/w400-h299/April+2020+Tension+bolt+not+parallel.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tension bolt not parallel to rails</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I should explain that the discomfort was at the front of me (that's quite enough explanation...). At the back under my sit bones was fine. Another important thing to take into account was that the saddle on my Trek, which I have had for years, was also not quite as comfortable as it had been, so I was beginning to think that maybe it was me and not my saddle that had changed. So I started to look online at saddles with cut-outs, thinking that this was what I probably needed. In the end I bought this Bontrager one from my local bike shop, as it was only £20, had good reviews online and I knew I could get a refund after 30 days if I didn't like it -</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uRyb8Rigvw1Ew2fZ_8fqehWmZi3G5MaISbdzWa1TZvepVAqEyUL7FKT-Zd14ktjKamIoM285lJPnHW_rT9Iyt6R41kD_FLU8CtYk34UfwH8YpkKRcZOFDdnKEYcjmWh_LrRRi971UleJ/s2048/IMG_3312+%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uRyb8Rigvw1Ew2fZ_8fqehWmZi3G5MaISbdzWa1TZvepVAqEyUL7FKT-Zd14ktjKamIoM285lJPnHW_rT9Iyt6R41kD_FLU8CtYk34UfwH8YpkKRcZOFDdnKEYcjmWh_LrRRi971UleJ/s320/IMG_3312+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bontrager saddle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>According to the width measurement, 167mm, it wasn't as wide as I needed, but with the 30 day comfort guarantee I thought I might as well try it. As it turned out, it was surprisingly comfortable, but in the process of tightening the two bolts, which I should add I had always found very fiddly compared to adjusting the saddle on my Trek, which has one bolt, I managed to break one of the washers, although I didn't realize what I'd done until I went to adjust it more - </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SXLAmPgGo1m-n0dEXk4mZyaMR3qD7fgdXBs8Tsw7KjqgUQthQVsEQUv-N_cdQhg_gMuQA348iNRAI8NpsoSxR-fn87X6MCQEfIbaIk3E4rVH5bpa_oWErhtsG1GM2xgfE4cVDBk4pu-j/s1736/IMG_3241+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1736" data-original-width="1375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SXLAmPgGo1m-n0dEXk4mZyaMR3qD7fgdXBs8Tsw7KjqgUQthQVsEQUv-N_cdQhg_gMuQA348iNRAI8NpsoSxR-fn87X6MCQEfIbaIk3E4rVH5bpa_oWErhtsG1GM2xgfE4cVDBk4pu-j/s320/IMG_3241+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broken washer and underside of seatpost</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I contacted Cyclesense where I bought the bike and asked if it was possible to get new washers. The answer was no, and the only solution was to buy a whole new seat post, for £30. That seems to be the case with a lot of things these days - you can't get a tiny replacement part for something and have to buy a whole new one. My local bike shop hadn't got any similar washers either. However, Husband is very handy and cleverly managed to fix the saddle back on by using a different washer and a bit of wood. Very Heath Robinson. It worked, but although I had made sure it was in the right position before he finally fixed it in place, I could no longer make any adjustments to it at all should I want to, or swap the saddle again, without having to ask Husband's help again. Although this new saddle was pretty comfortable - and on the whole I'd recommend it - I knew the Brooks was more comfortable under my sit bones. I really sit "in" the Brooks, rather than on it, which someone somewhere on the net said was what you should be doing. Maybe, maybe not! Not all experts agree, as we have all been finding lately.....</p><p>After some more weeks of thinking (slow thinking is good sometimes...) I wondered what I would now do with the Brooks saddle. Sell it? Probably hardly worth the bother. Keep it and maybe try it again at some point in the future? Or - have a go at butchering it, which I knew some people had done? I really wanted it back on my bike, for the comfort under my sit bones, so I thought I might as well go for the latter, and after reading anything I could find on the subject (not a lot to be honest) I got out my Stanley knife..... I made a stencil of the cut-out bit on the Bontrager saddle, drew inside it on the Brooks, and then began to slowly cut through the leather.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmPfKY5TMWHsQbJJAxtlj5EjERrFcc8TD7uGnytT1eooNKIQYg0B8rpFQ8SLGZUPKTvTnIaSIlpc9TAwAw1U_k_2qKL0Tn04gDogP25-I6Ltk3AAZpZpW7BNgjSjJEIpNsZgAGSyuIlrf/s2048/IMG_3305.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmPfKY5TMWHsQbJJAxtlj5EjERrFcc8TD7uGnytT1eooNKIQYg0B8rpFQ8SLGZUPKTvTnIaSIlpc9TAwAw1U_k_2qKL0Tn04gDogP25-I6Ltk3AAZpZpW7BNgjSjJEIpNsZgAGSyuIlrf/w299-h400/IMG_3305.JPG" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just in case you're wondering, Husband had written "Haven't seen cat"<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I was expecting the cutting to be difficult, but it was quite easy. Once done I skived off bits to make sure it wasn't too rough. I did a bit of filing as well using the emery board (I'm not a nail filer - it came with corn removing stuff!!) and the grater that came with a tool kit -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuW4zEk01bBYhy_ko81nvCerDmgq13I-YMSCMqotggRpXa7hSenhJLeQv11TRo3s7uULAJxmzlX1kI2Oho2Z6zWooD9qPdCmPTpMcEDBApOrUwPCcfpKyLG48V8SUoHlsj5fYrFUgTCV-/s2048/IMG_3306.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuW4zEk01bBYhy_ko81nvCerDmgq13I-YMSCMqotggRpXa7hSenhJLeQv11TRo3s7uULAJxmzlX1kI2Oho2Z6zWooD9qPdCmPTpMcEDBApOrUwPCcfpKyLG48V8SUoHlsj5fYrFUgTCV-/s320/IMG_3306.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>After this photo was taken I did enlarge the cut-out slightly at the front.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now I had to try it out, which of course I couldn't do on the Koga, so I put it on my Trek. I did a bit of riding up and down the road, and it seemed pretty comfortable, so a few days later I rode it a few miles. Still seemed good, so after another few days I rode it about 14 miles to go shopping, adding on more miles to give it a better trial. I also altered both the height and tilt of the saddle en route. I was very pleased! The next step was - put it on the Koga..... but to do this I'd have to ask Husband to go through his Heath Robinson thing again, and I wouldn't then be able to adjust the saddle further. I decided then to bite the bullet and buy a new seat post, not the £30 one from Cyclesense but a Bontrager one I had looked at earlier in the year (£22) but which I had decided against partly because it did not have as much setback as the Koga one. This was important to me as I had had the Brooks set back as far as it would go and even that at times didn't seem enough - a common problem with Brooks saddles owing to their short rails, and the position of them on the saddle. I looked at seatposts online with more setback but there wasn't one that would fit my bike (31.6mm). However, knowing that I had possibly not had the saddle as high as I needed it, which would give me more set back - as you raise the saddle, it goes back further - I decided to buy it and hope for the best. Here it is back on the Koga, higher than it was previously -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWmRp2gpi0UDNiZV7FJ-ZGJ313DgzKoOtG76nkctqjxYCKW6fCalPkhYBvHN7Vyt_bSfcMMYO08vUrkWcw5IxRsLqcIqIEp2cOW0hkJAF3T__5bpHEvcO_bLfW9curhPBz_aDt_OvKfUT/s2048/IMG_3309.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWmRp2gpi0UDNiZV7FJ-ZGJ313DgzKoOtG76nkctqjxYCKW6fCalPkhYBvHN7Vyt_bSfcMMYO08vUrkWcw5IxRsLqcIqIEp2cOW0hkJAF3T__5bpHEvcO_bLfW9curhPBz_aDt_OvKfUT/w299-h400/IMG_3309.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It actually makes adjusting it easier, as you can see what you're doing from the top -</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_zfSeYGFNRdKpVHEA34pP1MjjH1TDx-jlfaPjDg_fkjeDgUWCWWTbD1dq_XouRW1k7bH6HkmZV7ynieMvovlmQENigLCSsXNb3C1YMx8eqiA75aLp6hgvcfc9N4QsBkPhYjkj2h5EUjM/s2048/IMG_3310.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_zfSeYGFNRdKpVHEA34pP1MjjH1TDx-jlfaPjDg_fkjeDgUWCWWTbD1dq_XouRW1k7bH6HkmZV7ynieMvovlmQENigLCSsXNb3C1YMx8eqiA75aLp6hgvcfc9N4QsBkPhYjkj2h5EUjM/s320/IMG_3310.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the trendsetting combination of Keen sandals, socks, and rolled up jeans...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p>I rode it up and down near our house and am now pretty confident that all will be well. That's as much as I can say at present as I haven't been able to ride it more this week as my lovely little granddaughter kindly gave me a present of a cold last weekend, since when I have done very little, but am now on the mend and am looking forward to trying out the saddle properly.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just for comparison, here is the Bontrager saddle on top of the Brooks -</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM7TiuSTTGXJHyN4Ql-nwpe5h_HpIKep2cLw1eJv9NqUCjw3gW9gCPjCoAxHGO8MOTsUc8xyGkXAwZ9x3CVrssohKQK01-EhGZvBXCkLjcbiIkNkgz0T2Bl97XJyPIHYucbeHotUdgedc/s2048/IMG_3311+%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM7TiuSTTGXJHyN4Ql-nwpe5h_HpIKep2cLw1eJv9NqUCjw3gW9gCPjCoAxHGO8MOTsUc8xyGkXAwZ9x3CVrssohKQK01-EhGZvBXCkLjcbiIkNkgz0T2Bl97XJyPIHYucbeHotUdgedc/s320/IMG_3311+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Actually, now I come to look at them both, there doesn't seem to be much difference in the length of the rails, but if you imagine that the Bontrager saddle were set as far back as it would go according to the rail markings, then you can see that the rider would be sitting further back on the bike.. It's not just the rail length that counts, but the position of them on the saddle.</p><p>So hopefully I have now got an improved version of my Brooks saddle! I wonder why Brooks don't make a version of the B67 with a cut-out as they do of some of their other models? If this really works for me then I'll suggest it to them.</p><p>I would love to hear of anyone else's experiences and opinions of butchering their Brooks, so if you have any please let me know in the comments!</p><p>And here, for your delight and delectation, as they used to say on some old TV programme, is another little bike bag I made from a rucksack I got from Freegle. Not at all waterproof, but useful on dry days! I might try a waterproof version.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP-BIkKTgBg9j8DLvwVvqLGVX1pIpmFx3Mvtq_3G_gncU5cstugfwg_p_Fnq8WpnZEIrrveO1RYfyIX3USvlhbcvss_NbqstsdvKoKmYGDc_7fShdYawj8HQTZGtQyIczPEYGFMiBY58_/s2048/IMG_3284.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP-BIkKTgBg9j8DLvwVvqLGVX1pIpmFx3Mvtq_3G_gncU5cstugfwg_p_Fnq8WpnZEIrrveO1RYfyIX3USvlhbcvss_NbqstsdvKoKmYGDc_7fShdYawj8HQTZGtQyIczPEYGFMiBY58_/s320/IMG_3284.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwglWU7-dKcJFSSdDQfEMCQYgORElAVtQriGRqaxM_uaWvgyhsemY9V-usSycpql6ywTzOaqSQ_GaoFdJtEpLRJV4Tt5rQ_0ZTdQOdcpseigU1ADxj42ZW6HYOkidois-RESjYhJrrtZEh/s2048/IMG_3282.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwglWU7-dKcJFSSdDQfEMCQYgORElAVtQriGRqaxM_uaWvgyhsemY9V-usSycpql6ywTzOaqSQ_GaoFdJtEpLRJV4Tt5rQ_0ZTdQOdcpseigU1ADxj42ZW6HYOkidois-RESjYhJrrtZEh/s320/IMG_3282.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-42522424531250291602020-07-03T17:30:00.001+01:002020-07-03T17:30:01.028+01:00Home made bicycle bar bag Before I get on to the bar bag, here's the reason why I decided to make another one: I treated myself to a second pair of panniers to go on my Koga, the bike I use for longer touring or just longer day trips, and because these new ones don't have any outside pockets, having extra and easily accessible space to put small bits and pieces in is even more important. The panniers are Ortlieb Back Roller Plus, bought from <a href="https://www.spacycles.co.uk/" target="_blank">Spa Cycles</a> (delivery was quick, despite Covid) in lime green, and it took me hours of poring over the internet to decide which ones to get. My old Karrimors are excellent, and have two good outside pockets on, and I just wish that someone would make some exactly the same. I don't think I'm the only cyclist to think like this as similar style ones go for good prices on Ebay. I did in fact have my eye on a pair of Carradice panniers on Ebay but they went for more than I wanted to pay for something I wasn't totally sure about. At first I didn't want to even consider any that hadn't got outside pockets, and I came close to buying these <a href="https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s74p37/CARRADICE-Carradura-Rear-Panniers">Carradice ones</a>, which are a very good price, but for various reasons in the end I went for the <a href="https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s74p3241/ORTLIEB-Back-Roller-Plus">Ortlieb ones</a>. I nearly went for the Bike Packer style, as they do have one outside pocket, but I thought it looked a bit flat and slightly awkward to get into. There were lots of other factors that influenced my choice, too. Maybe I'll do a whole blog post on that later.<br />
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In my very first blog post I wrote about a bar bag I made from a musette bag. You can read about that <a href="http://whatthisbikeneeds.blogspot.com/2015/09/hello-bit-of-introduction.html">here</a>. That very simple bag is still going strong, but I decided I wanted to try to make one that was a bit stronger, and, frankly, a little more professional looking..... I very much like <a href="https://www.ornotbike.com/collections/handlebar-bag/products/handlebar_bag_mini">these from Ornot</a>, and other companies do very similar ones, and thought I'd have a go at copying the style, but in the end I just couldn't see how I'd fix it on without squashing my cables. I'm sure there are ways to work around that problem, but I thought I might as well just make another version of the one I've already got which I know works and doesn't get in the way of cables.<br />
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As the Karrimors are now permanently on the Trek, the cheap panniers which were on there are now spare, so I cut one up and had just enough material from one of them to make the bar bag. The fabric is some kind of ripstop. I had the design and measurements in mind before I started, but made alterations to those as I went along.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYwFwrQ-c1y2dMyTihK4C74IgYkU82yhXc0oiVHkELNJ-6sHQ6e9ext4tWpOHKH-bQiD2-SEN9v6v71BWt8Icaen_wAQd0dl1W5APq19s3_Pr7FaOuZ4iIJMR6egK042grz00KzTVUEYk/s1600/IMG_3212.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYwFwrQ-c1y2dMyTihK4C74IgYkU82yhXc0oiVHkELNJ-6sHQ6e9ext4tWpOHKH-bQiD2-SEN9v6v71BWt8Icaen_wAQd0dl1W5APq19s3_Pr7FaOuZ4iIJMR6egK042grz00KzTVUEYk/w299-h400/IMG_3212.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the bike - </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJovCTni0JrZaZgROn-HHGVZJsszKxSf1sG0qjY2xNIGazMRJ162eY_GqqSbqqrO27mdIewvW0mImRP2d9yictCFgmVgX5TDKoTH_HhNRwvzQccVCCilEs934-qk7tH1yMR18XIdgEYvQ/s1600/IMG_3218.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJovCTni0JrZaZgROn-HHGVZJsszKxSf1sG0qjY2xNIGazMRJ162eY_GqqSbqqrO27mdIewvW0mImRP2d9yictCFgmVgX5TDKoTH_HhNRwvzQccVCCilEs934-qk7tH1yMR18XIdgEYvQ/w299-h400/IMG_3218.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The back, and no, that's not a bit of unstitched binding at the bottom right. It's just where I had to re-do the yellow stitching on the front and didn't quite catch in the binding on this side, and so I did it by hand - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAWWih_Jfvh7yO4AA56u-Z1RA-cUm3bt7T5X2XjejszpIeeMWjq-A34_6DGKKHfJsALTTG-_FjBE1psvQrQJ0F09lV35Eu_Aw-ruQcHTw1-ziq9mxw0bxCweseNaSzU0oY-CnZjqOy5-f/s2592/IMG_3213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAWWih_Jfvh7yO4AA56u-Z1RA-cUm3bt7T5X2XjejszpIeeMWjq-A34_6DGKKHfJsALTTG-_FjBE1psvQrQJ0F09lV35Eu_Aw-ruQcHTw1-ziq9mxw0bxCweseNaSzU0oY-CnZjqOy5-f/w299-h400/IMG_3213.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The green lining came from an old windbreak I had acquired for free, knowing it would come in useful one day! I was vaguely trying to colour co-ordinate with the lime green of the panniers.... The green tape is just to fix anything else to if I want, based on the military molle attachment system which I came across on YouTube - see explanation <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ70xxO1s-U">here</a> - <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7W0QFIqS9XX2_r72CACCluOB6hyphenhyphenRxeLj1L1L9eiaSB2eRrXjtt9AewOqUQIrGWJakWq5mKHnaD7Iy8aa17MmJMmSokieSDUJjbis-xcaw9rc4hCaZG2az1USHAS80itu0eRNDW1-ewwMA/s2592/IMG_3214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7W0QFIqS9XX2_r72CACCluOB6hyphenhyphenRxeLj1L1L9eiaSB2eRrXjtt9AewOqUQIrGWJakWq5mKHnaD7Iy8aa17MmJMmSokieSDUJjbis-xcaw9rc4hCaZG2az1USHAS80itu0eRNDW1-ewwMA/w299-h400/IMG_3214.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dog clip inside for attaching things like keys or safety pins to -</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjtQ1qUTPM_HUu-D7Vtq4Lk7RFA-8NRp-HVWc5TlAqunDVAksA4pzHGeZ0hrEiF0m9TllHrrTKuEEA1ubR61lkfI44enjHo-EPWNlbXWmtv4Knai7n90VuIPgWix1aaEel1UhG-LJV48Z/s2592/IMG_3216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjtQ1qUTPM_HUu-D7Vtq4Lk7RFA-8NRp-HVWc5TlAqunDVAksA4pzHGeZ0hrEiF0m9TllHrrTKuEEA1ubR61lkfI44enjHo-EPWNlbXWmtv4Knai7n90VuIPgWix1aaEel1UhG-LJV48Z/w299-h400/IMG_3216.JPG" title="Don't look too closely at the stitching..." width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't look too closely at the stitching....<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was originally intending to attach the bottom Velcro strap round the stem, and the bag was going to sit right behind the cables where my old one did, but I decided it was better attached like this - </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2U1mAYANcE-h5WsjVdVkjQ3iiMOmyiGqFX9fmdYfrRfbeOKOE0lYGkKAHO501tFwD_iZbCCBV8-aDYzYiZHCo9wcQs9uq4MymU8f1lVlbxvMHAG2q2BXXf_Xt-GzxqTlA50S0TN8RLg3/s2592/IMG_3222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2U1mAYANcE-h5WsjVdVkjQ3iiMOmyiGqFX9fmdYfrRfbeOKOE0lYGkKAHO501tFwD_iZbCCBV8-aDYzYiZHCo9wcQs9uq4MymU8f1lVlbxvMHAG2q2BXXf_Xt-GzxqTlA50S0TN8RLg3/w299-h400/IMG_3222.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everything that I used came from the old pannier, or was saved from something else (like the tape and the dog clip), except the Velcro and the zip, both of which I bought.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm really pleased with how this bag turned out. I'm also making a waterproof barbecue cover for my neighbour out of Cordura type fabric, which is a whole new area of sewing for me - different fabric, different thread, meaning lots of internet research - and these two projects have really got me thinking about making bags from more outdoorsy fabrics, as opposed to the upholstery or dressmaking fabrics I've used in the past. And so then I got on to looking at vintage industrial sewing machines.... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I would still want to re-use things, as with the old pannier. I just hope that charity shops will open up properly again soon, by which I mean unlimited numbers of customers and therefore unlimited browsing - essential in charity shops!</div>
<br /></div>LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-42266098928931224982020-06-02T17:30:00.000+01:002020-06-02T17:30:00.146+01:00Just an everyday shopping trip....My mileage is well down in the last couple of months. Because of the lockdown restrictions I have not gone out on long day rides, due to not wanting to have to call out Husband if I got a puncture, or some other problem. Not that this has ever happened to me, except very near home, so my reasoning isn't really logical... However I have had some really lovely short rides, finding some routes I either didn't know about or had forgotten.<br />
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One lovely sunny day - there have been so many! - I decided to take a route along our local Wilts and Berks canal to go shopping in Wantage. The canal is being restored in places and is a lovely quiet route to walk or cycle. In the winter it's too muddy but at the moment it's perfect. The surface is reasonably good for my hybrid bike, though in dappled sunlight the tree roots can be hard to see. Before I start, here's an interesting thing; I realized when cycling along the Kennet and Avon canal a couple of years ago that I much prefer to cycle with a canal on my right - it feels slightly weird cycling with it on my left.<br />
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Back to the shopping trip. I got onto the tow path about 2 miles from home -<br />
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It's so lovely at this time of year. Who would want to drive along a road when you can walk or cycle along here?<br />
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Now I'm approaching Grove after about two miles on the canal. A few years ago this was just a field with a footpath across, which I used to enjoy walking. You can see a new housing estate on the left; they have at least done a reasonable job of landscaping the area, putting in trees and good paths. I don't know whether the paths are designated for walkers only but no-one has yet objected to me cycling on them. This is also part of what was once Grove Airfield, an important WW2 military air base, hence the aeroplane on a stick - that curved thing in the distance. Apparently it's a De Havilland Venom! (now I know...). There are some excellent photos of it <a href="http://www.telestrian.co.uk/de_Havilland_Venom.html">here</a>.<br />
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Here I am in the middle of Wantage, but still roughly following the route of the old canal. It's only in recent years that I have discovered just how many quiet paths there are between the houses in Wantage. There are quiet short cuts everywhere. In theory most of them are not for cyclists but I always give way to pedestrians and nobody seems to object to a cyclist being on them. Here the canal is just a ditch -</div>
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Now through a housing estate -</div>
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And here I am, after about 5 miles, finally back on the road and nearly at Sainsbury's, and even this road is much, much quieter than normal, due to lockdown.<br />
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Then through to the market place, which would normally be full of cars, both parked and moving. It does seem very strange once you get here, where most of the shops are shut - quite dead. There are not just few cars but very few people -<br />
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My bike was the only one parked here in my usual spot outside Waitrose (I truly do get a bit miffed if someone else parks there....) which is strange; we all know there are more people cycling at the moment and even the usual bikes aren't here.</div>
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Now I'm back on the canal path between the houses on my way home, with very full panniers -<br />
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Sneaking through a gap by the stile and back on to the old footpath near the aeroplane -<br />
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Now, after cycling round the edge of Grove Business Park, I'm heading across the old airfield. It was many years since I'd walked this path and I couldn't remember how rideable it was, but in my relaxed and exploratory mode I just thought - oh well, I can always turn round and go back.....</div>
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It turned out to be rideable all the way to this lane at East Challow. The photo below is of the site of what used to be a country club, and where I believe Elder Son wasted some of his youth. When I first came across the derelict buildings some years ago, and didn't know of this fact, I snooped around and came out with a haul of several beer glasses (some used by him perhaps) and a very nice stainless steel bucket, which we still have! This was also where a friend showed me Poplar Balsam; some time later when passing a wood close to home I realized from the remembered smell in my nostrils that it was growing there too.</div>
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Now past the church at the lovely village of West Challow. There is a stream that flows past the church wherein I once dipped my feet on a very hot day, after a day's riding. Nothing like it....</div>
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And now back up the bridlepath to Childrey, and then a short distance on quiet back roads home.<br />
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How many people's shopping journeys are like that? Just had a thought - I wonder if Husband would let me use his Go-Pro to film it? If I could manage the technology.....</div>
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LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-56348469071435597402020-04-19T18:00:00.000+01:002020-04-24T18:52:08.146+01:00Cycling, corona virus, and decorating....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been meaning to write a post for weeks - I think the longer I go without writing the harder it is to get back into it, but I don't intend giving up. From the beginning of November until the last week of February, every spare minute was taken up with decorating our kitchen, but more of that later.<br />
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Over the winter I have kept cycling, but mostly just for transport, as the weather was not exactly conducive to pleasure rides.... It was so wet that several of our club rides were cancelled. Many local roads were flooded enough to prevent passage by bicycle. Even when the rides were on I confess I chickened out a couple of times as I just didn't fancy riding in wind and rain, and I do have the excuse that I have to ride nearly 6 miles to the start. I wasn't always the only one who chickened out either!<br />
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In fact the last ride I had with our local CUK group was way back in February, when I rode with the 2* group - the next one up from my normal 1* - on a ride to and round Oxford, led by one of the group who knows lots of interesting routes through Oxford. I've done two of these before and they are very interesting. This time we actually rode to Oxford, rather than going there by car and starting from a car park.<br />
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As the leader is also bursar of one of the colleges, we were able to have our refreshments within the college. It was an exceptionally warm and sunny day, but also very windy, and on the way back, into the wind, I really struggled to keep going. I ended up having to leave the ride early, for the first time, although in fact it was only about 2 miles earlier than I would have done anyway. Total mileage for the ride was about 47 miles, over about 6 1/2 hours for me. I know, I know - nothing compared to what some people do. I was only riding a Trek hybrid though, and I am not exactly a spring chicken.... I had worked out from the times advertised before the ride that there wouldn't be very long for lunch, but I was a bit shocked when the call came to set off on the return journey as I had only just managed to finish my sandwiches, and later I simply ran out of the energy to fight the headwind. I hated having to give up, but I told myself that sometimes you just have to admit defeat, and not be ashamed of the fact.<br />
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At the end of February, as the corona virus was creeping into the UK, I went by train to Devon to visit Elder Daughter and middle granddaughter, while her Royal Marines husband was away. It was a good job I went when I did, as had I left it any later the travel restrictions would have been brought in, preventing me from going. While I was there I managed a couple of train rides, combined with walks, on the Exe Estuary Trail, otherwise known as NCN Route 2. One day I visited Topsham, a village on the route, and found Route 2 Cafe, and an excellent little bike shop round the corner. I would recommend both. I also found a lovely secondhand bookshop - a house basically, with each room full of books, and all very well organised. There I found a real gem, published in the 1970s, called "England by Bicycle", by Frederick Alderson. I have since discovered that he wrote several other bicycling-related books but I have not been able to find out much about the man himself. Here's an extract -<br />
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Methinks that the likes of Strava has taken over from the chart!<br />
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As I was walking the Route, I planned to return on my bike, either by cycling all the way down there, or by putting my bike on the train and getting off at Exeter, whence I could cycle the last 10 miles or so of my journey on the Trail. I haven't put my bike on a train since my early twenties (quite a long time ago...) and the tales I read of people who do it nowadays aren't always encouraging, so it remains to be seen whether that will happen.<br />
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However, we all know what has happened to our plans this year..... they have all gone awry! We are not used to our lives being disrupted as they have been in the last few weeks. I must admit that whenever in the past I have seen people on the news at airports moaning that their flight has been delayed, cancelled or whatever, and their holiday plans have been ruined, I think - yes, it is disappointing for you but worse things have happened. Life on the whole runs pretty smoothly, especially here in the West, and we should not be surprised that sometimes it doesn't; we can't always have what we want, whether that's a packet of loo rolls (or yeast, at the time of writing!!) or a holiday....<br />
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On my return from Devon I came down with what I thought was going to be flu, but wasn't. I know that because I was tested for it in hospital the next day. I had come over hot, sweaty and nauseous and then fainted in front of Husband, he'd called 999 when he couldn't get me to respond, and after I had come round they told me to go to our nearest walk-in centre. I was a bit surprised that they were telling me to do that, as even then (end of February) people were being advised NOT to go to such places if they thought they had the corona virus. I didn't think I had but was clearly infectious with something. I also thought it was a bit over the top, but did what I was told and allowed Husband to take me to hospital in Swindon. They swabbed me - or rather they got me to swab myself - for flu, and put a mask on me, and then I waited in the waiting room. They also checked my temperature, blood pressure, did a chest x-ray, and did blood tests. My temperature was normal when I got there but I wondered if the paracetamol I had taken had affected this, as later it had risen, but still wasn't high, although I know that my normal temperature is on the low side. The flu test came back negative, and the nurse who told me this also said -<br />
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"And you haven't got corona virus either."<br />
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It was only in later days that I realized that this must have been just her diagnosis as at that time the virus was not being tested for in hospital labs, and anyway test results were taking days to come back.<br />
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I was then allowed to remove the mask, but then sat in the waiting room for 4 hours sneezing and blowing my nose.....! Germs, anyone? The x-ray was fine. The blood tests showed everything was OK too except that I had raised levels of something or other, indicating some sort of virus. After about 4 hours there we came home. Altogether my symptoms were runny nose, sneezing, a cough at night, and aches in my back and legs, for which I took ibuprofen to help me sleep. While these are not typical corona virus symptoms, I do of course wonder now whether that "some sort of virus" might have been it. Within about 2 weeks Husband got a sore throat and sore eyes - both possible symptoms of Covid-19. He didn't feel particularly unwell and they were not symptoms we were told to isolate for. He is still at work, in a Tesco distribution warehouse. <br />
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About 4 weeks after the start of my illness, but after I had recovered fully, I woke up one night with a horrible churning in my stomach and my heart was racing and pounding like never before and I thought - this must be it.... This went on for the next few hours, during which time I was glad that we had not run out of loo paper as I had three trips there in that time, but by the next day, although tired, I was better. Husband and I had both eaten the same things so it wasn't food poisoning.<br />
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I have included all this because I know that many people are wondering if something they had earlier in the year, or even last year, was Covid-19, and thought it might be useful to share my/our symptoms. I wish that we could both be tested to see if we have indeed had it.<br />
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For me, the new restrictions to life aren't really that bad; the fantastic weather has meant that I have been able to do lots of gardening, which I love. Unfortunately Eldest Son and Wife will not be visiting from Austria this month as was planned, we will not be visiting them in June, as was planned, and we cannot see our grandchildren. Having said that, I was out for my daily exercise one lovely sunny day last week and thought I'd cycle up to the end of Younger Daughter's road, text her and say - "Can I come and wave to you all at your windows?" And just as I came to a halt - there they were, out for their daily exercise too! So we chatted, at a distance of course, and that made my day!<br />
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I am not using the bike to go shopping as often as I would normally do, as I have to make sure that I get enough for a week on one trip, to avoid going to shops too often, and that means using the car. Husband and I are not the types to be going out and doing lots of social things, or eating out a lot, enjoying instead our cycling, walking and (him) paragliding, but I really miss my trips to the charity shops, and my free cup of coffee while people-watching in, or outside, Waitrose! My daily exercise now is more often a walk than a cycle as, strange though it may sound, I rarely cycle purely for the exercise. When I cycle I normally do so either because I need to get somewhere and the bike is my mode of transport, or because I have got a whole day to go out exploring, and cycling is the way I love to do that. I take food, and stopping at a cafe for coffee is always part of the pleasure, but of course that's not possible now. I did actually have another reason for my ride last week, which was to return 2 books, which I had had since last year, to a library in a church a few miles away. Unfortunately it wasn't open, so I hung the books on the door. I then sat on a bench in the churchyard enjoying a flask of coffee and cake, which was later pointed out to me is a bit against the restrictions, but it wasn't as if I was in a busy park.....<br />
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Not being able to cycle with my group has again made me think about whether I actually do like cycling with other people......if anyone from the group happens to read this, it's nothing personal! - I <i>do</i> enjoy the social side. It's simply that cycling in a group is a completely different ball game to cycling alone; it's faster than I would go alone, there isn't the same opportunity to look round, and you can't stop whenever you want for rest or refreshment, or the call of nature - this latter has been know to be quite a cause of concern to me on some rides! Some people simply don't seem to need to go very often as even when we are at a cafe, they don't go! I think they are the same ones who don't drink much either, which follows.... And there are weeks when I can't afford the time to go out for a ride of my choice, as well as a group ride and shopping trips etc.<br />
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As to the re-decoration of our kitchen, just to remind you, we lived in this house for 3 years after we got married in 1981, and moved back into it after 32 years in another one a mile along the road. I still miss that old draughty cottage but know it was an eminently sensible decision to move back to this smaller one, and we are very happy here.<br />
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Ever since we moved back here, I have hated the brown kitchen cupboards. When we first lived here there were fewer cupboards (and not brown...) but there was a lovely larder, a sensible double drainer sink (one of the criteria on which I would base my choice of kitchen sink would be - is it big enough to bath a baby in?) and a Rayburn. The house was one of four built in the 1970s for farm workers. About 10-15 years ago, the metal window frames were swapped for PVC double glazed windows, the Rayburn was ripped out and central heating installed, and new kitchen cupboards and a new sink put in. Admittedly that sink is not as bad as even more modern sinks, which are clearly designed with the assumption that EVERYONE these days has a dishwasher (we haven't) and therefore doesn't do much washing up by hand, but it still annoys me.<br />
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Anyway, to return to our brown kitchen cupboards. The wall tiles were also brown. The surfaces were a dark bluish grey. The whole kitchen felt dark, but despite thinking about painting the cupboards soon after we came here, I couldn't get round the fact that even if I did the surfaces would still be what to me was a horrible colour, and we couldn't afford to replace them. And how would I pick a colour for the cupboards that was an improvement on the brown, but also co-ordinated with the horrible colour of the surfaces? In the end, my colour choice was brought about by my sitting and looking at the colours on our calendar, and having an ah ha! moment, and then getting matching paint colour strips and sitting with those for ages to see if they felt right. Plus, and this was the big game changer really, I had read about the use of sticky back plastic for covering work surfaces, which meant we could completely change the look of them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark kitchen with untidy shoe shelves on the right</td></tr>
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The pile of cookery books on the table was there because I had recently removed the corner shelf, to the left of that doorway, where I kept them. Ages ago<i> </i>I had also removed strips that went along the top of the cupboards, and the same underneath them. Those small changes had made a difference, but not enough.<br />
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This is how it is now - the worktops on the left are covered in the sticky back plastic, which Husband did. The brand is d-c-fix, and this is the <a href="https://www.createyourworld.co.uk/90cm-x-21m-d-c-fix-ribbeck-oak-sticky-back-plastic-vinyl-wrap-film-346-5378-6525-p.asp">one we used</a>, though we got ours from B and Q. He sent me out of the room while he did it, so he could concentrate properly. You have to be careful not to get air bubbles under the plastic, as although you can remove them, it's just better not to get them in the first place. The worktop to the right I decoupaged, using a 30p charity shop Jamie Oliver cookery book! - I've kept the rest of the book! I put 4 coats of varnish on it, ignoring the fact that some people say do 10!!!!<br />
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Here's a few more pics - I repainted the tiles twice before I was happy with the colour, ditto with that kickboard, and ditto with the knobs, which replaced the old metal knobs. You may notice that the carved out bits on the drawers have disappeared too; I didn't like them and stuck mountboard over the top, and then Husband made the wooden strip handles to replace the old metal dangly ones.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doors being painted</td></tr>
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The decoupaged worktop, before varnishing -<br />
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Notice that bike bits are already appearing....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After varnishing (4 coats).<br />
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I even painted the compost bin - previously green. Actually, because I didn't have any primer specifically for plastic, I glued newspaper all over it first and then painted and varnished it. Originally the lid was joined on and it didn't have an inner liner, so I was always having to wash the whole thing out, lid and all, so I cut the lid off, and made an inner easily-washable liner out of an old 1 gallon plastic container.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compost bin</td></tr>
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The untidy shoe shelves have gone - the shoes are now in the cupboard just inside the back door, where we kept them 39 years ago! The cupboard came from the hall. The new shelf was the side of some shelves that Youngest Son gave us. The brackets are the scaffold plank type.<br />
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There's another one down the other end, for my cookery books -<br />
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I've found that we have to be very careful about what we plonk down on the newly covered surfaces. I put an old tin opener, blade down, on it, and it caused slight damage. But having to be careful is a small price to pay for something that has made such a difference.<br />
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Just about everything downstairs has been changed or moved around! Husband always hates it when I start changing things around; if I don't know exactly what I'm going to do next, e.g. "So where are you going to put the shoes now?!!"then he thinks I shouldn't do it, but I find that even if I don't know how I'm going to achieve what I want, once I have made that initial change the way forward becomes clear.<br />
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I also painted the walls, in a shade that was only a little lighter than the original colour, but again made a big difference. I now like walking into our kitchen! When I came back from Devon after those few days away, I thought - ah, lovely! So glad I did it!<br />
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Apologies for such a long post! I hope you have enjoyed it....LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-82873003043848427662019-11-27T18:00:00.000+00:002019-11-27T18:00:13.266+00:00Reviews of Torm long sleeved jersey, Rab Kinetic Plus jacket, and Equetec Dressage BriefsThese are three pieces of clothing that I am really glad I bought! Most of my clothes come from charity shops, but occasionally I splash out on something which I want mainly for cycling. I say mainly because in the case of these three only the Torm jersey is specifically for cycling and even that I would be happy to be seen in away from the bike.<br />
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So, here we go -<br />
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<a href="https://spcycles.com/epages/f16c048c-e949-4d87-996e-9f7ec7a844b3.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/f16c048c-e949-4d87-996e-9f7ec7a844b3/Products/TL-LSJ-1-8">Torm TL8 full zip jersey</a><br />
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I came across these when I was looking at the Cycling UK heritage wool range of jerseys, which are made by Torm. They are made from Merino <a href="https://csiropedia.csiro.au/sportwool/">Sportwool</a>, which is a blend of merino wool and a synthetic fibre. I have got other merino wool garments which have all got moth holes in - I'm hoping that the addition of synthetic fibre might prevent this happening. Hopefully the little blighters will not be so attracted to it. I bought it in the week before my ride home from Derbyshire, panicking slightly that I had no other layer like this (it's both mid and outer) to give me some warmth in the chillier weather. It proved invaluable - it's warm but lightweight, the sleeves are plenty long enough for my long arms, and the three back pockets were really useful. I bought the small size, equivalent to a size 12 although I'm really a size 10, hoping that this would mean I'd have room to wear something underneath, and it's perfect.<br />
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I think my only criticism of it is that the zipped pockets are waterproof lined, which I think is a bit unnecessary for a jersey which isn't really intended for wearing as an outer layer in the rain. On one occasion when I had overdressed and got too warm these waterproof linings in the zipped pockets actually got wet with sweat...!<br />
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<a href="https://rab.equipment/uk/women-s-kinetic-plus-jacket#">Rab Kinetic Plus jacket</a><br />
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Rab describes this as a "<span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: UniversLTStd, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">waterproof, lightweight, breathable stretch softshell".</span><br />
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Earlier in the year when my very outdoorsie cycling/running/swimming Elder Son and Daughter-in-Law came to visit, Daughter-in-Law had with her one of these jackets, and Elder Son has one as well. I tried it on and thought it was just what I needed as a lightweight outer layer for perhaps three seasons of the year. They both said that it is the jacket that they wear most, for all activities.<br />
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I already had a softshell that I bought from Aldi a while ago, but it is considerably heavier than this Rab one, which folds up into its own stuff sack and weighs a mere 270g (I've weighed mine, and that figure is correct) as opposed to the Aldi one which weighs 350g and takes up a lot more space in my panniers.<br />
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Again, it has proved invaluable, both on that trip and ever since. In fact so far this autumn it has been the jacket I have worn on almost every ride; even in pretty cold weather it has given me enough warmth, with appropriate layers underneath. I bought mine from Cotswold Outdoor, where I can get 15% discount as a member of Cycling UK, although I see that they no longer have the lovely sulphur yellow colour I chose. I could have got it cheaper if I'd settled for a colour that wasn't really me, but........I love this colour and it makes me feel cheerful whenever I put it on! Regarding size, my DIL's was a 10 and did fit me, but I decided to order a 10 and a 12 to see which size was best. I settled on the 12, under which I can get more layers, and it is perfect. It doesn't look or feel too big. And once again, the sleeves are plenty long enough for me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.equus.co.uk/products/equetech-dressage-brief?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping&dfw_tracker=29461-35190133968&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8Oal66eK5gIVgbHtCh2T8A_-EAQYASABEgJ03fD_BwE#shopify-product-reviews">Equetec Dressage Briefs</a><br />
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I can't remember how I came across these but I was probably searching for some padded knickers that were mainly cotton. So many of them are synthetic, and although my other pair are not, being merino wool, they too have suffered from the moth, and also were a lot more expensive. I don't wear padded knickers on all bike rides - it depends how far I'm going and which bike I'm riding. My Trek has a dip in the front of the saddle and I can ride probably 40 miles on that with no padding and without any discomfort, although I don't usually do that sort of distance on it since getting my Koga.<br />
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The Koga, however, has a Brooks B67 saddle on it, which has no front dip, and although I can also go a decent distance on it without padded underwear, on longer journeys, or when riding on consecutive days, I like to have some padding. What I particularly about these briefs is that you can choose whether to have the padding just at the front (the Primo version) or at the back as well (the Plus version). I chose the Primo version as that was where I wanted the padding, although if I were riding on consecutive days I would probably alternate between all round padding and front only padding.<br />
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One problem is one which, as a seamstress, I could foresee when I got them, and that is that the side seam is beginning to come undone. The seam is not as well sewn as it should have been. I'm going to email the company, with photos, to see what they say. I bought them in February this year.<br />
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If you want to read an excellent and very in depth article on female saddle soreness, I would highly recommend this one <a href="https://www.cyclinguk.org/saddlepain">here</a> on Cycling UK's website. It's wateringly eye-opening!!<br />
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And also, on the sock front - I have recently had a couple of enforced trips to Oxford, which doesn't happen very often. Normally I have no desire to go window shopping as it just makes me want stuff I can't afford, or don't need. However, not having been for literally years, on one of these trips I did quite enjoy doing precisely this, and in Uniqlo I discovered these lovely men's <a href="https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/men/innerwear-loungewear/socks/regular-socks">socks</a> - there are 99 colours online!!! Guess which colours I picked, thinking of the colour of my Rab jacket..... And although in theory they'd be too big, they fit perfectly, particularly after a wash, whereas I usually find women's standard size 4-7 socks shrink to too small.<br />
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I have been doing lots of ordinary cycling too, and in fact tomorrow I am riding with our local CUK group on our usual mid-week ride, and leading it for the first time! I hope we all survive....<br />
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<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-174398822149310242019-10-01T17:00:00.000+01:002019-10-01T17:00:01.069+01:00Cycling from Derbyshire to home in Oxfordshire, Part 2Day 3, at my B and B south of Leamington Spa, started at 5.50 am; although breakfast wasn't until 7.45 I like to have plenty of time to get everything ready for another day. I was hoping I'd really enjoy today's cooked breakfast, as there were only 24 miles to cover so I knew I could relax more, but in fact despite its being beautifully cooked, once again I would have preferred to have been eating it about 2 hours into the ride. I've learned my lesson - next time I will try and negotiate a discount for not having breakfast, and will take my own.<br />
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I really took it nice and easy today, being determined to enjoy it after yesterday's events. In fact I was positively lazy and stopped after less than 6 miles for coffee in the very interesting village of Kineton, still in the county of Warwickshire. I'd travelled from Derbyshire to Leicestershire on my first day, and then into Staffordshire and Warwickshire on the second. I actually rather liked the fact that as I travelled along, I often didn't know which county I was in. I wandered around Kineton, half looking for somewhere to have coffee, and was just about to give up and cycle on when I spotted this -<br />
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It was a florist's - <a href="https://www.flowerthyme.co.uk/">Flower Thyme</a> - with a little cafe round the back. My coffee came in a lovely pottery mug and with a free biscuit, which I didn't eat, preferring my Kit-Kat, but it will go in the jar of free biscuits at home, along with the jar of free sugar sachets! I sat out the front in the sun, so that I could watch the world go by and also keep an eye on my bike.<br />
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Incidentally, the previous evening I had washed one of two pairs of padded knickers, but despite hanging them up at the window overnight they were still very damp. I remembered what my mum used to do to dry wet socks when we went on holiday; she would dangle them out of the car window as we drove along! A bike was even better for drying wet clothing - when I stopped later on to change behind a hedge into cut off trousers (it was getting hot) I rigged up my washing on one of the panniers, and found good use for the safety pins that I'd brought - I knew they'd come in handy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airing my (clean) laundry in public.</td></tr>
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On my return home Husband was appalled that I'd cycled along displaying my underwear in this fashion. But it worked!<br />
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I had guessed that today would be more hilly than the previous two days, and I was right<i>. </i>This area is, after all, the Cotswolds, "a range of rolling hills" according to Wikipedia. <i> </i>I started quite well but got off near the top of one hill and a man with an e-bike standing in the lay-by there said -<br />
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"Didn't your battery help you up the hill?"<br />
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He thought my bike, too, was electric. We chatted for a few minutes and he told me that he was 76, lived locally and did an 11 mile circuit every day, which I thought was pretty good, even if his bike was electrically assisted. He mentioned the hill up to Whichford, and said -<br />
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"You'll be pushing up there!"<br />
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I said that sometimes I prefer not to know what's coming in the way of hills..... I cycled on to Upper Brailes, which I learnt later is on the side of Brailes Hill, the second highest point in Warwickshire. There I spotted a little bakery and stopped to buy a filled bap (baps, butties, rolls, confusing isn't it? Especially as in some places baps are plimsolls....) then to Lower Brailes, lower down the hill (obviously....) and then, although I'd intended to eat the bap much later, I couldn't resist sitting in the sun on a bench at Sutton-under-Brailes to eat it. I must have been hungrier than I thought, as I enjoyed every mouthful.<br />
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The weather by now was sunny and warm, and today was definitely a day for stopping wherever I fancied, so when I saw a sign for the Cotswold Distillery (with cafe) I popped in. A very posh place. I noticed a sign just inside the door where there was a cask of whiskey and a sign that said something like "Fill a bottle for £84.95"!!!! Hmmmmm, well, Husband does like a wee dram sometimes but that was not quite within the budget I'd set myself for this trip! On I went up those rolling hills towards Whichford, and although I got off near the top of one, I was feeling very smug (dangerous...) about doing so well after what Mr E-bike man had said, who incidentally I had seen a second time, and waved to, as he returned on his circuit.<br />
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At the top of the hill there was another sign, this time for <a href="https://www.whichfordpottery.com/">Whichford Pottery</a> - also with cafe. I knew I'd heard of this somewhere, and later concluded that I must have found it online when I was looking up the prices of large terracotta pots, the reason for which (which, Whichford....) was that I had fished one out of a skip and wanted to know how much it was worth before I attempted to flog it!<br />
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Look at all these pots! -<br />
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The place was actually a lot more than just a pottery, and had beautiful courtyard gardens, a workshop which you were, amazingly, free to wander round, and a cafe called The Straw Kitchen, very rustic, quite hippyish -<br />
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Once again I resisted the cafe, preferring to spend the time wandering round the courtyard gardens, although I did spend some money in their lovely octagonal shaped shop. One thing that attracted me was the coloured spools of <a href="https://nutscene.com/products/colourful-jute-twine-spools-heritage">Nutscene twine</a>, and I bought one for a present for the sister who had organized the weekend. I hope she appreciates having a ball of string for a present. I had no idea that Nutscene produced their famous garden twine in so many colours. That was another thing that I rescued out of the same skip the pot came from - various half-used spools of Nutscene green twine. I actually have a bit of a thing about string! String and notebooks.<br />
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I also trespassed, quite by accident, in a part of the garden that was private; I had gone through a door which happened to be open, and assumed that that part of the garden must also be public. I did wonder if I was mistaken though, when I saw chainsaws on view, in this most amazing building -<br />
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The painted walls were incredible. I'd love to know the history and significance of this building. I wish now that I had taken more photos, but somehow I got the feeling I shouldn't be there - and I was right! A gardener appeared, and when I asked if this was all public, he said no, but without seeming very bothered that I was there! He had left the door that I had come through open when he had gone to get a ladder. I made to leave but by then was a bit lost, so he directed me back to the door I'd come through, on the front of which it said "Private Garden"!<br />
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My smug self then had several more hills to contend with...... one was horribly busy and I missed my right hand turn near the bottom of it , so to avoid going back down and having a sharp left turn to negotiate, I carried on and took another one on the right. My last hill was up into Chipping Norton; I slogged up it, then, seeing traffic lights for road works, I decided to be kind to the drivers and get off the road. As I crossed over to the pavement, the driver behind me shouted something. No, not something abusive, but -<br />
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"Well done!!"<br />
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And he gave me a big smile and a thumbs up! Whoever you were, kind sir, you made my day!!!<br />
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It was a long time since I'd been to Chipping Norton, which is built on the side of a hill, as a grandmother at Whichford Pottery had reminded me, telling me how the car door slammed on her granddaughter as she got out of the car, parked on the slope, on a recent trip there. It's also the home of the Chipping Norton Set, i.e. a load of rich posh people amongst whom is David Cameron. When I told someone I had booked an Airbnb place there they wondered if perhaps it might be Call me Dave's home, but no, it wasn't. I doubt if he's down on his luck enough to need to let out a room. Another member of this set is Jeremy Clarkson, and judging by the <i>enormous</i> volume of motorised traffic going through the town, there must be quite a lot of other petrolheads in the area.<br />
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My room was in fact a very tastefully furnished one in a modest house on the Burford Road; it was very noisy but it did quieten down eventually, though long after my bedtime! -<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the "things to be charged" section on the chair</td></tr>
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I had a bathroom which was right up my street, given my liking for plain and sensible baths and basins. Have you noticed how that word "basin" is disappearing? Once upon a time the thing you had in your bathroom to wash in was a basin, and the thing you had in your kitchen to wash up in was a sink. Now it seems the thing you have in your bathroom is also a sink. Fancy mixer taps are also a pet hate of mine (sorry, Younger Daughter.....). Half the time you have to work out how to use them; up, down, turn one way, turn the other. Why not just go for the good old fashioned one hot, one cold, like these? Simplzzzzz!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a separate shower too.</td></tr>
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When I had arrived in Chippy, as I believe it is known to locals, I had had a burning desire for pizza and a glass of red wine. In the end I thought wine might keep me awake, and as I'd no way of heating up pizza and wasn't prepared to go back into town later and visit a pizza take away, I made do with buying muesli, milk and natural yogurt, a bowl of which I enjoyed before I indulged in a bath. In fact it really wasn't much of an indulgence, as on the rare occasion I have a bath I can never seem to get out of the habit of only having about 4 or 5 inches of water in it! It doesn't help that in our own house the bath takes ages to even partially fill, but I think this habit stems from my upbringing; at home we had a large hot water tank with a "sink" switch and a "bath" switch. In other words if you only wanted a sinkful of hot water, such as for washing up, you put the sink switch on. If you wanted a bathful of hot water, you put the bath switch on. (How this system worked, I don't know.) However my economical mother always put the sink switch on, even for a bath...... so I grew up totally unfamiliar with the idea of having a long hot <i>deep</i> soak.<br />
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Today's 24 miles seemed like a lot more, but that was indeed all I'd done. At 7.20 I got into bed - so early! - and read/wrote until 7.45, when although I was very tired, sleep was difficult until the traffic died down much later.<br />
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At 5.40 am it started up again! So I got up and started the preparations for another day on the road. Another bowl of muesli and yogurt, but again no tea, as unfortunately the tea bags provided made a ghastly brew. I will defnitely take my own next time and have added it to the spreadsheet! The weather forecast was good again, so this time I went for the cut off trousers straight away, to avoid having to change behind a hedge again later on. The night before, realizing how much traffic there would be on the first couple of miles of my ride, I had planned a different route for this section. At 7.30 when I set off, even these minor roads were quite busy, and clearly used as cut throughs by commuters. I soon passed through the village of Chadlington, where I rejoined the route on my Garmin, and where there was a very tempting cafe, but I decided to wait for my coffee until I'd done a few more miles. This was another day for pootling and I was really enjoying the ride. As I travelled on through <a href="https://www.cornburypark.co.uk/">Cornbury Park</a> I thought to myself - oh, so this is where Cornbury Festival is held, but no, I was wrong, it's further north east at Great Tew. You could tell that the Cornbury Estate was wealthy as the signs were plentiful and expensive looking, not like the battered ones on the sold-off estate where we live!! Then I went round the edge of Wychwood Forest towards Leafield.<br />
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Incidentally, yesterday, although I wasn't aware of crossing the county border into my home county of Oxfordshire, I felt sure I must have done, because the state of the roads got a lot worse. Before that, in the other counties, they were in a much better state of repair. It surprises me that in such a wealthy county the roads are so bad.<br />
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I encountered another problem with my route at Little Minster, where part of it had very recently been made one way, but I was now nearly on home territory and so, with the aid of the map, finding an alternative route was easy. And this is the great thing about cycling - you find you can't go a certain way but then the alternative route leads you to somewhere you wouldn't have otherwise found, in this case an amazing cafe in the nearby village of Brize Norton. I had asked a couple if there was a cafe nearby, and they pointed me to a sign for one about 100 yards down the road. <a href="https://humblebumblecafe.wordpress.com/">Humble Bumble Cafe</a> had a notice up saying "Cyclists and walkers welcome" - always a good sign! It didn't look all that impressive from the outside, being an old sports and social pavilion, and I did think maybe it might be the sort of place that sold filtre coffee which had been kept warm for hours...... but I was in for a surprise! Inside it was wonderfully cosy and welcoming, and there was plenty of outside seating which I took advantage of on this sunny day. I ordered a bacon butty, coffee, and banana cake, and it was brought to me outside, where I had the company of this lovely dog, who I think must belong to the owner of the cafe -<br />
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He looked as if he had a bit of Golden Retriever in him, and certainly had the gently and friendly temperament of one. He sat by me all the time, looking longingly at my bacon butty, and I would have given him some bacon but didn't think I should. He'd soon end up fat if every customer fed him tit-bits.....<br />
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After that feast, I continued on down the road past the RAF base, and saw a few plane spotters at one of the crash gates, so called, I believe, because emergency vehicles need to be able to exit them in the event of a crash away from the main site. I wondered if something might be due to land or take off; I have to admit it is quite thrilling to hear and see these planes overhead and I decided to stop. I was amazed to see these men, Dutch judging by their number plates, up ladders (folding ones which they bring in the boots of their cars) with their huge telephoto lenses poked under the razor wire. I was surprised that this was allowed, and in some countries it isn't, so I was told, but apparently the razor wire and boarding behind the fence wasn't there until more recently, making it easier then for the public to see in -<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside one of the crash gates at RAF Brize Norton<br />
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I waited there for over an hour, chatting to one of the spotters, and learnt that a big old German plane that was apparently quite rare was currently over the Atlantic but was due back in, as it was lunch time and the crew usually wanted to get back for lunch! I got quite an education talking to him; when I asked how he knew all this stuff, such as when planes were due in, and what sort they were, he told me that there is a military plane tracking app which gives you the information. I had seen Youngest Son looking up into the sky, seeing a passenger plane and then identifying it with an app on his phone, but didn't realize you could do this with military aircraft. I really hoped to see this one that was due in, and get a photo to impress both Younger and Elder Son (the latter studied aerospace engineering) but unfortunately, despite the long wait, it didn't appear. It was still mid-Atlantic when I left. Either something interesting was going on over there or the German crew weren't that hungry!<br />
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Later I couldn't resist calling in at one of my favourite charity shops in the village of Bampton, which is the ficitious Downton of Downton Abbey fame, of which I've never watched a single episode. In the shop it was "fill a bag for £5" so I did, and here is said bag on the back of my bike -</div>
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I wondered if I'd get up a local hill (Buckland Road hill if anyone local is reading this) with this extra load, but I'm pleased to say I did. And then it was a mere twelve uneventful miles to home. I find that sometimes the home straights can be the worst; I'm usually tired and there's a certain two mile stretch that I often dread, but today all was fine - it was a good end to a perfect day's cycling of 35.25 miles.<br />
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In the last few months I have been experimenting with different tyre pressures and was a bit worried that Husband's recommendation of pumping them up a bit harder for the trip would prove a mistake. Another slight cause of anxiety was shoes - the day before leaving home, I rode it to Younger Son's for him to put in his van, wore a different pair, and found my feet seemed to be slipping on the pedals. Was it the bike/pedals and not, in fact, the shoes? Panic, panic!! On the Sunday night in Derbyshire I also had to decide what shoes to keep with me and which to give Husband to take home - and one, or two, pairs? I chose to keep just my Keen sandals, as I could wear them with or without socks. But in the end all went well, and I was really pleased at how comfortable the bike was. And no saddle soreness, even though on the day my washing was drying I had had to go without padding......<br />
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The trip in total was 152.25 miles. Now, where can I go next..........?<br />
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LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-90036304937641925282019-09-27T14:13:00.000+01:002019-09-27T14:13:01.329+01:00Cycling from Derbyshire to home in Oxfordshire, Part 1At the end of last year one of my sisters organised a weekend family get together in Derbyshire for this month. I immediately thought - "Oh wouldn't it be lovely to cycle there!" However, I never got round to organising anything, and come September, I was feeling disappointed that I hadn't had a proper cycling trip this year. However, the weather forecast for the days following the weekend was very good and I knew this was my chance. Younger Son would be travelling up in his van which would easily accommodate my bike....<br />
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So three days before we were due to drive up - to Carsington Water not far from Ashbourne - I got busy. I had thought of using <a href="https://cycle.travel/">https://cycle.travel/</a> to plan a route, but in the end accepted Husband's offer to plan a quiet route for me. He did what I myself would do if I had to plan a long route by myself, and drew a straight line from home to the destination, and then took me round the quietest roads nearest to it. He loaded it onto my Garmin, which for anyone who isn't familiar with Garmins meant I just had to follow an arrow on the screen in front of me and it would show me every turn I had to make. This makes it much easier than having to keep looking at a map. We went through details, such as when I'd have to go off route to the accommodation I'd booked for each of the three nights. The journey would be about 150 miles in total and I decided to do it over 4 days. If I did it in 3 that would have meant 50 miles a day and I'd just be cycling from A to B each day and not really have time to enjoy the journey. The first day would be 40 miles, the second 50, the third 24 and the fourth 35. This would be the first time I'd cycled as many as four days in a row. I hoped my rear end would be OK.<br />
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I packed my panniers using a spreadsheet which I created the first time I did an overnight trip, though this time, as it was later in the year, I had to add some slightly warmer clothing. I had bought three new items since then, which proved to be extremely useful. They were a <a href="https://spcycles.com/epages/f16c048c-e949-4d87-996e-9f7ec7a844b3.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/f16c048c-e949-4d87-996e-9f7ec7a844b3/Products/TL-LSJ-1-8">Torm long sleeved cycling jersey</a> a <a href="https://rab.equipment/uk/women-s-kinetic-plus-jacket#">Rab Kinetic Plus jacket</a>, and some <a href="https://www.equus.co.uk/collections/womens-equestrian-underwear/products/equetech-dressage-brief">Equetec Dressage Briefs</a>. I will do a separate blog post on those items in the near future.<br />
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On Day 1, the Monday, I set off at 8.20 from Carsington (my alarm clock hadn't worked or it would have been earlier). I had about 40 miles to do and Husband (who had gone home the previous day) had said it wouldn't be hilly, so I took it easy. The weather was cool and rather damp, but actually good for cycling. At this time of year there is plenty to forage; I soon found a well-laden damson tree and ate several. I could easily have foraged some strawberries here too, as there was a very convenient gap in the hedge to these polytunnels -<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On this road there was literally a side of strawberries!</td></tr>
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but I think that would definitely be stealing and not foraging!<br />
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I don't use a smartphone, except Husband's old one for OS Memory-Map, but I'm sure if I did it would have told me of places to stop for coffee. Instead I use the good old fashioned method of asking a real person. I had in fact stopped to ask a man if I could get through a closed road; he said the signs had only been put up that morning and he had seen another cyclist go past and not come back, so he guessed I could. We chatted a bit more, about his daughter who cycled, had done End to End and like me, enjoyed cycling on her own. I said -<br />
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"Yes - you can go wherever you want and stop for food whenever you want."<br />
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He then told me about a cafe not far away, called, simply, The Shed. I cycled off and found it, but just as I was thinking "Ah, this is my sort of place!" - literally a shed painted in a very colourful fashion - I found it wasn't open that day. Gutted! However at Rolleston on Dove another real person, this time a friendly postie, told me that the pub across the road served coffee. I would never normally go in a pub on my own, but when I am out cycling I seem to gain a confidence that I don't usually have, and in I went, though it helped that it wasn't yet busy with lunch time drinkers.<br />
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My route then took me around the west side of Burton upon Trent, where at one point another cyclist saw me taking a photo, came over and we had a good old natter. He was a member of British Cycling, having got disenchanted, I believe, with the CTC when it became Cycling UK. Then it was south and south-east to the youth hostel <a href="https://www.nationalforest.org/visit/accommodation/yha-national-forest">here</a> near Swadlincote in the National Forest. I'd done a very easy 40 miles. Maybe it really was all downhill from north to south! My private room was only £29 with an en-suite. It was clean and did the job but was not as cosy as the older youth hostels. I booked breakfast but then changed my mind as they didn't start serving it until 7.30 am; I knew that by the time I'd eaten and conducted my usual after-breakfast routine - not just unmentionables, but re-packing the panniers and getting the bike out of the shed etc. etc. - it would be later than I wanted. I found it rather an inconvenient arrangement that I had to ask for the bike shed key, lock away my bike and then return the key, meaning that if I wanted to return to my bike, I'd have to ask for the key again. There were also no staff in the hostel overnight, so I definitely couldn't get to it once they'd gone home for the night.<br />
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I always find it very hard to eat in the evenings on a trip like this. All I can think about is having a shower, speaking to Husband on the phone (he needs assurance that I'm ok....) making sure I'm familiar with the next day's route, making some notes about the day's ride, and getting to bed. After about 4 o'clock I struggle to eat a proper meal; I'd tried to eat a dried packet meal (mashed potato and chicken....) but couldn't manage much of it. Apologies to Elder Son-in-Law who had given it to me a few of these dried meals. In the night my stomach was rumbling and I got up and ate an apple and two cheese biscuits, which stopped the rumbles until morning, when I attempted to eat another packet of something fruity and custardy, but without much success. And next time I stay at a youth hostel I will take tea bags - I sorely missed my morning cup of tea!<br />
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I set off at 7.45, and first stop was to buy a pint of milk at a local shop; Husband thinks milk is a good thing to keep you going so I took his advice and bought some. I quite enjoy milk nowadays, but as a little girl I loathed the stuff, and missed chunks of playtime at primary school because I was stuck in the classroom, trying to force down the free milk we all had back then in the 1960s.<br />
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Today being 50 miles, I didn't hang around. I was navigating this first part without the Garmin but it was fairly easy. After about 14 miles I spotted a sign for a farm shop and cafe - just what I need, I thought! I cycled on with renewed enthusiasm looking out for further signs, and was mystified when there weren't any. Eventually, after asking a couple where it was, they directed me - back the way I'd come. How on earth had I missed it? This added on another 3 miles, and I wasn't sure whether it was wise to back track like this, but I really needed a proper breakfast, so I did. It was worth it; I had a fry up, and both tea and coffee, and that set me up for many more miles.<br />
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At this point things went just a little wrong.......... I attempted to rejoin the original route on my Garmin, and thought -<br />
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"Uh oh, it's not there............."<br />
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And not only that, but it seemed that Husband had neglected to work out the route for Days 3 and 4 as well. Fortunately we had taken the belt and braces approach and had written a list of places I would go through, and I also had the map on the smartphone to check, with the aid of GPS, where I was and where I was going. So I then cycled another 15 miles in this way, constantly checking road signs and the map. I crossed a busy dual carriageway fairly quickly; we had looked on google earth and knew that there was a safe crossing. At some point then I texted Husband to say what had happened, and shortly after, when I was on the very edge of Coventry, he rang me and said -<br />
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"The route <i>is</i> on your Garmin!! Why didn't you ring me?!"<br />
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"Well there would have been nothing you could do and you'd only have worried...."<br />
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He couldn't for the life of him understand how I had made the mistake of thinking it wasn't there in the "Courses", and said -<br />
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"But we went through it all!! I told you where you'd go off route and where you'd get back on it!" etc. etc.<br />
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Yes, we had gone through it all, but that had been several days before, and in the intervening interval I had completely forgotten that he had done the <i>whole 4 days' route as one</i>. I'm sure a psychologist would be able to explain why this had happened! In fact just recently I read an interesting article in the paper on memory, and apparently the phenomenon of going into a room only to forget what you've gone in there for is very common, and is known as an "event boundary"; the act of going through a door makes the brain believe that a new scene has begun and that there is no need for memories from the old scene. I think this applied to me, as I had gone through a lot of doorways since having that conversation with Husband!<br />
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Anyway, at last I re-connected to the route and made up for lost time. Coming into Kenilworth, I was amazed to come over the hill and see the spectacular ruins of the castle looming up ahead of me. Soon after that I reached Warwick, and from the outskirts I rode all the way through the town on a cycle path, apart from one small section where I did as other locals were doing and rode on the pavement. NCN Route 1 took me through to Leamington Spa, where there had been the possibility of a cup of tea with one of Elder Son's cycling friends; that didn't come off in the end, and it was a good job it didn't, as time was ticking on and despite having the course to follow turn by turn, it was pretty tricky following it as precisely as I needed to through housing estates in Leamington Spa, and I kept having to retrace my steps.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2yHTuW4h6Ydwzy6d9coA0-V1K1ZW2NbZD3vN15Zsj5NnaJ8R8ARNfjke9xRWJ9a3rXjfdxJ1Sa-FUbFPo-QZ7_h4pWI6wSoPY3yY865C0oWFdQd1kkbiBm8jcIwMEnjMJ4pTDEkeUjSS/s1600/DSC00482+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2yHTuW4h6Ydwzy6d9coA0-V1K1ZW2NbZD3vN15Zsj5NnaJ8R8ARNfjke9xRWJ9a3rXjfdxJ1Sa-FUbFPo-QZ7_h4pWI6wSoPY3yY865C0oWFdQd1kkbiBm8jcIwMEnjMJ4pTDEkeUjSS/s400/DSC00482+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today's only photo - cyclepath alongside the Grand Union Canal at Leamington Spa</td></tr>
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But I did it, and took the road out of the town south to a village called Bishop's Tachbrook. I was getting quite tired by then, and when I saw what looked like a possibly long and certainly steep, busy hill, I was a bit worried about going up it, but once I'd told myself to just get on with it it turned out to be short and I was soon at the top. Another few miles, and another very steep hill, and there at 6.45 pm was my B and B, near Lighthorne, which was small but very clean and comfortable. And I was delighted to find there were some decent tea bags!! A tiring 52.56 miles.<br />
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Next episode - home, via Chipping Norton.<br />
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<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-17261646022939252262019-08-28T17:00:00.000+01:002019-08-28T17:00:02.219+01:00This is why I love cycling......We'll get to the point of the title later on, but first here's what I've done since <a href="https://whatthisbikeneeds.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-week-of-less-ordinary-cycling.html">this post on August 5th</a>.<br />
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Sunday 4th - a really interesting ride round Oxford, led by the chairman of Wantage CUK, called "Oxford Urban Safari". A clockwise route round backstreets and canal and river paths, starting and ending at Seacourt Park and Ride. One of the other riders kindly picked me up and drove us both there. Part of me thinks that driving to a ride is cheating but I did it anyway! About 16 miles.<br />
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Link to the route - <a href="https://ridewithgps.com/trips/38167267">https://ridewithgps.com/trips/38167267</a><br />
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Monday 6th - Shopping, normally 8.8 miles, but with an all-round-the-houses route home. <span style="color: red;">18.31</span> miles.<br />
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Thursday 8th - A Wantage CUK Family Bike Ride, 8 regular riders plus one mum and her 3 children, the youngest of which was only just 7. The ride itself was about 10 miles so she did very well! <span style="color: red;">18.93</span> miles total (that includes my ride to the start, and then a slightly different route home after leaving the group early on the return).<br />
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Monday 12th - a solo ride to Shrivenham, with the intention of trying out a cafe there that I hadn't been to (see review on my Cafes page) and also trying out a route for when I become a ride leader (that's all going through now - eek!). <span style="color: red;">22.53</span> miles.<br />
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Thursday 15th - missed my usual group ride as I had some shopping and a lot of other bits and pieces to do. Bought a new adjustable stem for my Trek, to raise my handlebars up a bit, in my local bike shop <a href="http://www.ridgewaycycles.com/">Ridgeway Cycles</a>. <span style="color: red;">10.17</span> miles.<br />
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Saturday 17th - I had a parcel to collect, plus I wanted to try out the new stem which Husband had fitted. I like it! <span style="color: red;">13.22</span> miles.<br />
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Tuesday 20th - Shopping. Also did a bit of exploring of a local path, again with the possibility of using it in a future group ride. Home a long way round, incorporating a local hill of some renown, which I usually manage on whichever bike I am on. However, I find that sometimes when I approach a hill, even from a good distance away, I know whether I am going to get up it easily, or struggle, or not make it at all. This time was one of the latter, which is quite rare I'm pleased to say. It didn't help that there was a large vehicle coming up behind me which I knew would be edging to overtake me. I just gave up and got off! Sometimes one has to admit defeat.... <span style="color: red;">11.47 </span>miles.<br />
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Thursday 22nd - another Wantage CUK Family Bike Ride, with the same family that came last time (3 children including the 7 year old) and another couple and their 10 year old son. About 14 miles for the actual ride (well done the 7 year old again!). Then I visited my daughter and baby granddaughter in Wantage, so my total was <span style="color: red;">27.89</span> miles.<br />
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<b>And now we are nearly up to date, as we get to the Bank Holiday, Monday 26th. </b><br />
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It was extremely hot.......... I had decided to cycle to a little village called Garford, in our local Vale of the White Horse. There were two reasons for this -<br />
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<b>1</b> To find and possibly ride a bridleway eastwards to Drayton and Abingdon. To get to those two places in the past I have always cycled on what is known as Cow Common, a rather busy road from East Hanney to Steventon. Recently while reading the map (I love reading maps!) I noticed this bridleway, and after looking on Google Earth found that it appeared to be more a road than a track. You can get on to it via Garford, with just a short stretch of the busy A338 in between.<br />
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<b>2</b> To find a footpath which goes from Garford across to <a href="https://milletsfarmcentre.com/">Millets Farm</a>, which is, apparently, "Oxfordshire's number one family day out for food, shopping and entertainment"!!<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #545454;"> Hmmm, well yes it is a nice place to go, and has a good cafe, where you get a free biscuit with your coffee (always good!) but as with all these places most people go by car. I have cycled there but that involves a stretch of road that, although not horribly busy, would be nicer avoided. This footpath would provide that alternative route. </span></span></span><br />
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Rats!! I tried to lift my (quite heavy) bike over but didn't think it was a good idea as I might hurt myself. I climbed over and walked a bit of the path, which even though not particularly rideable was pushable. But there was nothing for it but to turn back. </div>
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So, off to find the number <b>1</b>. To cut a rather long and hot story short, I found the bridlepath that leads to said bridlepath that leads to Drayton..... but decided against going down it as it was very exposed and by that time Noel Coward's words about mad dogs and Englishmen were going round in my head. Mad Englishwomen too. </div>
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So I left that adventure for another cooler day, and headed off back home. However, this particular mad Englishwoman hadn't had quite enough of exploring, and when I got to the little village of Lyford, I decided to veer off down another off-road shortcut to the village of West Hanney. I'd walked down here before and had it in my head that this was a bridlepath, and therefore legally rideable, and passable, with a bike, but after a mile or so I got to a stile..... and then realized it wasn't a bridlepath but a footpath. Oh dear, another about turn. Then I really did go home, but it was so hot that I had to keep stopping and resting in shade (which was rather lacking in this area) and both drinking water and pouring it over myself to keep cool. At the lovely little village of West Challow, about 3 miles from home, I paddled in the stream and took advantage of the cool bottles of water that I knew were to be had in the church - what a thoughtful gesture! I made it home, rather exhausted.</div>
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The thing about this ride was that I really did not enjoy it! This was mainly, but not entirely, because of the heat. Even two miles into the ride I wasn't enjoying it, although I thought things might improve, as they often do, but they didn't really. Why am I doing this I thought? <i>But - </i>as I always say, even the worst bike ride is pretty good! I did, after all, achieve what I set out to, which was to find those paths, even though I ended up not going on one of them. And I found two tennis balls! <span style="color: red;">24.87</span> miles.</div>
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<b>And now we really are up to date, Tuesday August 27th - </b></div>
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I had to go to Wantage today to get some elastic for a customer's sewing job. Our local sewing shop has been closed for holidays and the last time I bought elastic online proved to me that I need to see it first, or I end up with something unsuitable. I did other bits of food shopping too, returned some books to the library, and had free coffee in Waitrose, where I sat outside and enjoyed people-watching. (Interesting observation of the day - most women were wearing sandals of some sort, with bare feet, whereas hardly any men were.) It had hotted up since I left home at about 9, but wasn't as bad as yesterday. </div>
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And now the explanation for the title. I had taken my camera with me, and on the way home I stopped frequently to take photos of my usual route home to explain what went through my head as I rode, which was -</div>
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"<i>This</i> is why I love cycling......!"</div>
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And here are those photos - with a bit of farming information as well..... </div>
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<b>1</b> My route takes me down Locks Lane in Wantage towards the ford, then over across that wooden bridge over Letcombe Brook (a chalk stream - more than 85% of the world's chalk streams are found in the UK) - </div>
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<b>2 </b>Up this path past a row of cottages. See the cat? I always say hello to passing cats - </div>
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Up the main road for a while, and then I walked up a footpath, at the bottom of which was a man unloading firewood which was packed up very neatly in a wooden crate. None of your slung-into-a -builder's-bag sloppiness. This was a work of art! (Why didn't I take a photo?! I nearly turned back to do so.) I told him it was like an artwork and then from somewhere nearby came the voice of another man, unseen, asking -<br />
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"Is she in a rush? We could do with a hand.... "<br />
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I hesitated....<br />
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"Would tea and cake persuade her?" said the voice.<br />
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I was tempted......<br />
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"Is she hesitating?"<br />
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Yes I was!<br />
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I replied that if I hadn't just had coffee and a Kit-Kat in Waitrose I might well have been persuaded!<br />
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<b>3 </b>Just past the school at East Challow - I think you can just make out 6.02 miles on my Garmin at this point. Just after this the road officially becomes a bridleway - <br />
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<b>4</b> Here the school is on the right. Look closer - see that apple tree? It has the most delicious apples ever! I tried one the other day - not quite ready yet. Even my husband likes them, and that's saying something! He's very fussy when it comes to apples. Remember this tree....there's more about it later. The solar powered light is recent and I can't see the need for it - just another light to spoil the dark skies.<br />
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<b>5 </b>Further along the bridleway wheat was being harvested; I just had to stop and watch as it took me back to the days when, during school holidays, I used to take my children to watch the combines, and the tractors carting the corn, on the farm where my husband worked. He would have been one of the ones driving a tractor.</div>
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This is looking back whence I'd come. I had watched the combine coming up the field and was waiting for it to flash its light to signal to the tractor driver that he was ready to empty his load of corn. Here in the distance he has just done so and the tractor on the right has moved into position -<br />
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The combine's auger is out now and the wheat shoots down into the trailer -<br />
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That tractor now leaves the field with his load of corn -<br />
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And the other one that was waiting in the field drives over to receive the next load from<br />
the combine -<br />
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Another tractor and trailer comes in to replace the one that's gone -<br />
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Here you can just see that the combine has gone back down the field, and the two tractors are awaiting their next loads -<br />
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<br />
Quite a nicely choreographed operation really.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now I'm looking ahead to the next bit of my journey. The Ridgeway is in the distance. Look into that corn field on the left - see a tiny dark spot? That is a hare running away as fast as his long legs will carry him! While I was watching the harvesting I was amazed to see him suddenly appear on the track in front of me, but as soon as I moved to take a photo he ran off.<br />
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<br />
<b>6</b> I'm now in the village of Childrey, where I passed the time of day with a man who I often see walking, either on his own, or pushing his grandchild in her pushchair. Childrey not only has a lovely pond but a lovely VW camper van too! And a rather, dare I say it, upmarket village shop and cafe, which is very popular with walkers and cyclists -<br />
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<br />
The pond. There's just something about a village pond.....<br />
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<b>7 </b>This is my last downhill section, heading towards Sparsholt, where I have never yet managed to get up to more than 20 mph. Further down on the right hand side, there are some woods whence cometh the most lovely fragrance in spring. Every time I cycle by I breathe it in and go "Ahhhhh.....". About 8 years ago I went walking with a friend who pointed out to me something called Poplar Balsam, and when I first noticed the smell coming from these woods I instantly recognised it as that. They say you remember smells even when you haven't smelt them for years. My plan is to sneak in there and pinch a cutting and grow my own -<br />
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<b>8 </b>Oh, and here is the local library, in the phone box! I've read books from there and also donated some, as well as my Cycling UK magazines!<br />
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<br />
Remember that apple tree? I now have 7 trees growing from its apple pips I sowed last year!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEkPcDFqDcLhho11aRVjgZYKVfFr9r6iuWeFtpT7XQOe3NhucDkV9_5HRvVCI8vjb-Rd9pA5UoIIe1Se7zodJdypUyqMEuefyHNqHICfwTLvGTmDmEb7WV-kpFouEjIFXnwWJz7Dr9vkY/s1600/26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1251" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEkPcDFqDcLhho11aRVjgZYKVfFr9r6iuWeFtpT7XQOe3NhucDkV9_5HRvVCI8vjb-Rd9pA5UoIIe1Se7zodJdypUyqMEuefyHNqHICfwTLvGTmDmEb7WV-kpFouEjIFXnwWJz7Dr9vkY/s640/26.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple trees, with a side of orange buddleia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
The beautiful orange buddleia is one which I discovered growing locally, and took some cuttings from. It's Buddleia Weyeriana "Sungold". Buddleia is incredibly easy to grow and I love seeing the butterflies on it. Just today another cutting I took has come out in flower at the bottom of the garden.<br />
<br />
<br />
This is just my very ordinary cycle ride to go shopping and although I couldn't ask for a much nicer route, I wouldn't miss it for all the tea in China even in the winter. I could have used the car today as Husband didn't need it, but if I'd done that, I'd have seen none of this, as my route would have been all on road. No stopping to watch the harvesting, no sighting of that hare, no banter over the firewood artwork, no passing the time of day with the man with his grandchild, and certainly no exercise or fresh air.<br />
<br />
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<br />
So there we are, that's why I love cycling!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">*</span>Apologies for the change of font - I just couldn't get it to change back although as you can see eventually it did by itself!LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-636622433711442402019-08-26T08:48:00.002+01:002019-08-28T11:47:49.429+01:00Some light hearted Bank Holiday reading<br />
For any readers that haven't cottoned on yet, the reason for this blog's title is this book - <a href="https://www.quentinblake.com/books/mrs-armitage-wheels">Mrs Armitage on Wheels</a> - written by the wonderful Sir Quentin Blake. In the book Mrs Armitage says quite frequently "What this bike needs.....". She thought it needed things like "somewhere to wash your hands" after getting them dirty doing something to her bike. And somewhere to put her dog. I used to love reading it to my children. Some time ago I penned this poem to the said knight and sent it to him, though sadly never received a reply (sob sob....). Today is a Bank Holiday here in the UK and I thought some light hearted reading, such as this, was called for. If you're not in the UK, well, I hope it brightens up your day anyway. If not, you clearly need a bike ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To
Sir Quentin Blake</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear
Mr Blake, I don't know how, </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">You
ever can forgive me, </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
here I am, down on my knees,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Begging
you for mercy.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll
try to be brief, cut a long story short,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
trust that you'll be kind,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
let me off all copywrite fees,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I've
no money to pay, you'll find).</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now
please Mr B., keep calm, carry on,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whatever
you do please don't shout,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
I've used her words - I'm sorry, I'm sorry!</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">There,
I've said it, it's out..........</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
now - “Whose words?” I hear you bellow,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mrs
A.'s, Mrs A.'s!” I reply,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">She's
long been my hero, my bicycling hero,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
still, I hear you ask - “Why?”</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well
you see Mr B., I'd decided to write</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
blog about cycling and sewing,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
I needed a name that stood out from the crowd, </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">To
start my readership growing.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">So
I thought long and hard and came up with a list,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hours
and hours it took,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
none had that, I don't know, je ne sais quoi,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until
I remembered your book!</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
”<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">What
this blog needs.....” I said to myself,</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
I twiddled with my necklace of beads</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">.......is
Mrs A.'s words!” and there you have it - </span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read
my blog – it's called “What This Bike Needs!”</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "ink free" , cursive;"><span style="font-size: small;">Apologies
for not addressing you as Sir in the poem but Mister scans better.</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And now I'm off on my bike! </div>
<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-3963059383542203432019-08-05T19:13:00.000+01:002019-08-05T19:13:53.714+01:00A week of less ordinary cycling!Having said that I was going to write about ordinary cycling, this week I have done less of the ordinary cycling and more of the "Wot-I-did-on-my-holidays" sort of cycling. That's because Husband had the week off and so did I (ish!!). He's been paragliding, and building a garden arch. I've been cycling on 3 days and we had a lovely walk together on another day, when we saw crayfish, both the good (native) and bad (non-native) sort. The baddie was dead.<br />
<br />
So, on to the cycling.<br />
<br />
There are days when I think -<br />
<br />
"I'll go on a bike ride today."<br />
<br />
- but have difficulty making up my mind where to go. Last Sunday I ruminated on whether to go to Hungerford (which meant a climb over the Ridgeway at some point - was I in the mood for that?) and possibly go along the Kennet and Avon canal a bit, or do almost the same ride I had done the week before, in order to find a bridlepath I hadn't been able to find then.<br />
<br />
In the end the frustration of not having found that bridlepath won out. The particular path I was looking for was one near a tiny place called Carswell Marsh and which I thought might be useful, and interesting, on future rides as a quiet cut-through from one busy road to another. I like sussing out these little byways, bridlepaths etc. when I've got more time, to see how rideable they are on bikes like mine (hybrid and touring).<br />
<br />
Once home I had had a better look on the OS map and could see where it was meant to start, so off I went again. I'm glad to say I found it this time - the sign was very faded and hard to see, but probably the week before I hadn't looked carefully enough. The first part was rough grass and thistle, so I pushed the bike, the next part was flatter grass so I rode, then it became a tarmacked farm track, albeit very potholed (not much different to most roads then!) so all in all, at this time of year, an acceptable route for cyclists, as long as you're not in a hurry, which I rarely am! At one stage it even goes through somebody's garden; it wasn't very clearly signposted but I was very polite and did my best not to nose around too much....<br />
<br />
I rather hoped I might then be able to get across the Thames via a footbridge, and cut across more footpaths to Bampton, but unfortunately the kissing gate at the bridge was too narrow to get my bike through, and even if I had I might have encountered more such problems further on. I know cyclists aren't meant to cycle on footpaths, but it's often handy to be able to use them and either cycle, giving way to pedestrians, or just push. Anyway, I carried on to the Thames Path (which I cycled - here it was wide and not too rough) and got back on the road at Radcot bridge.<br />
<br />
Thence I went to Bampton and on to <a href="https://astonpottery.co.uk/">Aston Pottery</a> for a very belated cup of coffee (I'd eaten my sandwiches earlier in a field) and cake. The observant of you may have noticed that I now have a Cafe Reviews page on the blog. I update it whenever I go to another one, and I've added Aston Pottery now. I have been here lots of times over the years, and it's extremely popular with cyclists. It's gone from being quite a small shop to a much bigger one selling not just their own pottery but lots of other stuff as well, and the cafe has expanded too, but I can't help thinking that it's one of those places that was nicer when it was smaller.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I was not impressed with either my coffee or my cake. The americano I had was bitter, and the carrot cake was so dry it fell apart whenever I stuck my fork in it, so I contacted them via their website to tell them so (politely...). I have not heard anything so shall have to resort to a letter as their website gives no email address. That always makes me wonder if having a contact form and not giving an email address as well isn't a cunning trick to get rid of annoying customers. Sometimes you can copy an email address even if it doesn't actually show up on the website but I couldn't even do that. I won't give up.... I have to say that their lunches looked very appetising though.<br />
<br />
After that it was home again, a flattish ride south via the villages of our Vale of the White Horse. The weather had turned out quite hot, and windy. I did 35 miles and when I got home I was rather knackered, and I thought to myself that I have in the past done 50 miles in a day (I once even did 67 on my very ordinary Trek) and found myself doubting whether I could still do that, so just to prove I could I went out the next day and did! Husband laughed and said he was going to tell his paragliding chum that -<br />
<br />
"My wife cycled 35 miles on Sunday and said she was knackered afterwards so the next day she goes out and does 50!"<br />
<br />
<br />
If you're interested, here's a link to this ride -<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ridewithgps.com/trips/38014735">https://ridewithgps.com/trips/38014735</a><br />
<br />
<br />
My decision to go out and try for 50 after a tiring 35 made perfect sense to me even if Husband found it amusing. I wasn't so knackered that I needed any longer than overnight to recover, and I tend to analyse things a lot and I wanted to know exactly why I was knackered - was it perhaps the food I ate, either the type of food or the quantity? Or something else? With these thoughts in mind I set off the next day at 9.15 (not as early as I'd have liked but I had been distracted by various bits of housework that needed doing) to explore further our local NCN Route 5 which travels east from Wantage to Didcot and Wallingford, and north to Abingdon and Oxford. I'd been as far as Abingdon previously but fancied going up to Oxford. The first 9 miles or so of my ride were again via villages in the Vale of the White Horse - Childrey, Denchworth, and West and East Hanney, then a boring and sometimes busy road across to Drayton and on to the NCN path. I'd stopped 8 miles into the ride at West Hanney for a drink and bits of fruit, and then my next stop was for free coffee at Waitrose in Abingdon.<br />
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I usually take home made sandwiches with me, as well as fruit, tomatoes (yes I know that's also fruit!) and a snack bar but today I had brought with me a tuna <a href="https://www.john-west.co.uk/product-information/creations-tuna-with-wild-rice-lentils-indian-style">John West Creations range</a> meal instead, but when I got to Waitrose at 11.30 I fancied some of their sandwiches. Bearing in mind what I had been thinking about food, I went for something substantial - chicken and bacon - which I sat outside eating, along with a few tiny chocolate biscuits from home (I only bought them as we needed a tin!) and my free coffee. A lady joined me and we chatted about walking. It was very pleasant sitting there, and I was interested to see that many shoppers came by bike, more than do in Wantage.<br />
<br />
Then it was off through the Abbey Meadows -<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvYeeInnEdXjYeRBJ9sUkKQcLFDYdEIE2cPm4hVPwx9n6EJJzD1kMNCRCkT40BoHQ_RPjUbv80qdRb6H-1CjYocwz24wzVe5MC32Z1_l6hTEo74vxKBMYAyA-aOvDL1CI_Y-8ZQsBNjCg/s1600/2+NCN+5+through+Abbey+Meadows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvYeeInnEdXjYeRBJ9sUkKQcLFDYdEIE2cPm4hVPwx9n6EJJzD1kMNCRCkT40BoHQ_RPjUbv80qdRb6H-1CjYocwz24wzVe5MC32Z1_l6hTEo74vxKBMYAyA-aOvDL1CI_Y-8ZQsBNjCg/s400/2+NCN+5+through+Abbey+Meadows.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
to join NCN 5. I had worked out a circular route home and decided I hadn't quite got time to go as far as Oxford, so I turned off west just north of Radley, having passed this Millenium milepost marker -<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkhXHclEIleFZNTSLpzddkqOvci9vAeHL1sS9raIZZXtcXhEqbpCyyhwZVDyScvwfN8pKzzefU6ACQpLZNbDNQtupgLKctQbuSVtjd6gD2GgbrD3eUBdmFM1nZYOaQ5EQbeuzL6ZsRs2j/s1600/3+Millenium+marker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkhXHclEIleFZNTSLpzddkqOvci9vAeHL1sS9raIZZXtcXhEqbpCyyhwZVDyScvwfN8pKzzefU6ACQpLZNbDNQtupgLKctQbuSVtjd6gD2GgbrD3eUBdmFM1nZYOaQ5EQbeuzL6ZsRs2j/s400/3+Millenium+marker.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NCN Millenium milepost marker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What spoilt this ride for quite a few miles was the noise of the traffic from the A420. It certainly spoils the lovely village of Sunningwell, which I had never been to before but had heard of as I had seen it mentioned in the Oxfordshire Art Weeks booklets - it has a <a href="http://artschool.org.uk/about/">School of Art</a> in the old school building. Just fancy - a little village with its own School of Art! Imagine the conversation -<br />
<br />
"Oh, you went to art school? Glasgow? St Martin's?" [They're the ones I've heard of]<br />
<br />
"Oh no - Sunningwell!"<br />
<br />
[Cough, splutter] "Where????"<br />
<br />
I went in the church opposite to have a look round; I often stop and go in churches, and it is good to find that invariably they are open. I have only found one, on my recent jaunts, that wasn't. I also refilled my water bottle at their outside tap - I have said in a previous post that most churches have an outside tap somewhere! The water is usually lovely and cold too.<br />
<br />
After Sunningwell I went through Shippon, which I hadn't realized was the home of Dalton Barracks, though I could tell it was somewhere military just from the look of it. I've often passed the sign to Dalton Barracks on a different road but had no idea it was in a place called Shippon! You learn something new every day! The next place of any significance was Tubney, and here were the usual signs of wealth - big houses set back from the wide verges, electronic gates by the dozen -<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mvkeGI_ubJiK_8TmeIFs7etwXrK9sykr0IAiFLj7BhE5AjGQmIH4UWiucNShRZgNKZ6iJxL8NtHH_lb2LxZaRAzdcfM_JGgMCW1sIpZzcfEooucr7aFiKsNP3uImrnt-TamMBM0p54B7/s1600/8+Money%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mvkeGI_ubJiK_8TmeIFs7etwXrK9sykr0IAiFLj7BhE5AjGQmIH4UWiucNShRZgNKZ6iJxL8NtHH_lb2LxZaRAzdcfM_JGgMCW1sIpZzcfEooucr7aFiKsNP3uImrnt-TamMBM0p54B7/s640/8+Money%2521.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice bike in the foreground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
- and anti-climb paint, which apparently never dries and is therefore an effective anti-intruder measure. It is apparently difficult to remove from clothing so it's a good job that I didn't get too close to the fence it was on. I just think - what's the point of having that much dosh if you're so terrified of invaders that you need these electronic entry devices and anti-climb paint, and no doubt intruder alarms and probably CCTV as well? Maybe there are even security guards lurking in the gardens too. And probably fierce Alsations. Or perhaps those latter two are a bit old school!!<br />
<br />
Part of my mission on this ride was to find the tunnel under the A420 at Fyfield; I had read about it on Wantage CUK ride reports. I could see it on the OS map on Husband's old smartphone but couldn't find the path to it. I ended up having to cross the dual carriageway (had to wait ages for a gap in the traffic) to where I could see the bridlepath opposite, then pootled along it, saw another path off it, went down there, found the tunnel, went through it, and followed the path back to where I should have got on it! Interestingly, when I got home and looked at our <i>older</i> paper OS map, I could see the old road, that is now really just a path, that led to the tunnel, and where I should have got on it. I suppose it's no longer classified as any kind of public right of way, so is no longer on the map. Just goes to show, the old maps are useful.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid12eqSzkbL154X9MsToU50GMODmYGLQcnYbOylrEu_6DoqIftB-hKx71HW6ms_pQdkUuOGabau9EDJuYdymKop4kAVO4V4eGFN8lHmjtowR36S7dNDnLx3aVns9L9c_ab4-vEm-PHaxcI/s1600/13+tunnel+under+A420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid12eqSzkbL154X9MsToU50GMODmYGLQcnYbOylrEu_6DoqIftB-hKx71HW6ms_pQdkUuOGabau9EDJuYdymKop4kAVO4V4eGFN8lHmjtowR36S7dNDnLx3aVns9L9c_ab4-vEm-PHaxcI/s400/13+tunnel+under+A420.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tunnel in the distance</td></tr>
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<br />
At the other end of the village of Fyfield there is no tunnel and if you want to get across the A420 at this end then you do have to cross over it, but here there is a place to wait between the two carriageways making it easier and safer to cross -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaLucRywxH8Sy1wosOWelAYxFLVTjorjY-U9b7H34k0aXi677QUyPZQw5MCMfCCiE-BGDvWXbUGwkX1LHHeMH1aHFUKymDbVC9hM2Vs2C1_6LebDb-VyZKHVNPHbcmN5S40qVItLB6Zid/s1600/14+Crossing+over+A420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaLucRywxH8Sy1wosOWelAYxFLVTjorjY-U9b7H34k0aXi677QUyPZQw5MCMfCCiE-BGDvWXbUGwkX1LHHeMH1aHFUKymDbVC9hM2Vs2C1_6LebDb-VyZKHVNPHbcmN5S40qVItLB6Zid/s400/14+Crossing+over+A420.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can just see where the path comes out on the opposite side of the road.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I then found another old bit of road, now re-classified as "other route with public access" which led me to Kingston Bagpuize, and here once again I went on the search for a short cut, which on both the old and new maps is clearly marked as a "restricted byway" but which is simply not there at all in places, or where it is it has an unofficial notice calling it a footpath. I did some homework when I got home, looking it up on the Oxfordshire Definitive Map, a legal record of public rights of way, and it is definitely marked as a restricted byway, so my next step is to go and see if I can find physically where it originally came out onto the road at the other end. I've looked on Google Streetview but can't see evidence of it. The next step after that is to report it to the County Council.<br />
<br />
I was beginning to flag slightly at this point; I'd done about 35 miles, the same distance that had knackered me the day before! I tend to stop more often later in a ride, both to rest and to drink and eat. I wasn't actually particularly hungry but bearing in mind my thoughts the evening before about food intake I thought that maybe I should eat the John West meal. I was jolly glad I still had it with me; I think I needed it as I ate the lot quite easily and felt better for it. I also walked for a bit, pushing the bike. The explanation for this is that a) it uses different muscles for a change and b) every bicycle and rider creates some noise, and sometimes I just want to be able not to hear that noise but to hear the sounds of nature around me and c) I just like walking.<br />
<br />
I visited another church on the way home, at West Challow, where they had no tap but offered free bottles of water inside. They also had books you could borrow, and I picked one by Mark Tanner, entitled "The Introvert Charismatic: The Gift of Introversion in a Noisy Church". I have since read this interesting article about the author, who <a href="https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/blood-bike-bishop-who-transports-12809980">transports blood</a> by motorbike in his spare time.<br />
<br />
I had begun to realize by now that if I carried on and went straight home, I wouldn't reach 50 miles, but only about 44. I really wanted to do 50 if only to prove to myself that I could do it (OK, I admit, it looks good on Strava....) so when I got to within 1 1/2 miles of home I went back and did a 2 mile circuit before heading towards home again. Uh oh, still not far enough........ but some more veering off the route and I did it! 50.14 miles to be precise. I got home about 7.20 pm, not <i>too</i> knackered!<br />
<br />
I have to say that this wasn't, overall, the most enjoyable of bike rides. As I said earlier, for quite a few miles I could hear the busy A420, and the roads across from Radley to Fyfield, although rural, are quite busy, almost rat runs in places, but, as they say (well I do anyway) "there's no such thing as a bad bike ride - just some that aren't as good as others!"<br />
<br />
And just out of interest, here's a list of what I ate while out -<br />
<br />
2 clementines<br />
2 quarters of tomato (I didn't fancy the other 2)<br />
2 chicken and bacon sandwiches<br />
About 5 tiny chocolate biscuits<br />
John West Creations meal<br />
Yogurt (bought in Waitrose)<br />
<br />
In case you're interested, here's a link to this ride -<br />
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<a href="https://ridewithgps.com/trips/38014815">https://ridewithgps.com/trips/38014815</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Then I had two days break from cycling before going on our local Wantage CUK 1* group ride on the Thursday. The 1* group may be the bottom rung of the ladder but we certainly put in some miles, and for me at a pace which is usually faster than my normal one. To put that in figures, I've noticed that my normal pace when out on my own is between 8 and 9 mph, whereas with the group it is between 10 and 11, which is considerably faster, and I have on some rides felt that I was not only struggling to keep up but that I simply didn't want to go at that speed. After one particular ride I even thought - do I want to do this? I ruminated a lot on it........... However, I'm happy to say that more often than not on these rides I have been perfectly able to keep up and have thoroughly enjoyed them.<br />
<br />
The pace of today's ride turned out to be a fraction over 10 mph - perfectly acceptable even to me! - and was about 20 miles long. I joined the group at the usual start, 6 miles away, and left them after the stop at the <a href="https://fisd.oxfordshire.gov.uk/kb5/oxfordshire/directory/service.page?id=Wr0iK85AtqU">Huddle Coffee shop</a> at Stanford in the Vale to make my own way home. A note about the coffee, my usual Americano - it wasn't quite as good as last time (see my review) when it was very good. I do wonder if the standard of a coffee in the same cafe can vary from time to time for some reason unknown to me - something else for me to investigate! As it was beyond mid-morning coffee-and-cake time and well into lunch time I had egg mayo sandwiches with a side of salad<span style="color: red;">* </span>and they were excellent! Proper home made style. We did a flat ride of the Vale and although we cycled roads we've ridden lots of times before it was still very enjoyable. We had a couple of new riders join us this time, which was good.<br />
<br />
So, there we have it, a week of Less Ordinary Cycling. Back to the more Ordinary this week I think....<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">*</span> One of Eldest Son's Strava (and real life) friends has a habit of adding "with a side of" to the title of his Strava rides, which I think is rather amusing, so I've decided to slip this into my blog on occasions, even when it's nothing to do with food.....<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-4886328774255160012019-07-25T17:00:00.000+01:002019-07-25T17:00:05.708+01:00Ordinary cyclingThere is to be a slight change of direction for this blog. I have begun to find that writing about cycling comes more easily to me than writing about sewing and sewing machines. I started the blog in 2015 with the intention of writing what I thought would be useful things about sewing that might help other people - just as I had found other sewing blogs useful. Cycling was also to be a big part of the blog, and anything else of interest to me, such as make do and mend, preserving and foraging.<br />
<br />
However, I have found lately that I have rather lost my enthusiasm for writing about sewing, unless perhaps it is cycling related. Having said that, I do enjoy writing posts about repairs, such as the one on my Barbour jacket. That is actually my most popular post, with 2498 views! That seems like an awful lot of views to me! My sewing machine posts have been quite popular too. Somewhere in between come my cycling posts, some with much higher viewing figures than others. My review of Peter Walker's book "Bike Nation" has had over 500.<br />
<br />
Many bloggers give up. I haven't run out of enthusiasm, but sometimes I think that I should blog about such and such on the sewing front, but I really don't feel like doing it - whereas I certainly do feel like blogging about cycling. So now cycling will take priority, although anything on the sewing front that is cycling related will definitely be included.<br />
<br />
Now, my explanation for the title of this post is that I don't do a lot of cycling that is extra-ordinary in any way - only occasionally. Most of my cycling is very ordinary and every day, but actually, although I do love reading about other cyclists' extra-ordinary adventures, I am also very interested in the ordinary cycling that people do, the shopping, the commuting, the school runs, the awful rides, the fantastic rides, the just-using-the-bike-to-get-somewhere-because-that's-the-way-you-travel rides. I have never really written about my ordinary cycling; I thought that people would only really want to read about my more adventurous cycling, if you can call it that. But realizing how interested I am in the everyday cycling of others, I've decided to start writing about just that, and to try to write more frequent posts.<br />
<br />
I actually find that even the most ordinary of cycle rides often becomes something quite out of the ordinary. Every one includes something of interest. I am very much the type of person who stops to look at things, and pick up things; I'm a natural scavenger and forager. The other day I picked up a dying pot plant thrown in the verge, and which I think is now coming back to life, and a very expensive pair of sunglasses, which I have put on the appropriate "Spotted" page on Facebook. They do rather suit me so I'm hoping I don't get any replies! I also stop and talk to people. And when I ring my friendly bell, people turn and smile!<br />
<br />
So, here we go, let's start with today's ride! Bear in mind that when I say today, I am writing on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year (so far), Thursday, July 25th 2019. Most weeks I join my local CTC on a Thursday daytime ride, and really enjoy it. I normally ride to the start to join them, about 6 miles, and then either finish with them and ride the 6 miles home, or leave them at some point near the end to ride home. We do about 15-20 miles; the total for me usually ends up being in the region of 25-35 miles. The only things that have stopped me this year have been ice, illness and the birth of another grandchild - we had a third granddaughter in May!<br />
<br />
Yesterday I had cycled to go shopping , and despite the heat had even chosen a long way home, with a good hill included, but I had set off about 8 am before it got too hot, and was home by 10.45, having done about 11 miles. But today I knew would be even hotter, and the ride was due to start at 10.30. To be honest, I knew it probably wasn't a good idea for me to go in this heat, but I didn't want to let people down as this ride has been advertised as a family bike ride, suitable for parents and children and slower and shorter than our usual rides. It's always good to have plenty of regular riders along to support the less regular, or even new, ones. I also very much enjoy the social side of these rides as well, chatting as we go along and stopping for coffee somewhere en route.<br />
<br />
I was well prepared, having put one bottle of water in the freezer last night, and two others in the fridge, mostly for drinking (or as spare if anyone else needed any) but also for pouring over myself if I got too hot. I did that on very hot rides last year and it really helped. (Just to add that about 7.45 I'd walked about 1 1/2 miles up a local track to look for, and hopefully give water to, a little cat that Husband had spotted on a bike ride last night, but I didn't find said cat, though I left some water near where he had seen it.) I drank plenty before I left, ate some yogurt and banana - breakfast had been about 6am - and I put on sunglasses and even my Tilley hat (I don't wear a helmet) which I don't particularly like wearing as it may shield me from the sun but it makes my head hotter, and set off about 9.40, on my choice of steed for today - my steel Trek of 20 plus years of age - by which time the temperature was already 30 degrees C.......<br />
<br />
As I rode I was thinking -<br />
<br />
"It's already incredibly hot, and I've got to ride back later on when it will be even hotter."<br />
<br />
And then I thought -<br />
<br />
"This is stupid. I shouldn't be cycling. For my own safety I'm going to turn back".<br />
<br />
And so, after 2.8 miles, I did just that, cycling a total of 5.68 miles altogether. I was disappointed to miss the ride, but knew it was a sensible decision to turn back. I'm still sweating sitting here at the computer!<br />
<br />
So that's the first report on my very ordinary bike rides! The one that got aborted!<br />
<br />
Lizzie<br />
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LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-54370791078986034072019-05-18T17:30:00.000+01:002019-05-18T17:30:09.750+01:00Mending a vintage silk blouse I was recently asked to mend this silk blouse. The owner did not know exactly how old it was, but my guess is 1930s. The amazing thing is that virtually <i>all</i> the stitching is done by hand and as you can see from the photos below, there is an awful lot of it! Every single seam, all the pin tucks, the attaching of the lace......... it must have taken hundreds of hours.The photos are not the best - I'm still having trouble with my camera..... but I hope you get the gist of things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtv1Z5VtSxqxozRZDmiWEUZumuji_p7xBm4vYIaPxAFFvaehhhAox8kuUPH8y7nG097SmlAJYatkIwXOu1uyZ5IdXUmuJAtHPXdUHQxfq_o3Ji6l3oiiAwMdAW5HhblV1KrZ2uzdZsMFjz/s1600/Blouse+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1343" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtv1Z5VtSxqxozRZDmiWEUZumuji_p7xBm4vYIaPxAFFvaehhhAox8kuUPH8y7nG097SmlAJYatkIwXOu1uyZ5IdXUmuJAtHPXdUHQxfq_o3Ji6l3oiiAwMdAW5HhblV1KrZ2uzdZsMFjz/s400/Blouse+1.JPG" width="335" /></a></div>
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The pintucks -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHpwNQSjTJbv49azo9QHwNMctPC-tOgJgpJxC6SBmMlUbak_3qIzHTDOdweC6j1vfm_x_s3jKGuhsvKnipZRBPPWJAQMEH8SgZd4KgFDjuNo2j6iT8xE6qn-mzgnN0frRZDTIhd9cSe1c/s1600/Blouse+front+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1600" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHpwNQSjTJbv49azo9QHwNMctPC-tOgJgpJxC6SBmMlUbak_3qIzHTDOdweC6j1vfm_x_s3jKGuhsvKnipZRBPPWJAQMEH8SgZd4KgFDjuNo2j6iT8xE6qn-mzgnN0frRZDTIhd9cSe1c/s400/Blouse+front+detail.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The collar -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwAff8uW5og_qGCNvH-9fVXW5LP2puJ-0LvYanydNAjgjPLIVthHQ8RYEJbk7oVYuzBolDIM4STHLK7OSSY7h7pdDZ8-TRtZ0WlgAtiVPXuNNFnKJBvZBiXppW6V20O33pZKgfY_RNVye/s1600/Blouse+collar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwAff8uW5og_qGCNvH-9fVXW5LP2puJ-0LvYanydNAjgjPLIVthHQ8RYEJbk7oVYuzBolDIM4STHLK7OSSY7h7pdDZ8-TRtZ0WlgAtiVPXuNNFnKJBvZBiXppW6V20O33pZKgfY_RNVye/s400/Blouse+collar.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The under side of the collar, showing the hand stitching -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fkqneYd9oq2urXnxCGzJaS4yFAxwE_EtmZOHjb3imzHRwpGwEcw8vU6rYL-y7vC_2fbGOMBwKzxyVk7uOKSLcLjMRwTFBglmK-2NJaeuhtPWofLkYoT4TTI1w2MWUR8QOR3PNMO1blvQ/s1600/Blouse+collar+underneath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fkqneYd9oq2urXnxCGzJaS4yFAxwE_EtmZOHjb3imzHRwpGwEcw8vU6rYL-y7vC_2fbGOMBwKzxyVk7uOKSLcLjMRwTFBglmK-2NJaeuhtPWofLkYoT4TTI1w2MWUR8QOR3PNMO1blvQ/s400/Blouse+collar+underneath.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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French seams at the sides - </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qf0IDy3zirR-d2nx-F7FgiMgGthLQMBX_DP3RjemmpZqYGv229mLDuITIBpe4yAffnJQ7SR_-soQFjF87CmVcdXBqZFtuk2SPZEfVDpOEfoE4EeJEKo8NQ0VOtCQVGRCzzoBzAKLUQbF/s1600/French+seam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qf0IDy3zirR-d2nx-F7FgiMgGthLQMBX_DP3RjemmpZqYGv229mLDuITIBpe4yAffnJQ7SR_-soQFjF87CmVcdXBqZFtuk2SPZEfVDpOEfoE4EeJEKo8NQ0VOtCQVGRCzzoBzAKLUQbF/s400/French+seam.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There were various parts of seams that needed mending. On the far right of this sleeve seam you can see the original stitching, and to the left is my repair; not quite as neat and small -</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSalJ08Kx3VM-hYXXxb85OclT_AjrwqVHv9HSSMmjeOiT_wNMhAuzOpoQArlS6aB7ssuLv4oSz4xG0QIPvzCOeCcCyTnBElv2k-GCFhZOZ3MLBXpA9ecVFKmrE3V79kf8e4JIlSLXMyiDd/s1600/Blouse+seam+USE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSalJ08Kx3VM-hYXXxb85OclT_AjrwqVHv9HSSMmjeOiT_wNMhAuzOpoQArlS6aB7ssuLv4oSz4xG0QIPvzCOeCcCyTnBElv2k-GCFhZOZ3MLBXpA9ecVFKmrE3V79kf8e4JIlSLXMyiDd/s400/Blouse+seam+USE.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is where someone had mended it before, using backstitch instead of the running stitch that was used originally, and which I used. The backstitch is a bit thick and lumpy - </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-oPsuM-tuIn4Q-zUQYg2pAhZxKv2elkP_NwKdiWBXU_QM-fF1MFopurUUOS57zR1M4wYTYsH_kz4kFLQgsZaKkTsYn9AMJyqJgI2z_eQkBWIpyESFtFDE5XC6Nxignved_yncLKMko9J/s1600/Blouse%252C+old+and+new+stitching.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-oPsuM-tuIn4Q-zUQYg2pAhZxKv2elkP_NwKdiWBXU_QM-fF1MFopurUUOS57zR1M4wYTYsH_kz4kFLQgsZaKkTsYn9AMJyqJgI2z_eQkBWIpyESFtFDE5XC6Nxignved_yncLKMko9J/s320/Blouse%252C+old+and+new+stitching.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Previous repair</td></tr>
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<br /><br />An underarm seam, a bit sweat stained........ I did think of asking the owner to wash the blouse before I mended it, as there were other dirty marks on it too, but I refrained, and just got on and did it. I have read that you <i>should</i> mend old garments before washing them but personally I don't like mending grubby things and won't do it again.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8wWS-recQB_5uXnuKwIWw3_-Z8t7xypEty9oSnLFUc9Y-yEE3yyM6yQh9Ys4XLQMuyFdQO-l_FhVOBPwGED_VnaOeQfJYQ7_D_l5Hb1yJWmfqgFA8ci0LYzBsbroJ73NDgGSaauxjDmN/s1600/Blouse%252C+sweaty+underarm%252C+old+and+new+stitching.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="631" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8wWS-recQB_5uXnuKwIWw3_-Z8t7xypEty9oSnLFUc9Y-yEE3yyM6yQh9Ys4XLQMuyFdQO-l_FhVOBPwGED_VnaOeQfJYQ7_D_l5Hb1yJWmfqgFA8ci0LYzBsbroJ73NDgGSaauxjDmN/s400/Blouse%252C+sweaty+underarm%252C+old+and+new+stitching.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another previous repair</td></tr>
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<br /><br />There is a button missing from the bottom of the blouse now as I had to use it to replace one on a cuff. I also had to make a new button loop, seen here at the top, and looking rather white compared to the one at the bottom. That might be due to a different coloured thread or just that the old one is grubby -<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiX1MvLkcynsVDwHfgp43BHeoU6uRCvpOgAdwjGdxkufdfYxWDXX_W2cxFoKSxwYrouJyIwmXeeO9SqNM3rLX5S6DkPCyUad9MsyKBHoJUCsmqFiuxXTt6hpJbnb340B_s6JlpoAaCmBR/s1600/Blouse+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="471" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiX1MvLkcynsVDwHfgp43BHeoU6uRCvpOgAdwjGdxkufdfYxWDXX_W2cxFoKSxwYrouJyIwmXeeO9SqNM3rLX5S6DkPCyUad9MsyKBHoJUCsmqFiuxXTt6hpJbnb340B_s6JlpoAaCmBR/s400/Blouse+9.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New button loop</td></tr>
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Here there was a tiny loop attached to the shoulder seam, with a popper fastening, for holding in place the straps of undergarments, and this is a bit of a mystery, because - the stitching you can see is done by machine! The photo is not that clear but I can assure you that that bit of stitching is done by machine. It's the only bit of machine stitching that I found on the whole blouse, and how strange to find it here on this tiny loop! - </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmZ1dwyZN997wuQbAFCXME0jjy9Gn4b0Q0_j4cjmuNMPrb-wlHQ6ktSdjNRcNosRVNILo0V_nuJqfMZdyZ742Mk3DvAMhduhUkuXc4IKG3FwqqQ1wMa06A-C3N1zDGnqninpafiR2uySw/s1600/Blouse+bra+strap+loop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmZ1dwyZN997wuQbAFCXME0jjy9Gn4b0Q0_j4cjmuNMPrb-wlHQ6ktSdjNRcNosRVNILo0V_nuJqfMZdyZ742Mk3DvAMhduhUkuXc4IKG3FwqqQ1wMa06A-C3N1zDGnqninpafiR2uySw/s400/Blouse+bra+strap+loop.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a privilege to work on a lovely vintage garment like this.</div>
LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-36871534014401763052019-05-06T09:41:00.002+01:002019-05-06T09:41:28.996+01:00Savoury flapjack recipe A somewhat different sort of post for me! What inspired it was an episode of Dragon's Den earlier this year, in which the founders of a snack company called Oatein pitched for investment by the Dragons. I have since looked up their bars and have not been impressed with their ingredients.<br />
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As I watched the programme, I thought about snack bars generally and in particular the ones that Husband and I keep in the cupboard (from Aldi) and realized that delicious though they are, and very good for bike rides, most of the ingredients are grown abroad. Also, the wrappers are not recyclable. Then I wondered - could I produce something that was based on oats but which would not be very sweet and which would contain ingredients which were grown in this country? Something that even contained vegetables perhaps? So the next day I set to work, and this was what I came up with!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qx6UUyXRRNg9clm7-WoQVMlKr8vujs3f7w91OB0n_HTxZxjvdPU1wA6hRp0W30_4i40LYC9kEowSSgUnliaiX2lO2BB1FuPIJs10Xe3PzpwGKaYPGgd9BrSmC2eWv2BHDoVsqrqc5kQG/s1600/Savoury+flapjack+recipe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qx6UUyXRRNg9clm7-WoQVMlKr8vujs3f7w91OB0n_HTxZxjvdPU1wA6hRp0W30_4i40LYC9kEowSSgUnliaiX2lO2BB1FuPIJs10Xe3PzpwGKaYPGgd9BrSmC2eWv2BHDoVsqrqc5kQG/s400/Savoury+flapjack+recipe.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Savoury Flapjack</b><br />
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8 oz oats (I used rolled)<br />
8oz hazelnuts<br />
8 oz grated carrot<br />
4 oz butter<br />
2 oz honey<br />
2 eggs, beaten<br />
A large pinch each of salt and pepper<br />
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Melt together the honey and butter and mix it all up. Talk about easy.....<br />
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I put it in a tin which is about 9" square I think, and cooked it at 150 degrees C (fan) for 45 minutes.<br />
Cut it up when it has cooled slightly, then leave to cool in the tin completely before turning out.<br />
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I kept it in the cupboard when I first made it but it went mouldy after a few days so I now keep it in the fridge. And I think it's delicious!<br />
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The only ingredient which was not from this country was the hazelnuts, but I chose them because you can obviously get them in this country in the autumn, as you can walnuts or almonds but I'm not sure that their flavour would go so well with the carrots. It's not unlike a nut roast recipe - in fact you could probably make it as that.<br />
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It is excellent for taking on bike rides as it is pretty filling stuff and is very quick to just get out of the fridge and wrap up - in something reusable. I think it is a good balance of carbohydrate, protein, fibre and vitamins and minerals. It is actually a lot more than a "snack" - I have taken it instead of sandwiches and it has kept me going for a long time.<br />
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If anyone would like to test this out, do let me know your opinions.LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-75821638321328661382019-04-27T17:00:00.000+01:002019-04-27T19:25:44.195+01:00Singer 411g and the mystery problem with the cam stack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I bought this machine last year via Facebook marketplace, recognising the model as one of Singer's best. It's a slant needle model and does chain stitch. In the home of the person I bought it from the machine was ready for me to try out, but it was on the floor; the person was foreign and communication was not all that easy, so after merely pressing the pedal to see if it went, and fiddling with the knobs and levers and presser foot, to check that they moved, I bought it. The only attachments with it were one foot and one special disk. It did have a sticker on it showing that it had been serviced a few years ago.</div>
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I then left it for quite a few months as other things had to take priority, plus to be honest I think my doing-up-machines mojo had got up and gone for a while, but once I got it out again the mojo came back. I have since bought two other machines, a Harris Automatic and a Singer 201 treadle in a very nice Enclosed Cabinet No 51, so my case of VSMA (Vintage Sewing Machine Addiction) was clearly just in remission.....</div>
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Usual place for machines that I'm cleaning up i.e. the kitchen table - </div>
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I bought a manual from <a href="http://www.helenhowes-sewingmachines.co.uk/manuals.html">Helen Howes</a>; I know I could have downloaded one for free but this time I wanted a genuine Singer one. I<span style="color: red;"> </span>cleaned the machine, oiled it, greased the gears, and tested out the stitches. All was looking good. </div>
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This machine has a stack of cams, which are the metal disks that enable the machine to produce the different stitches. I have a cam stack on the Bernina 801 that I use, but I have never needed to do anything to that, and I have had no experience with working on cam stacks on other machines. I watched this video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMwmTQhyMck">How to clean the cam stack on Singer 401a</a> - a very similar machine to the 411g but without the ability to do chain stitch, and it seemed a straightforward process so I went ahead and took mine out and cleaned it. For reasons that will become clear, I just wish I had taken photos of the cam stack before I removed it.</div>
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Cam stack in bits before cleaning -</div>
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Cam stack after cleaning (we'll come back to the arrows in a minute) -<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PIC 1</td></tr>
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Cam stack back in the machine -</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBo3qGtACnjou0tHRvDIj_XI4NcH1SQoI91qPnXLrKuAt7uAqf9qCrYnKonQRBCbQumJlraI_bSq61e82FY5wJ-Qusmx-zBXjFkhq1AlZ33e_n9aGg8an19XlgfWdxOzDim6V3GayKR5y9/s1600/6+Cam+stack_LI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBo3qGtACnjou0tHRvDIj_XI4NcH1SQoI91qPnXLrKuAt7uAqf9qCrYnKonQRBCbQumJlraI_bSq61e82FY5wJ-Qusmx-zBXjFkhq1AlZ33e_n9aGg8an19XlgfWdxOzDim6V3GayKR5y9/s320/6+Cam+stack_LI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, observe - there is a wiggly spring clip (right hand arrow in pic 1) that should be held in place by that screw (left hand arrow in Pic 2, correctly termed the stud I believe). That screw <i>should</i> hold down that clip, but on mine it doesn't. It should be sitting right down on it and there shouldn't be that gap under the top of the screw. </div>
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Here is the cam stack from another machine; this is what that screw and clip should look like - </div>
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I didn't know this until I went to try out the one special disk that came with it; it worked at first but then popped off the top, meaning the machine was no longer doing that particular stitch.</div>
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I asked on the Vintage Singers group on Groups.io (used to be Yahoo) if anybody could help; someone sent me some photos of the top of the cam stack on her machine so I knew mine wasn't right. I contacted <a href="https://danhopgood.wordpress.com/2017/11/23/singer-401g-vs-411g/">Dan Hopgood</a> (good blogger on vintage sewing machines in the UK) knowing he had one of these machines and he very kindly removed the cam stack from his machine, took it apart, gave me measurements I asked for and sent me photos. Everything on his machine seemed to be identical to mine. I took the cam stack in and out, in and out, and took it to bits again and again, but it seems that it is impossible to get that screw down far enough on my machine in order for it to hold that clip in place. Total mystery.</div>
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This is why I wish I'd taken pictures before I took the cam stack out, so that I knew whether or not it was like this to start with.</div>
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I plan to sell this machine but don't want to do so until I have sorted this mystery out, as even though the stitches that don't involve the special disk work fine I want to be able to sell it with that disk working properly. There are several other disks that go with this machine (how does this happen - attachments getting separated from machines?!) and some future buyer may well want to to buy extra disks and use them.</div>
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So - I'm rather hoping that somewhere out there is someone who will read this post and solve the mystery for me!!</div>
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<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-44543754223262904952019-04-04T19:19:00.001+01:002019-04-04T19:19:04.807+01:00Test post, please ignore<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14635981/?claim=fuxrnh3dpat">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Has this worked?LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-36454461404120319642019-04-01T17:00:00.000+01:002019-04-26T20:18:13.624+01:00Tensioning my Brooks B67 saddle following severe discomfort!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As an introduction, this was my Brooks B67 when I first got it in May last year. I had bought it for my Koga aluminium touring bike. Once I'd got the height and tilt adjusted correctly for me, it soon became very comfortable. In this photo you can see that the back is fairly level, while the nose tilts up a fair bit, which is how I had read you were supposed to set them up. Tensioning was something I thought I would forget about for the time being, and that I would know when to do it, if at all. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 2018</td></tr>
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These photos were taken about two months later in July. As you can see there is still very little sign of sit bone impressions.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 2018</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 2018</td></tr>
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It was so comfortable that on a trip last year (read the first episode <a href="https://whatthisbikeneeds.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-bike-ride-to-frome-where-i-get-hot.html">here</a>) of 4 days cycling, I only wore padded undershorts on one of those days, riding 35 - 45 miles each day. The only slight soreness I had was under my sit bones. I kept count of the miles I did on it, until September when I reached over 600 miles.</div>
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Around about November time I noticed that the bike generally didn't seem quite as comfortable as it had done, although this thought was just a germ of something at the time - you know how you notice something but it hardly registers in your brain? Well, I carried on riding this bike but rather subconsciously chose to ride my steel Trek more often than before, realizing that it was a lot more comfortable going over bumps in the road. I tend to use the Trek for shopping and shorter trips, and use the Koga for longer trips, but as I don't do very long trips in the winter it didn't matter too much that the Koga was becoming uncomfortable. </div>
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The discomfort was in the frontal region..... I even bought some of these padded knickers - <a href="https://www.equus.co.uk/products/equetech-dressage-brief?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImJ7znKis4QIVTbHtCh2JewKKEAAYAiAAEgIK5fD_BwE">Equetech Dressage Briefs</a> - because you can get them with the padding just at the front. They are actually very comfortable, and I like them because they are mainly cotton. They make a good alternative to cycling shorts/undershorts, although I found the padding to be a bit firmer than my other padded shorts. But to be honest they didn't really help a lot, and as I hadn't needed them before I couldn't see why I needed them now!</div>
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However, a couple of a couple of weeks ago I went out on a ride of about 28 miles on the Koga. I didn't wear any padded undershorts, reasoning that perhaps I had just got too soft! But the discomfort was bad...... too bad to put up with any longer. I couldn't even go over those thickly painted lines on the road designed to reduce your speed without slowing right down and lifting off the saddle. And, although the saddle had always tended to creak slightly (and I know this is a common thing with Brooks saddles) it hadn't bothered me before, but on this day it drove me up the wall! </div>
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Then I thought that perhaps I was running my tyres too hard. I don't pump them up excessively hard but I have always tended to think that harder was better than softer, so I thought they might well be too hard. I investigated the matter.... One of the best articles I read was in the <a href="https://www.bretonbikes.com/homepage/cycling-article-blog/67-cycling-under-pressure-how-hard-should-my-tyres-be">Breton Bikes</a> blog. I read it all and then reduced the pressure in my tyres accordingly. However it still didn't make much difference to my comfort level. But as I was pfaffing around doing the tyres I suddenly noticed that my saddle had now gained very obvious sit bone impressions, and the sides were flaring out a bit. </div>
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Here are some pics -</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 2019, before tensioning</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 2019, before tensioning</td></tr>
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It's hard to really get a good photo that shows the difference between when I first got the saddle and now, but believe me there really was quite a big difference! And that's when the penny dropped......it must be time for tensioning!! </div>
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I was told as a child by one of my sisters, in the teasing way that siblings do, that I was "slow on the uptake" and it has only been in recent years that I have come to realize that that is not because there is something wrong with my brain but just because I think about things a lot, and more often than not that thinking results in my understanding something better than if I had perhaps been quicker on the uptake. So, although it had taken me a long time to realize what the real problem was, I had learnt a lot about tyre pressures along the way.</div>
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First I attempted to turn the bolt on the tensioning pin with the saddle still on the bike. I certainly didn't want to remove the saddle having taken so much trouble last year to get the angle right. Then, once again proving my slowness, another penny dropped when I looked at photos on the internet of other people's Brooks saddle and I realized that I could just remove the seat post with the saddle still on it! I made sure I could see the mark on the seat post that I had previously put there to make sure I put it back at the right height. I turned the nut, although thought that the bolt was turning with it (as others have said it sometimes does) but Handy Helpful Husband said it wasn't and I finally succeeded in the tensioning! I rode it around, did it a bit more, and then - rode last Saturday for a very comfortable 48 miles!! With no padding!! Oh the bliss of a comfy bike again! AND - the creaking has largely gone. I don't mind a <i>little</i> creaking....</div>
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I meant to take a photo of the tensioning bolt after I had done it, to give the exact position of the nut on it, but in my eagerness to try out the saddle I forgot. I get infuriated sometimes when I am looking at photos of this sort of thing on the internet but can't quite make out exactly what is what, or where something is in relation to something else, so apologies to anyone reading this for whom my photos are not precise enough! I hope you can see in this one that I took afterwards roughly where the nut is. I'm really not sure how much I actually turned that nut in the end, but it was definitely more than just a quarter turn, which is what I have seen recommended as the starting point. By all means start with a quarter turn, but don't be afraid to turn it more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSgCnAEA-uhsxHf4Q-cUBjERr0ZgIZcd7AXumJX7xstfBL0NZSykX8U37EXbiHvppw7lO4Bvqpngbfw1uP_YfEOVn_YkmYju_OUOR0SfZowwpZceFTToJk9Y3WRFzktLjkMzMs3Q4HqcO/s1600/USE+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSgCnAEA-uhsxHf4Q-cUBjERr0ZgIZcd7AXumJX7xstfBL0NZSykX8U37EXbiHvppw7lO4Bvqpngbfw1uP_YfEOVn_YkmYju_OUOR0SfZowwpZceFTToJk9Y3WRFzktLjkMzMs3Q4HqcO/s320/USE+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also decided, despite having wanted to be sure of keeping the saddle in its original position, that I wanted to tilt the nose down a bit, although again it's hard to show in the photo below that it's any different to how I had it set up in the first place. Maybe it isn't much different.....</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOp0P7RatjNSWPA7Fi22T7xfxqyWoturwRPpCSYnKZlcFcTe_Kmu5W8vsCCx23RvU8hBi_JJXx6MxowV1WGe9A-eCuI4SC69nQi8cJyZCm1_wtVjbyd0iEDDPGy27lbvjiOG8zwWIe7_N/s1600/Use+March+2019+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOp0P7RatjNSWPA7Fi22T7xfxqyWoturwRPpCSYnKZlcFcTe_Kmu5W8vsCCx23RvU8hBi_JJXx6MxowV1WGe9A-eCuI4SC69nQi8cJyZCm1_wtVjbyd0iEDDPGy27lbvjiOG8zwWIe7_N/s400/Use+March+2019+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 2019, after tensioning, and after altering tilt</td></tr>
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And just in case this might offer any further help, here it is with a spirit level on top. Pity I never took a photo like this when I first got it as that would have made for a proper comparison.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRZgmkC7IztP_4fBOqHmiinHxXO3ofMQ_E9eP4dQL3g6Ps4bteFTs-OtlWjsEzw15EpFgcD76UGiXFMriqcSSMUFVcPyMSMP6KMCzTTk2TSB2xUG1glG3WpbholDKgeMhHdPPD2M5ofXX/s1600/Use+March+2019+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRZgmkC7IztP_4fBOqHmiinHxXO3ofMQ_E9eP4dQL3g6Ps4bteFTs-OtlWjsEzw15EpFgcD76UGiXFMriqcSSMUFVcPyMSMP6KMCzTTk2TSB2xUG1glG3WpbholDKgeMhHdPPD2M5ofXX/s400/Use+March+2019+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 2019, after tensioning and after altering tilt</td></tr>
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I am now a much happier bunny and looking forward to long trips on this bike again!</div>
<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450934855564746299.post-75444486665884851662019-03-07T17:00:00.000+00:002019-03-07T21:22:10.613+00:00Re-soling my Saltwater sandals<span style="color: red;">NOTE</span>; I've decided to start putting links in a list at the bottom of my posts, rather than inserting them in the text.<br />
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Ever since the demise of my extremely comfortable Teva sandals (I could walk miles in them) after about 14 years wear, I have looked for something similar to replace them.The newer Teva versions are nothing like as good, and neither are any other "walking" sandals that I've seen. In 2016 I discovered Saltwater sandals and sent off for some; I guessed they wouldn't be quite the Teva equivalent I was looking for, but I very much liked the design. They come in lots of colours, including an olive green that I would love to have.<br />
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These are mine, pictured on the cobbler's last that belonged to my grandfather, who died before<br />
I was born -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVWV1vBc3C9eF8LAmjKzAZV7t4KpyFUnqSVy_smPQw1nFDWgOzRn6vHXjIfwmdp9t5u5512f8gvJVafLHM4-Cji0K-kZjf4fMbOR2V_faa2Fytlw3J_LxvS3SgI-9LaHsOHQKyhaZUTRu/s1600/Sandals+on+last.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVWV1vBc3C9eF8LAmjKzAZV7t4KpyFUnqSVy_smPQw1nFDWgOzRn6vHXjIfwmdp9t5u5512f8gvJVafLHM4-Cji0K-kZjf4fMbOR2V_faa2Fytlw3J_LxvS3SgI-9LaHsOHQKyhaZUTRu/s400/Sandals+on+last.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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They are a perfect fit, and very comfortable, <i>and</i> I can cycle in them. However - here are some facts about my right foot, which I'm sure you are very interested in. A few years ago I realized that I was having problems with slight numbness in the toes of said foot, and after a lot of reading up I realized that I had what is called a Morton's toe (on both of my feet actually, but the left foot isn't negatively affected by it) which is where your second toe is longer than your big toe, due to the metatarsal bones in your big toe being shorter than they should be. This was causing the numbness. I knew instinctively that I needed to be able to feel the ground more as I was walking. I then came across "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall, a fascinating book to read if you are interested in how we naturally walk, but don't, when we wear (most) shoes. Look at a baby's foot, at how the toes are splayed out, and look at an adult's foot........!!!!!!! It's shoes that are responsible for that change. Many people, when they are diagnosed with some sort of foot problem will be recommended to use orthotics; however this is often exactly what they <u><i>don't</i></u> need. What they actually need is to get back to a more natural way of walking, and a change of footwear may well be the answer rather than orthotics.<br />
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I have since struggled to get shoes that fit the natural shape of my foot, especially winter ones, and that have thin enough soles to really feel the ground beneath them. The soles on the Saltwater sandals are indeed thin, and are fine on short distances, but I have found they are not so good when walking further, or on hard surfaces. To be honest I suspect it may be the type of sole material used as much as the thickness, but I thought I'd try adding some extra material to the soles to see if this made the difference I was looking for.<br />
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So, could I, and should I, Do It Myself?<br />
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I thought of looking for a pair of shoes or sandals in a charity shop, cutting off the soles and sticking them on my sandals, as I already had some suitable shoe making/mending glue from a previous (unsuccessful...) project, but I didn't see any. Next step - I thought I might as well find out what the local cobbler would charge, so took the sandals in and asked.<br />
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£30!!!! Gulp!!<br />
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Apparently it was "the work involved" that made the charge so high. Well, to be fair to all craftsmen and women, I know that people don't always realise what or how much work is involved in a job, but there was no way I was going to spend that amount.<br />
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Instead I went home and ordered some stick on soles instead. I actually bought 2 pairs of very large Vibram men's soles - just the top halves, and each pair came with a tube of glue. My intention was to cut two top halves and two bottom halves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eTxNnRE1BjjLC5Cvt535yXOXvznYGW7SllanHjy_izabqqzjzrV-lnk8qRiHPsserp_NYeg9gf-7X2_krtyOF8XttzXv7B_UJ4yyl9iy1q7COsVQaRB_6IVQU_qwOcCjVqi-ReMUn0qs/s1600/Sandals+A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eTxNnRE1BjjLC5Cvt535yXOXvznYGW7SllanHjy_izabqqzjzrV-lnk8qRiHPsserp_NYeg9gf-7X2_krtyOF8XttzXv7B_UJ4yyl9iy1q7COsVQaRB_6IVQU_qwOcCjVqi-ReMUn0qs/s320/Sandals+A.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the half soles, with glue</td></tr>
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First I sandpapered the soles of the sandals, as instructed, to roughen them up. I should also have done the same to the new soles, but I forgot.....but they weren't all that smooth anyway so I thought they'd probably still stick. I then cleaned the sandals' soles with meths.<br />
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I put the sandals on top of the sole, and drew round them -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83d30ffOs83lQFeTKts_GUq3lJE0WbrhhlFZlXFJlLmJDHhgDbkw0C8rAmOvjiy-hBDldAIYZx638YslYAiO-wb0rklQj14vnajebjoxu1rDoRwMpJcc-J8Wg6Yj-AGZZ4HftWoRFyPfi/s1600/Sandals+B.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83d30ffOs83lQFeTKts_GUq3lJE0WbrhhlFZlXFJlLmJDHhgDbkw0C8rAmOvjiy-hBDldAIYZx638YslYAiO-wb0rklQj14vnajebjoxu1rDoRwMpJcc-J8Wg6Yj-AGZZ4HftWoRFyPfi/s400/Sandals+B.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpaUC1REFOFg7kIjoDqnh1bh4k-sf_rgxi8V9wMENb4xBIiXK2zj8qjGLdCnyQufFWkohib1Nn0B0NkwCbu_w4BQWEifb7A3oqKIbSP3IBxB76r_PQWIDhBn0_q-9ck6lFGlhq6oFQbqk/s1600/Sandals+C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpaUC1REFOFg7kIjoDqnh1bh4k-sf_rgxi8V9wMENb4xBIiXK2zj8qjGLdCnyQufFWkohib1Nn0B0NkwCbu_w4BQWEifb7A3oqKIbSP3IBxB76r_PQWIDhBn0_q-9ck6lFGlhq6oFQbqk/s400/Sandals+C.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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Cutting the material was actually quite difficult. I used a Stanley knife and went very slowly so that the knife wouldn't slip, and then I proceeded to spread glue over the whole of each sandal sole. (I have to admit the glue stinks, and you really do need the window open. This is much more stinky than the other stuff I have.) However, I realized pretty soon that the stuff begins to dry out rapidly and and you need to just put glue on a SMALL area, spread it, and then do another bit. Otherwise you could end up with the whole sole covered in glue but not being able to spread it as most of it would have already half dried.<br />
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I then left the soles to almost completely dry for the requisite amount of time, about 15 minutes, and then stuck the soles on. Meanwhile I realized I'd made another mistake by not drawing round the bottom halves of the sandals when I cut out the top halves i.e. before I spread the glue all over the soles...... But I managed to do it all right at this stage anyway without the uncut bottom halves sticking to the sandal. That may not be very clear......but basically the lesson I learned was that you have to think carefully, before you start, about the order you're doing things in!!<br />
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Here is the completed job -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCLjPy0mIviDilUwAzNvdDJoRzogXFtnHkPErv60QNv_01cvgpH3xcx1rmOt2zCmgQDGFF_qhFiFEfl79wW8qirNhyA5LPpTfiFyShIrnwAqPmvXA13Hh1hqe4Vox6AnfOVxFAjh-wwlZ/s1600/Sandals+E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCLjPy0mIviDilUwAzNvdDJoRzogXFtnHkPErv60QNv_01cvgpH3xcx1rmOt2zCmgQDGFF_qhFiFEfl79wW8qirNhyA5LPpTfiFyShIrnwAqPmvXA13Hh1hqe4Vox6AnfOVxFAjh-wwlZ/s400/Sandals+E.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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As you can see I didn't get the new sole fitted to the sandal on the right quite perfectly - that was mainly due to it being hard to cut exactly on the line I'd drawn. And maybe my inaccurate drawing in the first place....<br />
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I've now got about an extra 3 mm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIsSo3iSSd87mps_Dn5YJ-W5y282PGmVWKt5EQLwwzZLmMxGI1C5pMM31DxbRf0tXXAlGyO0VqlInCU_F1teMuaMpNbz2FwGhKe_UkclVOUiED8YBnbOuVEfL01_IDaTlZtAbURtRw5Sv/s1600/Sandals+D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIsSo3iSSd87mps_Dn5YJ-W5y282PGmVWKt5EQLwwzZLmMxGI1C5pMM31DxbRf0tXXAlGyO0VqlInCU_F1teMuaMpNbz2FwGhKe_UkclVOUiED8YBnbOuVEfL01_IDaTlZtAbURtRw5Sv/s320/Sandals+D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm really pleased with how well the job turned out, although I won't know whether it's made the difference I'm hoping for until I wear them again, which won't be just yet....and the total cost was £11.97, a lot less than the £30 I'd have had to pay the cobbler!<br />
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Incidentally, I think that my grandfather would have been using this cobbler's last in the days when everybody had to make do and mend. My dad wrote some notes on life when he was very young in the 1920s, and I think that probably shoe repairing would have been something his parents, and others like them, had to do themselves, along with any other mending - hence having the cobbler's last.<br />
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Anyway, that's me "soled" on doing my own shoe repairs.....next pair to do will be my beloved Dr Marten's (the style I have has a more natural foot shape than many shoes, and soles that aren't too thick, although still not completely natural) which have a hole in the leather and a split in the sole. I bought some new ones to replace them but I'm not giving up on the old ones yet.<br />
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<b>LINKS</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.salt-watersandals.com/">Saltwater sandals</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jun/08/salt-water-sandals-womens-shoes-global-hit-family-run">Very interesting Guardian article on Saltwater sandals</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Run-Hidden-Ultra-Runners-Greatest/dp/1861978774">Born to Run</a><br />
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<br />LizzieLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00854229133345270816noreply@blogger.com3