and suddenly everyone is smiling!

Its been quite a dramatic change this week, temperatures in the low/mid twenties, lighter winds and enough sunshine to revitalise my tan!

Thursday, with the new wheel retainers installed, i set off for Cheeseville, a lumpy ride up onto the Mendip before a enjoying the rapid descent through Cheddar Gorge to the village where i paused for a bag, well actually box, of not bad chips. Bare arms and legs for the first time in 2024, it felt good and my confidence in the rebuilt bike has ramped up too.

The route back over the Mendip was eased by using the old railway, the Strawberry Line from Axbridge all the way past Thatchers cidery to Yatton, thats around 12km of non tarmac. Then it was the familiar lanes back through Nailsea and into Brizzle to complete 103km.

For Friday, again keen to not waste the weather, i set off to do a sort of bus based adventure. The plan was to go to the main bus station and catch the first bus going somewhere interesting, i struck gold, it was only a couple of minutes before the bus departed for Wells and Bridgwater. Of course, i've been on my bike to both but the top deck of a bus gives a different view and who knew where the bus would go once past Street?

Its a three hour trip each way, due to the few journeys available,if i wanted to get back at a reasonable hour i needed to get the same bus back so it was the briefest of leg stretches at the far end. However, far more journeys run from Street so i hopped off and had a longer break for some sustainance and a scoot around the 'retail village', you'd think you might get some bargains, i'm sure you can, but stuff can be the same price elsewhere so don't get too carried away with the bargains! (i bought some sweeties and a plate!) Then it was back on a bus to complete my journey, eventually rolling through the door just turned seven pm.

Altogether i'd been on 5 buses for a total of @ seven hours and 176km, 160km of that from the city centre to Bridgwater and back. And all that for just seven of His Majesties pounds - absolute bargain. I could've got there quicker but less conveniently by train for three times the price or paid double on an express service taking a more direct route but i had an enjoyable, stress free day out which was the whole point of the exercise.

I decided, after checking the forecast, to have a shorter, relaxed ride on Saturday rather than the longer trip i had planned. Shorter meant i could do some non tarmac again, which is good fun but in this case, things were a still a bit too wet under wheel, the bike was wearing a lot of the brown stuff by my tea stop at Oldbury. After a relaxing cuppa i took a laney route to return to Brizz, more off tarmac stuff that proved to be a lot drier and a chunk of dedicated bike path for a bit over 70km.

Which brings us to today. More sunshine and warmth in the forecast but also the chance of thunderstorms, still keen to maximise the weather, i set off fairly early, well before ten at any rate with just the vagueist idea of where i was going for a decent walk. In the end i walked just over 11km taking in Frenchay, Stoke Park and the Frome valley, i even resisted the pull of the various refreshment possibilities. As for the thunderstorms, well there have been a few spots of wet and the odd rumble since i got back and its clouded up, cue the lighting of barbecues across the land, lol.

There is new Gaby for you to read today, chapter 35, Advantage Bond continues with the Rat City race.

The outlook for the coming week is cooler and somewhat more mixed so i'll play my excursions very much by ear!

That's me done for the day, i'll be back on Wednesday,
Tschussie!
Madeline Anafrid