Tandem Riding

Posted on June 22, 2024June 22, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bikes, Cycle, Cycling, jamboree, Life, Memories, Nature, pony trek, tandem, titchy theatre playlet, Together, Travel2 Comments

My bike…. dont have a picture of our tandem….

We were out one day, and Hubby saw an old tandem across the floor of a garage. He went over to look at it and fell into an inspection pit. Luckily, he was OK!

We bought the tandem (which was two bikes welded together) and my hubby even took the local MP round Penkhull on it!

One day we rode 100 miles in a reliability trial with the local cycling club. It was fun and we got back in seven and a half hours, despite one of my pedals falling off and having to borrow a spanner to fasten it back in place. One chain wheel was on the opposite side of the tandem, so it had unscrewed….

All this happened about thirty years ago when I was a lot fitter.

We would take the tandem or our bikes out and explore the local countryside or cycle from Stoke up to Rochdale, or down to Walsall.

We decided to cycle up through Leek one day, then up to the Roaches. We saw a signpost for Flash so decided to take it (the highest village in England apparently). We were tired but swooped up and down the hills. But I was nervous, two of us going downhill on winding roads was nerve wracking! I was a bit scared and kept houting at my hubby to SLOW DOWN!

Eventually we came down and round a corner and……

We almost ran into a five pony, pony trek that was spread across the road. Hubby turned the handlebars and dropped us into a shallow ditch at the side of the road!

I admit cursing him for being so reckless. But we gathered ourselves back together and set off again uphill, then swiftly down again. I kept telling him to go slower. But he was enjoying himself and we had averted one disaster, what else could happen?

This time we came round a corner and just managed to stop, in front of a scout Jamboree. How many scouts and cubs? Goodness only knows. HUNDREDS of them! Hubby and I had been lucky not to hit one of them, like a skittle, probably knocking others over too!

Again, we got ourselves sorted out. By then I was ready to go home. We saw a TV mast somewhere up on the hills as we headed Westwards and soon, we were looking across the beautiful Cheshire plain, looking at peaceful and hopefully flat farmland to cycle home over. We stopped off at a place selling ice-cream before pedalling downhill towards Macclesfield or Congleton, to be honest I can’t remember because I was more bothered about the danger of going downhill too fast! I think I was probably very grateful that we got home in one piece!

Moss ‘n’ grass

Posted on March 3, 2024March 3, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Environment, Grass, Group, Life, Moss, moss appreciation, Nature, Photo, soil, Time, TreeLeave a comment

Green moss spreads over tree roots, a grass seed must have blown in or washed there. It’s nestled in a small pocket of soil in the hollow of two roots. Good to see green when the world is mainly grey and brown.

We were on a walk on a dry day, but moisture from the previous days rain had enhanced the luminous colour of the moss, it was almost lime green in contrast to the darker grass. A real hint of the coming Spring.

I only took the photo because I joined a moss appreciation group on Facebook. Along with other groups, it makes you look differently and more closely at the world.

Hidden Coots

Posted on February 11, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged blue feet, Colours, coots, Environment, Fun, Moorhens, Nature, Shapes, Westport lakeLeave a comment

Blue footed, grey blue bodies, black heads with white blazes above their beaks. Not a good photo but my arm shakes too much so this was the best shot of the bunch!

The other birds which are similar have red blazes above their beaks, darker bodies, those are Moorhens. The photo was taken at Westport lake last weekend. I did think about going back today but I didn’t feel well enough on this grey, foggy, cold and drab day.

Teasles

Posted on February 4, 2024February 4, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Environment, Life, Nature, Plant, Staffordshire wildlife Trust, Teasel, Wildlife, Wildlifetrusts.orgLeave a comment

The brown, oval, spiky seed heads of the teasel are a familiar sight in all kinds of habitats, from grassland to waste ground. They are visited by goldfinches and other birds, so make good garden plants. (from wildlifetrusts.org)

These were photographed at Westport lake yesterday.

Mossy

Posted on February 3, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Environment, Fungus, Green, Group, Life, Moss, Nature, Photo, Stoke-on trent, Westport lake2 Comments

I joined a moss appreciation group recently. I’ve taken a few photos but I’ve not come across anything as spectacular as some of the members post. You can just see a reddish orange cup shape in the bottom right quarter of this photo. I think its a type of fungus?

Here’s a closer look. Can you identify it?

I like the idea of eccentric groups of people adding information and images to the Internet. That’s what makes it interesting.

Lake view

Posted on January 29, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Day out, Environment, Life, Nature, Parking, Staffordshire wildlife Trust, Stoke-on trent, Westport lake, WildlifeLeave a comment

The visitor centre at Westport lake stands on stilts and appears like the curved prow of a boat above the lake. The roof juts out over the balcony and offers some shelter from rain that can blow in on the prevailing wind. The visitor centre has a cafe, and sells gifts relating to the wildlife on and around the lake and wooded areas. You can buy bird food and bird nesting boxes, and books including natural history. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust manages the park and does various activities to encourage children to get into supporting the environment and nature. There is also a children’s playground. The only drawback is that the council has bought in parking charges.

Cygnet into Swan

Posted on January 4, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Baby swan, Cygnet, Lake, Nature, Photo, Swan, Water, Westport lake, Wildfowl, Wildlife2 Comments

The ugly duckling hides in the reeds, brown feathers gradually lost, snow white feathers uncovered. Soon it will be a majestic Swan.

Photo from a walk in 2020, Westport lake in Stoke on Trent.

Green gone!

Posted on December 12, 2023December 12, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Argument, Boundary, callous, Inconsiderate, Life, Nature, Polite, Sad, Stress, Uncaring2 Comments

My neighbours are fencing off the alleyway which is good because it will stop people getting in through the hedge, but they bought a digger in and grubbed up even more of the hedge. It’s near where my hubby wanted his ashes scattering. I couldn’t argue, I just stayed polite, the builder didn’t care or understand. But when things are sorted I will plant the spikiest holly and pyrocantha hedge that I can!

The builder said “your hedge is over the boundary line” I replied “this was my hedge for over twenty years, you are doing work for someone who literally just bought it”, he seemed to vaguely understand. I just hope he didn’t dig up any hedgehog nests!

Leafy

Posted on November 29, 2023November 29, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Autumn, Cold, Environment, Foggy, frosty, Garden, leafy, Life, Nature, Thinking, Weather4 Comments

A random selection of fallen leaves, early autumn, now there are far more. Hedgehogs might be using them for nests, squirrels have places to hide walnuts, and the daffodil bulbs they have dug up!

It’s been very cold for the last couple of days, bright sunlight today with wispy fog in the morning. The frost has come, and in the north of Scotland it’s been snowing. A milder spell is forecast for next week. I’m a typical Brit, obsessed with weather and the seasons.

Acer colour

Posted on November 28, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acer, Colour, Gardening, Japanese Maple, Leaves, Life, Nature, other countries, Pink, Red, UK2 Comments

Photo from a couple of weeks ago, pinky red leaves on this Acer (Japanese Maple) shine out with brightness on a dull day. I saw this in a churchyard and just had to take a picture of it. The green coloured chlorophyll has been absorbed back into the main part of the plant and xanthophyll carotanoids and antoxcyanines remain (spellings might be wrong).

Some countries have more colour changes than in the UK. I guess our species tend towards yellows, oranges and browns as opposed to reds. I’d love to see a really spectacular autumn (fall).

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Nature