Spring rolls into... Winter!

Spring arrives and the weather just gets worse! The return of snow was not what I had in mind for mid-March but that's what we got and that's what we had to make the most of! 

But before we get to the snow I'll step back a couple of weeks first. My cycle ride home from work on Monday March 11 took me all the way down the River Derwent cycle path from Derby to Borrowash, not a journey I do too often on my commute. And I'm rather pleased that I did - I was lucky enough to be able to watch a Barn Owl hunting near the river, just as the sun was setting! It wasn't the closest view I've ever had of a Barn Owl but any view is always a privilege. I repeated the same route on the following two evenings and on both occasions was treated to the joys of the owl. All good stuff!

Tuesday March 19 and, for me, the first real sign that Spring is here. On the ride to work I heard a Chiffchaff singing along the cycle path by the River Derwent, my first of the year. Interestingly, this is the exact same date and almost the same location as the first Chiffchaff I came across last year. A returning bird maybe? On March 22 2012 I saw my first Sand Martins of the year - I wonder if they will be waiting for me tomorrow morning? With this weather, I very much doubt it!

On Thursday, March 21, I reached the first cycling milestone of the year when the ride home from work took my mileage for the year past the 1,000 mile mark. I may not have set myself any cycling targets this year but getting the first 1k under my belt did feel rather good, especially with the weather we've had so far this year. 

So, back to the snow. The forecast on Wednesday evening of this week was for snow to hit the region late on Thursday evening and that's just what it did. By the time I set off for work on Friday morning the roads were covered with wet, slushy, snow and the cycle paths weren't much better. Using the mountain bike meant I had no problem with grip but the lack of full mudguards resulted in a rather wet ride! Further snow and also a bit of a thaw later in the day saw me arrive home in the evening soaked to the skin and with a bike that looked like it had been to hell and back. Some serious cleaning was needed - both for the bike and myself!

As if to rub salt into the wound, the Derby Telegraph printed another of my photos in that very day's edition... a photo that showed just what Spring should be like! It was taken on March 5 and shows Crocuses flowering in Alvaston Park.

Crocuses in Alvaston Park - 05 March 2013.

And that, dear reader, brings us back to this weekend... and yet more snow! Luckily, I wasn't at work yesterday so I was able to stay in the warmth of the house and watch the snow continue to fall, all day. The only time I ventured outside was to top up the bird feeders, which took quite a hammering yesterday. The birds were certainly very hungry.

Woodpigeon waiting for yet more food.

Goldfinches in the snow.

This morning the snow had eased a little and so we decided to get out for a little fresh air, and breakfast! The result was a walk of just over 5miles taking in part of Alvaston, the Blue Jay pub for breakfast, the River Derwent and then back to home. Although the snow had more or less stopped for much of the walk the sky remained very grey and dull, not ideal conditions for the camera but I did at least try. Some of the results are below...

Next weekend we change the clocks, it's Easter and we'll probably be flooded! It can only get better, can't it?

How does your garden grow...

Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.

Oh, the things they teach you in school! Here’s me thinking that the above was a nice little rhyme about growing pretty little flowers in your garden, when all along it’s about graveyards, torture, murder and executions! 

 http://www.rhymes.org.uk/mary_mary_quite_contrary.htm

Any way... our little garden is trying its best to hold its head up and keep on fighting against all that the weather keeps throwing at it. Strong winds, heavy rain and cool temperatures are all trying to make a mess of things but the plants keep on coming back for more! Roll on summer... even if it is 2013 when it arrives!

 

 

 

 

We need the rain, right?

Another month goes by and I’m still trying, without success, to get in some regular long-distance bike rides. Every time I have the hours free that are needed to ride for more than 50 or 60 miles, it rains. Still, it’s good for the garden I guess!

May did at least turn out to be a little drier than April and, as a result, I managed to notch up a total of 620.66 miles. Almost all of that was made up of commuting mileage with just 114 miles being ridden whilst not on the way to or from work. The longest of the rides was a 57.73 mile trip over the border into Nottinghamshire, to test out the GPS routing on my new Garmin 800.

Taking a break for food and drink.

Stats from the Nottinghamshire ride...

Total distance - 57.73 miles.

Total time - 3hrs 57secs.

Max speed - 33.1 mph.

Average speed - 19.1 mph.

Calories burnt - 2058.

Average heart rate - 156 bpm.

Max heart rate - 179 bpm.

Garmin details.

Having only used the Garmin to log the distance of my rides up until this point I decided it was time to jump in at the deep end and see just how good the guidance feature of it really was. The evening before the ride I plotted a route that included as many roads and junctions that I’d never ridden before as possible to give me a route that would fit in with the free time I had. If it all went wrong I’d be left high and dry as I’d have no idea where I was! Need I have worried? Not a chance! The Edge 800 performed faultlessly. Over the next few weeks (weather permitting) I’ll post a Blog update devoted to my experiences of living with a Garmin. I’m still learning just what this clever little bit of kit is capable of but so far so good.

So, after five months of mixed weather, and a shortage of ride time, my mileage at the end of May had reached 2465.26 miles. I’m a little behind were I’d like to be but at least I’m over 270 miles ahead of this time last year. The 6,000 mile target for the year is still on!

This past weekend I had hoped to make the most of the quiet roads, whilst most people enjoyed the Jubilee celebrations, and attempt another 100 mile ride. The weather put paid to that idea and, in the end, the only chance I had to get out was for a very easy 17 mile loop around Derby and Alvaston this morning. Not a great start to June but at least I have all summer to look forward to! Maybe!

 

Beauty & the beast... nature fighting back against

industry on my ride this morning.

The plus side to all of this changeable weather is that the garden is doing rather well out of it. Pretty much all the summer bedding is doing well and many of the perennial plants are coming into flower too. All we need now is for the temperature to pick up a little and we may be able to sit outside and enjoy it all - after I’ve been out and ridden one of my bikes that is!

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

Thirty second photo blog...

Very little to report this week. The weather still isn't very Spring-like but we've decided that it's time to take the plunge and kick-start the garden.

The summer bedding plants have started to go in!

The first car load of plants...

...awaiting Lynda and her green fingers.

Now, GROW!

My home-grown Aquilegia are, once again, coming into flower too.





A mixed bag...

It's a typical Bank Holiday Monday once again - cold, grey damp and breezy - so I'm left with updating the Blog once again. Well, you can't spend all your time in the pub,can you? It'll be a mixed bag of "news" today but, with very little going on, it will all be over before you know it and we can get back to important things... such as beer.

Just over a month ago we were pleased to see one of our Camellias finally come into flower, and were equally disappointed that the other had failed yet again. Well, ye of little faith, at last we have red flowers too! I just hope we don't have to wait another two-and-a-half years for the next ones!

At last, red Camellia flowers!

As I expected, April turned out to be a big let down for me and my cycling. A combination of all the wet weather and a weeks holiday meant I covered a total of just 313 miles, my worst mileage since last December. My mileage for the year (up to the end of April) now stands at 1,844 miles. At the end of March I was 246 miles ahead of last years figures, I'm now just over 40 miles behind! May needs to dry up and warm up, I need to knuckle down and up the mileage!

For a number of months I've been toying with the idea of treating myself to a GPS bike computer, the Garmin Edge 800 being the one that really took my fancy. But, and it was a big but, the price kept on turning me away from parting with my cash. Until last week that is. A special offer price from one of the big on-line cycling stores, that saved me around £90, was too much to resist and I took the plunge! Just two days later I was the owner of the all singing, all dancing Garmin 800.

So far I've used the Garmin for a couple of short rides, one of 30 miles and one of 26 miles, and everything is working a treat. I now have more information from my rides than I know what to do with... distance; speed; average speed; heart rate; max. heart rate; altitude; ascent and descent percentages; temperature. The list goes on. Then there is the mapping, route planning, GPS tracking and more. By the end of the summer (if we have one) I should just about have everything worked out! Maybe!

The Garmin Edge 800.

Once I've got a few more miles logged with the Garmin, and also used the route guidance on some unfamilliar roads, I'll post a full review on here.

Stats from this weekends rides were...

Saturday.

Total distance - 30 miles.

Total time - 1hr 45 mins.

Max speed - 25.6 mph.

Average speed - 17.1 mph.

Calories burnt - 1197.

Average heart rate - 155 bpm.

Max heart rate - 181 bpm.

Sunday.

Total distance - 26.36 miles.

Total time - 1hr 27mins.

Max speed - 27.8 mph.

Average speed - 18.1 mph.

Calories burnt - 1167.

Average heart rate - 168 bpm.

Max heart rate - 182 bpm.

It’s raining. Birds and cash...

The last time I was here I was rather happy about the way my cycling had been going. I also mentioned how I expected it all to fall apart over the Easter weekend. And fall apart it did. Apart from Good Friday, it rained and rained and rained some more. Needless to say, I didn’t get out on the bike at all that weekend! Between Tuesday and yesterday, I tried to rescue something from the week by riding longer routes to and from work and managed a total of 110 miles.

Extra cash in the back pocket is always rather nice isn’t it? And the past couple of Saturdays have been rather productive on that front with two lottery wins for me! Last Saturday I picked up £60 from the Irish Lottery and last night I managed another £49 on the UK Lottery! Next week I’m going for the full six numbers and so this will be my last post here, as I will be going into hiding to avoid any unwanted publicity! Oh, how I wish!

Now, a rare bit of birding news. Rare for me to post birding stuff nowadays and also a rather rare sighting too. A Glossy Ibis almost right over the garden was a HUGE surprise on Friday evening! After a rather hard ride home from work, I was sat on the doorstep looking out over the garden when I saw a rather large bird, some way off, slowly heading my way. At first I thought it was just a Cormorant - dark coloured bird, broad wings, long neck.

Then things started to set the alarm bells ringing. The bird was getting a little closer and just did not look quite right somehow! It was too small for Cormorant, the head and neck were all wrong and what the heck was that bill all about! Having quickly grabbed my ’bins and returned to the garden things started to fall into place, it was a Glossy Ibis. Hell, it’s almost enough to make me quit my cycling and get back out birding again full time! Things can, and do, turn up at the most unexpected times and that part of birding will always give me a buzz.

Oh, and I’ve also seen my first Willow Warblers and Swallows of the year too. Maybe I should start some sort of bird list? LOL!

Next week we’re off to Yorkshire for a few days so I hope to have a few photos to post, if the rain doesn’t wreck all of our plans that is.

Thank you, and good night.

Two great results...

Wednesday October 7 2009, Lynda and I went to a garden centre and purchased a couple of Camellias. Lynda was delighted to have found the plants, even more so as they were a “two-for-one” deal. We planted them and waited for them to flower. And we waited, and waited and waited. Not a thing! Until now that is. At last, we have flowers - even if it is only on one of the shrubs! Now, if only the red Camellia would join in...

The Camellia.

March 2012, and my best ever month of cycling. During the past month I’ve covered a total of 701.92 miles, over 100 miles more than my previous best months of March and April last year, when I rode 600 miles in each. In achieving that mileage I’ve burnt around 30,700 calories and spent a total of 41 hours in the saddle.

My total mileage for the year now stands at 1531.21 miles, 246 more than the first three months of last year. The coming month will probably see much of that advantage wiped out as we have a week's holiday coming up and so I’ll not be able to ride for at least 5 days. Another deciding factor may well be the weather - we’re heading towards the Bank Holiday weekend, so the rain is bound to return!

 

Good night all!