Day two...

Well thank you H and Tami for those comments - I feel I need a label to hang on my back - 'Does my bum look big on this bike?' Perhaps that should have been one of the criteria when I was buying it, but somehow I don't think the lovely salesman's sense of humour would have stretched that far! His assistant assured me I could use this bike for racing; yes, you read that correctly, he said racing. I just told him that would not happen, quite politely mind you! (I did however, use the word silly.)
Well, I have just taken the bike ( I think he needs a name, shall we have a competition? A kind competition please, to name my bike.) out for another ride. This time I managed a circular route of about just over 3 miles, with much huffing and puffing. I have reached that stage where I am glowing healthily so now I am going to move some more donkey dung before I reward myself with some lovely smelly shower stuff and a hair wash.
Too much detail? well, the alternative was a glass of wine, so I feel that if I write down the healthy option, then I am more likely to do that rather than sink into a large glass of red. I really do have the breaking power of a kitkat!

Did you know that...?

Young honey bees learn where they live by flying out of the hive backwards, then they fly round in ever increasing circles so that they form a pictorial record of where their home is in the surroundings. That is why you must always move a hive more than a yard away - the bees then have to retrain their personal homing knowledge for the new site.

So, what has that got to do with someone who gave up beekeping about 15 years ago? Well, I have finally nudged myself into action and bought a bike to go with the obligatory silly looking hat! I got it home safely - in the back of Herbie, put it together with some help from my wonderful neighbour, then went out for a ride.

WELL!

I thought my gym sessions were helping this body to become fitter. Poof! It didn't feel much like it at the end of the lane!! So, my strategy is to think like a baby honey bee: make the journeys just a little longer each time, not for the personal Sat Nav system, (although I am sure that will benefit too. I found a park for ambulances down at the bottom of the lane, I suppose they have to live somewhere!) but simply to allow me to achieve further distances each time I go out on the thing. My legs were as shaky as the flimsiest jelly when I arrived back home. The embarrassing moment came when I worked out that I had only cycled 3 miles.
Oooh, the shame of it!

I am going to do a Tami...

Why haven't I posted recently? Apart from catching a bug and spending two days dizzily lying down, I am in the middle of a hunt - again! This time the paper piles are being moved to another deck so that I can find my cheque book and my diary. See you someitme in the future - and I hope it is the near future!
(I will go and look on my bed DLG, it was not until I worte this that I remembered your comment the last time I was on such a mission!!)

Xebec, xenom, xylem, xyphoid...

Do you think if I repeat these words at least 23 times I might have the chance of forming them with my tiles in this week-end's games of scrabble? I have my doubts, but I am preparing for the game. Yapp, yelf, yaw, yogh and yowl. Then there are zibet, zillah, ziron and zloty. (I have seen that one used!)
Shirley is really good at the game, the last time she played, two seven letter words came her way. Her partner also played a seven letter word. Hmmm, I think I shall have to put a new search into google - 'seven letter scrabble words' then set about learning them.
And we go shopping and drink a little wine... well more than a little! Have a good week-end folks!

It is International Woman's Day - or close to it.

So how does an ordinary woman actually celebrate this day? Sometimes I feel these days have nothing at all to do with me, I listen to the news and admire others, but how do we get involved with these things? I like to stay in touch but so often end up feeling that nothing I can do will affect anything like this.

From the sublime to the ridiculous!

The journey home on Friday was incredible, on the way towards a cottage by the side of a road, a barn owl swooped over the hedge towards the car. It was obviously tea-time in the owl's world, he landed on the hedge then changed his mind, took off and flew around the edge of the field again. They are such lovely birds and fly so beautifully. I have never been so close to one before, a good way to end the week!
The ridiculous part of the week-end came when I managed to get my cuckoo clock going again! I am so pleased, I have missed his hourly cuckoos, but for the me the added humour is the thought of my mother's nightly phone calls which would usually coincide with one of its hourly calls and mum would be really humourously annoyed by it! "That dratted bird!" was the kindest name she called it.
It is lovely to be able to laugh about these things and mum - at last.