One step forward ....

 Pirate hasn't been having a good day today. 

At least he has finished fitting the new bottom bracket on the track bike and my clubmate collected it this evening. It took longer than it would have normally..but if you aren't feeling 100%, that's how it goes. I had the job of being the bike support while he worked....not my thing...I hate standing or sitting and doing nothing but holding something!!

So all the other plans were left. That's ok.  Hopefully our doctor will get back to him as he called by the surgery and left a message.

I looked at Pirate's new phone...and one of his old phones, same make...

The old one is far more ergonomic...just needed a slightly bigger screen....

The new one does, however, have room for two SIM cards....now that would be good when travelling abroad....as Yer Actual (fellow blogger) commented. He has three phones...one a French one as that is needed for doing anything in France!!

Anyone getting spam customers on fleabay? Just when I was getting on ok....at least I didn't sell them anything...and fleabay spotted them at the same time as I did. Reported and blocked.

Roosting

We grabbed a chance for a walk today, as the rain eased for a while, and went round part of Hannahston. Not much chance to see wildlife with several dogs being walked..but the wires were full of starlings preparing to roost, despite it being not long past 3pm.

Then I picked a large bag of the Kidds Orange pippin lookalikes from the tree over the road...grown from a discarded apple core I think.

A late night tonight...from having the Vuelta Espana highlights at 7pm, tonight's were at 11pm!!  Perhaps that will help pirate sleep, and wake a little less frequently... hopefully!!
 

Eventually.....

 This morning's ride became this afternoon's ride... sometimes Pirate's innerds disagree with what has been planned.

However, they didn't get the upper hand in the end.  

We chose Irvine, to avoid the road closures, traffic and crowds of the Ayr Air show...but there seemed to be something going on on the beach...like a fair day...we managed to do the same thing last year!

We were glad to be going away from the beach..even more so when in quick succession, four police cars and two police vans with the Blues and Twos going headed for the beach!!!! A riot???

A sprinkle of rain as we started....but no more, as we gently pedalled along route NCR73, northwards...just for 10km...the wind was changing, and Pirate was realising that having no exercise properly for six months has not been a good idea....so the resolution is something every day now, gently increasing as we go. It will do both of us good...and I can start going out by myself as well.

Clouds and equines at our turning point

And back the way we came, almost another 10km....

With a stop for a reward at Vanilla Joe's...it says the best gelateria in Scotland..and it could well be!

Route marker for the National Cycle Route

And just along from the Industrial museum, a boat in the process of renovation 

We packed the bikes back in the car, and as we sat ourselves in, it started raining...big fat drops...storms are forecast...

Cycling in many nations

 One statistic I heard at the beginning of the World Championships here in Glasgow, was that of the 195 official countries around the globe, 130 are represented here.

Some just by a single individual...and bigger more affluent countries are providing technical and physical backup, either on the track, Velodrome or MTB, or on the road. With both the able bodied, para cycling junior and under 23 events all here, some team support staff haven't been able to be in more than one place at a time...so for example, a friend who is a coach, from Wales, is working with the para team from Slovenia

Quoting the UCI press release as well, about the Refugee Cycling team" The team comprises five road athletes (three women and two men) and a male mountain bike athlete. All living in European host countries, they originally come from Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.28 Jul 2023"

There are men's and women's teams from all sorts of places...the Women's team from Afghanistan are certainly to be respected..even if they aren't amongst the winners, they, like all the others, are taking part in a sport they love.

So many languages combined in one...the love for the bike... especially in the country where it was invented by Kirkpatrick MacMillan at his smithy in Keir near Thornhill in Dumfriesshire

Skies and bikes

 We had such a beautiful sunset last night, changing so fast... imagine it just a wee bit more pink on the very bright bits, and a bit less bright.....

And at 7am this morning, the mist had flowed down off the heights of Bushey Park on the opposite side of the valley and joined with the river mist....and by 8am was gone and it was sunny!!

Then it clouded over and we had heavy showers with thunder over lunch...Pirate gave up and went for a nap.

I started reading the  book that I won in a Secret Santa, at a cycling group's Christmas party...

The Big Loop, Biking Coastal New Zealand, by Dunc Wilson.  Says exactly what he did!!

That was done in August 2015...and is a very good read.

 No, change that to an afternoon sleep!  So he missed the weather window, and we started fettling the bikes anyway, in the shelter of the car tailgate. It was only light showers by then! 

It being warm and wet, and under the Pohutukawa trees...the clegs came out and started biting!!! At least my bike is now ok, I have new pedals and cleats. Just pedals to go on Pirate's borrowed bike..but as we were being eaten alive we beat a hasty retreat!!

Bikes

 

We went to watch the final of the Tour Series criterium races in Castle Douglas....the are having a four day bike and food festival.

I found some different bikes....

A quiet day

 Bike fettling...

Beetroot and apple winterspice chutney making....should have made more last autumn!

Tidy study table too..and slightly tidier shed.

The sun appeared through the clouds and in shelter it was good spring sunshine, but the wind was still bitterly cold.

Looking forward to the end of April when it may be ok to travel within most of Scotland...who knows when it will be ok to travel further south as the stats are not as good as here.

Weekend

 A mainly bike weekend! 

Back to the vintage bike collection to pay for last week's purchases, I thought....Pirate found a "few" more bits..and a couple of pairs of wheels..... I need to sell a lot more bike bits!! He has been asked to concentrate on what he has and rein it in a bit Please!!!

On the other hand it does give him a purpose and focus in these times.

We returned to near Irvine, to a country park ..being a holiday weekend the place was heaving! We managed to find a place to park away from the crowds and went for a ride on the paths, looking for the way northwards...wrong choice made and we got a bit muddy...and headed back to the coast and a ride back up to Ardrossan..where there happens to be a good gelateria!

Back to the park, to find that it was the hq for a ten mile cycling time trial. Riders go off at minute intervals on a set course. Now there is no held start...and no gathering afterwards.

Results get posted on line. We watched a few of our friends and clubmates go , before going home...and returning to watch some of the next morning's twenty-five mile trial.

Over to park at Irvine Harbour, and after coffee..with cake of course...another ride, this time aiming to follow National Cycle Route 7 to Kilbirnie.

Disaster after only three miles..a steep short link path with a water and mud covered bend... obviously been like that for a while as the algae on the path led to my wheels sliding away and I hit the deck and slid myself! 

A while to sit on a wall. Then proceed, a little bumped and scraped but otherwise ok.

The route is a mix of purpose built cycle path, small roads and cycle path on old railways.

Apparently the best route which follows the old goods line was blocked by a local farmer..and he didn't then and still doesn't own the old trackbed. After Kilwinning and a section on the old goods line, the route follows lanes and small roads. A nice ride, which unfortunately came to a halt at the bottom of the hill before Kilbirnie. Here it appears that much of a small bridge was washed away in one of the recent storms.

When the sign said no through road for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians..they meant it!

No choice but to retrace our wheeltracks, but even without reaching Kilbirnie we did nearly 25 miles.

Sunny day off

 Normally on a sunny day we would be off on our bikes.

Today for a change we went in the car to see a friend in the Kingdom of Fife.

He needed a hand as he is mending his car. We took him to a garage to get a bearing pressed out and a new one pressed in. He helped Pirate  with a wheel ..and he is building a new pair of wheels for him too, with hubs and rims that we already had. It was a relaxing break for us all, and much needed company of friends for us all in these times. 

Then back home for supper from the garden!

I posted two bike bits today..in one parcel to the same person! And arrived home to another good sale...makes it worth the work of cleaning, researching and listing!

It still takes the time and energy that would go towards my own work, but for now it is bringing in much needed cash and making more room. We just need to restrain Pirate from spending it all on more bikes...some is ok..

Going to "furrin' " parts

 We ventured Over The Border today, for the first time...in a year, possibly?

Over to see a good frame builder, mender and general reconditioned, with my latest acquisition...a road frame..advice received and it will go back for some new paint and other things next year. Pirate left two there for more attention , one in the paint department as it was a plain blue and needs other colours, and the other is an "is it safe or does it need constructive surgery as well as a complete paint job "?!!

All funded by selling bike bits!!

It was a lovely if slightly breezy day, far better than yesterday's gales and heavy rain!!

We saw some big County Durham skies, interesting buildings and the contrast of a town on its uppers but trying hard..Spennymoor...and coming back through Barnard Castle where there appears to be affluence and hardly any boarded up shops, unlike the former.

Just over twelve hours away from home..a long day, but good practice for when we get to travel and see families again.

Easy Sunday

 Finishing the build of the Allen gravel bike

Needs different wheels..but it is done!

Garden supper, adding mushrooms to the onion and garlic, steaming the veges and adding cheese and oatcakes to serve. Nice and easy!

Life goes on

Our first real feed of broad beans at last!

My new to me frame. I have persuaded Pirate to build his new bike up first...one job at a time!

Our new masks, road tested today so I can give feedback to the maker.

The funniest thing today..a group of four boys going to our local post office shop..pulling their jumper collars up as face coverings. Good initiative from them, but pity their parents hadn't thought to make sure that they had something a little easier!