Long Acre

 Have a look on goggle maps or earth, for Long Acre, Okoia, NZ...it is a beautiful narrow valley, about 12 km long from the beginning of Long Acre Road..

Yesterday we had a gentle potter on the bikes, and I reached to the top of the first kick up of the road..about 8km or so.

Today we went with Team Arrow, our group of friends here. One on a road bike, two on e-mountain bikes and our coach on his motorbike as an outrider behind us for safety.

I managed 10km this time, riding all but about 100m...and Pirate got to the top! That is by the farm gate of a farm called Mount Zion.

It is very hot today and quite humid...so feet up now until it cools a little!!

Then we will help here at the Stayplace with a little light weeding.

There are native trees in amongst the Radiata Pine..tree ferns, kawakawa are the most obvious. That is second growth Bush in amongst the pines. On the other side of the road where it was being clear felled a couple of years ago, it has been replanted with Radiata Pine...not native, but it grows straight and there is a market for the crop.

And today's numberplate....

Birthday trip

 Last weekend we went to Perthshire. Saturday we rode around the course as neither of us knew it.

It is beautiful there, and the time trial course goes around Loch Leven.

It used to go right through the town of Kinross and make a complete circuit...but with busy roads and all sorts of road furniture..now it starts at the Southern side and finishes as it comes in on the Northern side. 12.2 miles or about 20km.

In the shot above, at the third left turn on the course you look down over fields of oats...then fields of turf..then a gliding school before the first small village.

Pirate rode tandem with a friend. It was the first time on the back of a tandem for him, despite having piloted tandems for many years!

It was a race to remember Sandy Wallace from Fife and hopefully will be an annual event.

The start!! There were four tandems and 94 solo riders...a well run event by a first time organiser..and with help he did a marvellous job!! Hopefully there will be more next year.

The sun shone...after the previous night's thunder, lighting and heavy rain!!

Barley in the wind

Still mates!!

After the presentation we went to watch the British Elite road championship race on TV with our Fife friend. With tea and my birthday cake... chocolate of course!!...then first class chips form a chip shop on the way home.

The best of days.

Straiton Struggle...road racing!!

 

Its not all about the riders..organiser, volunteers, trained motorbike marshalls, commissaires (judges) in lead and following cars, neutral service, first aid ambulance, marshalls, friends and family supporting the riders....and the club captain baking a storm with all sorts of cakes and sandwiches (sorry no photo of that!)

The Ayr Roads Cycling Club revived a race after a two year break..the race that Pirate started 28 years ago.

We had a long day marshalling one corner for both races, run on a 9 mile circuit..5 laps for the women and 6 for the men.

After days of showers and chilly winds we had a beautiful day...and when all had finished we had a ride around the slightly hilly circuit ourselves.

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....

Mauchline...again!

 The National Burns Monument, built after the cottages, in the late1800s all built by the Burns Foundation.

We took a different route home from posting parcels,adding an extra 10km ...a but hillier than I would like...but this is East Ayrshire!!

It was a beautiful sky...and colourful sunset as we arrived home

Initially Almshouses, now for retired people to rent.

Back Awheel

 It is good to be back on the bike again...mind you the weather helps!

We have been doing the 15 mile, about 25km round trip to Mauchline...four times so far!!

Saturday was too busy for bike, sorting more firewood and moving three carloads of garden pots from our neighbour's late uncle's garden. The people inheriting the house were going to put them all in a rubbish skip.

 We will make up two big pots with the best plants for her which she will be able to see from her front window, and renovate his garden bench, which was also deemed to be rubbish.

We managed a donder round the lanes this afternoon on our bikes after Pirate built woodshed number two. Now it is ready for filling, and a small stack of wood is by the sawbench waiting....

We saw an interesting moth this afternoon...I think it was a moth...

Yet another bike ride!! To Burns country...

 Wonder of wonders...good cycling weather two days in a row!!

Today we went by bike to Mauchline to post orders and other post, and to treat ourselves to takeaway/carry-out coffee and chocolate at the Mossgiel Snug. 

This is run by the farmer who farms where Rabbie Burns farmed in the 1780s!

I buy my milk for yoghurt making from there and sourdough bread....but today they had sold it all!!  Incentive to get baking again.

This was the first home of Burns and his wife Jean Armour.

A few of the back streets from their time in the town have been preserved. Normally some of the houses and shops are open a few days a week, run by the local Burns Society,but not at present of course.