Friends

 This morning we bought more wood....

Then friends came for lunch, one we haven't seen her for months, and she came from her work at the local hospital, on her bike. The other was coming to give us a hand with construction.

After lunch she headed home and the rest of us went over to mend a neighbour's sheds where the roofing felt was letting in water.

It had only been stapled on!! A few roofing nails later and some black sticky sealant and the job was done.

She came over the road with her handy Zimmer frame...wheels, brakes, box with a seat...for a cuppa with us and it was grand to sit chatting with her, and Pirate and Fife friend got to work.

By suppertime they had the sides in...two old doors each side...

While they carried on, after our neighbour had returned home, I cleared a deep bed and planted out the peas...and in the greenhouse the sunflowers have germinated in under three days. Out in the garden the carrots are just up after three weeks!!

Hopefully bike ride tomorrow and more gardening and construction.

A long day

 A view of the Clyde...the one time of the day that you can properly pick out where it is!

A beautiful sunset after a long day..wood buying, head scratching, trying to make an extension that is square. And finding that the building that you are adding it to is not!!

I think that we have cracked the problems....and tomorrow after some calculations, we get even more wood!!

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.

Roadside spring flowers

 

Beside the Clyde..

 

Barassie Shore.

We couldn't see Aran for the rain squalls..then this, as the kite surfers sped across the choppy waves.

A long day

today we had a long day, starting with nearly 70 miles through Glasgow to Falkirk, for the life celebration of one of my cycling team's founding members...a much better description than funeral...and he was a modest man with a long and distinguished  palmares in cycling and employment.

Then over to near Bathgate, Edinburgh, for a meal and people sharing memories.

I had written out the route instructions for Pirate...that kept him busy!!

It was a really beautiful day for his send off...a few showers and a rainbow when we finally arrived home.

On the last leg we passed this bing (spoil tip)...it's the end one of about five left in a group on the edge of West Calder.

Not coal...but the remnants of processed oil shale....I was very fortunate to spot the one stopping place by a farm gate, to stop and take this image.
 

Supper super view

 We treated ourselves to a takeaway supper on Monday evening....and a beautiful place to eat, simply in a layby eating in the car!!

Such views. Starting with looking north to the Bens , over to Arran then past Arran to the Mull of Kintyre.

You have to be a little further along the road and a little higher to see Ireland.