4th September 2013 Canal Capers

There was talk on the radio today that this is going to be one of the hottest September days on record. Certainly, when I was painting the outside of my garage this morning, it certainly felt Scorchio.  Our old car needs a service as well, and that was booked in for tomorrow so a good chance to kill two birds with one stone.

Autotech

This little garage, on a small industrial site in Warwick, specialises in BMW cars and do all my repairs and servicing. No sense in going elsewhere if a decent service is provided. It is located just a stones throw from the canal at Warwick so an ideal opportunity to sling the bike on the back of the car, deliver it ready for tomorrow, and head on up the canal for a ride in the warm. 

Amo

I met Amo just on the outskirts of Warwick as I was heading north on the canal.  When I say met, I stopped  suddenly when a photo op presented itself and I was not aware he was behind me until he braked and nearly hit me. My fault entirely. We carried on and he asked a few questions about the locks and how far they went. A clue that he was not an experienced cyclist was the yellow flip flops he was wearing.  We had a good chat and it transpired that before, and after a replacement hip operation, surprising for one so young, his weight had ballooned from 11 to 23 stone. He was determined to do something about it so started cycling. I gave him some tips and we exchanged e-mail addresses. I do hope he keeps it up, it is nice to meet positive people now and again.

Waiting for the tractor!

Left the canal and headed back home along the bridal paths. A big tractor with 8 enormous tyres was pulling a seed drill around this field so stopped for a picture. Whilst I waited, I had some delicious blackberries and formulated the text for this part of the blog on the lines of planting the seeds, regenerating the crops and the hard working farmer. He never came back! I could see him at the top of the field, right in the distance and he never moved for ten minutes. Whether it was his tea break or a call of nature we shall never know, but as my time was limited, I had to carry on. Do your best to imagine a very large red tractor, with 8 wheels and a big seed drill on the back, just approaching my bike on the right of the picture.

The bales are getting bigger.

My farming experience involves handling bales weighing no more that about 70/80 lbs and throwing them on the back of a trailer with a pitchfork. Times have moved on, you would need that 8 wheeled tractor to move these monsters nowadays.

Just a modest 7+ miles today at a leisurely pace. A good set up for tomorrows big ride with the ESCC.