Rainy North Devon

As usual with North Devon since I last wrote it seems to have done nothing but rain which has put a bit of a dampener on things. The weather is now looking up and I think we will be in for a good week.

We have kept busy even with all the rain but with two little ones running around it is hard not to keep busy as the chores never seem to end and the Garden just swallows up man hours without giving any noticeable results. Hopefully with the nice weather I should be able to get more done outside and hopefully get a few more bike rides with the little ones. I have now packed a camping stove in my panniers so I can make myself a nice cuppa at the half way/turn around point while the cargo (Beth and William) stretch their legs, that's the plan anyway.

We had a nice change of scene over the weekend as we went back east to the home counties to stay with Mum for the weekend and help out as she was throwing a garden party for 70 people. It was a really enjoyable weekend, lots of good food and too much cider, well actually I don't think you can ever have enough cider. Withdrawal symptoms this week though as I will be drying out again to help re-start my diet and waiting for pay day. Little William was a real star at the party, he has no fear of crowds unlike his Daddy and was quite happy mingling, finding which tables would give him the most cake, he was wonderful watch.

Although the car journey was quite long with the two little ones it wasn't to bad as I found I could read my kindle in the car. Usually if I read car maps I tend to get travel sick so it was nice to find I could read my kindle and not feel sick. I find it hard to read at home due to the little ones and back ground noise and if I read when I go to bed I tend to fall asleep during the first paragraph so to get 3 hours or so of reading in one go was a real bonus.

Well that's my cup of coffee dry so I suppose I had better get back to the grindstone and get out in the garden, but before I close I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that sponsored my bike ride, I have managed to raise £142 for Help For Heroes which I am really pleased about, so thank you all once again.

60 Miles and the Aftermath

Well I finally got of my fat arse and completed a reasonably long distance day ride on my bike. It was a hard but enjoyable 60 mile ride which is 10 miles further than my previous long ride and I managed to do it in a shade over 6 hours (not including my stop for lunch and two pints at the Tarka Inn).

The weather on the day was not great as there were a few showers and once I got passed Bideford the wind became a bit of a pain. I can never understand the wind in Devon as on the outward leg I was heading into wind so I thought, great when I turn around at Ilfracombe the wind will be behind me. No such luck, when I turned around I still seemed to be cycling into wind but at least I had a good down hill stretch from Ilfracombe to Braunton.

There were two nice down hill bits the first as soon as I left home and the second just after turning around a Ilfracombe when I was half way. Only downside was that for the last 30 miles I

knew that when I finally got near the end I had a horrible hill to climb but it was a nice achievement when I reached the top by the Green Dragon.

I did see a few strange sights down the Tarka trail, the first obviously being the North Devon Traffic Jam when the sheep escaped from the field and decided to have a jaunt down the Tarka Trail.

However I think the most disturbing sight, of the day, was as I passed Chivenor on my way home. The RM had decided to go out on a long run, unfortunately being RM they had forgotten their clothing and were running along the Tarka Trail in their undies. Needless to say I increased the speed of my peddling to regain some sense of normality.

The last 15 miles were really hard as my back started to hurt although my legs were ok, I think they had just got into a steady rhythm so were quiet happy but the back pain became really draining. Needless to say I got a great buzz when I came over the final ridge and saw the Green Dragon and Langtree.

I managed to raise a little for H4H through sponsorship, I still have a little to collect in but I am hoping that when everything comes in I will have raised at least £2 for every mile cycled.

http://www.bmycharity.com/jameswingroveH4H

The surprising thing was that the next day I wasn't suffering as much as I thought I would although on Friday the tendons in my right knee were aching a bit. The little bit of aching was worth it though as it was a great bike ride and I definitely feel that I have achieved something that a couple of years ago I would not have been able to do.

Since the ride things have been reasonably quiet as the weather has been so crummy I haven't really been able to get out and do much and since Friday poor little Beth has had a vomiting virus which she has passed on to Debbie so my two Ladies have been ill all weekend, I really hope that that little man doesn't pick it up.

Busy Few Weeks

It has been a busy few weeks with so much work to do around the house and garden it seems never ending. Debbie did a good job keeping on top of things whilst I was away but there is always so much to do as the garden is very high maintenance, just wish I could afford a gardener. We are slowly making progress in turning it into a low maintenance garden but still a few years before we get there.

The weather has been up and down a bit but not to bad although looking at the forecast for the coming week we are in for a few days of rain which is a shame. After being stuck in a metal box for six months now I am home I just want to be outside in the fresh air.

I have had a bit of downtime since I have been home, not easy with the two little ones as they are full of so much energy. Now I have the trailer I can take the little ones when I go for bike rides which is great as I get my exercise, the little ones have a day out and Debbie gets peace and quiet at home. I am lucky having the Tarka trail so close as it is so peaceful and a wonderful place to cycle as there are no cars.

It was good to be home for Beth's third Birthday, she had a great day and went to a local farm to see all the animals which she really enjoyed. It is going to be nice as I will be home for Williams second birthday in November so something else to look forward to.

Next big thing will be my planned charity bike ride, I intend to cycle 60 miles on Wednesday to raise money for Help for Heroes. Details on the following Web Page:

http://www.bmycharity.com/jameswingroveH4H