A wander along the wetlands

Humber Bridge from the river bank walk

Back in February we decided to SORN Annie (our Series 3 Land Rover) because she needed some substantial work doing to her brakes and Mud, who isn’t getting any younger you know, decided that trying to get her ready for an MOT (annual road worthiness test in the UK), in mid winter with only the hard gravel drive available to work on, was something he simply couldn’t face …… especially when getting her through the MOT meant sorting the aforementioned brakes out, a bad enough job with a warm, dry workshop at your disposal, never mind sub-zero temperatures, rain and a gravel drive. So we declared her off road, parked her up on the drive and left her there for six months, with Mud regularly idling her on the drive to keep everything lubricated in the engine.

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Princes for my princess

Back in April, I wrote a post (here) about Eldest Mudlet and the battle she has had, coming to terms with a dramatic change in her health over the last 18 months/2 years, as well as other changes in her personal life, that sent her reeling into the depths of despair and the struggle she faced fighting her way back out of depression. At the time of that original post, she was making good progress and the good days far outweighed the bad, thanks in no small measure, to the presence in her life of a little black and white mare called Gypsy.

Back on my bike

Perfect weather for bikes

Back in April/May last year, when Mud first suggested that he and I also got a new bike each, so that we could go out for family bike rides, I reluctantly agreed. Very reluctantly to be honest, as I hadn’t been on a bike for over 30 years and my last memory of this childhood past time involved sailing over the handlebars, at great speed and landing in an undignified heap, at the feet of a boy I had the biggest crush on. Embarrassment outweighed physical pain at that point but didn’t last long, with the agonizing sensation of knees and elbows scraped almost to the bone by the rough tarmac, soon taking charge and surpassing the mortification factor by a country mile. As far as I can remember, that was the last time I ever rode a push bike, not the fondest memory, I’m sure you will agree.

A not so relaxing walk

The long and icy path

I posted last week about how, over the last three weeks or so, I have been walking my way back to a level of fitness in readiness for getting back on my bike. On the whole these walks have been invigorating and I can already feel and see the difference they are making.

Spoiling the view

A stop for a drink and to catch our breath.

It’s been quite a while since we have been on a family bike ride due in equal measures to work commitments, the weather and ill health but last Sunday (28th), with the sun shining and everyone in Mudville back to full health (if still tired), Mud and I decided to take the girls on a bike ride. Concerned that due to his lack of cycling in the last four months, his fitness levels would have plummeted, Mud opted for the short run up to a local railway crossing and so we filled the drinks bottles, donned our helmets and set off.

What goes up must come down.

The climb up was tiring

‘Lincolnshire is flat’, is a statement I’ve heard any number of times over the years and, to be fair, it’s a view that I’ve subscribed to in some degree for much of the past 12 years or so. On the face of it, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a pretty accurate way to describe the vast majority of the landscape and that although there are some hills about, these are few and far between….. hardly worth mentioning. Well after nearly 8 weeks and just under 90 miles of cycling, I can tell you that Lincolnshire is not flat and I have the aching leg muscles to prove it!