Cycling days

It was perfect cycling weather today. I rode to Colwyn Bay and back, taking the inland route there, and followed the coastal path back. In the Rhuddlan area they have constructed a series of good quality cycle paths that enable people to travel without the danger of the busy roads that criss-cross the coastal plain. The best is the route along the banks of the River Clwyd from the west end of Rhyl to Rhuddlan; they are some annoying gates to open and close, but otherwise it adds a valuable 'green' route for locals and holidaymakers.

Along the Rhyl to Rhuddlan cycle path.

Caerwys past and present

In an occasional series of blogs based upon my collection of old photographs of Caerwys, I have tried to contrast images of the Victorian age with that of the present time. This view of South Street is perhaps the earliest photograph ever taken of Caerwys. It was taken by the well-known photographer Welsh John Thomas, who travelled across Wales capturing every day scenes in the 1870s.

South Street, Caerwys (looking north).

The following image is from pretty much the same place, but over 130 years later (taken by a far less illustrious Welsh photographer).

South Street in 2011 - recognisably the same place.

A reassuringly normal summer.

 I should not do this, but here is a brief blog on the weather. A lot of folk are grumbling about the weather this June. In the west we say it is too wet; whereas in the east of the country the reverse is the case, and they already have a hosepipe ban. A friend said to me yesterday that it was actually a 'cold' June!

Yet nothing has gone wrong with our weather, this June is reassuringly normal. The weather is typical: over the country as a whole the rainfall is average and the temperatures are what they should be. In his 'Weather Eye' article in the Times today Paul Simons analysed the latest Met Office data and concluded that everything was pretty much 'entirely normal'.

As the Atlantic warms (it takes longer than the land) our summer will become warmer and more settled (in theory). June is traditionally a wet month in the west (think of the mud at Glastonbury in years past). I think we should stop worrying and learn to love our northerly climate.

Political eyes.

I watched the Andrew Marr show this morning and was intrigued to watch the body language of Ed Balls. In the final section of the show he was staring in a very unusual (not very friendly) way at David Aaronovitch, the Times columnist. I watched again on i player to see if I had imagined it, but no, Ed Balls seems to go into a trance.

Ed Balls retained this gaze at Aaronovitch for some time.

There may have been some 'history' between the journalist and the politician - nothing new there. However, Ed Balls' message can get lost in his presentational mannerisms: he would not be the first politician to suffer this fate.

The four Ps bike ride.

The view from North Wales.

It might be the most disappointing early summer since the last ice age, but really there is some lovely weather to be had, if you are lucky. This afternoon was perfect cycling weather. My fellow wheelman and I took a hilly route across the Halkyn hills. It was a ride of four Ps: two punctures, along with two pints at the Blue Bell. The view shown in this photograph is looking north over to the Wirral and Merseyside.

Kindled: first book.

Two weeks ago I blogged about my new Kindle and that  the paperback (I joked) was dead. I have now read my first Kindle book, 'The Three Clerks' by Anthony Trollope. I found it no different from reading a paper book, in fact so light is the Kindle that it is rather easier. The typescript on the Kindle is easy on the eye and I was able to read the 500 page novel relatively quickly. I have started my second book - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - and have downloaded Paradise Lost by Milton to follow that. All these books are free.

I will continue to buy paper books. However, my first experience of the Kindle has been a positive one.

My Fitness Pal - state of the nation.

The screen shot above shows the state of my diet using the myfitnesspal ap on my phone. I have been doing the diet for 22 days and, as is shown, I have lost 14 lbs. Of course it is a gimmick - it can't last - but it does allow one to measure calorific intake and set it against exercise. Each morning I wake up with a set amount of calories on my phone; as the day goes by I add my food and it is counted off the total. The ONLY way to get more calories added is to exercise. I ride the bike; one hour at say 14mph gives me another 850 calories. So tonight, with 1410 calories left to spend, I can have all the wine I want.