April 23rd – In the sun, it was warm, but otherwise another cold, quite windy day with very bright sunshine. I headed out on a beautiful St George’s day and found the English countryside at it’s springtime peak. Trees verdant, coconut-smelling gorse lined lanes; bluebell woods were a carpet of strident violet and orange tip butterflies mated in the hedgerows.

Even the oak plum galls growing in profusion near Hilton were sort of beautiful, in the slightly unnerving way only  these parasite generated growths can be.

Again, I’d appreciate a bit more warmth, but not a bad day at all, and a lovely ride.