Tag: funny

#365daysofbiking Unique characters

May 25th – One thing I love about Derby is its characters. At the River Gardens, a dapper, older gent waited for his ladyfriend to go walking along the river, before dinner and a drink, a routine they’ve had for years in good weather. He was a lovely chap and his character as individual as his fantastic style.

I hope they had a lovely evening.

At Shelton Lock, a no-nonsense neighbourhood, a fluffy-tummied tabby with a very individual ear arrangement glared at me for disturbing his evening activities. He seemed like a lovely puss that someone must adore very much.

Cities are about the personalities that inhabit them as much as architecture and geography.

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#365daysofbiking It may not be obvious

May 19th – It was a weary run out – Through Shenstone, Weeford, Hints, Tamworth, then up the canal to Hopwas, Whittington and home via Wall and Lichfield. Not a long run, and on a grey, warm afternoon that always seemed to be just on the verge of rain.

It was nice, but I wasn’t feeling the love. My stomach was grumbling and I was tired.

But as usual, a combination of the things I found, the quirkiness of the the country I live in and the beauty of thriving nature around me perked me up.

I’m still chucking about the warning of troops training. That’s so Monty Python and utterly British. And sadly, there was no sign of the cat. I like to think it was called ‘Fluffy’ or some such.

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#365daysofbiking Only sleeping

May 1st – Horses are curious beasts.  Just off the McLean Way at Goscote, home to many a tethered horse, I saw this one fast asleep on it’s side.

Horses often sleep lying on their sides like this, and it’s perfectly normal – however, it’s something that unless you’re around the animals a fair bit, you don’t realise. Sometimes people not knowing think the animal has died. In the vast majority of instances, it’s just a horse, sleeping, like this one.

Lying there, I watched it for a while, until it grunted in it’s slumber and farted loudly. Bless it.

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#365daysofbiking Dog daze

April 22nd – The floating market, despite it’s diminutive size was lovely. Ice creams were had, and I browsed canal ephemera and craft products for an hour or two.

But what made the event – and what always does with these things – were the dogs.

Boater dogs are the best dogs.

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#365daysofbiking Giving it some stick

April 12th – Mindful Gifts secondhand shop in Darlaston, lunchtime: A selection of every kind of wooden walking stick you could wish for, each with a history and story known only to itself.

This is a wonderful shop and always a delight to mooch around – so much more interesting than a normal charity shop: It’s frenetic, frantic and stacked to the rafters with… Interesting stuff. All in aid of folk with dementia, so what’s not to love?

If I were to need a stick, I’d definitely have the one with the bicycle bell.

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#365daysofbiking Familiar hoodlums

April 2nd – Since it’s spring, I note that the aggressively begging Canada geese are back on the canal near Clayhanger Bridge. Although they’d both clearly been grazing the freshly mown grass on the towpath, they were both hungry and refused to let me pass until I gave them a treat.

Curiously, this seems to be their permanent state, no matter how much food they have…

Fortunately, I’ve been anticipating their reappearance and had some seed in my pocket ready for these shameless muggers.

I’m glad to see some traditions holding steady.

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#365daysofbiking When the sun shone


March 22nd – A great 62 mile ride out to Rosliston Foresstry Centre, Coton in the Elms, Lullington, Netherseal and No Mans Heath. It was a lovely spring day in the sun, and the cake at Rosliston was excellent. It was a lovely day top be out.

When I changed direction at No Mans Heath, the sun was setting and the wind drove against me. It went very cold, and coming home was a real batt.e, reminding me that although the sun had been out, winter’s hand could still be felt on the weather. It was bitter.

A lovely ride out though, and just what I needed.

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#365daysofbiking Keep me in mind

January 9th – Spotted just hanging around outside the wonderful Mindful Gifts dementia charity shop in Darlaston, this lovely fellow. Not sure of his actual staff role, but clearly an important member of the team.

How adorable!

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#365daysofbiking Pork squared

 

December 15th – I popped up to the Christmas Market at Chasewater Railway, hoping to catch a little of the festive spirit, and despite the weather putting a dampener on things, it was actually a great event. Plenty of stalls with interesting stuff and some decent entertainment coupled with a decent butty in the cafe.

The rain, however, was relentless.

You can tell it’s a Black Country event when they sell exotic flavours of pork scratchings, though – although the apparent tautological pointlessness of bacon flavour had me a bit nonplussed…

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#365daysofbiking Way over the top:

December 5th – A bit further towards home, the lavishly ostentatious nature of Shelfield’s (presumably civic) Christmas lights amazes and delights, as ever.

I have no idea who or why someone chucks a short string of colour-change lights over one single tree on the Four Crosses Road open space every year. It’s one tree in maybe 10. Seemingly random, this minimal festivity always amuses me.

Merry Christmas – but don’t get too excited, kids!

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