bigbluemeanie

Artificially green

2008-08-20T18:22:06+00:00

This is Woldingham Golf Course from the top of Gangers Hill (looking North West). By the looks of it a lot of artificial chemicals are being utilised to keep the grass this green.

Watching the traffic

2008-08-20T07:11:00+00:00

A couple of weeks ago there was this traffic monitor opposite Church Lane on the A25 at Oxted. Of course the traffic (which usually speeds at this point) was driving very calmly and actually adhering to the 40 mph speed limit.

I have written before about this accident hotspot: here and here. The best solution would be to reduce the speed limit on the A25 when it passes through Oxted down to 30 mph (and to enforce this if necessary). Given the way the presence of the van altered motorists’ behaviour, I would be most surprised if the police research found the need to do anything about this busy intersection!

London Mayor

2008-08-19T12:18:20+00:00

Well I’ve heard about people running away to join the circus…

Wet and muddy

2008-08-18T21:18:20+00:00

It was drizzling lightly when I left home and in retrospect it was not the best day to choose to go off-road. It had clearly been raining today judging by the puddles on the bridleway, When the rain came down harder, I came off the North Down the quick way: down a tar road and through this maize field. Back home I had to hose down my bike and body. The rain was actually ok. It was the wind that was unpleasant.

Looking Greenwich up and down

2008-08-18T11:48:06+00:00

Here are a couple of reverse views of Greenwich: looking up at the Observatory from the National Maritime Museum and then looking down in the opposite direction with Canary Wharf in the background.

On my bike

2008-08-17T20:16:23+00:00

My new ultra-padded cycling shorts seem to be working well. There is less numbness after an hour or two in the saddle. I decided to invest in them after reading this story recently.

Hat tip: BoingBoing.

Making Hay

2008-08-16T19:54:20+00:00

It is currently a lovely time of year on the Surrey/Kent border . The farmer was out in his tractor harvesting the hay into these stacks. Bees were also buzzing, midges flying, and swallows swallowing.

There is also the occasional rude and inconsiderate motorist racing too fast down country lanes.

Just after this photo was taken I discovered that I had forgotten to bring a banana and had to resort to scrumping an apple (that was hanging over a farm fence).

The previous cycle route

2008-08-16T18:29:30+00:00

This is the 23 kilometre route I have been doing for the past few weeks. (The actual start and end point has been altered somewhat).

Link: Gmap pedometer.

Back to Woldingham Viewpoint

2008-08-15T18:45:55+00:00

I’m back in the UK and able to do my cycling ride from Oxted up to Woldingham and back. This view of Oxted, in Surrey, also takes in Kent and East and West Sussex (Sussexes?). My route currently includes only Surrey and Kent.

This is almost the highest point of my route and I only have one more ‘serious’ climb on my way back into Oxted.

My work trip next week is postponed so I should be able to get back into the swing of things again. Right now I feel a bit unfit.

The nasty way to travel

2008-08-14T20:16:58+00:00

Here I am arriving back in the UK from Germany. One of the problems with this mode of travel is that you go so fast that it takes a while for your spirit to catch up with you. Another has to do with the amount of CO2 emissions generated.