A few recent memories

The second cottage stay

East Sussex was fabulous. The memories are many and very pleasant. Our legs won’t forget the climbs in a hurry. Our longest distance on Blue Belle was 53 miles – now if you do the maths you’ll realise that that is quite a distance.

We had fabulous walks and strolls around the place. If our Walk for Life routes went through some of these parts we’d be out walking 10k’s a day and not even notice – even with the hills. Tea at Duddleswell Tea Room was a very pleasant experience. It was raining – no – it was pouring outside which made taking tea in this character Tea house a very memorable and pleasant experience. This building once housed the local Post Office. Pet lovers would love this Tea Shop – it even welcomes your pets! And what’s more they get treated to real delicious doggy treats too. Let’s not forget of course that this is where Winnie the Pooh and friends used to hang out. The Pooh Sticks Bridge and the hundred acre wood are not too far away. AA Milne certainly had the right environment for his characters to come alive. Christopher Robin must have had fabulous adventures in his day!

We bade farewell to East Sussex and made our way to Woking where we spent a very pleasant afternoon and evening with friends and enjoyed playing gran and granddad to their dear little girl. Carl of course had to get his camera out and in the space of about 10 minutes had taken over 200 pictures, declaring 3 month old Alex a photogenic beauty in the making! Lynn we so enjoyed the pleasure!

Our next week’s stay is in Tudor cottage in Romsey. Romsey is north of Southampton in Hampshire. This is also the gateway to the New Forest and of course Jane Austin country. The cottage we’re staying in is making Carl wonder why he is blessed with height. He bumps his head at every turn in this grade 2 listed building. Constant involuntary head banging seems to be the order of the day. Is this because the brain is being rearranged each time? Now instead of hearing “Mind the Gap” as one does on the underground he hears “Mind your Head”. I am thankful for my height this week. If Pippins was 5 star then Tudor cottage is 2 star – and that only because it looks cute and enchanting from the outside! Lighting is about as good as it was when the original owners built it which was definitely before electricity. Did they not read at night? There is 1 little window and the entrance door to the cottage (shared by the people in the next “flat”) opening onto the pavement – a busy one at that – it has to be because the pavement on the opposite side is non-existent. Instead it has a babbling brook of crystal clear water ambling down to the beautiful River Test less than 100 meters away. Inside the cottage, which is snug and warm, there is an inglenook where I imagine once would have been the hub of the household – sitting around a fire with bubbling pots and sizzling meat. Today it houses a telly. Oh well it’s the 21^st century, the cottage is dear and different and we love it!

Our first ride out and into the forest came to an abrupt end when a dear biddy who for some reason felt it necessary to maintain her speed of 50 miles per hour and stay in a straight line in spite of seeing – or clearly did not see – an arm clad in bright lumu pink with a black gloved hand sticking out indicating a right turn. Well yes you guessed – she crashed into us and Carl and I very politely, as if rehearsed, fell to the ground. We’re both fine and have no scratches and scrapes to tell the tale. Blue Belle of course had the back wheel buckled and totally destroyed. Now said lady could not get off that easily so we politely asked her to give Rita a lift back to the village to collect the car and carriers. She clearly obliged albeit reluctantly.

Monday saw us searching for another wheel. Tandems and their wheels are almost as scarce as speeding old ladies. After many phone calls we drove off to Oxford where we managed to purchase a pair of wheels. Carl was so keen to get Blue Belle well wheeled that he forgot all about lunch!

Tuesday we packed our picnic blanket and picnic fare into our new bags and off we rode on a newly back wheeled Blue Belle. 73 miles (for the metric freaks that nearly 120 kilometers!) later we had picnicked beside a stream and criss crossed many of the roads in the New Forest with a detour to New Milton and Lymington. We rode through places like Nomansland, Bank and Tiptoe – who lives in Tiptoe? Actually I wouldn’t mind. We stopped for afternoon tea at what was once a railway station. The horses (and donkeys) of the New Forest roam freely. Edna I thought so much of you and Lianne and Chelle when I saw all the horses. We rode over at least 2 dozen cattle grids. The entrances to the homes in the New Forest have cattle grids to stop the horses from invading their properties. The bluebells in the forest look like a thick carpet on the ground. On our way back we thought it a good idea to photograph the horses. Well not a good idea because Carl managed to get the cleat of his shoe caught on the top bar brake cable, over balanced and we BOTH went for a tumble down the little slope into a trench of really soft lawn – Rita landing with the tandem on her knee! She was grumpy and sore after that! What a pleasant day in a beautiful environment, in spite of the spills and wrong turns. No – we don’t do wrong turns, only a change in plan or a detour. This is an adventure after all.

We are using this time too to catch up with family and friends. It’s been good to spend unhurried time with such wonderful people.

Till next time, take good care

We arrived in England on April 1 - had to remind ourselves that this was no April fool’s joke. The other thing that was no April fool’s joke was the 93 kilograms of luggage which we checked in when we flew out. Our tandem, Bluebird One, arrived safely in its enormous box. Thankfully we could tie it on the roof of my cousin’s car to get it to her home along with all our other bags.

In no time Carl had the tandem assembled. My cousin’s son Warrick showed Carl the roads in and around Maidenhead and tested the tandem at the same time. We have since ridden from Maidenhead to Marlow, Henley on Thames and of course all the villages in between. It is so beautiful here at the moment. The daffodils nod their huge yellow heads in the breeze and glow in the sunlight. The bluebells and tulips are all blooming too. Blossoms weigh down on the branches. The countryside is charming and very beautiful.

After days of sunshine it snowed on our first Sunday – a beautiful wonderland welcome! We strolled along the Thames path in the afternoon when the sun came out and found a warm pub and indulged in a Sunday lunch. The sun has been shining since but it’s still chilly and coats and scarves are useful for the outdoors.

We have ridden through forests, nature reserves and on the roads. Riding on the roads here is very different. For one it is quieter – no warning calls of "GLASS" or "POTHOLE" etc. What an experience to be respected as a cyclist on the road. Cars take a wide berth around us - I like to think it’s because they respect us and not because they're scared of us! We do look quite mean with our very lumo waterproof and windproof jackets!

Bluebird One now sports big off road style tyres has a carrier on the back with panniers and there is a bag attached to the front handle bars. It even has mudguards. A real tourer! I’m afraid our “Bluebird One” no longer does justice to the racing and world land speed record holding tradition of its namesake. We are going through the agony of considering a name change to “Blue Belle”. I hope Carl will get with the program and understand that cycling now has to happen at a more sedate pace! This is after all what we’re being accustomed to.

At the moment we are staying in an enchanting cottage called Pippins on a farm in High Hurstwood, East Sussex. There is no mobile signal here but the farm has a wireless network which gives us access to the big wide world. This is such a comfortable little home. We're here for a week before we move to Romsey which is in Hampshire. These cottages are the answer. Central heating is such a pleasure and they’re fully equipped.

Yesterday we thought of all our Club 100 friends out on their Saturday ride and breakfast afterwards. We were on a ride on Blue Belle – along forest trails lined with bluebells – beats Jo-burg any day! Our ride started after breakfast (no need to get up early now) at the cottage where we're staying, through the little lanes heading to Crowborough. We had one or two climbs worth noting and then a good downhill. The air thick with farm smells along the way. We then found one of the long distance cycle paths through the Ashdown Forest. It wasn’t long before we had streams, ponds and fields surrounding us and of course the forest. Many cyclists both young and old were out and about on the cycle path, along with horse riders and walkers with their dogs. These cycle paths are fantastic – England is criss-crossed with cycle and walking paths.

We've walked along the Thames on part of the Thames path and along a couple of the other walking routes around Maidenhead. The walks are fabulous and take one through fields or beside a river or canal. The cold does not keep everybody indoors. Families are out and about on foot or on cycles, often with their pets in tow.

Our next few days are going to be spent visiting some of the amazing gardens in the area, finding cosy tea shops and the odd pub or two for a good home cooked meal – and of course ride our wonderful Blue Belle.

I am on the lookout for a dance venue to make sure the dance shoes don’t gather too much dust. The problem here of course is the choice one has. Oh well I guess it’s good to have to make decisions now and again.

Till next time – take care and please keep in touch. Our email address is grim.carlrita@gmail.com

A day of riding