Tales From The Morning Commute

It felt like the first proper day of winter this morning. Overnight temperatures dipped below freezing and it was about -1 to -2°C outside this morning. Thankfully the lack of wind made for a pleasant commute on tired legs after last nights Insanity class but I did have to put on my heavyweight merino top, woolly hat and a Wrag (a Buff but not a Buff) around my neck.

A mist was hanging over the canal as I cycled along the towpath, the ducks sheltering on the opposite bank. Grass, leaves and icy puddles rustled, crunched and cracked underneath the tractor like tires of my 29er. Some chaps were filling in the potholes on the towpath by dint of tipping gravel into them and jumping up and down on it. You've got to keep warm somehow I guess, although a whacker plate might be more effective lads.

The sheepdog was out at Lower Holden Farm and came over for his usual morning fuss. As I reached into my pocket to get my phone for a photo he must have been expecting a TREAT and went nuts, jumping up and then rolling around on the floor. Caroline says I have to give him a biscuit next time to make up for teasing him so.

Loads of blackbirds were lining the trees which set me thinking, what is the collective noun for blackbirds? According to Wiktionary it could be either a cloud, flock, grind, or merl. I quite like "a merl of blackbirds".

Just at the corner of Belton Road you get a nice view down the valley. Today was no exception. I love the shadows on the frosty fields but I wonder what the view would have been like 5 minutes earlier with the sun a bit lower.

I'm pleased to report that the new phone is great and the camera seems to produce good shots in not simple lighting conditions. It'll be nice to take some proper photos with it whilst I'm out and about. Also, lets hope for fewer Strava crashes in the future.