Where road bikes fear to tread

I’m a big fan of skinny tyres. I love the easy momentum and smooth sweeping curve of a well-paved road. Tom’s more of an all-terrain tourer, with his tough Dawes touring bike and plenitude of gears. He’s always suggesting detours down bridleways or old byways and there is only so many times I can put him off with mumbles of punctures and bent spokes.

So, this is how I found myself taking my precious Pinarello way beyond it’s comfort zone, up over the Downs above Freshwater Bay. Turns out, heading up steep hills over grass and rocks is hard work on a racer, and not a little precarious. But the views at the top were worth it, and Tom and his bike were in their element. My skinny tyres faired pretty well; no punctures today. Who says road bikes are only for the road, eh?!

Back from Berrynarbor

It’s been a week of sunny cycling, windy coastal walking, and sheltering from storms with our noses in books.

Oh, and copious cream teas. After all, when in Devon…

A few flowers

With the first summer on our allotment fast-approaching, I am getting equally excited about giving the back garden over to flowers for the first time. I went to the nursery with optimistic visions of returning with trays of sweet peas and geraniums to fill the garden. But, in my predictable way, my not-so-green-thumb timing is off and I’m about three weeks too keen.

All was not lost, as I did return with this lovely ranunculus and a few other finds. I am realising that a flower garden is a slow process; I can’t make it happen in one weekend! So I will slowly add to these first few flowers and welcome bees, butterflies and all good creepy crawlies. We already have a toad resident in our tiny spot and I’m hoping more life will soon follow.

The first of many

An extra hour of sunlight this evening seemed the perfect excuse for a beach barbecue, and this gorgeous weather is just asking to be enjoyed! We’ve spent the last few days out in the fresh air, riding round Briddlesford and walking up Appuldurcombe.

This has been the first weekend of the year that we have ended with a barbecue at the ‘secret beach’ (which is made no less secret by all the locals calling it this.) With delicious food, cold beer, and warm sea air, this feels a good start to British Summer Time.

Patchwork pieces

It’s been a while since I did any patchwork quilting. The fiddly pieces of fabric and worry over matching up corners puts me off a little. And unlike knitting, there’s no way you can do it on the bus or in front of the telly. But making this gift at the weekend got me back in to the swing of things. Ever since, I’ve been pulling quilt books off the shelves and revisiting favourite Anna Maria Horner fabrics and Denyse Schmidt designs. I’m not sure I have the attention span for a whole blanket at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll be stitching a few more patchwork pieces soon.