GLOOMY

No pictures for October or November. Up here in Aberdeen the adjective "grey" adequately describes the scene.
Over the past month the temperature has begun to drop.
The past evening my on board cycle thermometer reported 0 degrees C, which is chilly :)
With the wind added in the total chill factor was -11 degrees C on the skin.. ouch.
And it will only get worse.
Bu t we keep the mileage up to 35 miles per day... dont want to get podgy over christmas and undo all the marvelous summer work :)

Yum Yum, Mr Moon Birthday Cake.
Trifle topped with diamond jellies, coconut Ice, Fairy cakes, Orange cake, scones, al made from scratch by Daddy and Auntie Lorraine.

Even at the height of summer if it is your third birthday, a fleecy pink dressing gown can raise a pretty smile.

Wow, July and August have been very busy months.
Lots of cycling, 3rd birthday for our daughter, Highland Games in Aboyne, camping in Braemar.
Genuinely kaa--pooped.
So plenty of updates to write and pictures to post but a new time for Tabitha will start on the 28th when she starts nursery at the Gaelic Language School.

A complete June.

June is complete. Rode the bike on 30 days. Covered 795.5 miles.
As of the 4th July inclusive, 28 days covered 830 miles.

A lonesome ride

With the family away in St Andrews, the trip to Aboyne was a quiet affair. Only me, the bike and a 50lb trailer. The damn flag... just adds drag. Next time I 'll leave the Italian shoes out of the bag.

A short family outing.. minus children

After much yomping, honking, bonking and related exercise we decided upon a quiet restful ride to Ballater.

The key question "What is Leona thinking"?.

1) hmm Jewellery Shop

2) hmm I am hungry

3) uhh when do we go home?

Answers on a postcard

Grampian DA at the peak of the Cairn O'Mount

and the Cairn

Ahh.. the view from the Clatterin' Brig Restaurent of the Clatterin' Brig while the rain is a clatterin'.

What a decision.

15 miles to Pain or 3 miles to cakes and pies.

Created a new personal high. 752 miles on the bike in 28 days. I have three days left to make the 30 days of June an 800 mile month. I am happy now that my wrist is recovered after 3 months off following the "car" incident.

Some stats:

1) 1.7 million pedal revs in 316 hours
2) 194,000 Calories burnt.
3) Equivalent to 57 lbs of bodyweight.
4) Actually lost 30 lbs of bodyweight
5) Still calculating how many Danish pastries make a pound of bodyweight.
6) average RPM 96.

Cairn O'Mount

Another weekend past, brrr you can almost feel winter coming. Friday was an easy but very wet ride out from Aberdeen to Aboyne.
Saturday, a mixed activity day. Auntie Lorraine is bowling for the ladies, Leona and Tabitha are planning on doing nothing much. Daddy will be cycling over the Cairn O'Mount.
9am Saturday, still in bed and no wafting scent of bacon. I get up to investigate the lack of breakfast. Simple,, there is no bacon and worse there is no bread. So back to bed.
40 winks later I rise. Lycraed and caffeinated I set off with waves and ta ta's behind me.
Drizzly rain has forced the waterproofs out of the pack, so spinning and sweating I reached Strachan to find blazing sunshine. I peeled and searched out a watering hole.. none found but I did locate a General Store. Two pies purchased, 1 eaten 1 packed. A glug of juice moistens the palate before the ride out to the Cairn.
Please be mindful, I had never been over the Cairn O'Mount not even in a car, I had heard many rumours aboutthe Cairn. " it is very steep" " I couldnt get the car up the bottom section" "be careful on the Devils Elbow". So I was somewhat anxious as to what I would find.
A serious climb. Starts with a 1 in 10 just past the Feugh. A lumpy 2 miles follow. A sharp 1/2 mile climb, another lumpy 2 miles. Wow a very sharp descent, down a right hand bend at 1 in 10.
Another 1 in 10 climb out of Glen Dye, then one more sharp descent before the climb proper.
2.5 miles, average a strong 1 in 10. climbing to 1400ft or thereabouts. The descent on the southside is shorter and steeper 14%, 16% and steeper stretches.

The Clatterin' Brig cafe was a welcome sight. Bacon, cakes and tea. Then wait. The Grampian DA were out on a run through Inverbervie and returning via the Cairn. The rain was 20 minutes past, the road drying. Then on the bridge a bunch of Yellow Jackets. I joined them for the return climb up the Cairn. Now my choice of gearing was seeming odd. All the others were riding in the inner ring of the triple. Yours truely was on 53/42 with an 11/21 block. Early doors the hill was tough on 49/21. Rpm down to 50's. As the climb rose the gearing was tortuous, causing 1 stop but no walking. Eventually to the top, amazingly not last or close to last. Definately need to choose 50/39 with 12 27 next time.
A short pause for sweeties at the top, then descent and lumpiness back to the Penny Farthing for more hot drinks and the usual debates over speed and calories.
For me, job well done. over the Cairn in both directions in one day.

Another Wednesday, another Grampian DA pub run. This week Aberdeen to the Northern Lights at Hatton of Fintray. This week was extra special as one of our members celebrated a birthday. I won't name the individuals around the table as I don't want their work colleagues to know they consume alcohol while wearing skin tight Lycra. I was planning to change the names to protect the innocent but there isn't an innocent one among them ;)

Happy Birthday Wilf..

Wee Callan takes a dram. The Brides Mother dancing. The Father of the Bride(left) and Tabitha's Great Grandpa Phillip are propping up the bar. Actually we discovered later that the bar was propping them up :)

Ever the punishers of legs and bums, we attended an Evening Reception on the Saturday night.
Lisa and Scott were celebrating their marriage, village friends of Leona.
We cycled in and out. A few photos.

A Heron found time to scan for food in the River Ythan.
The girls watched from the shelter.
Had nobody seen the fishing Ban??

In Ellon, we sought shelter at Safeways. We found shelter but no hot pies.

Aberdeen to Ellon.. It was forecast as overcast.
It was plain that it would rain. It did assisted nicely by the wind.

return trip

No photos from the return trip. Too much energy expended in the heat and the headwind.

After the trip to Dinnet and the tour of Strathdon we left the doorstep looking like a cycle park. We had to, homecooked lasagne was waiting.