For your information

Since getting my nice shiny new toy for my birthday - Pentax 10meg digital camera - I've created another blog: Avix Pics.


It's more a photo blog than this Lost Sheep effort.


Please feel free to view it and leave your comments on the photos, be they good, bad or ugly!

Birthday wishes

As the clock struck 5:35pm I hit the big 30 - the 'baby' of the family has now begun the approach to middle-age!

No parties were scheduled (or sprung on me) so it was a quiet affair with just my folks. I did get to play with my new toy though, choosing to try out the 'sportsman' mode on a willing participant - a local pigeon. he made an excellent model.

Oh, and the birthday wish? To be able to ride Everest again soon. Who knows, it may come true next month.

Cheshire Cat Ride

I'm gutted that I can't ride it, but I just want to say to all I know riding the Cheshire Cat tomorrow have a great day, enjoy it like mad and ride a teensy portion for me too!

I took advantage

I woke up to the sun streaming in through my bedroom window casting a lovely warm red glow through the room and thought I just have to get outside. So I did!

As I'd had a good amble around Daisy Nook on Monday, I thought I'd head back out that way again and have more of an explore.

I began again at Bardsley but stuck to the river side instead of the canal sections of the country park. After almost sliding down a steep muddy path to get to the valley bottom, it was almost like stepping into a dream - the silence was deafening, with not a hint of the road above and carried on the occasional breeze was only the faint bubbling of the river as it trickled across pebbles. Perfect.

I made my way to Riversvale Drive - a beautiful sweeping compacted earth driveway that led to the (now, sadly demolished) glorious Gothic pile that was Riversvale Hall. The Earl of Stamford certainly picked a stunning spot to build his house in 1846. While soaking in the atmosphere a fab photo opportunity arose in the shape of a lovely hound lying proudly in between the gates of the Lodge; almost as thought it was his house and he was guarding it!

After pootling about in the wood I opted for a stroll through the river - it's rather shallow in parts and reach the top of my boots. Then I made my way back up onto the paths I walked on Monday before making my way to a funky stone slab bridge over the river to a cute little arched stone bridge over a brook that trickles into the Medlock here. After another wander in the river and along its pebbly banks to yet another little bridge, I made my way to the John Haworth centre for the obligatory bacon butty and mug of tea.

It seemed that no matter where I went today I was being pounced on by hounds - I made lots of new waggy tailed friends today - Alsatians, Retrievers, Labradors, Cairn Terriers, Great Dane....all having so much fun their tails were a blur of happiness!

After much chatting with the dog owners and after the butty and tea had gone, I looked at my watch to check the time and found I'd been out for almost 2hrs. Blimey, I didn't think I was out for that long!

Those boots were made for walking....

And that's just what they did.

Seeing as I can't ride at all yet (can't even sit on my bike never mind ride the thing!) I decided that a walk was in order to try and retain some strength in my thigh and limit the amount of time in physio later.

So on went the nice clean walking boots and off I set in search of mud!

I had to cheat a little (bus) to get to the start of my walk in Bardsley, but once there it was bliss.

Nobody about, just me and the tweeting of the birds, the quacking of the ducks and the sound of silence.

I set off along the disused and bullrush congested Hollinwood branch canal with nothing but farmland either side of me and only the ducks for company as the birds fluttered off as I wandered past and over Valley Aqueduct and Waterhouses Aqueduct to Sammy's Basin at Daisy Nook Country Park.

On the approach to Dark Tunnel I spotted a route off to my left down to the River Medlock and chose to head this way as I've never been on this bit before. It turned out to be a very good choice!

This part of the route was rather hilly with not much of it on the flat, and it followed the river as it meandered it's way through the countryside.

Lots of mud and climbing up and down the hills and far too soon I was at the site of Riversvale Hall which was sadly ripped down many, many years ago; a little trip along Riversvale Drive and then I returned via a diversion actually into the river (very shallow here) to clean my boots a little and headed back to the Dark Tunnel and on into the John Haworth Centre for a very welcome mug of tea.

By now the unseasonably warm weather meant I was pulling my jumper off and stuffing it into my bag as 2 layers was far too many!

Once refreshed I set off onto the Jericho Trail to a cute little bridge some of you may remember from my January walk along here. All too soon I was at Cinderland Bridge and along the track squashed in between Cinderland Hall Farm and a school - getting ripped to shreds by the brambles that I'd forgotten were here!

Before I knew it I'd walked about 3 miles - not much really, but when you consider my broken pelvis has only had 1 month of healing with more to go... - I'm impressed with how far I managed to get. Even more impressed with the state of my boots now.....caked in mud, despite my attempts to wash them in the river!

Middleton CC Track Results

Here come the results from yesterdays track championship -

200m sprint

Tony 14.75

Peter R 15.70

Steve C 15.97

Paul 15.98

Alan 16.02

Steve F 16.04

Ali 14.56

Janet 16.85

1k TT

Peter R 1.31.34

Tony 1.37.53

Paul 1.38.08

Steve F 1.39.09

Steve C 1.44.61

Ali 1.34.59

Janet 1.40.66

2k individual pursuit

Janet 3.27.09 v Steve C 3.20.05

Peter R 3.07.00 v Steve F 3.25.42

Paul 3.25.00 v Ali 3.09.56

Middleton CC Track Champs 1

The first session of the Middleton CC Track Championship of 2009 got underway in earnest this afternoon at the Manchester Velodrome with approx 10 riders (club and guests) taking part in the 200m sprint, 1k time trial (4 laps) and the 2k pursuit (8 laps).

As with last year the forerunners seem to be Ali Mitchelmore and Tony Martin although Tony didn't take part in the pursuit.

Ali certainly made the 2k pursuit look easy as she powered past my bro Paul and we had a family affair with Janet pitted against her husband Steve (Steve winning this particular session).

Full results and pics will follow tomorrow. But for now....all hail the king and queen of the track Tony and Ali.

Well done guys!!

February review

After January's successes, I thought that February would either be the same or get even better. My plans didn't quite go according to plan (as this will tell you)! So here's the info -

1. Ride every other day. Rode 1 out of 28 days - 2/2. The very day that plans went awry!
3. Complete a metric century ride each month. Erm, nope!
4. Ride Hartshead Pike once a week. Not a chance.
5. Ride the Middleton CC Club ride. My bro rode it, but alas not me.
6. Ride Chorlton Wanderers ride. Nope.
7. Practice hill repeats. Didn't quite get to a hill on my one and only ride this month.

Total February mileage - 15.29