Fountain at Spetchley Gardens

Blossom

Some blossom snapped on the way back from Kenilworth.

Bravo

That evening we went to a concert of Mozart music in Bromsgrove. At the end Ana's sister, who is Portuguese, was surprised that people didn't shout "bravo", as they would in Portugal. I had to explain that they might do that sort of thing in London, but certainly not in Bromsgrove.

Perving in Packwood House

Took Ana and her sister, visiting from Portugal, to Packwood House. The picture shows a rather magnificent magnolia growing up the side of the house.

Inside the house is a life-size mannekin, which was used by artists as cheaper alertnative to paying a real model. The thing is, it's very very detailed and anatomically correct, both internally, reproducing the bone structure in detail, and also in the "external features" . It may have been used for artistic purposes but you won't convince me that it didn't also offer certain pervy possibilities.

Year 52 begins

My 51st birthday today. The "celebration" is simple: a bike ride in the Worcestershire countryside stopping off at a pub on the way. I set out with a friend and we head out through Ettington, round the back of Bredon Hill, stop at Evesham for a cuppa and fry-up. When we get to the pub at Inkberrow I have done exactly 51 miles - how appropriate. My kids, my girlfriend and her kids are there so, all in all, a very pleasant morning.

I am invisible to the Weatherspoon's bar staff

<rant>Went into Wetherspoon's pub in Bromsgrove this lunchtime. Stood there for 5 minutes and couldn't get the barman's attention, though he wasn't that busy. There was someone before me in the queue, then me, then someone after me. So what happens? Someone else walks straight up to the bar and gets served before everyone else, ie jumps straight in fromt of 3 people.

This has happened so many times before in that pub. Once the barman served a person standing directly behind me as if I wasn't there. I had a bit of a go at the barman and he did come back to me next - I managed to get my own back by calling out my order to another barman who was standing behind him.

However, I'm afraid this pub is coming off my list. Plenty of other good pubs in Bromsgrove, ones where they fill your glass to the top without being asked.</rant>

The Long Mynd

Climbed the Long Mynd for the first time in my life. I rode down it a few years ago and that was scary enough - you don't have much control going down something that steep. This time I went up the climb, almost a mile of 20% gradient. It was no feat of superhuman endeavour, just slow hard work, keeping it going in the bottom gear, but I rode up every inch. The trickiest part was keeping balance - if I rode out of the saddle the back wheel would slip - if I sat down I could feel the front wheel lifting unless I put my weight right forward which didn't make it very comfortable. I guess the howling tailwind helped. Anyway, here's the view from the top.

A very cold bike ride to Malvern

Walking on Malvern

Walked up the Malvern Hills today with Ana. We had to climb quite a bit before we got above the mist but the summit of Worcestershire Beacon was above the clouds and gave us wonderful views across to the Costwolds. As we neared the top, two mountain bikers came up in seriously low gears and going at little more than walking pace. They should have been out of breath but one of them was keeping up an ongoing monologue about some computer software he was working one. The other listened in stoic silence as his companion prattled on about Java classes and exceptions, we could hear him from 100 years and he didn't draw breath. As they drew level with us the silent one gave us a wry and long-suffering smile. I had to resist the impulse to to shout at them: "For f***'* sake man, shut up and start enjoying the view... and change up a gear!" but I didn't.

Here's the view over the cloud tops - in the distance you can just see Bredon Hill and the Cotswolds.