Another Woodland Mooch.

It has been an unusually dry winter and spring so far, although South West Water are reporting reservoirs are still 85% full, but would expect them to be at around 98% at this time of year. The trails have been very dry too, even those perennial puddles that never seem to wane are now just a patch of slightly spongy earth. This makes for some bumpy riding over all the tyre tracks, equine hoof and human foot prints, until their edges have been worn away, but this unseasonably good weather has made for some excellent riding with plenty of grip available on the climbs and no leg sapping, wheel smeering mud to schlep through, or bikes to wash after every ride either, which is another bonus. What all this means for the months ahead I don't know, water shortages? Hosepipe bans? Who knows, and of course, it depends on what we get over the next couple of months, and in that regard, things have just changed for the wetter.

The forecasts for the Bank Holiday weekend were not promising with hefty rain forecast for all day Sunday and equally hefty showers for today, Monday. That meant Saturday was the last chance to ride the hard packed trails before they came over all gloopmungous again.

I didn't have anywhere specific in mind to go come the glorious (but blustery) morning, so decided on a make it up as I go along ramble around Idless Woods again. 

Craig, my neighbour, recently asked me what it's all about for me - the cycling or the photography. Well it's both in fact, and those two are joined by just being outside in the countryside and poking about, seeing what's going on and generally trying to relax. All three are important for me these days, with the riding the most vital ingredient I suppose, as without that I can't do the other two. I've tried general photography around the house, and with this village being a bit quiet (at the moment...), street photography isn't really a 'thing'. No, it's illustrating my rides and why I enjoy them that clicks my particular shutter. 

What Saturday morning looked like round here - a bit breezy, with bright sunny spells and clouds that looked threatening at times, but failed to deliver any rain.

 A roadie out for a relaxing spin judging by his easy wheeling pace, heads towards Lanner Mill. The verges really are alive with colour now.

Saturday morning then, having bump started my brain with some strong coffee, I set off feeling good again - good about the ride, where I was going and just the day ahead (live Speedway to watch on the net later to top it all off, the first coverage of the season) and when I'm in that sort of mood, I can hardly ride a hundred yards without pulling up and taking a photo or two. They're all crap mind you, but I enjoy taking 'em. It's no wonder though that I ride alone mostly, but that's ok by me, although at times I do miss having that special someone to share these pleasures with (they'd need to be special as well, to put up with me on a ride...).

Having the Magic Arm with me I thought I'd indulge in some GoPro ganderflankery on the hill down to Lanner Mill. I had hoped to get the camera into the Bluebells more but they weren't close enough to the road really.

 Being back in the woods I had to check on the Bluebells again, and since my last visit a few days before they have darkened in colour considerably.

 Damned fuzzy uploads...

I've not been the only one photographing this lot though, there were many paths of trampled flowers into the Bluebells where people have presumably gone looking for the right angle. That doesn't sit quite right with me I'm afraid, I prefer to keep to the paths and not trample the flowers but maybe I'm just being a bit of a whinger.

 This tree will have been down quite a while now but there was still a smell of freshly disturbed earth around it.

 Lining up for the mother of all bunny hops...

My rides see a lot of this - riding a bit and stopping every few yards for a photo, or just for a look around, a prod about, and poke of my nose.

Foliage on the branch above the path is writing cheques the branch can't cash.

 Riding back on the lower most path I stopped and had a good old poke about in the stream by the ruins of the old Gunpowder works. I didn't find much truth be told, no treasure or strange critters, just these gert lumps of fungus on a downed branch.

 New Beech growth from an old stump. Gunpowder works in the background.

Random trickley stream shot - insert your own relaxing gurgling bubbling sounds until I get around to shooting video.

So I had a very enjoyable and peaceful morning pottering around, absorbing the sights, sounds and smells, and machine gunning photos of anything and everything I came across. 

Enjoyable and peaceful that is until I got back to my home port and found this sign that I'd missed on my way out...

This is the field where those eighty five homes will be going. Eighty five?? If you'd asked me I'd have said about thirty max would fit in here, and I wouldn't want them let alone eighty flipping five. 

More greenery and habitat lost forever. 

The local hospital can barely cope as it is, but there is another field in this village just been sold for development, new houses going up in other villages, and plans for 300 new homes just on the southerly edge of Truro. 

Back home, I've got one particular Blackbird in my garden that makes some fantastic, cheerful and cheeky sounding chirps, which makes all this building everywhere seem the sadder. It is an absolute joy to listen to its merry chirping, even while it's battering down with rain out.

The reduction of wild bird numbers in recent years is staggering, not just due to building but also farming practices, as these couple of articles illustrate: Daily Telegraph and BBC. Those are just birds in decline, all the ground based insects and furry critters are similarly plummeting in numbers and it is a real shame in my opinion.

But generally, habitat worries aside, all this getting immersed in nature is working wonders for my health I think. So much so that, with my back still playing ball at the moment, I may even get properly suited up and go out for a ride in the rain - Weather you can feel (down your neck and soaking into your crutch usually) and taste... Oh hang on though, it's just started strafing my windows again, really torrential stuff, it's hosing down out there. Well we'll see, but a bike ride in the rain isn't too bad when you're just out for the sake of being out, so my Bank Holiday may not be a complete biking write off just yet.

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