Bikey Talkies*

Does anyone else find it hard to communicate with cycling companions while biking? One of my friends says she would hate to talk to others while she's going along. It would irritate her. For us, though, communication is part of the safety and fun of the ride, as we point out possible hazards, interesting things we spot in the fields or woods as we go along, or if we want to check plans for the next turn. Often, though, we end up shouting ineffectually at each other, especially if we've had to separate due to traffic, or if the wind is strong.

We've just bought a pair of the Sena Bikom20 devices, which we hope will make things a lot easier. (They've just arrived and seem really well made.) What does anyone else do? Or do you hate to communicate, like my friend?

*I invented the term Bikey Talkies, so don't go looking for such a device!

Steve Miller band 2025 tour abruptly cancelled:
"Blame it on the weather .... The tour is cancelled"

https://www.stevemillerband.com/tour/#/

As today is the kind of day when you are trying to serve up the cold baked beans at the same time as your cat decides to jump onto your shoulders and misses and lands in the pot of beans with her back feet and carries on to your shoulder and gets beans all over the kitchen and the floor and in your hair and on your clothes... Be glad if you have either beans or a cat. But not both.
(Edited as I would not do without beans, and definitely not do without a cat!)

Coyote alert!

This was a surprise on the trail cam this morning.

It seems that we have coyote(s) along with the foxes and deer. It's a little bit worrying, with Joni walking freely in that area and it's also right by the walking trail we take most days on foot or bike. 1/4
First comment has a photo, then follow fox video and photo for contrast.

Timeline cleanse. Not silent, too many birds singing.

Your Sunday deer family.

Have a lovely day, friends.

Zaz discovers that tolerance makes for a more peaceful and happier life. Badger's the best teacher, with her vast experience of life.

We all wish you a peaceful, fun day! Happy Caturday to all who celebrate.

Grand Pré National Historic Site

Part way through one of the most challenging rides I've taken, we stopped at the Grand Pré site to have a snack. When I spotted the huge trunk on this beautiful Willow over our picnic table, I thought it would be perfect for thick trunk Tuesday. So I got Steven to take this picture of me to give an idea of scale.

The ride was actually 56 km in total which was not the most challenging part. What caused us the most difficulty was what I thought would be an easier route across a path which turned out to have 3 km or so of dried straw-like hay on the top of it. We got through it, but it was extremely hard and I twisted my knee at one point as it was so slippery even to stand on. So much for my great ideas!

Warning! Deer drinking!

In some circles, slurping your tea is considered a sign of appreciation. Not in any circles I've ever been part of, which just goes to show something.

I guess the fox left this drinker alone last night and forbore from marking his territory.

Amazing elegance, despite the slurping. And she has her headlights on!

Calling for room service. We need a water bowl refresh!
That pesky fox must have been marking the water bowl again.

There's no question about it: gardening is not for the faint of heart, nor the easily discouraged.
So is this creature the one that's been feasting on our baby dahlias? If so, what can I do?

What do you think? @colinpurrington Should this work to deter mosquitos? My brother (thanks to him for the image) says it worked for him today:

"Cloth on ants nest. Wait for them to attack it with formic acid. Shake ants off. Wipe arms and legs and face. No mosquitoes."

Can someone please help me identify this tiny worm in my garden? It's like a piece of hair and it moves in a twisting motion. I think it's eating some of my plants, but I can't find out what it is. Anyone? At first I thought it was a hair, that's how thin it is.
It is in a bed where I have sown some red mustard plants which do seem to be chomped on. But maybe they're not the culprits. They look too tiny to cause much damage. If it's them, will diatomaceous earth control them?

@colinpurrington is this something you recognize?

Is it worth it?

If I needed convincing (which I don't) that my months/years of working to keep fit and maintaining and building muscle (at now 75yo) are worth it, yesterday's near accident would have done it!
I was coming home from an evening bike ride, and coming down a long rough hill. This is a turn I have to make on the bike almost every day and usually I choose to negotiate the lumpy tree roots on the left of the image, before turning sharply to the left side of the image and then taking another sharp turn up a grassy field to home. This time I chose the other side as the roots looked less protruding than on my usual route. However I was wrong and the turn was much sharper and the bike started to slip sideways on some dried leaves. I lost my pedals and started to fall. Somehow I wrenched the handlebars up and righted the heavy bike, by sheer strength. I caught the pedals again and carried on riding up the field with the momentum of the downhill trajectory. A few months ago I would not have had the strength to do that and would definitely have fallen over. I'm not riding a mountain bike and the road tires are not suited to that terrain, but usually it handles it fairly well.
I felt ridiculously proud of my achievement and the strength which permitted me to avoid injury.
So, yes! It's worth it!
#EllieKPosts #cycling #woodland #strengthtraining #elder #oldWomanOnABike

Clearly the idiots who overtake cyclists on a double yellow lined blind bend are not expecting to meet similar minded idiots doing the same thing, coming the other way. In other words meeting themselves coming back. I hope I'm not there when they do.
We have too many of them around here. Idiots. Unthinking. Reckless with the lives of others and in a rush to get to the graveyard.

It is #FoxFriday surely!
We found our foxes! Obviously they moved to a different spot on the property this year. It's all thanks to our trail cam. We got videos of a deer, raccoons (regular, not golden, so far), then moved the camera and in the early morning there were lots of photos of (at least) 3 foxes. They were playing and drinking from the bowl of water I had put there for them. I suspect the other videos are too big to upload.

Then came this video! I guess they like shiny things.

#EllieKPosts #foxes #wildlife #trailcam

@Words - I thought of you!

Hi all
I need #help from the #flower people on here.
Can anyone help me identify these flowers? INaturalist has no idea.
I know that Steven transplanted them but we don't remember from where.

For #floralFriday #EllieKPosts

Golden Raccoon!

We have 2 golden raccoons that walked through our back garden yesterday afternoon! 2! I thought I had seen a very pale looking raccoon at the top of the field, but it was too far away to be sure it wasn't a fox or just an ordinary raccoon with the light playing tricks on me. Then yesterday afternoon I clearly saw one amble by just under my bedroom window, followed by a second one a minute later. Great fat things they are, too!

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/have-you-ever-heard-of-a-golden-raccoon/

I'll have to try to get a photo, but it's probably unlikely I'll see them again so clearly.

In the meantime, here's a screenshot of what it looks like.

Silent Sunday

Can someone please point me to the/a post about the study showing (in essence) that there were changes in the muscle fibres of those with ME/CFS and long COVID that were not found in those who had been bedbound for weeks for other reasons. Which would explain why it was not helpful (the reverse, actually) to encourage those with those conditions to push themselves to exercise, where it would not be bad for the latter group. I wanted to share the study with a friend suffering from one of those.
I forgot to bookmark it.
Cheers!
#mecfs #longCovid @covi #CovidIsNotOver #EllieKPosts