Saturday Morning Bike Ride

Breakfast: 1 roll with butter & banana, 4 bourbon biscuits (would have had more biscuits but I was interrupted/discovered), glass of water.
Weather: Grey but not actually raining and not too cold.
Depart: about 9am.

Patchwork fields and tree. I often take a photo of this view if I'm starting off in this direction. The colours of the landscape change so much with the seasons and the weather that the resulting photo is always different.

A little ridge of trees silhouetted against the sky. Centre left a rook is perched on top of one of the trees, far right a plane has just taken off and is climbing into the sky.

Another tree and perching bird silhouette (a recurring theme, I like them). Rain soaked hills in the distance.

Reflections in a big puddle covering the road. It's not too deep - I make it through without getting my feet wet.

Soggy landscapes. We've had a bout of stormy wet weather the last couple of days. Water is all around gushing and gurgling down the sides of the roads and fields.

The wind during the storms has blown branches and other debris onto the roads. Pine cones are strewn around and look like an glut of fat slugs. They're actually rather pretty (prettier than slugs any day!) and I gather a few to take home.

Horses and raincoats.

Mossy velvety stone walls and balls of cotton wool sheep.

Renovation project anyone?

Here I liked the lines of trees, hedges and field colours.

Some bright colour - copper leaves and emerald moss.

This weeks cow shot. My turn to interrupt a breakfast.

Yes, the roads really are this quiet. It's rare to meet a car on the little lanes - just farm vehicles really as there are enough main roads around to accomodate the traffic and they are quicker and more direct for car travel. I often amble along in the middle of the road or on the wrong side, - depending where the best views lie.

Bike shot. Almost at the top...

...made it, now looking over the other side across the Clyde to the hills of Cowal.

Lovely! However, all these downhills take me back down pretty much to sea level so there are plenty more uphills to come before home.

I struggle a little with the hills this week. It's a longer and hillier route than last week, however, pausing to catch my breath allows me to admire the view. This view back down the hill is "enhanced" by a cheery orange traffic cone perched on a fence post.

I don't take many photos on the way home, but I do stop when I see...
...lambs! I think I must be one of the first with my new lamb photos this year, surely. They're a special breed which produce early lambs so it is cheating, a little.

This amazing bank of snowdrops also stops me in my tracks. Just long enough for a photo, then I'm off home, just in time for lunch.