Saturday Morning Bike Ride and Some Purple Crochet Additions.

The long settled spell of fine weather has ended here and we're back to our more typical overcast conditions. Still, Saturday morning wasn't bad - it wasn't raining and it was surprisingly warm. I wasn't especially keen to go cycling but I'd eaten a huge number of fairy cakes the previous day and knew I needed the exercise.

Once up and out I enjoyed the cycling as usual. A look back at the little row of houses as I leave the village, I'm heading off to join the cycle path.

The view of The Tree from the cycle path - one of several trees I like to photograph regularly. If you look very closely (click the pic to make it bigger) you can see a rook or jackdaw perched in the branches of the tree.

A few miles on and I'm heading out to more open countryside, still on the cycle path. I like this view of misty hills with the fleece coated fence encircling the pond/bog in the foreground.

Past the roman soldiers.

Attention!

Beautiful blossom, probably a crab apple tree.

Into a neighbouring village and I head off down a woodland track which welcomes walkers but not cyclists (I ignore the sign, the track is suitable even for cars so a bike's not going to any harm). I'm on the lookout for more bluebells still.

And I eventually find some. They're intermingled with small pink starry flowers (a quick internet search and I think they are pink purslane).

The overall effect is very pretty though not as blue as I'd hoped.

I peek out from the woods over the surrounding fields. A lovely little white cottage acts as a focal point in this picture.

Just a little further on and I come across this little fishing loch. Fishing folk are already in action so I didn't explore too far, I'll come back another day.

Highland cattle taking it easy.

A lovely beech hedge surrounds the field.

More beech trees line the road further on.

Cow parsley starting to bloom, gorgeous!

Then home...
...to be greeted by one of the few fairy cakes left, I eat it.

Now to the crochet.

Everyone else is out of the house so I have a chance to see how things look.

I've added a few motifs with a dark purple and a light purple. I'll do the same number of each as I did for the red and gold, then it will be back to blues and greens for the rest. I think it'll be OK.

I'd recently put the purple throw on the armchair which is what made me realise I wanted some purple in the blanket too.

No space on my shelf for jugs of flowers now.

And lastly, a picture of my mosaic, just because it was there!

It was raining most of the morning today, I just notice the sun is now out - time to get out for some fresh air. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.