Sunday Morning Bike Ride

It's my first bike ride round our home patch for a wee while. I'm up and away reasonably early to try and catch the best of the weather as showers are forecast for later. The summer weather seemingly experienced by other parts of the UK in the past week has neglected us :(

A profusion of boggy wildflowers and an abundance of telegraph poles.

I pause at the bridge over the river to photograph the farmhouse on the hill.

A climb with pretty views.

At the top of the climb awaits a large expanse of (mainly) flat countryside with an excellent network of little roads to explore. Swallows and house martins are darting about the sky, I manage to capture a blurry image of two of them.

I have the feeling I'm being watched - just by the one brown and white cow in the field across the road, the rest are too busy grazing.

Umbellifers.

It would be rude not to.

Interesting umbellifer double-deckered beasties.

Bumble bee and thistle.

The road ahead, approaching a bend. For Mrs Micawber who likes bends in the road.

Ragwort.

 Another bend for Mrs Micawber. The roads here are very bendy, you'd love them!

Once round the bend I look back.

But what's this just a few yards further on? Some numptie has offloaded a couple of unwanted sofas onto the side of the road...

...right beside where this tree grows out of what's left of the doorway of a ruined cottage...

...and just before you turn the corner to find these lovely views of the reservoir.

Many of the roads are lined with wild flowers, in particular there is lots of this feathery white stuff. It's not a clear photo of it, but can anyone tell me what it is (after you all did such a good job in my last wild flower query)

I like how this tree arches over the road.

The reservoir, viewed from the opposite side of where we last saw it. And a shorn sheep.

It's rosebay willowherb time of year again. How time marches on.

Now we're heading down from the uplands via a lovely little lane. The rain has finally caught me which is why the photo looks a little blurred.

The folly.

Some wild roses are still blooming brightly.

The last few miles are spent zooming along the cycle path which is looking rather attractive at this time of year.

Then home to find that hubby has made raspberry muffins for breakfast. Yum.