It’s 2.40 am and I’m heading out to the hills to see the sunrise. It’ll be muted as it’s somewhat overcast but I won’t my have spirit of romanticism dampened. Maybe in the wee hours I’ll get to ride some trails usually out of bounds…

i start work at 5am, but ive been awake since 3, wont manage much of a ride out today, but may make comedy* statement about how the nights are fairly drawing in this evening.

*term applied loosely in this context*

Is also the shortest day here in Australia!

Can’t wait for the days to start getting longer so I have more chance to ride after work. We gain less than a minute a day here so it will be a while.

Not looking forward to it getting hot and loads of flies again 🙁

Goggle are at it again
http://www.google.co.uk
http://www.google.com.au
Longest & shortest day doodles

Down here in Tassie the shortest day seems OK, it’s like mid autumn in the Lakes 🙂

I actually quite like the winter here in Oz, but wouldn’t mind a bit more light!

I like the weather but miss the longer days. It’s too hot in summer when its 25-40c all day and hot at night.

I prefer the 10-15c days and freezing nights.

I’m at work, night shift too. Saving grace being that it is the shortest night of the year… 😐

Well it’s drizzling here and very dull.

Perth (Oz) winters are rather lovely, more daylight would be nice. The long summer evenings are probably one of the things i miss most about home!

I would love to be out riding but it is my sons birthday. They will both be six today and are very excited! Very few things are better than going out for an all day’er on the bike, but their joy is a million times more wonderful. Also we are reminded that six-years ago we had twins who were not meant to survive pregnancy, but now charge about this world with such enjoyment, true wonder and endless curiosity.

Not many people are as lucky as we were…

I’ll be riding home from work in about 1.5 hrs……….of course, it’s p155ing down. 😐

I’m off out in a mo, though the weathers a bit damp. Seem too have missed the sunrise but I will be catching the sunset later on. The weather here on the coast looks like cheering up a bit too..
QEP here I come.

Up & out at 4 a.m. for a commute/pootle out of London village into Herts.
Lovely morning for it here.Short day at work so the return journey can be the long, off road one. hurrah.
plus it’s bike to work week so I get breakfast vouchers .
free food.woop.

End ofthe shortest day by Mike Smith 79, on Flickr

Anyone doing the Cardiff Night Ride on Saturday? If it wasn’t for the faff of having to get back from Swansea, I’d probably be up for it. May end up doing half, and just riding back or something.

I will be having an extra long ride tonight up the Pentlands. I wish I was riding down in Oz, my brother who lives there wishes he was over here, funny that.

There was a report about all the people going to Stone Henge for the sunrise.
I was amazed to hear the statement..
“..after all the litter has been cleared up…”
WHAT?! People go there for some ‘spiritual’ experience or whatever bollox they’re into and LEAVE LITTER? Jeez.

Done my 40k nite ride thru Stonehenge. Prob do another one tonight. Maybe lie in tomorrow !

Mountain forecast was better for yesterday so I did my big ride then.

Guess where the disco slipper is?

Also we are reminded that six-years ago we had twins who were not meant to survive pregnancy, but now charge about this world with such enjoyment, true wonder and endless curiosity.

Not many people are as lucky as we were

This makes me happy. So much stress and BS about in the world. Only have to look at my kids to know what matters

WHAT?! People go there for some ‘spiritual’ experience or whatever bollox they’re into and LEAVE LITTER? Jeez.

get yer head out yer arse you mentalist!

there’s 20 odd thousand people up there this year..

last time I went up (to celebrate my birthday) there was 40 thousand plus.. at least 30 thousand of those were tourists, the place is lit up with floodlights, security, body searches and burger vans.. the remaining 10k were made up of students and cider drinking 2nd gen traveller kids, ravers and ramblers, morris dancers and mountain cyclists, chavs and Chulmley-Warners.. and a handful of druids

the experience is cold and tiresome, an you need at least a couple of cheese rolls and a can of fanta to see you through the drudgery..

20 thousand people will always leave a lot of litter.. when I went I imagine it mostly consisted of roaches, cider bottles, discarded gore-tex jackets, used smoke canisters and bead necklaces.. and about 4 miles of that foil emergency space blanket stuff..

rant over.. now I’m off to enjoy the rest of my birthday

Ah, silly me!

Longest day of rain?

I’m done, QEP nailed.
Tea cake and coffee consumed.

Fabulous.

Glad I put sunscreen on #unexpectedsunshine

Dawn this morning above a sea of cloud at Pymlimon, Mid-Wales (just down the road from Nant yr Arian)…

@mikewsmith – is that looking across South Hobart? I used to live in Mount Stuart! Still miss Tassie.. 🙂

Can’t wait to finish today. Suns just started shining!

Hoping to set out about 6.30ish and get a good 40km around rivington and darwen tonight. Hopefully will make it all before the suns down!

I’m just changing brake pads & waiting for ‘er indoors to get home.

Then we’re off up Hurstwood/Pennine Bridleway, I reckon.

Might have tea out – 🙂

Good innit?

I dunno, every year I say that I’m going somewhere special and never do. Drove past Stonehenge the other day and I just remember when I was a child we could all walk amongst the stones. Those were the days. 🙁

a little adventure in daylight

night ride to follow, legs permitting

It just got gradually lighter here, in the drizzle / misty low cloud.
I’ll be popping out in a bit tho’, to see it on it’s way off over the far hills (assuming the dull misty rain stays off).

Coincidentally, tonight has been nominated as Global fat night ride too I see, so I’ll take my fattest bike (even tho’ it’s not a fat-bike).

That was the sunrise ride. Now for the sunset. Six summits this morning and six this evening (easy ones though).

Messiah – the rock under the cairn makes me think… Cairngormsish… Lochnagar? But then you couldn’t see a view to take a photo of so perhaps you were in Livingston.

The day ended as non-specifically as it started, just slowly getting darker as the layers of cloud just swallowed the sun.

Well spotted Kunstler… the weather was closing in so the view from the top was not great hence the disco slipper shot 😉

Weather was better for most of the route though.