Summer Bright

You know that a summer's day has arrived when His Lordship brings out his Caribbean shirt, bright enough to attract any butterfly in the vicinity. It was indeed meltingly hot first thing this morning with no breeze ruffling the trees and a high humidity.

Lady Luck is not on our side at the moment. We had the bikes serviced before our Orcadian jaunt, with new tyres and inner tubes on mine. We had some lovely trouble free cycling in Orkney, but thinking to acquaint ourselves with what pass for roads in Edinburgh, we cycled through potholes, patches, bumps and ill placed drains to reach our Sunday toast this morning only to find as I cycled home a puncture in my back wheel ( where else!)

However His Lordship gallantly offered to change the inner tube for me. I have been reduced to tears of frustration and bleeding nails in the past when faced with removing tyres.
When we cycled regularly with the old brigade of the CTC, it was generally recognised that the 'girls' made the tea and set out the food at our lunch stops, while the 'boys' sorted out the punctures along the way. It was a pragmatic approach even though I imagine it might be called sexist nowadays.

With His Lordship's birthday in two days, this is his official birthday portrait. The fire brigade is on standby for the candle illumination!