Scenes along the way.

Question. How many punctures can a bike get in one day?

Answer. Five!

The photo top left is one of Bananablip's favourite primary schools in the area when she was the schools worker for Oswestry.

Sadly, it is now closed due to the shortsightedness of some idiot local councillors - or worse, but I won't go there! And there will be another excellent primary school closing next year as part of the same decision making process.

I set out this morning for a ride before the promised rain set in, hoping to do about 25 miles along local lanes and canal tow paths. The centre photo is of the bike having punctures 1-3 fixed. Punctures 4-5 happened within a short space of time and then, because I had tried to use an extra sealant - the aerosol spray type - just to make sure the job was done, found that I could not inflate the tyres as the valves had become blocked with the sealant.

So, off with the front tyre, locked the bike up against a farm gate and walked a shot distance to hostelry number 9 in the series where, the kind gents in the boat yard next door, let me use their air line to do the job.

So it would have been rude not to have a swift half. And a sandwich as by this time - should have been home by now - I was feeling rather peckish. (BTW it has been suggested that Julia Bradbury and I do a short TV series on visiting hostelries on the bike and I'm certainly up for it! Anyone got Julia's mobile?)

Both tyres now had slow punctures and, as I had used all 5 of the tyre patches I had with me , it was a case of stopping every five minutes or so to inflate said tyres just to get home.

Result. Not happy.

Out of 4 1/2 hours on the road, I covered 35 miles but only cycled for 2 hrs 45!

Spent more time by the side of the road and got more exercise in the arms, pumping air, that I did in the legs.

The tubes are now the property of Powys Council Refuse dept.

And I have a bike for sale.

Let's hope tomorrow is better.