Weather

 . . . hot, dry, minimal cloud, no wind (Beaufort 1 - 2). I would have snapped a detail of the weathered wood on the barn I've blipped before in 2014.

       Early morning walk. Spotted what I thought was a large muskrat but turned out to be a young beaver (extra) when I saw his distinctive tail as he climbed over a dam.

       I was brave enough to ride the newly acquired old bike up and down our very (as I discovered to my discomfort) rough lane to find a comfortable gear/cadence (I'm sure I did not  break the 25mph residential speed limit). I think I need to shrink my paunch. The frame is a tad small for me and consequently the wheel base feels very short. I'm a bit wobbly but I'm sure as confidence increases and I ride on smoother surfaces the old steadiness will return.

      Caught up with stage 2 of the TdF. I know I'm a day behind. I'm a skinflint and refuse to pay out the nose so I can stream the whole thing on NBC's Peacock service. I'll pretend I'm still living in days of yore when we caught up in newspaper reports and the cycling press. I'll catch up with today's stage 3 later.

      Meanwhile I continue reading the next book group selection: The Song of Achilles  by Madeline Miller with Tangerine Dream's Phaedra  playing in the background . . .