Lofty

After taking a few little things to the tip, as an excuse for a road test with the new cranks and gear lever, I explored the heights of Penicuik where hundreds of new houses are going in.  Actually, I think I'd been before but going in the other direction, which was why until today I completely missed this cluster of giant sequoias.  And in fact, the only reason I spotted them at all was that I'd stopped to look at a dead tree, still standing but heavily pockmarked by industrial strength woodworm.

These sequoias are only in this one place, and I think I counted nine of them!  Most are much of the same age, and a bit smaller than the one I blipped the other day, so 100-150 years old at a guess.  There is another solitary example a short distance away and which is larger than the others.  I will need to look on the old maps to remind myself if anything of note was here before, although I think it was simply fields.

The new cranks and gear lever are spot on.  The front derailleur however continues to be an abject failure at changing down reliably onto the small chainring, and is a bit annoying.

Edit: The trees may be redwoods, but not quite this red! I think my camera did something funny to the colours.