Well Travelled

The car needed to be fixed in Kidlington, north of Oxford, until tomorrow. I checked the distance and decided I could cycle it. I took the front wheel off the bike and made it fit in the car. At the garage, I reversed the process, accompanied by some hilarity: "I don't think they'll mend that"

An interesting route, incorporating a busy section of the Oxford canal. Narrowboat groups on social media can be very anti cycling; I encountered none of that, just smiles and greetings. I don't think I'm a very threatening (or fast) cyclist. A section on a rural pavement; no pedestrians present to express a view. Later, a section on a bridleway; a fairly risky option for bike and rider: blackthorn, bramble, thistles, burdock, rocks and ruts. Made it without mishap, and no horses or walkers to conflict with. Finally, I was on familiar roads and home for lunch. Let us give thanks for the Ordnance Survey

Post-lunch mug of tea was interrupted by a phone call: "Your car's ready". MrsM and Google plotted a route by bus. We walked to the village bus stop, clattered to Banbury, struck lucky with a shady bus shelter, caught another bus south - well south with a lot of east and west thrown in, exploring villages and lanes that are really not constructed with a bus passing a tractor and trailer load of round bales in mind. Well driven everyone

Finally, the drive home - a fourth different line between two points. I feel I have seen a fair cross-section of North Oxfordshire today, and should offer a summary, which is: 'ripe'. Crops that have been dawdling through cool, damp days have raced to completion in a week of sunshine. Luckily, there should be at least another week of bright, warm days in which to harvest it; all hands on deck

MrsM found the spot on the river Swere where these striking insects have been engaged in an endless three-dimensional dance for several weeks. That is a three or four inch (10cm or so) diameter pipe it is sitting on, so it is a large creature - you might think it a small dragon fly. In fact it is one of the largest damsel flies, a 'Beautiful Demoiselle', a startling irridescent blue-green. I would not be sure which of us travelled the greater distance today, though neither of us has gone very far