June = end of the holiday year at work.  As usual, I've ended up with a couple more days left than I can carry over, so decided to put them to good use.

Walking the Wye is all very well, but it's slow progress.  I found a nice chunk that happens to be bridleway, and last Wednesday took the bike for a day out.

Credenhill to Bredwardine, 30km in total.  Some road, some farm track, and then on the way back, several fields full of sheep and sheep poo (at this point attempting to follow the "Three Rivers Ride", apparently).

To be honest,... continue reading »

It's my birthday.  Again.

What better excuse for baking myself a deliciously yummy cake?

It's a raspberry, almond and white chocolate cake, iced with raspberry buttercream (ie normal buttercream with raspberries mushed in) and white chocolate stars

Yes, I do rather like raspberries.

I threw chocolate chips in rather than bothering to melt the chocolate like the recipe said, but obviously it still worked.  The raspberries sank more than I thought they would (picture of the actual cake here), leaving the bottom very sticky, so I ended up flipping it over to ice.

And oh wow was it tasty!  My work colleagues demolished most... continue reading »

It's June, and I've been on holiday.  Must be Alps time!  France again this year - third time lucky?

Well, sort of.  The first few days were great.  The sun shone, squiggly mountain passes were driven over, rivers were paddled (wearing shorty cags!), ice creams were eaten...

...and then we woke up on Wednesday morning to find it was cold and snowing.  Brilliant.

Snow turned to heavy rain, the rivers rose and turned interesting colours (Durance was yellow, Guil grey, and Ubaye nearly black).  This made me lose enthusiasm for paddling - faster with fewer eddies? eek.  I was never going to push... continue reading »