On yer bike!

Son 1 has missed out on day-to-day cycling this year. Ben cycles to work every day, and Son 2 and I continued the cycle ride to primary school, which I then extend to have a bit of morning exercise. However, Son 1 started College (Secondary School), and walked there on his own each morning, as his road-skills weren't good enough to cycle without an adult.

Well, in September, both boys will be at college (gulp), and both want to cycle there. Son 1 has decided, of his own volition, to have a crash course in cycling skills over the holiday, with me as supervisor and tester! Every morning so far we have been off at about 8am, for a cycle ride around the rural edges of our town.
Yesterday we took the camera, as I wanted to capture the harvest scene in the field next to our house. The combine harvester was there on Wednesday, causing a quite incredible amount of dust which is still floating in the air, visible in shafts of sunlight.

We crossed the town and went up the steep hill to my friend's house, to drop of Ben's jam book and a sugar thermometer. She has an over-productive peach tree this year and has decided to try bottling fruit for the first time. Her friends and family have taken to addressing her as Martha Stewart.Cutting across country from her house, we arrived in a lane which combines wonderfully froggy ditches with beautifully sunny flowers! Son 1 was intrigued by the moon, which you can glimpse in the photo above.On the return home, I finally had my camera to snap the wildflowers which have grown up in the verges around all the local towns in the last two years. There has clearly been a lot of seeding done by the municipal gardeners, and all along the roadsides the scrubby grass has been relplaced by poppies, cornflowers and other self-seeding wild flowers. It will be interesting to see how the verges develop as the plants go truly wild.The boys and I are flying off to Edinburgh this evening, but when we get back, I am sure the road will call once again... Happy holidays!