More things to do

Making tea & coffee at church on Sunday, must do some sponsor sheets and posters. Also need to collect T shirts from Crypt and flapjack for Sunday.

Possibility of interview on Radio Leeds tomorrow - elocution lessons needed. Radio Leeds now confirmed live at about 9.20. Is a dinner jacket still required for a BBC interview?

Still need to finalise kit list and pack away. Add swimming trunks for cooling dip at the end of the day!

Go to Edinburgh Cycles and but spare spoke as lucky charm. Will not break if I carry a spare. Will break if I don't.

Feeling somewhat apprehensive.

I called into the Crypt to collect some T shirts and we had an impromptu meeting of the Sooty fan club. I was most put out to discover that to raise funds for the Crypt we have to cycle 800k. Chris Fields, on the other hand, auctions off the opportunity for him to go around to someones house and rustle up a quick beans on toast to get the Crypt a significant donation. Chris, can you get to Santiago for the 3rd July to make our tea, please?

Looking for spare wallet for the ride, found one and it had 25 euros in it. Woohoo! Turned camera on to take photo of kit, camera died. Cost £50. Some you win and some you lose.

Things to do

There was a stark moment of realisation yesterday evening. We met socially at Ricky's house and as we left we realised that we next meet at 6.30 next Wednesday morning as wet set off. Where has the last three months gone?

The other realisation is that there is very little time to get final arrangements made. Big one for me today - have to get hair cut!

Sunshine!!!

I just had to start with sunshine as the headline. It was only for a couple of minutes but it did pop out to see us!

El tres amigos! Malcolm, Ricky & Dave

El tres amigos have been out today on a short run to Newmillerdam. I don't think I have ever been there before and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only a nice place but a nice cafe too, somewhere we could sit down to discuss remaining concerns and the like. I think for all of us we just want to get off now and do it.

The wonders of modern technology too. We were sat in the cafe when my phone rang and it was Martin Patterson from St George's Crypt. He needed me to get in touch with Peter Lazenby from the Yorkshire Evening Post and all done by email and phone calls. We could not have done that 10 years ago. We had more fun then by deciding to take a photo outside the cafe. It took me a while to sort out how the shutter delay worked and then we set about rearranging all the furniture outside the cafe so we had a platform for the camera. One table on top of another eventually did the trick although we then accosted a passer-by to take one, just in case!

From here on in it is winding down. No long runs, no big climbing days, just shorter rides to spin the legs out and maintain the level of fitness. Mind you, if I could lose a couple of stone in the next week that would help!

Flaming June

Hurray! Not raining but very dull and overcast. Pretty cool too. June and I am wearing base layer, short sleeved jersey, long sleeved jersey and light coat with cycling longs on the legs. I almost put full finger gloves on too. June?!

But the fact that it wasn't raining was enough to get me out. I set out with Bolton Abbey, Boroghbridge and York as possible but the bike took the turns towards Tadcaster so York it was. An unremarkable ride save for lots of evidence of flooding with mud on the road and water draining off the fields. The River Ouse was fairly high but a long way from spilling over.

I've cycled 55 miles and did the first 45 virtually non-stop. The stops were for (ahem) examining field gates etc. As I was coming back through Tadcaster I thought I should have something to eat so I bought some sandwiches and I stopped again at Bramham to eat them. The last ten miles I was running on empty as the food had not kicked in and I got very hot on the last few climbs.

Not to worry, it was a good run and out again tomorrow with Ricky and Malcolm.

Passenger

Soft Shirley Awwww!

It's still July. It's still cold and the weather forecast isn't good. So I've been to see Sue at Cockpit Farm Cafe about the possibility of going along and taking some photo's to publicise our Camino Challenge. We were also wondering if Lizzie Armitstead might be available to give us a plug too, but we think she is probably away preparing for the Olympics.

Anyway managed to pick up Soft Shirley, who is coming along for the ride. Small enough and light enough to be packed away! And I had the last scone of the day. Delicious it was too. I think that might have upset Russell who was heading across in time, he hoped, to bag a scone before they were all gone.

Sometimes life is just so unfair, but I'm in training and need it more!

Away from cafes, the plan was to go out and have an evening run. Guess what? Raining again. That's four whole days without getting any cycling in. The BBC weather forecast suggests that it may be half way decent tomorrow. That means still cold but not raining and that will do for me. Watch this space......

Absolutely bouncing outside. So bored flicking between blog, twitter and just giving. Blog news is follower in Russia has gone but now have someone in both Germany and Romania following. Several is USA too. Strange that hits on blog go up the more rain that comes down. Just Giving says that donations now reached £700 (hurray!!). I'm talking to Sooty and Sweep on twitter. (And they are the real ones too....... )Weather has to improve soon...... please.......

Unhappy Bunny

Homeless ex lodger - another unhappy bunny

It's June for heaven's sake. It's cold, it's raining, it's not worth going out on a training ride as bad stuff happens in wet weather. Two days of being confined to barracks and it's caged lion time. It's only twitter that is keeping me sane, although it could be the other way around.

Most exciting thing that has happened is getting annoyed with the Yorkshire Evening Post blathering on about fake beggars earning £600 a night. As if. It's like being back at work!

Oh, and I refitted lights front and rear, just in case. Not forgetting stripping the seat post out and giving it a good lathering in grease to fix the click. Of course, I've not been able to give it a whizz to see if that's fixed it yet.

Hoping that tomorrow is dry if nothing else. Less than two weeks before we set off to ride 800 kilometres and I NEED TO GET OUT ON THE BIKE! But then I can't get out until lunchtime at the earliest as I'm busy in the morning.

Photoshoot!

Which side is the best then?

I had a call last night to meet a photographer for a photoshoot at 10:00 this morning. Move over Mark Cavendish? Cover Boy for the next edition of Cycling Plus? 'Fraid not, it was that nice Mr Sherbourne, Chair of the Leeds & Moortown Furniture Store who had volunteered to get his old box Brownie out. That said, John was a press photographer back in the old days and he still takes pictures like those you see in the paper. Not bad are they? Well done, and thank you John.

Moving pictures!

Having got the bike out to ride up to church it was pointless coming straight back home so a steady 30 miles around Lotherton Hall, Temple Newsam and Roundhay Park has been done, and very pleasant it was too - apart from the rainy bits, that is.

It's only the 6th of the month and I've clocked 146 miles so far this month. I just hope that all this cycling does what I intend it to do, that is increase my fitness and stamina, and that I didn't peak early (in March!).