30 May - 5 June

Mon  - 10 miles Lt Chalfont loop.  Had a not inspiring coffee at Ozzy's, but Bacon sandwich was good.

Tue - Pottered around village.  Had towbar fitted on Rav4 to take Thule 2 bike carrier.

Wed - 22 miles tandem in morning to coffee/bacon roll at Tylers Green.  Lovely ride.  Then into London to meet up with Jon Seder, and go to see 'One guy, 2 guvoners' a the National.  We Boris Biked from Marylebone to Westminster, very easy and fun.

Thu - Day out with G & N to Swanage.  Lunch at OceanBay (crap service, mediocre food, never again), tea in garden at Manor House Hotel in Studland (lovely view over sea and to Bournemouth, relaxed calm setting, definately again).  Traffic stressful. I'd rather be biking.

Fri - Down to Grange Park at 1:30 for picnic and Tristan and Isolde.  Traffic awful on M25.  Amazing setting in parkland.  The opera was heavy Wagner, made bearable by the two 1 hour intervals for food and drink.  In the last act there were at least 22 dead bodies on the stage, all due to a misunderstanding and lack of communication.  Then at 10:30 we headed off to Teignmouth via A303.  A good drive at night - must remember to only drive in UK after midnight.

Sat - Up for 7:30 breakfast and 8 coach to start of walk at Exmouth, arranged by landlady of Rose & Crown in Chorleywood. 20 of us in various stages of fitness.  The walk was flat around the Exe Estuary, but after lunch at the Turf Inn there were some less interesting bits along roads and through the Dawish Warren Holiday Park where you couldn't move for the tattoos.  Finished along the sea wall by the railway with express trains passing only feet away and the sea below.  23 miles and a couple of blisters, then 3 pints and local mussels and fish and chips at The Ship.

Sun - After a quick walk round the town to buy a take away cream tea from Amanda's, came back on M5/4/25.  Had cream tea with G&N!

23 - 29 May

Mon - Up to London with Mrs M.  Lunch at Providores In Marylebone High Street, very fusion i.e. small portions and expensive, but very tasty.  Walked 3 miles.  In evening went to see/hear Allison Pearson at the CW Bookshop event at Memorial Hall give a talk about her life and books ( I Don't Know How She Does It, I Think I Love You,) a very good witty speaker.

Tue - Picked up Lulu from T4 (back from New York) in the early morning, then fiddled at home whilst Mrs M earned a crust.

Wed - Lunch at Loch Fyne in Beaconsfield with Granny & Sue.

Thu - Chichester festival to see 'She Loves You' and 'R&G are Dead'.  Brilliant at many levels - I don't think I went down very deep!  .  Lunch at El Castilo Tapas, which was superb.  We popped to East Whittering in between the shows to see the sea which was grim, with a pint in  'The Sloop' inn.

Fri - Tandemed to Bricklayers Arms for lunch, 11 miles.  Put the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and tubes on the tandem, in theory should reduce the punctures...now I've said that the cycling gods will take revenge!

Sat - Party time!

Sun - 11 miles ride with Lulu & Duncan around Sarrat/Chipperfield.  Met the 'other' tandem in Chorleywood!

16 - 22 May

Mon - Granny to Mt Vernon all morning, then fiddled at home erecting garden swing.  FOCC meeting in evening.

Tue - Cycled with Mrs M to Mt Vernon.  The famous BBC 'sunny intervals' as we saw the views through Moor Park, then become overcast as I cycled back via Aquadrome and William Penn (which seemed a longer uphill drag than I was expecting).  12.5 miles in total:

Wed - Overcast, cool and rain threatening all day till it actually rained in the afternoon.  Walked to vill for haircut and cycled to Van Hage garden centre to look at veg and paving.  Thats as exciting as it gets for a retiree in Chorleywood.  But it got better in the evening as J&L came out for a Sathi indian meal.

Thu - Nothing special today.  Went to Biggles restaurant at Denham Aerodrome for evening meal, a very 'clubby' menu of trad favourites.  Excellent value, great service, if a little italian-over-the-top.

Fri - Cycled to Mt Vernon with Mrs M in morning.  Then again in afternoon, though missed each other due to phone miscommunication.  22 miles in total.  'Source Code' at Rex in pm, passed the time but not a great movie.

Sat & Sun - Down to Stoke Sub Hamdon for Sue's 60th.

9 - 15 May

Mon - Bromptoned/trained into Kennington, then  into vill for shopping - 11 miles.  London cycling was fun with being in a cohort of bikes taking off from each set of lights, so nice to see lots cycling in various guises from courier to retro.  Rest of day was completely emptying the rented garage, with trips to dump and Granny's to store items.  Moved water butt to a different drain pipe, turned out to be a bigger job than I thought as I had to get out the big ladder to remove the top drain fitting so as to insert the lower piece - tricky to hold up a heavy metal drain pipe whilst on a ladder!

Tue - It is 'walking to work' week.  Hillingdon Hospital was bottom last year, so Mrs M decided to boost the score by walking to Mt Vernon Hospital which meant setting off at 6am.  A lovely bright crisp morning.  Few cars around, we went across common, Berry Lane, The Drive, through Moor Park, 5.5 miles in 1:45hrs.  I then rambled back a different route via Tescos to buy some fish for dinner, so for me 12 miles in total in 4 hours and 1 large blister on my left big toe.

I saw the new cows grazing on the common, they didn't mind me walking through the herd.

Wed - Recovery day, no exercise

Thu - Bought some Keen sandals to see if they are OK for my feet and walking.

Fri - Granny duty. 'Limitless' at Rex with dinner at The Gatsby.

Sat - Martin took shed.  Moved more water butts.  Odells to dinner.

Sun - Up early for Michael Sobell charity ride at Mt Vernon.  Ride itself was 21 miles, with 11 extra t./from CW. Lovely sunny morning, followed by breakfast at Aquadrome cafe

2 - 8 May

Mon - Walked to Rootz to meet Nigel for Coffee.  In afternoon tandemed to 'The Hatch' in Little Chalfont for drinks house warming.  Managed to cycle back despite the drinks!

Tue - Bromptoned/trained to Kenington (10 miles cycling, lovely through London via Buck House in sunshine).  Cycled to Amersham via bridleway from Chenies through woods - what a find!

Wed - Emptied garage of Mum's bric a brac and cancelled lease with Council.  Walked to vill, thats the only exercise (apart from lifting boxes!)

Thu - Down to Bournemouth where The Stoker aka Dr M has a conference for a couple of days.  Took the Dahon Cadenza folding bike and a Brompton.  Cycled Cadenza along sea front to Mudiford ferry, then sat on quay at Christchurch and had a Mr Wippy icecream.  Back to Bournemouth sea front, and right along to other end to the Sandbanks ferry, then back to B&B to change and go out to conference dinner.  26 miles in about 2.5hrs cycling.  Slight sea breeze that seemed always to be a headwind! Hazy but sunny with cool air, lovely cycling weather. 

Fri - On advice of 'Guy' from the dinner last night, took the train from Bournemouth to Moreton.  Short cycle to Moreton Church and cemetery to see Lawrence's grave

Along gravelled track via ford through heathland/plantation to Lawrence's house Clouds Hill where I arrived 30 mins before opening time, so climbed over fence only to be stopped by a woman in the kiosk who was doing the accounts.  She wouldn't open up till 11, but let me see the outside:

When the volunteer guides arrived I went inside where it was been 'authentically' kept as Lawrence left it:

 On a side road to Wareham through the tank training grounds, smooth and traffic OK.  Wareham to Corfe Castle was busy, to Studlands was quieter but a few ups across Purbeck Hills (as you can see by clicking on the map below).  'Fairfields' (Auntie Madge's old hotel) is for sale and is unkempt and empty:

Lunch at Bankes Arms overlooking sea, then along Sandbanks to ferry, and back along sea front.  28 miles of a nice tour through Dorset, thanks to 'the train taking the strain'.

Sat - Recovery day.

Sun - Walk with Nigel around Chorleywood.