Where'd They Go?

The children and I had a great day out on Monday. We cycled up to Nevis RAnge, had coffee and then did a cross country route through the forest that involved a lot of climbing and some vaguely technical riding. The children are much stronger than before we went to NZ and we cycled almost as equals - except that they did the downhills far more competently than me. We thoroughly enjoyed 14 miles, except for the boggy bit where Finn got his front wheel stuck in the mud and the seat of his bike came up and bit him on the bum. There was a bit of death throes in the bog but he recovered eventually. I was so glad we had gone that day as a storm moved in that night and blew for 2 days. The snow came back, the wind chill was nasty and roads and rail around us closed. This was bad luck for Spook who had 3 days of cycling with a bike journalist and photographer, around some of the No Fuss event routes. He has travelled the length of the country and I have yet to hear how it went, other than that the Distillery visit was the most memorable part of the first day - no relevance to cycling other than that they are sponsors of No Fuss and do a terrific tour with many samples of the golden liquid which gets the feeling back into chilled limbs.

I have worked most of the week and had a caravan to clean after work today to get ready for some fishermen. Over dinner the children decided they would sleep in the hut. I tried to point out that they wouldn't last the night but allowed myself to be persuaded to help light the stove, get electricity out to it and oversee the sweeping out. The dogs (who were dropped off for their easter hols today) were going to stay out there and keep them cosy. I had only just got to the caravan with all the bedding, 5 mins after they completed their nesting, and looked up to see them running back into the house with all the soft furnishings again. When I got back up, I found the dogs looking a little lost and forlorn, and the children tucked up in Megs room with the mod cons of a DVD player. At least it saves Spook and I being woken up at midnight.......