Extremaduran Cycle Team

For the first time this year we cycled into Llerena for breakfast on Sunday, which was fun. We cycled on our new favorite track, which is great as long as the long horned cattle aren't wandering loose. We went into a bar on the square, only to find it jam packed with lycra clad cyclists - all wearing the Extremadura colours. While I don 't know for sure that they were the Extremaduran cycle team, I can't think of any other reason why they'd all be dressed identically. Although I have said that I want to join a cycle club, I felt that I'd give them a miss. I don't think I could pour myself into that much lycra. Nor do I have the required number of pockets to carry bananas - something else they were all carrying. I did wonder where they were heading off to, they were riding racing bikes rather than mountain mikes, so I guess they were sticking to the roads.

Classes end this week for a couple of weeks. I've fallen behind with so much I need to catch up. I was planning on writing a book about tiara making this summer, so that might need to be an autumn project now. I do have some interest in classes for later in September - I guess I'll carry on for a while anyway.

Pigs and Elephants

I had a crafty session with two of my students yesterday. I will do a few now before the end of the holidays. In the past I've done some group sessions, however there are too many of them now and the ages are spread too wide. The two who came yesterday had seen the Good Luck Dragon that Mum made and wanted to make something similar. I decided that we'd use air dry clay and not real clay. They ended up making pigs and elephants, however they really enjoyed it and it was relatively tranquil with few problems - other than the odd ear falling off. Off the clay animals and not the children, of course. It was definately easier with just two of them.

I'll need to think of things to do with the others, as the two I had yesterday were old enough to follow instructions carefully - where as the younger ones may be more challenging. The very little ones will be happy doing colouring in things, the slightly older younger ones may enjoy making things with shrink plastic as they can do the colouring and then I can 'magic' it so that it shrinks. I am thinking (hoping) that the teenagers won't be interested.

Rosie has come into season and it is nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. In fact, if anything she is more subdued. I had fears of her trying to make herself attractive to the others, however it seems to be passing without event. We can then get her sterlized.

It's been very hot this week, with a yellow alert again for today. Hot, hot, hot....

Oh, so 'that's' what you meant...

My favorite cycle ride in the morning is to Usagre. I like this road because it is quiet. Generally I only see a handful of farmers and a shepherd or two. Since they obviously don't see many panting cyclists working their way slowly up 'hills', I know I get a second glance or two. In fact, I get a lot of cheery waves and words - I hope - of encouragement, and the sheperds wave to me from across the fields.

However I was a little surprised when a farmer in a combine harverster bothered to stop for a chat. Given that it was still early in the morning and I'd just climbed a mountain (small incline) - and of course that he was speaking in fast Spanish - I stood there just trying to understand a word or two. I understood 'small', 'road' and 'dangerous'. I took advantage of the stop to drink some water and muse over what he could be saying. I'd heard the work 'luck' too.

So, he was obviously saying that with good luck the road because it is dangerous....? Unlikely as I cycle it several times a week.

I continued.

Or, perhaps it wasn't 'luck', the Spanish word for luck also sounds a bit like 'smooth'. Could he be saying that the small road was going to be resurfaced - could be, but would he really be stopping me to say that the road might be resurfaced. Or needs resurfacing. Unlikely.

I continued.

As I headed, with speed down a hill, I remembered that the word also sounded like the Spanish word for .....

I braked as I was nose to nose with some loose very long horned cattle. Yes, the word I was thinking of was 'loose'.

I turned and broke most speed records. I have no idea whether they were bulls or nasty-horned cows, I just saw the horns, and remembered the farmer's cry of 'peligroso' - dangerous. I must admit that I got a lot more cheery smiles today - I wonder if they think I am mad cycling woman who is not afraid of boldly confronting the odd bull or two!

Two and two makes...

A couple of weeks ago I commented to Ian that I thought that perhaps they had changed the way that the temperature is calculated as the weather forecast was showing temperatures in the early 30s and this time of year it would be near 40.

While at the same time we were debating whether the weather was cooler this year or if we'd become acclimatized. I've not found it too hot to sleep at night, for instance, that I know I've done in previous years.

Ha! Well silly me. If I'd put the two together I'd have realized that the reason why the weather forecast was showing lower temperatures was because the temperatures were lower! It has been described as a 'phenomenon' with temperatures here lower than Madrid, which is unusual. I think it's been quite nice, but I think things are changing as there is a yellow alert warning tomorrow for heat in the afternoon.

I am wondering also if this is why my cotton's not been growing.

Cycle

It was our anniversary this week. After we finished arguing about whether it was 8 or 9 years (it's 9), we decided that next year we'll do something special. I thought about buying a tandem, I can't think of anything much more romantic than that. Ian made 'that face', which suggests that he could think of a lot of things that he'd prefer.

I'm still cycling - in fact I am getting quite good (by my standards - obviously pretty lousy by anyone else's standards!). I'd like to join a cycling club, but I'm yet to find one. But I think that if I can cycle 20 or so kilometers with reasonable confidence that I won't collapse in a panting heap, then perhaps if there was a cycling club around I'd be ok to join it. Of course, I am thinking about pootling through olive groves - not pouring myself into lycra and trying to emulate the tour de france.

One thing that I've really noticed as I cycle first thing in the morning, is how much later I am going to coincide with sunrise. I try to leave the house when the solar fairy lights go off - and that was 7.20 yesterday! I have bought a light for my bike, as having so many classes that need preparation daily, I like to go early in the morning as it is hot in the evenings.

I picked our first tomato yesterday - something had started to eat it, so it looks a tad sorry for itself. We do, however, now have three okra. So that's one and half each.

Look what Pirata dragged in!