If you go down into the woods today....

 We took lil t for a walk into the forest yesterday

 and after telling him he needn't worry, there were no bears in the woods, well no hungry ones, look closely and you will see it,

little t decided he wanted to be a tree.

The importance of nutrition

 With several physical challenges looming closer the training programme has gone up a notch, which is just as well as a 470 mile bike ride needs more preparation than a 5 mile commute every other day and the BBMC which is only weeks away takes a bit more effort than a circuit of the Bonsai Mountain. So this morning I was out on my new iron horse clocking up some miles along perfectly smooth tarmac. There were one or two pot holes but nothing major, not worth bothering with really, its not as if the one we found would have shattered a wheel.

 Something else that I have had to pay careful attention to, aside from endurance training, is nutrition. Having over indulged on the calorie front for a while I am a shade over the ideal weight for a mega bike ride, every KG needs effort to move through time and space, so I have been training "in the zone" that burns off fat and then made sure I eat a healthy balanced diet the replace the energy used but not add to the waistline.

 So after today's high intensity thrash around the wonderful roads of Wales

I got back to a perfect post race breakfast that has the ideal blend of carbs, protein and bacon necessary for an athlete.

Having a smashing time

 The day started early doors with the phone ringing. Once the confusion over what was making the noise was (alarm or phone) yours truly ran the obstacle course of bedroom landing stairs living room to get to phone before ringer rang off. Thinking it might be he who cannot be named calling from his adventure holiday I made the handset by the 6.57 ring.
 Fighting for breath and fighting off excited Bernese Mountain Dogs who were overjoyed at the sudden unexpected entrance of their owner I was able over the cacophony of canine goodmornings to establish that it was not our first born but Supergran who was ringing to say she might be a bit late as she had just had a slight problem with her car.
Slight problem turned out to be hitting a patch of ice, for despite it being an unusually sunny day, the melt water from the snow froze overnight and at various points between our abodes formed sheet ice which at least raises the pulse when you hit it whilst driving or at worst caused Supergran to go sideways, up a dirt bank, straighten, nearly roll, land back on road and for good measure shred a front tyre.
 Luckily she was not hurt and people stopped to see if she was alright, but none thought to help change the wheel so yours truly set off in Miranda as waiting for breakdown truck would have taken a wee while longer than my ETA. Finding the crash site was easy, not joining in was not as as Miranda threatened to follow Supergran's stricken Skoda on same ice patch. Good luck prevailed and pretty soon we were all heading back to HQ (wheel changed, bodywork and lights picked up from road) where she could assume her duties of looking after lil t while we went to work. As she said it could have been a lot worse.

Things were a lot worse for this poor hen who was very surprised by a hungry fox.

Going going......

 Snow still clings to the slopes of the Bonsai Mountain

 but the field to our front is clearing.

Casualties are starting to emerge in the thaw, I found two dead ewes in the drifts by the boundary fence and saw another on my cycle to work. Stories abound of losses sustained by the militia, all sorts of hyperbole to describe the catastrophic loss of life amongst the new born lambs. Perhaps the most graphic so far is a one ton builders bag full of dead lambs at the back of a barn. The thaw has meant a return to  Somme like mud. Dozens of muddy paws have been racing in and out of the cottage adding to the mayhem caused by a toddler who's latest hobby is exercising his vocal cords by experimental screaming.

Oh you got one of those too!!!

 I think I must have been in a bad mood this morning. Nothing to do with Thor the Bernese Mountain Pig slobbering over me as I fed him breakfast, the prolific porcine foam bath caused by a combination of his not being able to get to A) Bridget on his right B) Pam on his left C)Apollo the pretty boy pony to his front and D) a bucket of natural grains in my hand, and all to do with Fanta having expired next to the rayburn. She had been doing really well but a respiratory infection claimed her.

 Reba, Biffer and Rocky were trying to cheer me up by barking at a white van entering the smallholding, the driver a regular visitor is well used to the our big welcoming committee but hadn't really seen them close up. In response to "Christ almighty what are those bigguns" I told him "Collies" and agreed that they were a bit bigger than the Collie called that guards the entrance to our world. I dutifully signed for the package and thanked him, he left muttering about googling Welsh Giant Collies when he got home.

 He was not the only one to enquire about the dogs today. Steve the BT man reappeared with a plan to remove the flimsy two piece wire connection to the world and replace it with a more substantial phone line and new pole. The whole meeting should have taken minutes, put the pole there mate, attach to house there, cheers, let me know when its done routine. Except Steve didn't want to talk wires and poles, Steve almost squealed when he saw Rocky standing watching the exciting conversation about the precise geographical location of large wooden poles "Oh you've got one of those too". Rocky true to form didn't mind human squealing and associated pointing and wandered over to give the man a big Bernese hug which was when Steve  told us all about their 15 month old Berner. As there were 8 others to meet he was at HQ for some time. Sorry if you were expecting him.

Question time

To pig club or not to pig club. That is the question!

Lethal Weapon

 As yours truly marked off his last birthday that contained a 40 in it, and as it was a clear morning

 with the sun rising over the slopes of the Bonsai Mountain

 and the two wheeled steeds were sleeping waiting for clearer roads

 what could be better that extreme sledging? Technology and incompetence prevents the uploading of the video clip of the inevitable wipeout, with yours truly cartwheeling and arse over elbowing instead of sitting in blue plastic tray, but once the ice dust settled and the bleeding stopped (hitting ice at speed was like hitting sandpaper and injuries like gravel rash were sustained to three limbs and left but cheek) I had one final go to show I wasn't scared. Crash MKII led me to conclusion that should I want to make my next birthday I had better get in doors

and eat cake. Before little t ate it all.

Be prepared

Being chained to the wrong end of a paintbrush all day meant little time for playing outside until very late on the pretence of taking the Technohermit a hot meal I snuck outdoors. The track was sort of clear, places facing south have clear patches. Some of the militias sheep were hanging out in the shelter of the trees lambs at foot. Ours are jumping for joy in the deep litter of the stable, yesterdays effort is now named Blue, as in out of, not my idea but a good name for a lamb born on a freezing Easter day.

Much of our Bonsai Mountain is still under the white stuff, so much so that it took a bit longer than usual to complete our circuit.

Biffer enjoyed the trip 

and we made it to the top

where the wind was particularly fierce

and one of us brought a torch which was a great help heading off down the North face Gully. I couldn't help myself and reduced the time taken to descend by sledgeless sledging (on my arse) which was great fun and gave the Berners something to chase apart from frozen rabbits.