Happy Easter

 The majority of our day has been spent in search of items. Yours truly spent two hour looking for new lungs on an insane bike ride early doors. The apprentice spent part of the morning looking for droppings left by the Easter Bunny.

 While the real Easter Bunny was resident in the kitchen, well, ok its not really the real one, its a couple of bunnies called Peter and Thomas, both boys and it took a while to decide on names, Lucy was a favourite from the apprentice for several days leaving the bun with an identity crisis.

Late afternoon was spent looking for Alana who followed some hikers who had the temerity to walk through her domain and not give her the contents of her lunch box.

All change

The pocket rocket is going through his startling spring moult, from dark brown to white not quite horse pooh white in a matter of days (scroll down to see him a week ago)

Speed machine has been rebuilt and is ready to go again after an encounter with a strange bike shop in Rhayader. It looks like a pub (it was, the bar is the shop counter) and there is barely room to stand in it once you get past the gleaming bikes. But amongst the chaos of shiny bits the bike wizard (he looked like one, just deficit the pointy hat and gown with stars on it) found the exact rear wheel I required which came with a tyre and tube. Then he proceeded to replace freebie tyre and tube with my better stuff and put on the rear cassette to me thus saving hours of fiddling and inevitable breakages as I tried to do the same. He guessed my wheel was 3 to 4 years old (11 months actually) and would have happily sold me the front one but had lent to a mate. By the time I left the shop with new wheel, freebie tyre and tube with a pocket set of tyre levers thrown in I was a very happy bunny and almost convinced that this shop was better than the internet.

Excess Baggage.

Unlike last Easter break when we went sledging, this years sunny spell meant a quick trip to the coast (not at all a recce of a long bike ride route) where we engaged in traditional activities of bothering crabs and shivering while eating ice cream. The apprentice soon got the hang of Bank Holiday weather and discarded all protective clothing so he could turn as blue as his wellies while the MkII rug rat tried to eat the beach a handful at a time. After a quick game of beach cricket which entailed yours truly slogging the ball as far down the beach as the prevailing wind would allow and toddler running after it shouting "That's a good shot Daddy" ad infinitum we returned to Rock HQ where racing steed was prepped for mega ride Easter Day. 

Racing steed has been used for commutes since last mega ride in County Durham and has felt a bit slow, which I put down to me accumulating lard from birthday excess. However thanks to having purchased a bargain set of tyres with a pretty white band each side, while I was changing boring black but perfectly good tyres for fancy types which weigh .25 of a gramme less than the old ones thus offsetting the 3 kilos of extra lard the pilot carries after binging on Northern ales and cookies, the cause of slowness was discovered.  As rear wheel cover was snapped into place and the valve located to inflate it one of the spokes just fell off. There being only 20 of a bladed aerodynamic type, the loss of one is, especially given the weight of rider, going to have an impact. Fear not thought I as I retrieved from floor, tis but a simple task of re poking spoke back in hole and attaching to wheel and tightening spoke with spoke tightener on my Swiss Army knife (its the funny looking bit next to the get the stone out of horsey hoof bit which is another you will never ever use) Anyway on trying to fix it the full horror of what had happened to wheel became abundantly clear as a large chunk of everso expensive alloy fell off the rear hub. This bit is intrinsic to keeping spoke attached to wheel. The loss of this chunk meant spoke 19 was also in peril of joining spoke 20 and spoke 18 was as bent as Tory MP's expenses claim. I gave the wheel a half hearted spin contemplating Sundays ride with a less than full compliment of spokes and gave up all hope when it spun with a bigger buckle than found on a Cavaliers boot. Unless the back wheel fairey arrives between now and Easter then my speed machine will not be joining in the fun. Its done over 3000 miles since last April so has been hammered but I wasn't expecting such metal fatigue especially in such good wheels, even with a heavier than average rider.  

A ride of a different sort tried to cheer me up, Apollo the wonder foal who, when he arrived here 4 years ago, could not see over the stable door, is now a muscle bound softie who is always on the lookout for extra calories. Hes clearing up after the Ryelands here, not that they have left much.

By the way, good guesses re Irene but no one has got it right yet, she's not from Dexy's Midnight Runners or Blackhawk Down, think of legwarmers and guess again. 

One quick question

Daddy, if I say he followed me home can I keep him.......................... Errr...No.

Come on Irene

 She has a name now.

 It's Irene. If you can guess why you can have her.

 Meanwhile more lazy delivery drivers have not been to Rock HQ and jettisoned their cargo down at the gateway to the world. This crash mat uber large dog bed was crammed into the back of Gerry for the long haul up the track.

We nearly made it.

A new one on me

Since we began smallholding we have been amazed at the capacity of Ryeland sheep for self harm or suicide. We had a new one to deal with, thankfully the sheep survived, Snowy has had a lamb and to spare the gory detail but to inform, lambs have a special type of bright orange pooh for the first few days after birth. This has all the adhesive properties of the glue used to keep the heat shield tiles on the NASA space shuttles nose cone. Snowy's lamb (yet to be named, lets see if she lives long enough to get one) obviously needed a pooh and did one. And another. Totally sealing her bottom with orange pooh. You can guess the rest, well nealry all of it. The consequence was a build up of pressure so the poor thing waddled into the yard seeking relief which was gained by yours truly holding striken beast while beautiful and oh so patent wife prised pooh seal off. Lamb bleated in pain put happily backfired all over MBAOSPW's arm and much relieved was able to bounce happily back to Snowy for more ammunition. Smallholding is nothing if not glamorous!

Extreme grazing

High on the hill, well above the cliff face actually is our one and only lamb with her mum Snowy.

Trevor the pocket rocket and Misty were let out onto the spring grass today, they were so excited, you can tell by looking at them.

Little and Large

 With a jobs list that gets longer by the minute today's sunshine was welcome as it meant that instead of getting on we got out from HQ and went visiting. Over in the land of the Stable Sprite we saw Party Pig and her little brother. Party Pig and lil bro are both the same age from the same litter, but guess which one was the runt of the litter. Party Pig is going to be joining the celebrations at the 3rd Annual Dolyhir Bernese Mountain Dog Treasure Hunt 8th June 2014.

 Across from Party Pigs Pen we said hello to Will.I.Am who was very pleased to see us, and our apples. He's having a great time.

 As was the apprentice smallholder who rearranged the raised borders.

 Later at Horsey Summer School our two big mutleys made friends

 with a small bearded collie who was keen to make friends provided it was from under Miranda.

Little donkey came over to say hello even though it was very embarrassed about its haircut.