Warming up for Wimbledon

Blimey, its a scorcher - much too hot for running so we decided to watch some tennis.

Keep your eye on the ball.

For peat's sake

On our trip to Donegal, in addition to climbing some local peaks we also went on a long mountain bike ride through the peat bogs. Fortunately these vast tracts of bog are criss-crossed with rough tracks to allow the locals to get to their designated area for cutting. We learnt that

@ cutting rights come with ownership of a local farm

@ each farm in this area has the right to cut up to 1/65th of the common peat bog land but can choose where that is - disputes over who cuts where seem to be settled down the pub

@ an average family cuts between 600 and 1000 bags a year to fuel house fires and kitchen ranges

@ the best quality peat is deep down but you are not allowed to cut within 10 cm of the base rock and hitting the rock will wreck your expensive cutting machine

@ peat is made from compressed spagnum moss -turf is the term for dried out peat sods .

@ peat regenerates at 1 cm per hundred years

@ peat turf is easy to balance on your head

On tour in Donegal - back next week accidents permitting

No time for sitting and gazing - the peaks and peat bogs beckon ...

Running can be dangerous

Accidents happen - you have to concentrate when running through London. Pavements are rarely even and your attention can be diverted at any time. We always say we are but one second away from some sort of disaster.

Luckily this major foot splinter did not result in an injury.

These racing bollards were not quite so fortunate ...