Just for those who might be thinking of growing a beard this winter
I happened to be in a showhouse earlier this week. These
palaces of perfection come stuffed with more scatter cushions than you could
use in a lifetime. Of course it’s all carefully staged so that you want to buy
into their utopian world of elegance and sophistication. What took my interest
most was a bicycle themed bedroom. A glossy cycling magazine casually placed on
top of the bedside cabinet, curiously had a large magnifying glass fashioned
out of a bike chain resting on the cover. Hung on one wall was a wheel minus
its tyre, which looked as though it might have come off of an old fashioned
pram rather than a bike. Still, I dare
say it all fitted in with the interior designer’s idea of what every cycling
enthusiast is looking for in a bedroom. At one time the room would have been themed around motor racing or golf,
but interior designers know what’s hot. The thing is we Clarions do what we do,
because that’s who we are and not because it happens to be in fashion. And,
we’ll still be doing it when the circus has packed up and left town, whenever that might be.
With the big top still standing tall and not a clown in
sight (the last bit is debatable), five of us set off on Saturday’s club ride
to Toomers Garden Centre at Lydiard Millicent. This proved to be an ideal
window of opportunity, as we managed to make it there and back in the dry. The
mild weather ensured that the only moisture we had to contend with was that
generated by our own body heat.
After a pleasant ride across the Dauntsey Vale, we climbed
Chesley Hill at Grittenham up to Tockenham and rode eventually around to Royal
Wootton Bassett, where there was an enforced stop to fix a puncture.
We're still going al fresco in late November!
Whilst Toomers might lack the ambience of some of the cafes
we visit, this is more than compensated for by the extremely reasonable prices;
decent slices of homemade cake are just £1.50 and the obliging staff who allow
us to wheel our bikes through the shop and café. The temperature inside the café
is always blisteringly hot and so we chose to sit outside.
We lingered over our refreshments in case Mike and Maureen
were trying to find us, but when it seemed unlikely that they’d still be
coming, we left in close formation, led by Howard and trundled off to Purton.
Having enjoyed the exhilarating descent at Pavenhill, we
settled into a comfortable pace back to Malmesbury.
Garmin reference: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/6278192
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