This was the turfing forecast for Monday, 2nd September. Visibility: poor, 150m. 10m for spectacle wearers. Timing: Imminent, all day long. Wind: westerly, 5 mph. Cloud cover: low, ground level. Precipitation: Scotch mist, drizzle, dreich. App function: variable, totally crazy, random. Outlook: miserable, moist, absolute crap. Just what we don’t need when you want to go turfing.
However, temperatures were mild so no need to worry about numb fingers and toes, and a light waterproof jacket would suffice for the upper regions. Legs were left bare to manage on their own without protection. Tends to be too hot otherwise. Rosewell was my chosen destination as I already held most of Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith.
So, what can we say about turfing in the rain, or in other words, fine Scottish drizzle. First thing I will say is that my bicycle bell does not work as well when wet. The rain drops seem to dull the tone of the bell down. More of a dull clunk clunk than a bright cheery ting ting. Of course, I now want to remedy this. Perhaps something to stop the water drops adhering to the bell? Might start off with some car polish on the bell to bead the droplets. Okay, I know I’m mad but nought wrong with that.
Next thing I can say is that wet brakes levers and wet fingers do not go well together. Thought some rubber covers might help but there does not seem to be anything available out there. No doubt because the levers for a drop bar handlebar bike are dual purpose, operating both brakes and gear change. Need to get the thinking cap on.
The TURF Ultimate Region Fight 2024 continues and after 3 days Team Scotland is doing well and with plenty of turfing time still available, we are still in contention for the winners position. What amazes me is how many points some of the top scorers are collecting and you wonder how they manage that. You can see exactly why when you pop their turf name into FRUT and check how many hours they are actually turfing. 8 to 12 hours seems to be what is required to get those big points. Wish I was still in my 20’s, I’d be up there with them.
A few days ago I posted a few paragraphs about purchasing another bike for off-road use. However, I’ve been watching some cycling videos in the Pentland Hills, one of my target areas for riding this new bike and when I saw the conditions, thought, cannot be arsed with that! All that sticky mud, smelly bog water and steep climbs have put me off. And when I’m out riding my present ultimate turfing bicycle, the Ribble CRG SL, with it’s smooth and almost silent passage and comfortable riding position, I think this is the business. Guess I must be getting old!
Finally, I’ve been adding a few finishing touches to the Turf Scotland Advent Calendar 2024, adding a few more sneaky little embellishments to make some of the daily tasks all the more challenging, and fun, of course. Each daily tasks requires you to take 5 zones and each day also has an additional option which you can complete if desired. There will also be a prize draw again this year and I’m busy hand-crafted the prize in the Planet Gary workshop. Fingers crossed it turns out okay. More soon.
Copyright ©2024 Gary Buckham. All rights reserved.
