Drama & Fun as The Aviva Womens Cycle race passes Darley Bridge - - - & - - - no rain today - - hopefully

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Enjoy the day - - - Enjoy the weather 

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LOCAL WEATHER TODAY

 Another 12c something start to a day when there's not much on the rain radar, maybe we are in for a dry day!

the familiar grey weathercam view across the valley of late is getting a little tedious.  The breeze today though is rather encouraging for a change in the weather nad the full moon Monday could be an influence on this - - - i hope - - - Forecasters are predicting some sunshine but not until late in the day
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With the Aviva Womens cycle race passing close by yesterday we decided to have a little potter in the garden beforehand

Our Wisteria which like the grape vine always looks like a dead stick during winter, exploded into life in spring and although we didn't have the late frosts of last year it failed to produce even one spike of blooms.  It needed clipping back so that was one job done

these 2 Camellias were in a position where other bits and bobs really began to overshadow them so drastic action was required.  We removed them from the garden and put them in pots.  The one on the left looks decidedly pale leaved.  The root systems were less than encouraging but here's hoping that the potting on helps them out - - -
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Watching cycle racing on the TV is one thing but standing on the side of the road and seeing 165 cyclists flash past is another.  The route doesn't go past our door so what better vantage point than sitting outside "The Square and Compass" at Darley Bridge ! - - -

 Fot part of our route we follow the old railway line and our multi million £ cycle track, noting with abject horror that a fence, costing goodness knows how much has been erected, both sides! of it.  Not only does it seem totally unnecessary but there is already a fence on the left hand side ! - - -

 further down Sally spots these lupins in an old meadow and we snap this photo hoping later in the year to get some seeds from the very light pink plant in the foreground!

 hundreds of em!

 the owner of the Church Inn Darley Dale is making a real effort on his outside seating area with this amusing display of "old boots" on a tree stump.  He has also taken out a piece of the fencing so you can walk onto this piece of ground and straight into the pub

 The graveyard at Church Town has had its annual mowing already

when we arrive at the pub we meet a couple of the organisers of the cycle race they are parked where I imagined would be a good place to catch the riders coming over the bridge and provide a running commentary of the approaching race

I have never seen so many police motorcycles in my life as the organiser bod says they have come from all over the country to volunteer for this escort and clearing duty - - -

It has more the air of a Manx TT than a cycle race at one point

the action is about to begin as a car with a loudspeaker comes over the bridge - - - with some motorcycles of course, anouncing that 11 riders are in a breakaway 1 min and 30 secs in front of the Peloton

even more motorcycles and you can just make out the lead rider in black and red, the bloke in the blue anorak on the bridge crouches to get a good shot 

I'm using burst on the camera so just hold the shutter button down - - The speed they come over the bridge is phenomenal and the lead rider is even on the radio as she rounds the corner in front of me, 

 in a trice the 11 lead riders are gone as Sally has a ringside seat outside the pub 

Not long after lead by yet another motorcycle is the peloton.  I still use burst looking over the top of the camera for the shots.  Once again the speed and now the noise of all those bikes rushing past is phenomenal Oh no! a drama unfolds right in front of me as a French rider 's chain has clearly come off 

at the realisation she looks down in this shot and is immediately on her radio calling for assistance

the last rider is preceded by a few of the service cars 

but as she goes past a whole convoy of them flashes past 

THE FUN IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! 

now coming along are a few "normal" vehicles tucked in with the convoy and a plethora of car and air horns are heard as the service vehicles, many of them left hand drive, go up the wrong side of the road in an effort to catch the race. 

A police car, oh and yet another motorcycle eager to catch up the race have their sirens on and coming over the bridge at speed cause the person in the blue car to go on the wrong side of the road to let them through, narrowly avoiding a head on with, thankfully a stationary vehicle 

next a lorry turns up followed by another then another then another,  the bridge is narrow and when one of these goes over nothing else can get across 

quite a Q develops and we chat with the freelander driver, he tells us of the chaos back on the A6 the cycle race has caused 

one final team vehicle rolls past i heard from the organiser bod that one of the Cipollini riders had abandoned - - - she looks like the one - - - 

Finally everything settles down and so do I, sitting outside the pub i watch a Blackbird fly and perch on the highest branch of a tree and sing his heart out proclaiming the Aviva Womens Cycle race at an end and peace and tranquillity return to Darley Bridge 

on our way back up the multi million £ cycle track with its very expensive fence the realisation that the new fence is for "health and safety" is seen as the Church Town junior school kids ride past on their own cycle race! - - - 

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A PEEK AT THE PAPER 

The Express, like many other papers focuses on the murder of Jo Cox's - - - 

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This astrologer claims the full moon on Monday, the day of the Summer Solstice might bring chaos, madness and even mass shootings.  The photo of him explaining his theory seems to capture his "enthusiasm" about it - - - 

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