Holland

Here I am in Holland once again. Drove to Harwich (almost 200 miles) Monday morning for the 9.00 ferry to Hook of Holland. Nice restful journey, managed a snooze and did some work. I have been worried about this week, 2 days of testing with the client as I don't know our warehousing product. I know more about it now. Monday night had a couple of beers and a steak, then went to drink a bottle of wine i bought on the ferry. It was disgusting stuff. Poured half away.
Tuesday preparing and Wednesday and Thursday the testing, the radio frequency programs were a problem, but I ended up getting them working, ish.
Anyhoo, felt so relived it was all over last night went to a supermarket in Aalsmeer & bought some wine & bread & stuff, had a blowout and drank loads of lager in the bar, even talked to a Chinese guy who came from somewhere near the earthquake-hit region.

Sleeping very awkwardly this week, on Saturday Jayne and the boy went to her mothers to mow the lawn and tidy the gardens, so I went to Wyre Forest for some mtb fun. Parked at the forest visitor centre then went down to Dowles valley, along the disused railway into Bewdley, had a look at the Severn, then along the road to the Dowles, along a track next to the stream, very very muddy. Then - disaster, my front wheel was sucked up in some mud and I fell on my right side onto some tree stumps that really hurt my ribs. Carried on, past the bridge that was demolished in last year's floods, the going got better. Feet wet though !



Even with my pain I enjoyed this. Up the hill towards Buttonoak, a hard climb, managed to keep out of the granny ring. Then went bouncing along the North edge of the wood with the intention of descending back on a bridle path to the Dowles valley, but, er, the magic forest tracks took me off in another direction, to the West and into an area with hardly anyone about (1 woman walking her dog) buts lots of lovely singletrack. Got off and walked at some of the steep bits, didn't want another fall, eventually came to a good track that took me down to the footbridge at the very Western end of the forest, this is nearby Goodmoorhill Farm when me & David camped on whit weekend in 1999, good fun that was !
Lots of bluebells out...
Along the valley on a mixture of dry and rutted and muddy tracks,


over a bridge, noting I was on the Mercian Way, then a long 2 miles uphill back to the car park. And to scrape some of the mud off me and my bike.


In the evening mowed the grass and cleaned my car, which didn't help my sore ribs.
Dad for dinner on Sunday, shattered Sunday evening and didn't sleep too well worrying about the next few days.