The Yorkshire Dales

I'm back! we've had a lovely few days chilling out, eating good food, drinking tea, resisting the urge to buy up entire second hand bookshops and actually doing quite a lot of exercise. I didn't mean to, it just kind of happened. And most of it was fun.

Monday was book day
We spent the day exploring Sedburgh ("England's book town"), although a lot of it was still closed. I was convinced spring had sprung because the weather had seemed so lovely and bright and hopeful at home. It seems spring has yet to creep up to Yorkshire. There was some evidence in the valleys but apparently the force of new life is not strong enough yet to climb the mountainsides. Give it a little more time.
I got a couple of 'geeky' books about popular science (to add to the pile of half read 'thinking' type books I already have) and one claiming to introduce philosophy in an accessible way. From the things my friend who studied philosophy at Uni used to say I'm not sure such a thing is possible, but I would like to know more so thought it was worth a try.
I also got a few knickknacks to start off my spring swap package. Not books though, too heavy for the postage!

Tuesday was crazy vertical biking day
or it felt like at least. I used to ride a bike quite a lot as a teenager. It was a useful way to get places, and helped me get there quicker than walking and with less potential for ickyness than getting the bus.
Last year I had decided that it would be a good thing to do more exercise and that getting a bike would be a good way of making this happen. I got a bike, but it didnt happen. So at Christmas when A got a new bike he talked me into restarting the whole bike thing. My new new bike is red and white and black, and I got a helmet to match.
The plan to keep it interesting was to try some 'forest trails', so I looked up some places near our holiday spot and we set off to try out Gisburn forest. Yes, some forest trails, and also some crazy mad twisty paths made of logs over a swamp. They were obviously designed for actual moutainbikers rather than me, but it's quite tricky to get back off a trail of wood the width of a human being that is floating over a swamp. I wibbled and wobbled and walked my way through it, and didn't fall in. First achievement of the day.
Once I escaped the floating wood swamp a lot of the other paths were pretty good fun, especially the one were I got to be a human marble on wheels, weaving my way down a zig zag path between the trees. The whole forest seemed to be a really good mix of paths for walking, riding, and being crazy on if you were that way inclined.
Since I got through the trip without getting covered head to toe in mud or breaking anything I have decided I enjoy mountain biking.

I'll tell you about Wednesday (a hill, inside and out) and Thursday (more bikes) later. For now it is time for tea.