St Albans Abbey

Having just visited the city of St Albans which the Romans occupied over 2,000 years ago, the Roman name of which is Verulamium, I thought you might like to see a picture of St Albans Abbey, which is a magnifient building and looking at it from the perspective of the 21st century with modern building methods and mechanical machinery it leaves one in wonder how the craftsmen in those days managed to contruct the building. Have a prosperous 2014.

Just a picture to look at

I haven't uploaded anything lately on my blog, but cycling not too far from home I took a picture of this plough (American plow!) beside a farmer's field, which reminds one of the advancement of modern farming methods over the past century. The other picture is the lane where I live. There is a small bridge over the River Lea, the river eventually flows into the River Thames. Have a nice Christmas.

A Hamlet with riches?

As I cycle around the Hertfordshire country lanes there are small hamlets such as this one at Diamond End which has just a few houses nestling in a wood. There is no chance of becoming rich though, not a diamond in sight! The route is part of the Chiltern Cycleway with maps provided by local authorities for the benefit of cyclists. The Chilterns are an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Something Elible!

In the county of Kent in England not too far from the the cross Channel port of Dover are the two villages of Sandwich and Ham which cause much amusement to visitors to the area. I put the location of England because I notice in my statistics there are viewers from around the world, which is very gratifying. The season of autumn is upon is in England and it is very enjoyable cycling around the country lanes and seeing the autumn colours on the trees. Have a nice sandwich for your lunch!

The Old Court Room

When I visited the city of St Albans recently I visited the old court room in the town hall. It is a picture of the past with not a bright light anywhere!

On meeting a balloon

On a beautiful Sunday morning riding down a country lane I happen to see this hot air balloon landing in a gentle breeze. With autumn arriving and the leaves on the trees turning a golden brown it is very nice cycling weather.

A Reflective Bicycle

I was walking around a town in Germany when I came across this display in a shop window. Kerger I presume was a well-known rider in his day. A so-called penny farthing (named after the currency in the UK before the introduction of decimalisation.) The size of the large wheel determines the gear ratio, so the smaller the wheel the lower the gear. The rider has to be agile to mount the bike. Stopping can be a problem with one brake touching the solid tyre. So if the rider applies it too hard there is a good chance the rider can go over the top. It was soon superseded by the so-called "safety" design which all the modern bikes are based on.