Contortionist

I decided I'd have a go at fixing the puncture which I picked up on my bike yesterday, so hunted down my repair kit and tyre levers, got the bike out of the shed, upended it and took the wheel off. The tyre came off fairly easily and I took the tube out, pumped it up and ran it through a bowl of water to see where the air was coming from. It didn't take long to find and I slapped a patch on it, put it all back together and pumped it up again.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to clean the bike while the wheel was off, so I spent the next hour de-gunging the gears and the gear changing mechanism and washing the mud of. Next time I ride it, it should be about half the weight and many times more efficient. Unfortunately, when I went back to check the front wheel, it had gone flat again. So, off came the tyre, out came the tube and I ran it through the water in the bowl again - which did a good impression of a jacuzzi. Far too many holes to fix, so it's a trip into town tomorrow to buy a new tube.

My blip is unfurling bracken. I've been watching them develop and took several shots of the unfurling part, but also some close ups of the fronds. There are some very strong patterns and the colours are very fresh at this time of year. I find the way they grow, turn into spirals and then unfurl a fascinating process to watch. It my be worth trying some time-lapse photography on it.