We only paid £30 each for our 'luxury' B&B which didn't entitle us to a cooked breakfast - we were cool with that. It didn't entitle us to the posh cereals either and we got the cheap seats. So funny - we got the (sticky) table in the kitchen with the super market own (Waitrose Essential , allelujay!!) cereals. The other guests got the posh room with the granola cereals. We did get to try the local honey but that was quickly moved to the other table too.
That said, we enjoyed our chat over breakfast with the owner: Mrs Reid. She is quite a gal - a 70 year old endurance rider who looks 60. She told us she was schooled at Hartwell House (near Pollicott!!) and got into endurance riding because her father wouldn't buy her a horse trailer (so she rode her horse back to school - through Reading and on to Hartwell) - I now forgive her the double bed faux pas!
We also heard that Sue MacGregor (Radio 4) was a Hartwell girl and interviewed her ex school mate, Mrs Reid, about her late husband's biography of Marie Curie. (Later research suggests this was Robert Reid - and his 1974 biography). If we had had the time methinks Mrs Reid would be an interesting story in her own right.
'Unfortunately' we had to leave so we said our goodbyes (to the dog, the geese, the pigs, the chickens and the lady sleeping in the horsebox). Then, one nice moment: as we set off up the driveway Mrs Reid chased behind us to take a photo. So we think she really cared about our mission - Hartwell must have simply bashed tact and diplomacy out of her. What a character. And, there are more adventures and characters to come - we will be back...
It has been almost three years since the Belles set a challenge. We haven't stopped, we simply need to re-set and re-focus and find time to get ourselves back in the zone.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
The Naked Truth 2
After waving Pollicott goodbye we were eager to embark on our weekend's adventure, and after what seemed only a short drive, but was in fact an hour and a half, we reached Avebury where we parked and got our bikes off the car, slapped on the sun cream and started on our way!! Free parking courtesy of the Avebury Club - permission given by a member we met in the local petrol station - what a lovely man.
The start of the Ridgeway was kind for the first few hundred yards, but the ruts soon set in and with Alex and Vicky complaining poor Sian must have wondered what she had let herself in for!!!!
JUST 5 miles in Vicky threw herself to the ground to claim the 1st fall of the ride and the culprit was a RUT, so maybe we were justified in our complaining! However we were soon up and off again, but only 3 miles on Vicky fell AGAIN, this time she managed to impale herself on the handlebars and the gear chain!! At this point we were very glad of our girl guide preparation and used our 1st aid kit!!
Another mile on Alex was our next casualty falling off into one of the only patches of stinging nettles in a huge field, once again the first aid kit came out and Vicky brandishing bite cream was quick to apply to Alex's already swelling arms!! Meanwhile Sian was busy photographing the event so we could put it onto facebook!! Alex produced some of her famous Sweeties!!
Just desserts - Sian got her wheel down a rut too and rolled elegantly into the undergrowth. Fantastic - she was stuck under her bike, unable to move, with Vicky and Alex wielding cameras and inwardly and outwardly chuckling, nay hooting. What a result!!
After our casualties we seemed to progress pretty well for a while, and we were all on the understanding that we had 20 miles to reach our B and B, so we felt confident that we were making good time. Then it got hotter and hotter and Alex was really suffering so Sian produced some jelly sweets and after a rest in the shade for a while the jellies had worked their magic and we were once more on our way.
Alex had a smart cycle computer fitted to her bike and after 20 miles on her computer there was still no sign of a B and B or Andy and Joe, our back up team for the first night. Andy rung to inform us that he had dropped our bags off at the B and B and he nearly got eaten by the dog AND the proprietor was very 'to the point'!!
AND NOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ...NAKED MAN INCIDENT....
Let's cut straight to the chase - on the final run of the day, just behind the White Horse (Uffington), we came across a fellow cyclist. "Don't mind me" said he "I'm just practising for next weekend". "Oh", says we "what are you doing next weekend then?" - genuine innocence reigned over the Pollicott Belles. "Naturist cycle ride in London" said he. "Oh" said we - looking down, then quickly up, then down again, then up again. We held 'polite conversation'. We cycled away, politely downhill, smiling inwardly. Then the first (how do I spell it?) 'phmmmmphhmppppkkkhhhgggfff....' from Vicky, followed by same from Alex, then me. By the bottom of the hill we were screaming with laughter. Andy knew we were on our way and he was still a mile away. My lasting memory will be from looking back - oh my god I should not have done that!!
The rest of the day was comparitively dull - however we still had Mrs Reid, her cockerel, her dog, her security light, her lampshade, her shower, her non-blind in the bathroom, the death ride in the car and the shock return of the naked cyclist midway through our dinner!!! not to mention her pointed announcement that I (Sian) looked like I needed a double bed - what??
We will tell you about breakfast tomorrow....
The start of the Ridgeway was kind for the first few hundred yards, but the ruts soon set in and with Alex and Vicky complaining poor Sian must have wondered what she had let herself in for!!!!
JUST 5 miles in Vicky threw herself to the ground to claim the 1st fall of the ride and the culprit was a RUT, so maybe we were justified in our complaining! However we were soon up and off again, but only 3 miles on Vicky fell AGAIN, this time she managed to impale herself on the handlebars and the gear chain!! At this point we were very glad of our girl guide preparation and used our 1st aid kit!!
Another mile on Alex was our next casualty falling off into one of the only patches of stinging nettles in a huge field, once again the first aid kit came out and Vicky brandishing bite cream was quick to apply to Alex's already swelling arms!! Meanwhile Sian was busy photographing the event so we could put it onto facebook!! Alex produced some of her famous Sweeties!!
Just desserts - Sian got her wheel down a rut too and rolled elegantly into the undergrowth. Fantastic - she was stuck under her bike, unable to move, with Vicky and Alex wielding cameras and inwardly and outwardly chuckling, nay hooting. What a result!!
After our casualties we seemed to progress pretty well for a while, and we were all on the understanding that we had 20 miles to reach our B and B, so we felt confident that we were making good time. Then it got hotter and hotter and Alex was really suffering so Sian produced some jelly sweets and after a rest in the shade for a while the jellies had worked their magic and we were once more on our way.
Alex had a smart cycle computer fitted to her bike and after 20 miles on her computer there was still no sign of a B and B or Andy and Joe, our back up team for the first night. Andy rung to inform us that he had dropped our bags off at the B and B and he nearly got eaten by the dog AND the proprietor was very 'to the point'!!
AND NOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ...NAKED MAN INCIDENT....
Let's cut straight to the chase - on the final run of the day, just behind the White Horse (Uffington), we came across a fellow cyclist. "Don't mind me" said he "I'm just practising for next weekend". "Oh", says we "what are you doing next weekend then?" - genuine innocence reigned over the Pollicott Belles. "Naturist cycle ride in London" said he. "Oh" said we - looking down, then quickly up, then down again, then up again. We held 'polite conversation'. We cycled away, politely downhill, smiling inwardly. Then the first (how do I spell it?) 'phmmmmphhmppppkkkhhhgggfff....' from Vicky, followed by same from Alex, then me. By the bottom of the hill we were screaming with laughter. Andy knew we were on our way and he was still a mile away. My lasting memory will be from looking back - oh my god I should not have done that!!
The rest of the day was comparitively dull - however we still had Mrs Reid, her cockerel, her dog, her security light, her lampshade, her shower, her non-blind in the bathroom, the death ride in the car and the shock return of the naked cyclist midway through our dinner!!! not to mention her pointed announcement that I (Sian) looked like I needed a double bed - what??
We will tell you about breakfast tomorrow....
Friday, 4 June 2010
The naked truth...
After waving Pollicott goodbye we were eager to embark on our weekend's adventure, and after what seemed only a short drive, but was in fact an hour and a half, we reached Avebury where we parked and got our bikes off the car, slapped on the sun cream and started on our way!! Free parking courtesy of the Avebury Club - permission given by a member we met in the local petrol station - what a lovely man.
The start of the Ridgeway was kind for the first few hundred yards, but the ruts soon set in and with Alex and Vicky complaining poor Sian must have wondered what she had let herself in for!!!!
JUST 5 miles in Vicky threw herself to the ground to claim the 1st fall of the ride and the culprit was a RUT, so maybe we were justified in our complaining! However we were soon up and off again, but only 3 miles on Vicky fell AGAIN, this time she managed to impale herself on the handlebars and the gear chain!! At this point we were very glad of our girl guide preparation and used our 1st aid kit!!
Another mile on Alex was our next casualty falling off into one of the only patches of stinging nettles in a huge field, once again the first aid kit came out and Vicky brandishing bite cream was quick to apply to Alex's already swelling arms!! Meanwhile Sian was busy photographing the event so we could put it onto facebook!! Alex produced some of her famous Sweeties!!
Just desserts - Sian got her wheel down a rut too and rolled elegantly into the undergrowth. Fantastic - she was stuck under her bike, unable to move, with Vicky and Alex wielding cameras and inwardly and outwardly chuckling, nay hooting. What a result!!
After our casualties we seemed to progress pretty well for a while, and we were all on the understanding that we had 20 miles to reach our B and B, so we felt confident that we were making good time. Then it got hotter and hotter and Alex was really suffering so Sian produced some jelly sweets and after a rest in the shade for a while the jellies had worked their magic and we were once more on our way.
Alex had a smart cycle computer fitted to her bike and after 20 miles on her computer there was still no sign of a B and B or Andy and Joe, our back up team for the first night. Andy rung to inform us that he had dropped our bags off at the B and B and he nearly got eaten by the dog AND the proprietor was very 'to the point'!!
AND NOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ...NAKED MAN INCIDENT....
Let's cut straight to the chase - on the final run of the day, just behind the White Horse (Uffington), we came across a fellow cyclist. "Don't mind me" said he "I'm just practising for next weekend". "Oh", says we "what are you doing next weekend then?" - genuine innocence reigned over the Pollicott Belles. "Naturist cycle ride in London" said he. "Oh" said we - looking down, then quickly up, then down again, then up again. We held 'polite conversation'. We cycled away, politely downhill, smiling inwardly. Then the first (how do I spell it?) 'phmmmmphhmppppkkkhhhgggfff....' from Vicky, followed by same from Alex, then me. By the bottom of the hill we were screaming with laughter. Andy knew we were on our way and he was still a mile away. My lasting memory will be from looking back - oh my god I should not have done that!!
The rest of the day was comparitively dull - however we still had Mrs Reid, her cockerel, her dog, her security light, her lampshade, her shower, her non-blind in the bathroom, the death ride in the car and the shock return of the naked cyclist midway through our dinner!!! not to mention her pointed announcement that I (Sian) looked like I needed a double bed - what??
We will tell you about breakfast tomorrow....
The start of the Ridgeway was kind for the first few hundred yards, but the ruts soon set in and with Alex and Vicky complaining poor Sian must have wondered what she had let herself in for!!!!
JUST 5 miles in Vicky threw herself to the ground to claim the 1st fall of the ride and the culprit was a RUT, so maybe we were justified in our complaining! However we were soon up and off again, but only 3 miles on Vicky fell AGAIN, this time she managed to impale herself on the handlebars and the gear chain!! At this point we were very glad of our girl guide preparation and used our 1st aid kit!!
Another mile on Alex was our next casualty falling off into one of the only patches of stinging nettles in a huge field, once again the first aid kit came out and Vicky brandishing bite cream was quick to apply to Alex's already swelling arms!! Meanwhile Sian was busy photographing the event so we could put it onto facebook!! Alex produced some of her famous Sweeties!!
Just desserts - Sian got her wheel down a rut too and rolled elegantly into the undergrowth. Fantastic - she was stuck under her bike, unable to move, with Vicky and Alex wielding cameras and inwardly and outwardly chuckling, nay hooting. What a result!!
After our casualties we seemed to progress pretty well for a while, and we were all on the understanding that we had 20 miles to reach our B and B, so we felt confident that we were making good time. Then it got hotter and hotter and Alex was really suffering so Sian produced some jelly sweets and after a rest in the shade for a while the jellies had worked their magic and we were once more on our way.
Alex had a smart cycle computer fitted to her bike and after 20 miles on her computer there was still no sign of a B and B or Andy and Joe, our back up team for the first night. Andy rung to inform us that he had dropped our bags off at the B and B and he nearly got eaten by the dog AND the proprietor was very 'to the point'!!
AND NOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ...NAKED MAN INCIDENT....
Let's cut straight to the chase - on the final run of the day, just behind the White Horse (Uffington), we came across a fellow cyclist. "Don't mind me" said he "I'm just practising for next weekend". "Oh", says we "what are you doing next weekend then?" - genuine innocence reigned over the Pollicott Belles. "Naturist cycle ride in London" said he. "Oh" said we - looking down, then quickly up, then down again, then up again. We held 'polite conversation'. We cycled away, politely downhill, smiling inwardly. Then the first (how do I spell it?) 'phmmmmphhmppppkkkhhhgggfff....' from Vicky, followed by same from Alex, then me. By the bottom of the hill we were screaming with laughter. Andy knew we were on our way and he was still a mile away. My lasting memory will be from looking back - oh my god I should not have done that!!
The rest of the day was comparitively dull - however we still had Mrs Reid, her cockerel, her dog, her security light, her lampshade, her shower, her non-blind in the bathroom, the death ride in the car and the shock return of the naked cyclist midway through our dinner!!! not to mention her pointed announcement that I (Sian) looked like I needed a double bed - what??
We will tell you about breakfast tomorrow....
Monday, 31 May 2010
Chain Reaction Threatens Belles Training!
Saturday 22nd May
Deep underground, crossing the borders of France and Switzerland, lies the Large Hadron Collider – the worlds largest particle collider – searching for the elusive Higgs boson – the theoretical answer to the universe.
Is this the chain reaction that came so close to threatening the Pollicott Belles training activities?
No, more down to earth events took place today.
It was a beautiful sunny morning as The Belles set off at 7am – Vicky looking especially dapper in her new cycling attire – and not a chip, bacon sandwich, or dollop of tomato ketchup in sight.
I’d had a few texts in the week suggesting I’d been giving Sian (aka Morse Miller) a bad time of late and I was expecting some payback, so I was already a little apprehensive. Sian has become famous for her understanding smile though – usually up to the point of a gruelling four hour marathon. Payback can be so cruel.
We set off down Dorton Hill, out across the A41, cross over towards Quainton, and back up the hill through Westcott towards home. Not so bad, I can handle that.
Then…………crunch………….”what the heck was that” I wondered? Had we been in the old mans 17 year old winter banger (which is now the 17 year old spring banger and heading rapidly into the 17 year old summer banger) I wouldn’t have bothered, crunching of any kind merely replaces the usual rattles and bangs. This was a new experience for me – a cycling ‘crunch’ followed by some very easy peddling and not a lot of movement. The chain reaction had begun – in fact the chain had fallen off! “Oh bother”.
Fortunately Sian (bless her) had already covered this in earlier training - ‘Module III – Emergency Chain Replacement’ so I was up and away in no time. “Ah” I hissed “bring it on” – so it did……….crunch…………the thing came off again.
Maybe I hadn’t taken in as much of Module III as I thought. So I had another go.
This time it seemed to work but I was a little less flippant about my repair – I’d leave that until I got back this time! By now I was way behind and very much on a lonesome ride playing catch up – when I bumped into Derek – our lovely postman of many years.
Derek decided some help was warranted and provided a ‘rear guard’ for me in absence of the rest of The Belles and stayed with me back to Pollicott.
Back at Vickys I discovered there is something great about being ten minutes behind everyone else – the coffee was ready, along with cakes, not to mention the calculations had already been done – an impressive 15.5 miles!!
“Hey baby” as Diana Ross once sang “we’re at the beginning of a chain reaction”.
A week to go now………..stay tuned, it’s getting close.
Alex xx
Deep underground, crossing the borders of France and Switzerland, lies the Large Hadron Collider – the worlds largest particle collider – searching for the elusive Higgs boson – the theoretical answer to the universe.
Is this the chain reaction that came so close to threatening the Pollicott Belles training activities?
No, more down to earth events took place today.
It was a beautiful sunny morning as The Belles set off at 7am – Vicky looking especially dapper in her new cycling attire – and not a chip, bacon sandwich, or dollop of tomato ketchup in sight.
I’d had a few texts in the week suggesting I’d been giving Sian (aka Morse Miller) a bad time of late and I was expecting some payback, so I was already a little apprehensive. Sian has become famous for her understanding smile though – usually up to the point of a gruelling four hour marathon. Payback can be so cruel.
We set off down Dorton Hill, out across the A41, cross over towards Quainton, and back up the hill through Westcott towards home. Not so bad, I can handle that.
Then…………crunch………….”what the heck was that” I wondered? Had we been in the old mans 17 year old winter banger (which is now the 17 year old spring banger and heading rapidly into the 17 year old summer banger) I wouldn’t have bothered, crunching of any kind merely replaces the usual rattles and bangs. This was a new experience for me – a cycling ‘crunch’ followed by some very easy peddling and not a lot of movement. The chain reaction had begun – in fact the chain had fallen off! “Oh bother”.
Fortunately Sian (bless her) had already covered this in earlier training - ‘Module III – Emergency Chain Replacement’ so I was up and away in no time. “Ah” I hissed “bring it on” – so it did……….crunch…………the thing came off again.
Maybe I hadn’t taken in as much of Module III as I thought. So I had another go.
This time it seemed to work but I was a little less flippant about my repair – I’d leave that until I got back this time! By now I was way behind and very much on a lonesome ride playing catch up – when I bumped into Derek – our lovely postman of many years.
Derek decided some help was warranted and provided a ‘rear guard’ for me in absence of the rest of The Belles and stayed with me back to Pollicott.
Back at Vickys I discovered there is something great about being ten minutes behind everyone else – the coffee was ready, along with cakes, not to mention the calculations had already been done – an impressive 15.5 miles!!
“Hey baby” as Diana Ross once sang “we’re at the beginning of a chain reaction”.
A week to go now………..stay tuned, it’s getting close.
Alex xx
Do you remember ‘Lift of in Pollicott’
Tuesday 18th May
January 17th 2010 – do you remember ‘Lift of in Pollicott’ “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, (T minus 5), four, three, two, one…….Pollicott we have lift off”?
Well, in ten days time it is lift off, The Belles begin the 65 mile ride along The Ridgeway from Wiltshire to home. It really is that close so another mid-week training session was on the cards – time to squeeze in as much as we can.
Sian had a netball commitment down at Ashfold School and left early with Andy, leaving Vicky and me to meet up with them a little later at The Gatehangers pub in Ashendon (more about this later).
Tonights route took us out of Ashendon down the hill towards Brill on what has become known (to us) as The Dorton Loop – maybe one day it will become famous – see Wikipedia ‘Dorton Loop’ – a route of cycling agony and pain initiated by The Pollicott Belles!. Ah! – fame at last.
By recent standards an hour out on the road doesn’t seem like much, but speed is certainly picking up and The Dorton Loop is a decent run (see Wikipedia), so a stop off at The Gatehangers pub was the least we deserved. After such a brisk workout a drink was well deserved and trust Vicky to ‘max out’ at the first opportunity (well, old Morse Miller wasn’t about was she?) and two pints of lager and a bowl of chips later the damage was done.
Enter Sian – “hello hello – what’s going on here then”? Too late, empty glasses and chip bowl already in the dishwasher. “Hi Sian, fancy a diet coke” I said, waving my glass aloft. “Hick – yesh, a diet coke” added Vicky.
It appears our new Landlord at the Gatehangers, Andy (lets call him Andy II to save confusion with Sians Andy), has clearly been following The Belles progress. Deftly avoiding the subjects of lager, chips, and tomato ketchup, he was enthusiastic about our exploits as portrayed on our blog updates. Good going Andy II, and not a word to Morse Miller – we’ll sort a bung out later.
So another training session done, a fun night to the end the day, and now only nine days to go before we hit the road for real.
Alex xx
January 17th 2010 – do you remember ‘Lift of in Pollicott’ “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, (T minus 5), four, three, two, one…….Pollicott we have lift off”?
Well, in ten days time it is lift off, The Belles begin the 65 mile ride along The Ridgeway from Wiltshire to home. It really is that close so another mid-week training session was on the cards – time to squeeze in as much as we can.
Sian had a netball commitment down at Ashfold School and left early with Andy, leaving Vicky and me to meet up with them a little later at The Gatehangers pub in Ashendon (more about this later).
Tonights route took us out of Ashendon down the hill towards Brill on what has become known (to us) as The Dorton Loop – maybe one day it will become famous – see Wikipedia ‘Dorton Loop’ – a route of cycling agony and pain initiated by The Pollicott Belles!. Ah! – fame at last.
By recent standards an hour out on the road doesn’t seem like much, but speed is certainly picking up and The Dorton Loop is a decent run (see Wikipedia), so a stop off at The Gatehangers pub was the least we deserved. After such a brisk workout a drink was well deserved and trust Vicky to ‘max out’ at the first opportunity (well, old Morse Miller wasn’t about was she?) and two pints of lager and a bowl of chips later the damage was done.
Enter Sian – “hello hello – what’s going on here then”? Too late, empty glasses and chip bowl already in the dishwasher. “Hi Sian, fancy a diet coke” I said, waving my glass aloft. “Hick – yesh, a diet coke” added Vicky.
It appears our new Landlord at the Gatehangers, Andy (lets call him Andy II to save confusion with Sians Andy), has clearly been following The Belles progress. Deftly avoiding the subjects of lager, chips, and tomato ketchup, he was enthusiastic about our exploits as portrayed on our blog updates. Good going Andy II, and not a word to Morse Miller – we’ll sort a bung out later.
So another training session done, a fun night to the end the day, and now only nine days to go before we hit the road for real.
Alex xx
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
100% and beyond....
Just a quick celebrationary, flag waving, cheerleading, wey hey, woo hoo, break dancing moment - with less than 2 weeks to the big off we have hit our £1000 target. Thank you everyone who helped us achieve this amazing result - and there's still time to go beyond.
Monday, 17 May 2010
A Recipe for Fundraising Success
You will need:
• A large dash of wine
• Plenty of nibbles
• Generous to a fault raffle prizes
• Clare Cook enterprises!!
• 48 People
• 2 Chefs• A large dash of wine
• Plenty of nibbles
• Generous to a fault raffle prizes
• Clare Cook enterprises!!
In the heat of the moment our 2 chefs conjured up some truly amazing pro vs. pamp 'ready steady cook' style dishes that just had to be tasted:
- PRO - John Rimmer - the legendary head chef from The Lambert Arms, Lewknor turned out not one, but two exceptional mains - Pan Fried Salmon with a cream and leek sauce (sod the roux - see below) and Poached Salmon with sautéed new potatoes, cherry tomatoes and courgette. Followed by a date sponge to die for.
- PAMP - Clare Cook - the tireless pampered chef from Ashendon put up an exceptional challenge with her Carbonara Pizza followed by Waffleberry Pudding.
On a more serious note, John shared a few tips with us like:
- Put a couple of teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda in cabbage to keep the green colour strong
- Place salmon in the (very hot) pan away from you so the oil doesn't spit back
- Don't bother with a roux sauce - use butter and cream instead
Then finally thanks to everyone for coming along, joining in the madness and handing over your hard earned cash so willingly. We love you. Latest (and almost final) fundraising result is £350 to be split equally between The Pollicott Belles Ridgeway Cycle for Macmillan Cancer Support and Edward Cook's Mount Kilimanjaro Trek for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
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