Category: nature

Here… near Cropredy

Not quite in the village as yet. Located out in the wilds.

Life is very quite here. I have the geese. The fields. The cows and the crows.

Varney's lock - Oxford canal
Varney’s lock – Oxford canal

There’s the odd boater who stops beyond the bridge and the odd boater that stops with me here, before the locks.

There’s a fair bit of traffic coming through. That’s through from the marina, Cropredy Marina or the locks. Claydon.

A few every day. Weekends more busy.

It’s very peaceful here.

Fenny Compton - Tunnels
Fenny Compton – Tunnels

I actually moved down four weeks ago, but due to time restraints and some technical problems, haven’t got round to writing and uploading.

Fenny to Cropredy

Although people stop in between. It doesn’t appeal personally, to little mobile and solar. No roads. No shops. No nothing… Better to enjoy passing through…

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[Video] Slithering Snake crosses road in Turkish mountains

Snake crosses road just before I cycle over it!

Unexpected Roadblocks in the Turkish Mountains When you are cycling through the stunning mountain passes of Turkey, you expect to see breathtaking views, tough gradients, and quiet roads. But sometimes, the local wildlife demands your attention instead. In this short, unedited clip, a rather large snake takes its sweet time slithering across the tarmac right in front of my bike.

Encounters like this are a thrilling reminder of how wild the Turkish countryside can be!

miniClip of a Steatoda (false widow spider) as it eats mate

Steatoda – false widow spider eats mate

🍽️ Bad Romance: A False Widow’s Idea of a Dinner Date

If you thought the modern dating scene was tough, spare a thought for the male Steatoda spider. Captured right here on an everyday brick wall, this short macro footage shows a female False Widow partaking in a bit of post-courtship snacking—by literally eating her mate.

Usually, a male spider approaches a female’s web with extreme caution. He plucks the silk threads like a guitar string to signal, “Hey, I’m a boyfriend, not a bug!” Unfortunately for this little guy, his partner decided he could be both.

While their infamous cousins, the true Black Widows, get all the Hollywood press for this behavior, our common False Widows are fully capable of the same brutal “sexual cannibalism.”

Why do female spiders eat their mates?

  • The Ultimate Protein Shake: Producing egg sacs takes a massive amount of energy. A male who hangs around too long after the deed is done is just a convenient, protein-packed snack.
  • Bad Timing: If the female is already hungry when he arrives, romance goes straight out the window.
  • Evolutionary Sacrifice: Biologists say his sacrifice gives his future offspring a better chance of survival. (Though we highly doubt he sees it that way).

Next time your partner steals a chip off your plate or complains about your restaurant choice, just remember this video. It could be much, much worse. You could be a male Steatoda.

Taken from post https://www.michaeltyler.co.uk/back-in-twyford-wharf/

Back in Twyford Wharf

Bletchley and Fenny Stratford

At the bottom end of Milton Keynes.

This is somewhere I passed through many years ago. https://www.michaeltyler.co.uk/bourne-end-weedon/

That time, I didn’t really stop in Milton Keynes. I remember coming through and stopping at the Tesco in Leighton Buzzard.

The canals on the Grand Union are a lot deeper. There’s absolutely 0 chance you’d be able to cover that amount of distance on the narrow-gauge canals of the Lower Oxford. The small and convenient size of the Oxford Canal locks are more than off-set by the forced low cruising speed in the 3-4 deep water.

Bike is fixed!

Mostly fixed… After disassembling the rear wheel, I saw that the bearings housing was deteriorated to the point of flaking off into the bearings, which is why it was making the squeaking and crunching.

I looked into the new wheel option. Halfords was not the cheapest. But, unlike Tredz, they offer a click and collect service, rather than delivery by DPD which has always represented a pain in the ass in the past.

I think it was £5 more. Not a lot really. Arrived at the Halfords store after a few days for me to pick up.

New rear wheel - KX 700c from Halfords
New rear wheel – KX 700c from Halfords

More or less slotted it in using the tools I’d purchased beforehand.

The only other thing was applying RIM TAPE, I looked around in Halfords and online, and it seemed overpriced, £7 for some what looks around 2m of electrical tape. The old wheel had it’s RIM TAPE intact. Rather than buy some, just gently pried it off the old wheel and slipped it onto the new wheel. Worked like a dream….

The bearings were ready greased and once the cassette was on, it was ready to roll. Literally. Took about 25 minutes.

Chain whip SRAM spanner fitting
Chain whip SRAM spanner fitting

The repair in total cost £10 for the tools. £55 for the wheel.

Went for a ride up the canal towpath toward Wolverton first day when the rain had stopped.

Everything worked perfect. Job done!

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Wey Valley Navigation

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Took a day off from the Thames and decided to cycle down the navigable stretch of the Wey Valley Navigation.

National Trust

This is part of their portfolio. If you want to take any craft down, you have to register with them on their website.

This is what the Wey Navigation canal looks like
This is what the Wey Navigation canal looks like

I did check the prices out and considered including a trip down as part of the Thames navigation I’m making at the moment on my narrowboat.

When I checked the prices, the attractions, other boaters opinions and the various media available (photo’s, videos), it didn’t seem worth the asking price.

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