Condorosa

It was a bit ‘grey’ earlier but the sun is coming out now at last. A fine morning for bike-riding to Elton and from there to the canal. The Heron was at the water run-off but I didn’t bother him.





As I write this at about 10.25, it’s absolutely pouring-down!

Tinkering (Photo’s) updated.

I don’t mind the rain – however heavy. But at times it does make it really hard to get photographs! So I’m a bit limited in that area today. It was raining hard and the wind driving it into eyes like daggers! But it’s only weather.
And sometimes weather is wet.
Especially in Radcliffe!!

Or, where the last pics were taken, in Bury – the border runs through Elton Reservoir. But rain doesn’t bother about borders.

It was dry, at about eight around Withins and Elton reservoirs at Radcliffe/Bury, but pretty cold and overcast and looking like rain at any minute.

Strong wind across Elton and swans kept to the sheltered sides.



Back inside now and the rain is pouring! Missed it by inches.

The weather-change from yesterday is total! It’s cold wet and windy with cloud hiding the hills and heavy rain between slightly sunny slots.
There was one walking by the reservoir that wasn’t at all bothered by the rain or chilly weather.


The only annoying thing about such weather is: as soon as I got home the sun came out!

Page Updates:
Computers: Getting rid of a re-directing bug in Vista.
Food-Production 2: Peas.
Bikes 2 – Repairs: Service on a Giant ATB.

Bright sunshine and very low wind out there today – so some watery reflections might be on the cards.
The footpath to Withins Reservoir was more or less dry so a pic or two was taken there.
Up at Elton there was a rod and line out but I don’t know if anything had been caught. For many anglers though that’s not the point.
I had been told, last week, to watch out for a certain animal over the far side of the reservoir. I’d already seen (but hadn’t been quick enough for a pic) a small reddish wild canine, and there is talk that something bigger is about. So I took the sidepath which is still muddy and tricky on a bike.
As summer approaches and trees and shrubs get far greener, cover for animals is better, so maybe something will be seen later in the year. Meanwhile, they hide well.

Sun – day indeed today but quite cold in the open air in the morning ‘rush-hour’. Quite a few dogs out; giving their owners an early morning work-out, one of them a local Airdale having a good run around while it was fine.

There was too, this morning, a hundred yards ahead of me and merely a black shadow against the sunlight, another ‘Canine’. I looked for a walking owner but saw no one. The lane-runner slipped into the hawthorns and was gone, his long bushy tail clear against the sun. That one has no owner; can take good care of himself.
Cold but really bright at Elton this morning and a few twitchers by the sluice building. I’ll not disturb them today. There’s a bit of Tinkering to do shortly so after taking a pic or two it was time to head back.

Very sunny this morning which makes it tricky taking pictures! But, it’s brilliant just taking a ride around without either getting frozen or wet-through, or both! So I just had a pedal around earlier.
For riding around canals and this type of semi-rough landscape I’ve found the best type of bike is a Touring Model. Steel everywhere is quite all right, but alluminium wheels do keep the weight down and won’t rust.
Mudguards are a boon too. On Friday morning a youngish lady cyclist passed me on the canal path (everyone passes me!) and she was covered in all sorts of muck. Her wearing expensive full Lycra cycling outfit too. A pair of mudguards, for about a tenner, would stop all that and add virtually nothing to bike-weight. But no, folk prefer to look sporty.
Suspension too is something you don’t really need. It’s fine for the speed and mud riders, but for canal paths and a farm-track a good saddle is enough. Gears too just add weight. I’ve got fifteen but only use two or three – but they do really help when an occasional steep path is encountered and as the bike is used on normal roads I’ve left the gears alone. A Sturmey-Archer gear set-up is fine for a ‘Canal-Bike’ and bikes built with them are slightly lower-geared anyway.
Tyres can save quite a bit of leg-work. For mud 26 inch ATB’s grip but cause drag. So a canal-bike – being basically a tourer – can have 700c wheels and far narrower tyres – 32mm – about an inch and a half. 700c tyres have lower rolling-resistance and, if fitted with track-treads (like a small mud tyre) help with grip on those muddy patches. But, if fitting wider 700c tyres, watch the tread doesn’t touch the rear forks near the bottom-bracket! Such tyres are much wider (because of the tread) than standard 32 or 35 mm road tyres.
I fitted slightly wider, better-shaped, handlebars with stronger brake-levers (Shimano) too, the standard bars a funny angle to grip and with less control, especially over rough farm tracks. And really that’s all you need for a good, long-lasting Canal-Bike.
All you need do now is find a nearby canal!

It’s pointless going-on about things eco’ when they’re building farcical things like wind-turbines. I mean, what will they do with them in say 100 years? But the garbage floating-about on Elton Reservoir, the Irwell and the Bury & Radcliffe Canal is awesome. Some garbage has been shifted from one part of the reser, but not all of it.
But not for me to harp-on about such stuff. But power-production is an entirely different thing. Especially power-production in Radcliffe.


A few days ago I met a mate while out riding the canals. He mentioned ‘the local Archimedes Screw…’ no, it’s nothing to do with exotic ‘things’. This is really to do with …wait for it…Science. Yep, science in Radcliffe. Well, it had to happen one day.
But, while hunting a well disguised Heron and an old Tumulus – well disguised as a slag-heap – searching-out some kind of Archimedes Screw has to await another day.
It was today. I met me mate again, who just happens to be a Grade I Listed Electrical Engineer, and I said, “Where’s the Archimedes Screw?”
He said, “Foller me…”
So off we ride from Old Hall downhill to the shattered dreams of Benny’s night-club, toward the scaffolded bridge then down the track to the railway bridge and the River Irwell below. Our bike-route was about a mile or so – but The Screw is about eighty-yards from Bury Road if you want the easy-way!

Facing the Weir, you’ll see, on the left, a new construction of brick with various ‘attachments’. This, is, ‘
The Screw’.





So, there it is. Archimedes Screw in Radcliffe. We couldn’t estimate what wattage might be elicited by this, very small, very unobtrusive bit of kit, but, several more, similar, could be installed at the other weirs in Radcliffe. With water-power INPUT, as well as OUTPUT can be controlled, so the risk of explosions and massive falling debris is nil.
From the Top Secret installations I headed canal-wards via the level crossing then to Banana Walk and home.

In the post today I got me Income Tax Self-Assessment Return form and a ‘Vote for me’ sheet from a local councilor. I mean, that’s what you call, ‘Bad Timing’ isn’t it!
Well, it is Friday the 13th!

Dry this morning – which is Mrs Condor’s birthday – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At Elton calm water reflected the hills, which were hidden by low cloud; the massive wind-turbines looking really silly outlined against the sunlit sky! I’m sure these things are increasing in number!
With the recent rain the reservoir overflow was busy.
And, The Heron, (no not an Emu! ) was again at the canal feed.
That’s how hard they are to spot.



There are, now, small wooded areas by the canal walks. In these the remains of large walls and floors slowly get buried by the scrub. Girder ends, here and there, suggest a large commercial structure at one time – probably to do with the railways. Nowadays it’s ‘Cycle Route 6′, which is also some kind of unofficial rubbish tip.

Even along the modernised Banana Walk (?) a few Railway remains remain.

Puddles made the lanes ‘obstacle-course’ class this morning but rain held-off a bit as I pondered a few things. I was after a pic of the Heron and, since last night, I’d learned that some old Tumulus or Barrow was (I read) ‘…just south of Withins Reservoir…’ So I turned-off the main lane to the footpath to Withins and a look from the high banking.

I did find out, the other night, that the ‘works’ at Withins, is a water control mechanism (a tap?) that regulated the flow when this reservoir provided the water for a factory/mill in Radcliffe that existed in the Spring Lane area.

From the banking at Withins, looking south (ish) all you see is trees and shrubs. There are a few undulations in the land but nothing that might look ‘unnatural’ or man made – such as a Barrow.
So off to Elton and a careful approach in case the Heron was about – nothing again. No rain either so down the lanes to the canal and the marshy spot by the scaffolded bridge where run-off water fills the canal. Stood amid the marsh, eyeing me immediately was the Heron!

By the time me camera was on him he’d flew up and off!

Along the canal, really looking at the swans, I did chance a look left at the marshy fields. And saw a very unnatural lump which was indeed ‘..south of Withins Reservoir…’. Was this Barrow, or I thought, more Radcliffian, perhaps, slag-heap?

A ride along Banana Walk, and then I was back in the petrol-age. Not much time, here, for Heron and Barrows…

It’s well worth scrolling-down to the comments – clicking the links even…