to Corinne

Dear Corinne - and copied to Linda

Thanks for the email after we sent you our birthday wishes.

Is it tomorrow that you have the Femmes TdF Grand Depart from your beautiful Lausanne?  I think the men are due to come to Edinburgh in '27 for the Grand Depart.  Is that right?  But what about the heat?  We had mid 30s in June and this weekend in Halesowen it is mid 20s but is due to rise next week.  What were/are your figures in Zurich?

Linda cycles to and from church, as I do.  I cycle locally and occasionally into Birmingham for a meeting.  But they are fewer now.  We must have a longer cycle ride, soon - up Uffmoor Lane (with the short but steep huff and puff near the top).  But I'm 78 and Linda is 71 but we are still very fit.  I'm still going up to Scotland in April and October to visit more summit cairns.  I managed seven on four consecutive days of high pressure in April this year with the help of the invaluable mountain bike (29" wheel makes it faster over the stoney tracks but the bike is heavier, of course).  I then had two shorter, lower walking days before returning via my favourite, luxurious Westmorland Hotel in Cumbria as my reward for six nights sleeping in the car and washing in lovely remote mountain streams!

I'm doing lots of shorter walks in our beautiful countryside of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, South Staffordshire and clearing the overgrowth blocking stiles and gates.  I'm now realising there are so many stunning places we never took you to!  But Switzerland easily beats England, of course!

Out of our two, Becky is definitely more active on bike and running than Jonathan.  She has had a couple of bikepacking ventures with Anita, an old university friend, in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) National Park.  Both Becky and Jon have two youngsters and Linda is quite magnificent at helping out with our four grandchildren.

She is at a weekend Christian conference until Sunday afternoon.  I'm doing much guerrilla gardening at Frankley Services Northbound on the M5 to beautify the lorry park and branching out into colourful flowers at home, as well as at my main guerrilla garden - called Ben's Wood.  There, last year, they put up an enormous high metal fence but I'm simply growing climbing plants up it - Virginia Creeper, evergreen Honeysuckle and Russian Vine with flowers along the bottom!

At Merry Hill Shopping Centre, the canal embankment is used for the tram and threatens my guerrilla garden with more destruction when they build the final stage - unless I can stop them!

Becky and Tim are also keen followers of the Tour, as I will be this year with Irish born Ben Healy, but living in Stourbridge, racing.  But how will they all get on with the next heat dome?