Time to change pedals

The Kangaroo Bike’s pedals have worn quite badly in the past 14 months and 2,500 miles, with the rubber tread blocks becoming smooth, the high points of the metal frames wearing smooth and the bearings starting to fail in the right-hand pedal. I did consider refurbishing the pedals but the bearings are sealed-for-life units, the rubber blocks can’t be replaced and, unlike all-steel pedals, there were no toothed edges to file back to shape. It was in marked contrast to the pedals on the bike I was given when I was 12—it was already 25 years old and had been refurbished several times. I have fond memories of replacing ball races and roller bearings on it several times, filing pedals and sprocket teeth back into shape, and getting covered in grease.

Truly disgusting weather

The field looks deceptively crisp, white and firm after three days of snow, but appearances are definitely deceiving. The white layer is not snow, but two to four inches of semi-liquid slush overlaying six inches of sloppy mud. It’s extremely treacherous underfoot, so much so that I was largely unable to work outside apart from doing vital jobs like feeding and watering the livestock. Even then I slipped and fell dozens of times, getting thoroughly coated in mud and straining my leg muscles repeatedly. The condition were the result of sunny days last week warming the ground, followed by a few days of snow, sleet, hail and rain combined with overnight frosts and daytime temperatures above zero (even though it was snowing at the time). In other words, the first genuinely disgusting weather we’ve had here!