A final weather window for 2013

 Could you believe it? After what seems weeks of gales and rain, my mountain biking becoming axle deep wallows and the fast downhills a succession of stops and carries around or over fallen trees and the paddling a mush of chocolate surf. The sun shone for our Club trip on Sunday. Lunch on a sunny sandbank a mile off Ryde.

 Surfing the wavelets back across the Solent.

 Back at Eastney,

 a last roll for 2013.

Looking forward to paddling into 2014. All the best everyone.

Back to the sea: Chichester Entrance

 A typical bunch of sea kayakers preparing to do battle with the December seas?

 The backwards float off the beach, the best launching technique into a choppy sea.

 Enjoying the others' discomfiture of getting on dry.

 A spot of pumping out for anyone unlucky enough to take a wave onboard.

The West Pole, a mile off Chichester entrance, little surf today.

I love these watery winter skies, but the sun finally broke through.

We had to time our departure from the lunch spot to avoid the youth fleets training in the harbour.

 Relaxed launching in calm water...... floating out before slipping in.

Liz too was enjoying the sun and sand.

Cycling in the Lakes

 Pushing up hill when it became too steep and loose to pedal, a feature of the Lakeland Fells

 on our ride last weekend. Perfect weather for the time of year.

 Navigational challenges as the light was failing.

 Next day a puncture in sight of the valley gave us a chance to relax in the sun. I'm on the left if you don't recognise me without a spraydeck.

 Crossing a beck, instability on the slippery stones led to

 the odd spill.  We were too busy on the fast descents to take pictures but no serious falls all weekend.

This one only needed a bit of encouragement to get going again. It is not that I am as uncaring as I might look still standing astride my steed.

A line of cyclists across the fells and later

back on the tarmac. Thanks to Howie for some of the photos.