I love a bit of surprise personalisation in a Bandcamp purchase.

And just like that, the lilac peaks and starts to fade away for another year. It smells amazing at the moment. It won’t be long until it’s all brown.

Started my next programme on TrainerRoad today. Always begins with a ramp test and for the first time ever the suggested FTP was somewhere near to what I had set it to already. The next programme is a bit tougher so I’m hopeful that I’ve got the setting right.

Bandcamp are waiving their cut for things bought through their website today. A great way to support musicians directly. Not sure what to buy? You can use the Hype Machine’s Merch Table tool to find things based on a Spotify playlist, such as ‘Your Top Songs 2019’.

This was the last thing I read on my way to bed last night, and I’m still thinking about it today. A lovely list to check in with every once in a while.

The beech and the lilac are really getting into their stride now.

Really interesting interview on the latest WB-40 podcast with Steve Price on home schooling during the pandemic. He seems to be winning at parenting. My children are a bit older and don’t need as much help and supervision, but am thinking about how cool his projects sound.

Took photo of my oven on my way to bed last night. I guess the software development team didn’t consider midnight in their test cases.

Beech tree watch: That’s more like it!

The Lilac Time.

Surprised the deer when I turned up early for a run in a field near our house.

Next up, we’re waiting for the lilac to add some colour to the garden.

Beech tree watch: So it seems that what I usually notice as a spontaneous flourishing each year is actually a slow, gradual process. Every day there are more leaves unfurling, and in normal years it passes me by until the process is complete.

🎶 It’s Smoke Fairies live hour again.

Beech tree watch: A few more tiny bursts, but no explosion of green yet. Feels like the first couple of kernels going bang when making popcorn.

I get the feeling that this is our government ‘kitchen sinking’. You could argue that while our economy is down due to the coronavirus, we shouldn’t be kicking it in the face. But after the fact, who could say which economic impacts come from the virus and which from Brexit?

Beech tree watch: We have leaves! I had to look closely, but there they are. Small little clusters.

Still waiting…

So sad to hear that Sir Stirling Moss has died. The best F1 driver never to win the world championship. If you have access to the BBC iPlayer, this interview with him on Face to Face from 1960 is well worth a watch.