Photo shows scrubby soil with two spears of an orchid. They are pale burgundy and look a little like asparagus. The flowers aren't open but they will be staggered up the stalk. The flower is in dappled sunshine.
We forgave the via verda d'Alcoi for its inconsistent surface (tarmac to gravel to sheep path) as we saw this Violet Birdsnest Orchid #TandemAdventure26
This is a comic-style illustration titled "How to Get Around" by Cycling UK. It depicts various modes of transportation. A person at a gas station notes that cars are "expensive." A train station is experiencing "strikes," depicted by two individuals standing outside. The bus is labeled as a "great option," but there might not always be one available. "Any motor vehicle" is shown stuck in "traffic." A cyclist at the bottom is riding peacefully, representing that cycling "saves money," is "healthy," "reliable," and can "bypass traffic." The Cycling UK logo is at the bottom right.
Sometimes getting from A to B stops being your choice.
Cycling puts it back in your hands. When you go, how you move, the route you take. Just you, on your terms.
With tube strikes expected soon and fuel prices continuing to rise, that autonomy matters cyclinguk.org/advice
📷 davewalker.bsky.social
Screenshot of the How Reading Made Us BBC Sounds page
If, like me, you have loved reading & writing & words all your life, and you're mystified and a bit lost in a world that thinks reading is inconvenient & slow, this amazing radio series - How Reading Made Us - is for you. Reading DOES matter & this explores how & why.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Photo shows the back of a cyclist in the bottom right. A paved cycle track leads right. On the left is an avenue of pines and grassy spaces. The sky is cloudless blue. The Jardí was once the route of the Turia river, which was diverted & Valencians voted to create a park not a motorway. Great choice!
Lovely ride into Valencia through orange groves, then Jardí de Turia. #TandemAdventure26
Front cover of Mary Beard's new book.
A FRESH SERVING OF TASTY BOOK NEWS.
We're getting SIGNED copies of "Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old" by Professor Mary Beard @wmarybeard.bsky.social
It explains why the deep past does really affect us all.
DUE THIS WEEK!
Order HERE.
www.biggreenbookshop.com/signed-copie...
Thankfully not.
Thanks. Smartphone only!
Front cover of Brian Bilston's new book.
Brian's signature inside the book.
Arrived today!
SIGNED Independent Bookshop Editions of "How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside" by Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social
These copies have an extra poem, written especially by Brian!
ORDER HERE.
www.biggreenbookshop.com/signed-copie...
Photo shows a stem with three small orchid flowers staggered up its length. The flowers have a hairy burgundy 'lobe' (thst looks like a dark tongue) with paler markings. The stem is bright green with oval buds at the top.
Thanks for repost. @mykahllc.bsky.social we saw this one yesterday next to a mirror orchid.
Yes. At the front is the pilot, and at the back is the stoker. Mostly decided by geometry - taller person is the pilot. My OH is 32cm taller than me!
OK here are all the guesses for today's "Guess How Many Books I Sell Today".
Bluesky with the most guesses.
Twitter not too far behind
Threads just doing other stuff today!
So far, I have sold ONE book.
But i've only just started! I'll try & sell LOADS!
Photo shows dry scrub. In centre is an elegant pale green fleshy stem. At the top a profusion of pointed petals. Each is dark pink with lighter veins. There's no apparent geometry and the petals point in different directions.
One of the best things about tandem cycling is that, as a stoker, I am both powerhouse & chief orchid spotter. Fourth in 2 days! Pink butterfly orchid #TandemAdventure26
It may seem like nerdy detail that the increasing weight of cars is worsening potholes, but it matters.
The car makers push to sell wider and heavier cars is increasing road maintenance costs and that affects us all.
Not to mention worse crash outcomes and less space to pass (wider) parked cars.
Photo shows a pale quiet road disappearing into the distance. The sky is a hazy blue. There is no traffic. The landscape is a patchwork of lush green, terracotta-coloured soil and dry grass. In the background is a small village.
100km and 1100m climbing today: Chinchón to Caracenilla. Gorgeous views, quiet roads & caminos, and three orchids spotted. ##TandemAdventure26
🚵♀️ Saying yes to a ride you’re not ready for…
To mark turning 50, our Content Officer rode 252km through Morocco’s Atlas Mountains to the Sahara, despite never mountain biking before.
cyclinguk.org/atlas-to-sahara
Figure 1. Bicycle share of trips in New York City, London, Paris, and Berlin, 1990–2023. Note: the actual years vary slightly by city, as follows: New York: 1990,2000, 2010, 2019, 2022; London: 1993, 2000, 2010, 2019, 2022; Paris: 1990, 2000, 2010, 2017, 2023; Berlin: 1992, 1998, 2010, 2018, 2023. The percentages shown in thegraphic refer to the bicycle share of all trips, all trip purposes, based on travel surveys for each city. Sources: City of Paris, 2000–2023; City of Berlin, 2003–2025;Kalender,2012; NYCDOT, 2018–2023; Pucher, Parkin, et al.,2021; TfL, 2000–2023.
This paper compares trends in cycling levels, cyclist demographics and cycling injury risk in NewYork, London, Paris and Berlin, before and after the COVID pandemic. We explore these trends inthe context of changes to policy and infrastructure before, during, and after COVID. We based ouranalysis on data from published reports, open-data portals, government websites, travel surveys,and information provided by transport planners in each city. Cycling levels in NYC, London, Paris,and Berlin increased over the three decades prior to COVID (1990–2019). As a percentage of dailytrips, bike mode share rose from 0.6% to 2.2% in New York, from 1.2% to 3.7% in London, from0.4% to 5% in Paris, and from 7% to 18% in Berlin. Cycling rates have continued to increase sinceCOVID. By 2023, bike mode shares had risen further to 3% in NYC, 4.5% in London, 11% in Paris,and 19% in Berlin. Cycling became safer in all four cities over the period 2005 to 2023, withdeclining per-trip fatality and injury rates. More and better cycling infrastructure has been acornerstone of pro-cycling efforts, especially cycleways separated from motor vehicle traffic (pro-tected bike lanes). Bike parking and bikesharing systems have expanded and improved. Car restric-tions and traffic calming have complemented pro-bike measures, for example, using infrastructureand enforcement to reduce traffic volumes and speeds in residential neighborhoods. Long-termpolitical support as well as cycling advocacy organizations have been critical to the introductionand continuation of pro-bike policies and the necessary financial investments.
Truly wild research on the change in bike mode share in NYC, London, Paris and Berlin.
Between 2000 and 2023, Paris went from 1 out of every 100 trips being on a bike to *one out of 9!*
Many people, including credible researchers, would have told you that that *could not* happen.
Mass drowning of chicks puts emperor penguins at risk of extinction.
Record low level of Antarctic sea ice is having grim consequences for penguins yet to grow waterproof feathers.
It's tragic what we are doing to our fellow creatures on this beautiful planet.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
A grid of nine images featuring a photo of Gail and the designs she creates. Prints, a phone case, a mug, a T-shirt, a cushion and a greeting card.
Hello! 👋
I’m Gail, a one woman design studio, based in #Manchester
My online shop is full of bold & colourful prints, homewares, T-shirts and stationery.
Go on, have a nosy gailmyerscough.co.uk
If designed inclusively, cycling infrastructure offers independent mobility to those with physical impairments who are left behind by car dependence.
For many people housebound or reliant on others for transport, two—or three—wheeled travel isn’t just a form of movement, it’s a form of empowerment.
It takes 500 barrels of oil to fly to LA, and roughly 0 to take the train to Europe.
Changing your travel habits is about more than avoiding climate collapse; it's about the petro-states not holding you over a barrel.
flightfreeuk.substack.com/p/future-pro...
In your (ski) boots?
Text says 1 YEAR AGO MICHAEL SHEEN PAID OFF THE DEBTS OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN PORT TALBOT So what’s happened since then? > A photograph shows Michael Sheen standing, looking at the camera, in front of a tale with piles of bank notes on top of it.
Text says: Michael Sheen used his own money to wipe off a million pounds’ worth of debt. But he didn’t do it just to make a difference to people’s lives. He did it to shine a spotlight on the fact that the whole system needs to change. A photograph shows Michael Sheen sitting at a table smiling, in conversation with two older men with mugs in front of them.
Text says "MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING IS TO MAKE A STATEMENT, TO SAY THAT WE NEED A FAIR CREDIT SYSTEM." Michael Sheen Michael joined the Fair Banking for All Campaign, a coalition of organisations calling for a Fair Banking Act.
Text says A Fair Banking Act would mean that banks have to disclose information on who they lend to, and be given a rating based on whether they’re lending fairly. If banks get a poor rating, they’d have to take action - they could either expand their own affordable credit programmes, or work with ethical, not-for-profit lenders like credit unions & CDFIs. A photograph shows Michael Sheen wearing a coat and scarf, speaking to the camera, with one fist raised.
1 year ago @mchshe.bsky.social paid off the debts of hundreds of people.
So what’s happened since then?
fairbankingforall.org
#FairBankingForAll
Looking to speak to people who’ve cut energy use to lower bills from driving less to changing heating, appliances or gadgets. Get in touch if you’d like to contribute. RTs appreciated
Email: geraldine.herbert@independent.ie
#JournoRequest
Photo shows a tarmac road bending left with the shoulder of the tandem pilot in the bottom right. There are umbrella lines lining the edges of the road and scrubby landscape in the distance. The sky is azure.
Cycling in Castilla y Leon #Spain ##TandemAdventure26. Gorgeous day on the bike heading into Toledo. #FlightFree
🫶London mid-scale Passivhaus social housing
The Leather Gardens for the London Borough of Newham was the 1st to the Passivhaus standard for the building contractor, which has subsequently gone on to undertake five more Passivhaus projects.
www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/news/detail/
Addressing the issue requires getting frequent flyers to shift from planes to trains, but also asking wider questions about where we want to go and why.
Photo shows a straight pale brown minor road disappearing into the middle distance. The landscape has deep red soil, small evergreen oaks and grassy fields. The sky is blue with a few small clouds at the horizon.
Week 2 #TandemAdventure26. Warmer with fabulous landscapes. Brilliant roads for cycling with courteous motorists. #España
Photo shows a flat wooded area. To the left is an empty road used for walkers. There's a strip of trees and grass between it and a two-way segregated cycle path. In the foreground is the helmet of the tandem pilot. On the right is more grass. It is a chilly grey day.
More great cycle paths: 10 miles of segregated paths south of Burgos.
