Another cycling day

Not that you'd know it from the photo for the day....

Busy one, working on the polytunnel in the morning (the cover may be on, and stuff already inside, but there's work to do just to get everything as it should be); then off to Edinburgh for the book festival - watching Ned Boulting, cycling commentator (amongst other things), talking about his book 1923, with round the world cyclist (and someone I vaguely knew from years back on an online cycling forum) Emily Chappell.

The book is cracking, all based around a Covid-lockdown auction purchase of a reel of old cinefilm, that turned out to be Pathé footage of part of a stage of the Tour de France. Only 2 and a bit minutes long (and you can watch the footage online now), Ned set about working out who everyone was, weaving their stories in with the story of that race, as well as the machinations of post-WWI Europe at the time. A properly engrossing read, which actually lead to some recognition for a Belgian rider who had passed into obscurity, but who was central to the film clip.

And of course being the book festival I HAD to pop into the shop before getting my train home (the queue in the signing tent was humungous, so I forewent getting my copy autographed - I mean, it's not as if it would be some sort of truly heartfelt message, nor would it make the book worth a fortune. It's enough that I saw him talking (second time, the first 8 years ago almost to the day!) and enjoyed his writing), and in the shop came away with this weighty (and slightly expensive) gorgeously cover-arted book that might come in handy for the smallholding, but at very least looks like an interesting read in its own right.