The forest fire near Die is now up to 3000 hectares, and with high temperatures and smoke hanging round most of the day, after an early e-bike trundle up to the Col de Romeyer, I stayed in till a late afternoon short stroll. Still 37C. unanglaisendiois.blogspot.com/2026/07/keep...

The lavender hunt continues, despite the nearby forest fire: there's nothing I can do other than sympathise and stay out of the way, so I might as well give people something to cheer them up. This morning's 25km e-bike ride was to Ponet. And back. unanglaisendiois.blogspot.com/2026/07/more...

Slightly bizarrely I'm back on Blogger (yes, it's still a thing!) for sharing my French stuff outside of Facebook. I'm in the Diois for just six days, but it's worth it for the lavender if nothing else. But there's lots else! Butterflies, mountains, canicule... unanglaisendiois.blogspot.com

One for jazz-lover @stephenkb.bsky.social The latest gig that Emma Rawicz has done, and the latest I've been to, midnight at Jazz à Vienne yesterday evening, but it was still mind-blowing: groovy, impassioned, varied, and just brilliant, with her quintet. www.jazzavienne.com/en/programma...

The University of Exeter @exeter.ac.uk campus was looking good today, when I popped up there to get things in place for the music for the 19 ceremonies there starting on 13 July. Sometime on Thursday will mark my 400th ceremony doing the music for them since 2008! #graduationbrass #exeteruni

Twelve weeks post open-heart surgery, and my longest ride since the op... 22 miles down to Dawlish Warren and back... as slow as slow can be, but nice to feel the improvement, and to have data from my new heart rate monitor to share with rehab. #devon #heartop #royalbrompton #photography #cycling

A bonus evening walk tonight down to Topsham's Goat Walk and back via Bowling Green Marsh. The wild flowers have gone wild! I was pleased to get two really good close-ups of tiny wild carrot central florets. #topsham #wildflowers #Devon #photography

Just an annual reminder that although we've passed the summer solstice, the evenings don't start drawing in for another three days here in the UK. Strange but true. #summer #solstice #sunset

On my way back to Topsham from Chester, I stopped off in Hereford to see the cathedral, and I wasn't disappointed. So much Norman architecture in this mostly 12th-century gem! #hereford #cathedral #photography

I was last in Liverpool Cathedral 46 years ago, just two years after its completion, and I didn't take any photos. Well, today I made amends, and as a bonus visited the Metropolitan Cathedral too, stunning in a quite different but also grandiose style! It was actually finished first! #liverpool

Just wondering how much real news I'll miss if I temporarily block a few words, such as world, cup, goal, referee, penalty, etc... 🤔😉

After the greyness we've been having, and a day when my body's told me I did too much for my healing heart, then ride home with sunshine and a tailwind was what the doctor ordered. #exeter #topsham #devon #photography #sunshine

Utterly shameful that Tippett's 'A Child Of Our Time' should be as relevant today as it was when it was written in the late 1930s. "Burn down their houses, beat in their heads..." His use of spirituals is eerily prescient. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Child... www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBPa...

Topsham today looking pretty in the sunshine and clear air! #devon #topsham #flowers #photography

Today's bright & breezy heart rehab ride: I've been given permission to push a bit more, which I certainly had to do while cycling into the headwind into Exeter! I'll be celebrating the end of my 12-week rehab with a concert on Exeter Quay at 12.30pm on Sunday 21 June with www.dyjo.org

A short thread for anyone in a similar situation: All's good in heart rehab land, 10 weeks post open-heart surgery: I'm now being encouraged to incorporate slightly harder intervals to get me puffing a bit more, so the Ribble will be the default mode of transport (albeit picking routes carefully).

Today's rehab ride: 20km from Topsham along Exeter Ship Canal and flood relief channel to St David's Station and back... trying to get slightly out of puff, but not too much, and being very well behaved. Nice to be on the Ribble again. Online rehab consultation (at week 10 post-op) tomorrow.

Yeehaw! Look, no battery!! First time out on a proper bike since my mitral valve was reknitted, and it felt lovely! All slow and flat, but 12 miles at a steady pace at 10 weeks after 8 hours of open heart surgery feels like a win. I'll take it anyway. #ribblecycles #turflock #royalbrompton

And breathe... lavender season is upon us, which means that summer is definitely on the way! I timed a visit to Exeter School perfectly to coincide with this wonderful display there 😃 @exeterschool.bsky.social #lavender #summer #photography

Mitral valve repair cardiac rehab stuff: I'm now up to the full mix: walking, (e-)cycling, swimming and weights, at exactly 9 weeks. Today was a walk, weights and a cycle. Tomorrow will be a swim and a cycle. The body's not complaining, yeehaw, even if it's going to be a long haul still.

Hurrah! 8½ weeks post open-heart mitral valve repair, thanks to the wonderful Royal Brompton, and under advice, I'm back on two wheels, gingerly/carefully, thanks to the kind loan of an e-bike by a friend. All on bike paths and quiet roads for now, and not falling off, so the sternum stays intact...

Sunsetissimo! It's been a while since I've caught a Topsham gem like tonight's. #sunset #topsham #devon #photography

Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away...

Just mucking around with a camera and a trombone... the camera's nothing special, but the trombone is: a 1939 Olds Super trombone, with its hand-engraved nickel tone ring, and unique (hidden) fluted slide tube inside. #trombone #oldssuper #music #photography

The joy of old houses in hot weather: my 200-year-old cob, stone, brick and block cottage has had a temperature range of just 3.6C in 24 hours, whilst outside there's been a temperature range of 11.3C (16.4C to 27.7C). Airconditioning not required.

I'm happy to have been given the all clear by the Royal Brompton cardiac rehabilitation team at 8 weeks post mitral valve repair to get back in a swimming pool for gentle exercises, and on an e-bike, carefully, on cycle paths. The I walked to Aldi to do some shopping to celebrate. As one would.

As my mitral valve repair rehab walks are mostly limited to Topsham, you'll just have to put up with some more Topsham roses, I guess! If you want a post on mitral valve repair rehab, you'll have to ask! #roses #topsham #photography #mitralvalverepair

Ha, I've just booked a day return ticket from Topsham to Gunnislake, maybe to see friends there, but mostly for the fun of having a day trip on the train including the amazing Calstock viaduct as well as the Brunel line from Exminster to Newton Abbot. The very best bit? Just £9.75 return! #gwr

The name of the rose?

Hmm, I had some book tokens that gave me an excuse to go to @waterstones.bsky.social and spend some money... choices, choices, choices... which one, after I've finished @mrjamesob.bsky.social's 'How They Broke Britain'? Something to make me less angry... @jonnelledge.bsky.social - any ideas? 🤔😉

There are some days that only coffee and cake will do!

Topsham flowers up close and personal after today's light rain...

The bees are back in town! #topsham #bees #photography #devon

A lovely couple of hours being a tourist in Exeter, thanks to a visit to @waterstones.bsky.social to spend some book tokens. #exeter #tourism #exeterguildhall #exetercathedral #photography #devon

Must admit I didn't feel great today on my heart rehab walk in Exmouth, but I took it slowly, and with an easy day tomorrow (heavy showers forecast), I can just put it down to finding the right balance between exercise and rest. At least I can go up my ten stairs at home now without puffing! 🤣

Took a worthwhile punt on finding green-winged orchids at Orcombe Point in Exmouth: I took the train from Topsham to Exmouth Station and walked to Orcombe Point and back for my daily heart rehab exercise, and was amply rewarded. What beautiful things they are! #orchids #exmouth #photography #devon

Heart update: my walks are getting longer and a bit brisker, but it's clear that it's going to take all of the 12 weeks rehabilitation time to get anywhere near form: the mauled body needs to heal, and the heart needs to regain its shape. No idea when the atrial fibrillation will be sorted though!

Quite relieved that Exeter voters didn't completely lose their heads last night. It's messy, with a lot of close results. Topsham kept its Labour councillor, which, if you know Topsham's demographic, remains as remarkable as when it first flipped from the Tories. exeterobserver.org/2026/05/07/e...

Here's why I like old stuff: a little corner of my house reminds me of how we all pass into history and the world forgets who we were, even if we left a little mark somewhere.

I let the train take the strain (£4.95 rtn) for a jaunt down to Dawlish Warren from Topsham. And lovely it was too, even if it was quite ambitious (aka probably 'a bit too much') for my still-recovering-post-mitral-valve-repair heart. So an easier day tomorrow, I think. #devon #photography

Topsham turned up trumps this evening when it was time for my heart-friendly exercise walk... nearly four weeks since my mitral valve was repaired in an 8-hour operation at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. #topsham #devon #sunshine #photography

More Topsham flowers! #topsham #devon #flowers #photography

Today's Topsham bouquet! #topsham #devon #flowers #sunshine #photography

What a stunning display of bluebells at Blackbury Camp in East Devon today! Kindly driven there by a friend, and got to share his fantastic collie 'Tripp' for frolicking in the unreal scenes. Tripp did more frolicking than me. #eastdevon #bluebells #collie #photography

I'm 62, 2½ weeks post-8-hour mitral valve repair by one of the country's finest surgeons, with a year's worth of testing and planning, and another couple of months of follow-up tests and aftercare to come. Can you guess how much it's going to cost me, to the nearest $?

It's wisteria time in Topsham! #topsham #wisteria #devon #photography

It's good to be home. #post-op #topsham #devon

Two weeks post mitral valve repair: rather then do one longer walk, I decided to do two walks, the second around County Hall in Exeter. Very slow but very pleasant! #mitralvalverepair #exeter #countyhall #photography

Hungarians chanting “Europe!” 🇭🇺🇪🇺

I think this might be what Sundays are for... #photography #commonbeavercafe #exeter