Winter bike ride looking for signs of spring

THIS VIDEO
This ongoing Video Diary by myself John Neal, sometimes known as John Longcroft-Neal, as the whim takes me.

TODAY’S SUBJECT is a winters bike ride but with signs of Spring in the air.

GENERAL STUFF
I am retired from two careers of primary school teaching when I was deputy head of a Middle School and Primary School, and as a self employed Chalkboard Artist from 2002 until I reached the grand old age of 65 in 2016. Since I retired it’s like a second childhood but with more expensive toys.

SORRY BUT my website does no longer exist. Use these links below to buy my FOUR FULL LENGTH VIDEO $10.00 (approx £7.50) directly via Fastspring
1.a
’ Better Handwriting for Adults’
http://sites.fastspring.com/jwrenimages/product/betterhandwritingforadults
2.
‘More Handwriting for Adults’
http://sites.fastspring.com/jwrenimages/product/morehandwritingforadults
3.
‘Introduction to Chalkboard Art’
http://sites.fastspring.com/jwrenimages/product/introductiontochalkboardart
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‘More Chalkboard Art’
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I have also written a book ‘Cursive Handwriting for Adults’
published by Ulysses Press and can be purchased from:

AMAZON UK

AMAZON USA

My FACEBOOK Page https://www.facebook.com/Johnnealartist

I play guitar and write songs and have written about 14 songs for the local BBC radio station. I run a weekly (weakly) evening Acoustic session at a local pub and have been doing so for 14 years now. I also started an afternoon acoustic session in a quite large cafe in Nuneaton. Both premises were former songwriting clients of mine.

Much of the music I use on this channel is taken from epidemicsound.com free to use on Youtube for a reasonable monthly fee, and sometimes I suffer you with my own music.

Gear that I use:
DJI Mavic Mini 3 Drone.
Iphone 15 Pro for camera, generally front facing so I can see myself in frame. Super quality especially if I keep the lens clean.
Go Pro11
Gimble is a Q2 Smooth by Zhiyun, I ought to use this more often because it was expensive.
Canon G7mk2
Sony IC recorder

Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone

Rhode videomic to do voice over on computer
Video editing with Final Cut Pro X
Polarduck Mini Tripod for mobile phone. This is so good and under £10.00 I bought two.
Lamcou bendy leg tripod
Smatree Tripod / mono pod
Mono pod is a Manfrotto Compact MMC3-02 and is very useful for getting high angles that look like low flight drone shots and so easy to carry on my bike along with the mini tripod.

My bike is a e28 Estarli electric bike.

https://www.estarli.co.uk/

Money from ARTWORK SOLD will go to the MONA FOUNDATION
for details see https://www.monafoundation.org

I am a follower of the Bahá’i Faith and some of my philosophical ideas may show through in comments that I make, but, by and large, I’ll not make direct reference to my beliefs.
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/131048357093583
See www.bahá’i.org

To hear my Bahá’i INSPIRED SONGS, (and others) GO TO:
https://soundcloud.com/jrwren/sets/bahai-inspired-songs

I also enjoy gardening but lay no claims to have any expertise, and you might catch me out in the countryside of Warwickshire and nearby Leicestershire on a walk with my wife or on a bike ride.

Please comment below to inform further plans for my vlogs. I’d love to hear from you. If you don’t you will just get whatever bubbly ideas float to the surface of my slightly muddled elderly mind.

Ah hi John nearer it’s Thursday the 1st of February and of course look at it beautiful beautiful day and Today I’m looking for signs of spring it’s the 1st of February after all it’s a lovely day not too cold bit chilly but we’re not too bad uh also I’m rejoicing in the winin of everything because with this light uh which we only get now and again it’s absolutely brilliant love it

Let’s see what we can See Yes bird song the birds are starting to sing Robin black bird certainly crows are always crawling I know but um unless you stop on a quiet stretch like here you can’t always hear it especially if next a nice tree like this crazy tree crazy branches oh there’s the Robin aha here we go this is what I’m after there’s a number of flowers that unest and one of them is certainly snow drops nice ones too oh there’s a crocus as Well oh this is a lovely road this one and I can afford to uh talk to you along here oh there’s somebody else coming with a dog oh my goodness just pass yeah okay thank you all right man with dog um well I found two of the flowers I’m

After snow drops and uh some crocus but there are others I won’t say which ones they are Springtime in England what are the flowers that I need uh see if I can find them but if not another little thing I found which is quite amusing really there’s a

Facebook page called um appreciation of do and Gates which is good I I’ve always liked a nice door and indeed a gate and there are some interesting ones around and then I suddenly found I think the old algorithm old Alan gorithms uh put me onto another one which the peeling paint peeling paint

Appreciation page which uh I’ve subscribed to as well so those are two quirky Pages which I fully approve of doors and Gates and peeling paint the peeling paint I just found out today and uh I’m must look for some uh well that Barn back there would qualify quite a

Large expanse of uh corroded paint on the uh side of the barn right heading off towards shenton I’m looking for I have my drone with me there’s one thing I want to find it’s a tree with a long Shadow on the grass Beyond it and this long winter sun is excellent for

That see if I can find One oh well such as SS Flor as soon as I found a tree with a decent Shadow the sun went In fortunately I know why the road is closed it’s a flood at the far end which I can get through which meant the whole Road was very quiet which is very Nice and so up the hill to the Village of dadlington where I know there’s a Seat Ah as I’ve said before you need to know where your your seats are and here we are Cheers also got a little orange you see um this Christmas uh I funly enough I put on a bit of weight who didn’t and uh still fighting to to get rid of it a whole

Month in but I’m still trying to stick to it anyway as I was saying before looking for signs of spring and I’ve not seen you you can just about see over here there are some daffodils narcissi of some sort trying to um come out by the way I’m in dadlington on the seat

Which I’ve been before and uh it’s a nice bright day all’s working out well yeah little oranges like these clementines tangerines I don’t know what you’re going to call them but they’re very nice very nice indeed now I said I was looking for signs of

Spring crocus I saw one or two of snow drops I see in my garden i’ got some helib BS I’ll show you those and we’ve got some daffodils out as well they’re other nice sisi Type U flowers coming out and about a word about the equipment I’ve

Got somebody asked me what drone I was using uh I think the details are below I’ve had a mini3 pro drone from DJI for a while now and it is extremely good uh I did have just the mini which would have been the one I suppose but they

Didn’t call it one until they made two then they didn’t call it anyway I got a three and um what else the only thing I’ve changed recently is my tripod which I did mention and this is it now let me just take this off and show you it’s

Like a a monopod with a tripod base and it telescopes back down in on itself which is brilliant for putting on the bike and just behind me are some daffodils nearly out and just rather beautiful tree look at this wow just as I thought I wasn’t going to

See any more spring flowers I came across this beautiful display of snow drops at the roadside in the little village of wiin look at that beautiful well I just thought I’d find somewhere fairly picturesque and really quiet to uh just say thanks for watching and um you will see me next time it’s

Right next to the Canal Bridge and people going over it are honking the horn and know thought that’s okay it’s sort of necessary but I never do it because I’ve always thinking of people who around here I mean live Liv in these boats or on these boats

Around here all day they must get these horns going all the time if you approach the bridge quietly carefully there’s no need to do that still whatever takes all sorts doesn’t it well that’s me Spring day for you oh under the bridge it’s echoing now and

Uh yep you will see me next time okay Bye-bye