Cavendish takes his third stage win of this year's TdF to lie second only to Merckx in the number of stage wins at the tour. With his form as it is, who knows if he might even overtake that one day. He may not be Britain's greatest cyclist in some people's eyes but he has to be the most successful in terms of number of wins.

The attached link is from quite a long article about intersex children and how they are and were treated in the UK. Sadly it sounds as if things still have a long way to go though in places they are getting better.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/02/male-and-femal...

Sorry folks, been trying to do a short story for this weekend's Gabycon. I haven't written anything Gaby for the past year so it was a longer process than usual and I didn't have time to do any writing for Bike, episodes of which may be a bit sparse over the next few days as I help to entertain the Gaby fans who turn up here in darkest Dorset. The good news - the weather appears to be improving; the bad - my cycling isn't.

Fishermen traditionally have stories of minnows the size of blue whales that got away with no evidence to prove or disprove the stories. Today, while helping with a survey to find some dormeece for a Mammal Society course, two managed to escape from a box I was checking. The first one shot out the hole in the back of the box and up the tree it was on before dropping onto the ground - behaviour, neither of us surveyors had seen before. It then climbed up a piece of stick where it posed blinking, for us to photograph it.

An extract from a new book, not quite sure what I thought about her father from the portrait painted, but then people who survived the Second World War in eastern Europe dealt with some terrible experiences which were bound to have an impact on their lives. From its narrative the author doesn't pull any punches about her relationship with the complex and at times dark natured man who, eventually became a woman. Interesting.

and my head feels like a metal bucket stuffed full of cotton wool - in short, I feel like poo warmed up and only then because I had to put the heating on I felt so cold. I didn't sleep very well last night for the stupid tickly cough which kept waking me up, so an early night with a good book and an even better cat, is called for. Florence Whizzingale will be pressed into service.

I hope I shall feel a bit better tomorrow and I can add extra episodes of the story that Waif hates so much or is it just the author?

From the Guardian, the tale of how Ambrosia Starling caused suspension of Alabama's chief (and bigoted) judge over his refusal to allow gay marriage in the state.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/22/alabama-gay-m...