Summer is leaving the building...

Warlingham Green, Saturday 22nd September 2012,
note Andy's shadow to the left of the shot.

I left the house without gloves on yesterday and while it was still fine, there was a bite in the air that said winter was coming. Oddly, this is my favourite time of year for cycling as it's sort of evocative – of what I don't know, but I'm guessing it's all to do with the coming of Halloween, Bonfire Night and, of course, Christmas, which I heard yesterday was 93 days away – meaning it's 92 days today.

We rode out to the Tatsfield Bus Stop after an uncertain start. Andy sent a text saying '7.30?' but in the early hours (it was 0540hrs) I thought it read 'abort', switched off the alarm and went back to bed wondering whether or not to go to Woodmansterne, or ride out alone later. I knew it was likely to be the last good weather before Tropical Storm Nadine hits the UK (loads of rain is promised today) but, as I lie there, the phone rang. It was Andy wondering what my answer might be.

Needless to say I got up and we met around 0745hrs on the Green, later than usual, but the weather was fine.

The shot accompanying this post is of Woodmansterne Green, taken before my arrival and arguably the best shot we've taken of the green.

Tatsfield bus stop, April 2008.

While at the bus stop, we chatted about pre-blog days and whether or not there was photographic evidence of our pre-blog rides. I think I've posted pre-blog stuff here before, but, for the record, here's a shot of our early rides, pre-2009.

There are other shots from pre-blog days when most of our rides involved Westerham and we made a point of going twice a week AND meet at 7am instead of 7.30am – how we've started to slack!