Lockdown, Part 12: A chance to breath.

Yesterday, I completed 56 miles of cycling, since my week started on Tuesday. As avid readers will know, I've been stepping up the riding from week one of the lockdown, starting with six miles per day, upping it to eight miles, then 10 and this past week 14 miles per day. I take one day off and this week it's likely to be today although, that said, the weather looks fine, a bit cloudy, but no rain, so there might be a chance of getting out there today. If I go out today, I've cycled daily since the Thursday before last, which is good going. One thing this virus is teaching me is that cycling is by far the best mode of transport. When (if) the lockdown is lifted - it's just been extended by 'at least' three more weeks - I'll try to cycle to work every day as it's only 11 miles to get there and I'm riding 14 at the moment. That way I can avoid using the trains or the car, although the car is probably the best bet, despite the fact that I simply don't like driving at the best of times, it's so lazy.

Easter time!!!

It was touch and go yesterday as to whether I'd even get a ride. The skies threatened rain most of the day, but nothing happened until later in the afternoon, but even then it was half-hearted. I sat in the 'conservatory' looking out on the garden, checking the birdbath for signs of raindrops, looking at one of the huge 'picture windows' (as my mum calls them) for signs of heavy rainfall and while there was the occasional droplet, it looked kind of alright. In the end, I checked the iphone's weather app and noted a cloud with a sun poking out from behind it, supposedly from around 1700hrs. I eventually got out around 1730, probably a little earlier, and rode to Botley Hill. It was fine and as I turned at the roundabout just beyond the pub and headed for home, I felt good that I'd taken a ride and could transfer my day off (if I was going to have one this week) to Saturday (today). Although the good news is that there's no rain scheduled for today, just cloudy and grey skies, which is perfect. It's also pretty still out there as I write this, so perhaps a ride today to Botley.

I've got to start thinking about pushing the envelope a little further next week. Oxted sprung to mind yesterday as I approached the turning point on the ride. It would mean riding down Titsey Hill (no great hardship) and then following the road into town. Distance? Roughly 20 miles at a guess, meaning I'd be riding 120 miles in the week (as opposed to this week's 84 miles when I complete on Monday and assuming I have today off). It's a tall order as next week I'm back at work, meaning I'll have to head out after 4pm and I'll be increasing my time out on the bike, and let's not forget Titsey Hill, I'll have to come back up, unless I ride along the A25 to Westerham and then come up Westerham hill, the long haul towards Botley along Clarks Lane, that can be an ordeal and would lengthen the trip considerably, making the ride hover around 25 miles. Not bad, though. I could do it four times in the week and still clock up 100 miles, although the idea of lolling around not cycling for three days wouldn't be good.

Cycling has been a daily pastime

I've come to realise that being in 'lockdown' isn't too bad, although I'm aware that I probably have it better than those crammed into small apartments and living half a dozen to a room and with no garden. Fine if you live in a reasonably decent block of flats with fairly extensive communal gardens, but these days, new blocks of flats are being built without such luxuries. If push comes to shove I can always head out to the garden, which is on the large side, I could even camp out there if I wanted a change of scenery. By and large, however, I'd even go as far as saying I was enjoying the isolation, the change of lifestyle, things have slowed down, I'm happy being at home and I'm thinking how mad things were when I was working all day, coming home by train, not getting back until after 1900hrs and then not eating until around 2000hrs, hitting the sack at gone 2300hrs and then repeating the process.

... and big breakfasts!

Now, under lockdown, I still work, but I get time to cycle on a daily basis, I get to spend time at home, to chat, eat decent meals at a reasonable hour and I don't spend money unnecessarily on mint teas and bananas in Puccino's on Redhill station or in the Pop Inn Cafe on the A23 every lunch time (easily £25 per week). Now I'm not saying I like the situation. I don't want people dying of some awful virus courtesy of China, but now we're all doing what we're doing, it gives us a chance to breath (no virus pun intended). I guess it's all about reappraisal, which we all need to do now and then. I was definitely spending more money than I needed to on rubbish: cake, biscuits, mint teas, bananas, just stuff to scoff while waiting for a train on a cold platform. At least if I was on the bike I'd have no time for pigging out.

I wasted a lot of money, even at weekends, driving aimlessly into the sticks and spending, easily, £25 on coffee and walnut cake, tea and hot chocolate. I've almost forgotten about 'driving'. Since lockdown I think I've only been in the car once a week and that's just a short journey to the store and back. I can't remember the last time I filled up with gas, but I know there's a good half a tank left and I haven't filled up for over a week. All the unnecessary spending meant I was invariably in debt most of the time and that, like a lot of things (delayed trains, stuck in traffic, eating too much cake round at mum's) led to fretting (about weight, work, you name it).

Blossoms on the tree

I've been listening to Johann Strauss, reading, chilling, cycling, eating good food, cooking some of it myself, chatting with my family, in many ways it's all been good. I haven't been sitting in traffic, driving miles just to eat a couple of slabs of fruit cake while watching Escape to the Country, feeling too tired to do anything and then not sleeping well because I'm worrying about money or jobs or travelling or whatever. In short, I'm in a better place right now, I quite enjoy - or I've gotten used to - keeping my distance from other people, keeping my own counsel, whatever, it's fine and the fact that we've got three more weeks of it? Bring it on!

The only stressful bit is shopping, standing there in the queue in the car park hoping that nobody's going to get too close or start sneezing, although I was suffering the other day from either hay fever or some kind of chill and found myself sneezing in the queue. Have I got the virus? Not yet and I hope I don't go down with it any time soon. They say that some people don't show any symptoms, well, I'd like to be one of those people, but I don't think I am. I've yet to hear of anybody I know having the virus and I hope to keep it that way. Mum's locked away from humanity, she's getting her food delivered by Waitrose. I haven't seen anybody, not even my son, who is in lockdown 12 miles or so away. When this is all over I'm hoping we'll all get together (my immediate family, that is, and go to our favourite pub in Sussex for lunch followed, perhaps, by a walk on the beach and even a slice of cake before the drive home. Here's hoping normality returns.

Even the dandelions get a look in...