I managed around 45 miles this week...

There's really no point in listening to the media, certainly where the weather is concerned. They rarely get it right and they big up the bad weather so that people like me think twice about going out on the bike. Saturday past is a good example of this: the weather people were talking about Saturday being an awful day so I was thinking that I wouldn't bother going out on the bike and I decided to go out on Friday afternoon to boost my mileage. Without looking I think I managed to take my total to 50 miles, based mainly on local 10-milers. When I woke up on Saturday 6 February I had the mindset of not going out, but when I looked out there was no rain. Alright, it was a bit cloudy, bolstering the weatherman's agenda about Saturday being a bad day, so instead of getting off my arse and heading out around 0800hrs for Westerham, I slobbed around assuming that it would rain any minute. It didn't. In fact, the weather improved and around mid-morning I was starting to wish I'd taken a ride to Westerham as that would have meant a total of 70 miles. In the end I sneaked in another local 10-miler taking my weekly total to 60 miles, which ain't too bad.

Looking out of the window on Sunday morning, 7 February, I had the feeling that snow was on the way. It was 0730hrs. By 0800hrs it was snowing so I aborted my planned ride with Andy who agreed wholeheartedly that it was pretty horrible out there. It remained horrible for the whole day as a kind of drizzly snow fell constantly and nobody went out. It was boring and it brought home to me the boredom of everything, like lockdown. And now they're saying the vaccine doesn't work as well as we all thought. Well, there's a surprise!

Snow and cold weather...

The week remained cold. All week. So cold I never ventured out, not even for a walk, let alone a ride. It wasn't until Monday this week, 15 February, yesterday, that things changed and the temperature rose. Yesterday, I did a local ride, my 10-miler, the Super Nobbler, but while I was planning to repeat it today, Tuesday 16 February, the chance never arose as I worked later than expected and then decided to take a walk instead. As the walk finished there were spits of rain, and it was dark, which put paid to any thoughts I had of riding into the early evening.

And now it's Wednesday 17 February and I haven't loo ked at the weather. In fact, I'm taking things as they come, it's the best way. My intention will be to take a ride around 1630hrs, the usual 10-miler, but let's see. I woke up this morning around 0400hrs and stayed in bed until 0534hrs when I realised I wasn't going to fall asleep. When I got downstairs I put on Radio 3, it's on now, but had a little break from it when I decided to watch a Panorama programme on anti-vaxxers, as they're known. While I get where they're coming from (I mean who can you trust these days?) I will be taking the vaccine when it's offered. Mum's had it, she's 91, and it's not adversely affected her so what's to worry about? I like people who go against the received wisdom, but there are those who simply shout 'fake news' just because Trump fostered distrust in his position as leader of the free world. To cry 'fake news' is very Trumpian, or Trump-like, but now, thankfully, he's been deposed, he's out of office, and the world is a better place. Most of the people pedalling anti-vax sentiments are slightly odd and, as the Panorama programme pointed out, a lot of the doctors in a video that's been doing the rounds have been discredited in some way or other, it's just that the people prepared to listen to them can't be bothered to find out more about the people who telling them not to take the vaccine. Well, Panorama did it for them and if you get the chance, watch the programme on iPlayer, it's only 29 minutes of your time and well worth it I would say. Or is it? My problem with everything since Brexit started back in 2016 is that we now live in a pretty black and white, cut and dried world where the gist of the stories doing the rounds lack complexity. Do you need to watch it? Probably not. Basically, there are people who don't believe in taking the vaccine, that's the story, these people exist, some might say they're stupid, others might agree with them, that's the story, so now you know, don't waste 29 minutes of your time. And everything at the moment seems to be of the same ilk: straightforward, not hard to understand, you either believe it or you don't and nobody cares either way. That's why I'm listening to Radio 3 because basically there's two sides to an argument these days and that's it, you're either with us or against us, a Brexiteer or a Remainer, Republican or Democrat and you're always right, don't forget that too, it's you against those who don't agree with you and they're wrong, all of them, and because of that you hate them.

It's Thursday and the weather's been great. I took a walk at lunch time, but considered a short ride. The walk seemed the best bet as there was work to do, and eating. Some cottage pie was left over so I heated it up and wolfed it down, then it was time for my 25-minute walk, make that 30 minutes, just over. At around 1630hrs I jumped on the bike and did another Super Nobbler (10 miles). I've now riden 20 miles this week, not brilliant, but if I get out tomorrow as well that'll be 30 miles and then there's Saturday, so I could be on track for a 50-mile week, which ain't bad in these days of crap weather.

And so it's Friday and I hear the weekend weather is going to be good, or so they say. I'll be out later today hopefully, on another 10-mile Super Nobbler (any more than two laps becomes tiresome). That's going to take my mid-week total to a disappointing 30 miles, but with the prospect of a ride to Westerham it'll be bumped up to 50 (as I saidW in the previous paragraph).

Westerham Saturday 20 February

I tell you what's got on my nerves this week: Facebook's behaviour in Australia. I really hope that people turn a page on the social media site and find an alternative. I gave up Facebook within six months of signing up to it and the more I hear about it, I'm glad, so glad, that I turned my back on it. I'm on Twitter, but that seems alright, give or take. The key is not to get obsessive.

Saturday and the weather turned. Light blue skies and feathery cloud in the morning so I rode to Westerham and back, approximately 22 miles and warm all the way. I followed the usual route but branched off along Pilgrims Lane and then back up the usual hill after a large cappuccino and an almond croissant. A fantastic ride, bringing my total mileage to around 45 miles. Not the respectable 60 I was hoping for, but then you can't have everything. It was a good way to end my cycling week. On Sunday Andy and I are meeting at Tatsfield Village, giving me a good head start on mileage for the week ahead.