To Tatsfield Village...

Last week, two trips to Tatsfield, one alone, one with Andy (on Sunday). Great rides both of them, the weather wasn't too severe, but it was a little on the chilly side, certainly on Saturday. I've taken to riding along the off-road path on the return journey along the 269. It's been okay but there are bits where the uneven path shakes the bike to smithereens and on Sunday I lost my front light as a result. I looked down and it wasn't there and the very thought of stopping and retracing my steps back along the path was too annoying to be given any major consideration, which I suppose was stupid in itself. I figure I'd buy a new front light. That said, perhaps I'll take a look for it this weekend.

Tatsfield Village pond.

I'm still angry with myself for not tying in to an exercise routine, not yet at any rate. Everything in my life is so haphazard. I might start using the trim wheel on, say, a Monday, but then I'll completely forget about it until Wednesday and it's all to do with circumstances. I might oversleep and vow to do the exercises in the evening, but then the evening comes and I completely forget about it until it's too. Likewise the Saturday ride, but this is more my fault. I simply get up, knowing I can go whenever I want and then end up still being in the house at gone 0900hrs when the demands of others starts to creep in. End result? I don't go out, although I do promise myself that I'll go in the evening and then, of course, I don't go.

Pot of tea at Sheree's...totally civilised!

Now it's the following week and it's Saturday morning (yesterday) and it's lunch time for heaven's sake and there's no way I'm going now. I'll either go tonight or (most likely) I'll content myself with the thought that I'm going tomorrow and then lol in front of the television all night. There has been a kind of on/off pattern to cycling, mainly because of cold weather and the sequence goes something like this: Two rides, one ride, no rides, one ride, two rides (per week) and so on. Last week I managed two rides, good for me. This week it's just the one and in many ways it's gone back to what it used to be pre-pandemic when rain might have stopped the Saturday ride or Andy couldn't make it on the Sunday or the weather across the weekend was so rubbish we didn't go out at all. Back then, of course, we just accepted the situation for what it was and perhaps that should be the way now, but I don't think so. It needs to be addressed and I've got to have more discipline, more get up and go, more organization and so forth. In other words, as I keep saying, I must get my act together and make a difference.

Inside Sheree's Tearooms...

It's the same for walking. I've done alright on walking. I'm not always recording the walks on Strava, but I think this week I've managed a couple of two-milers and one slightly longer, but when the International Man of Mystery isn't around I prefer a curry and rice and a mug of tea down the caff and why not? Fine, but I don't walk home, I wait for the Purley Oaks train, although, all things said, I always walk around two miles per day from my house to Purley Oaks station in the morning and at night, so the default is around a two-miler daily.

I promised myself that I'd go swimming. I haven't gone yet and we're now in February. I won't say anymore about that but hopefully one day I'll manage it and get in the groove. In fact I'm not going to say anything about my plans for exercise as whenever I do I simply don't do it.

Today I rode to Tatsfield village, forgetting that Andy wasn't going to be there. I have vague memories last week of him saying he wouldn't be going, but as I say, I forgot. So I left the house around 0800hrs and at around 0900, as Sheree's Tearoom came into view, I couldn't see Andy's trademark orange forks. I started to think, hold on, I've beaten him to it, I'm the first to arrive, this is great news, but as I drew nearer and kind of remembered him saying he wouldn't be there. In many ways I'm glad I forgot because had I remembered I probably wouldn't have gone, I'd have left it too late and then thought I'll start again next week. In other words, not remembering he wouldn't be there did me a lot of favours.

Chicken curry at Rodi's Redhill

Over the past few weeks I've been taking the off-road path on the return journey along the 269 and it's been alright, except that it's pretty bumpy, shaking the bike to smithereens and last week (rather annoyingly) I lost my front light as a result. Today, after tea at Sheree's, I followed the same route along the off-road path, but I slowed right down and kept an eye out for my light. I didn't find it, which means I'll have to buy another one. It was warmer out today than it has been of late, which made for a pleasant change. 

When I reached Sheree's, Ken was there. We wished each other a good morning and that was it; I felt glad that he didn't engage me in a chat about catheters. Instead, I sat there looking out of the window and just chilling out until I'd finished my pot of tea. Then I headed out on the ride home and I must say it was enjoyable. At least I got one ride in and things will improve, I know they will.