Last weekend, I broke the pattern of just one ride per week. That said, the week before I didn't ride anywhere. I might have said this before, but things conspire against me and I end up not riding and it's not just the weather, it's everything from chores around the house to not having charged my phone enough before heading out to having to do something or go somewhere. And worst of all things, my own underlying laziness that simply makes me eat something and sit around rather than hit the road. But then, let's not forget the weather, which hasn't been good; it's only been the last week, possibly the last fortnight, that the weather has improved.
Last Saturday the plan had been to ride to Oxted, do my usual thing, like reading whatever novel I'm reading and drinking a cup of tea, and then heading home, but when I reached Limpsfield I noticed a wobble and yes, I had a puncture. The problem was that there were plans to do things and I didn't want to disappoint people so instead of doing what I should have done (fix the puncture and then ride home) I decided to be lazy instead and get the train home (£5.20). I felt awful because it was cheating and while I didn't exactly miss the uphill ride on Titsey Hill, there was a little bit of relief knowing that I wasn't going to do it. The only good thing was that I found a coffee shop (an independent) right by the entrance to the station and it looked like my kind of place. Perhaps I'll go back there on Saturday... but not until I fix last Saturday's puncture, it's on the front wheel, so far less hassle than the rear one and I should have done it but never got round to it.
One of the things stopping me riding has been the garden. The grass was in need of a cut, the first cut of the year, and it wasn't easy. I did the rear garden the week before last and the front lawn last week, but for the rear lawn I forfeited a ride and that was the weekend of no cycling. But! There's always a but. I got a lot of exercise not only mowing the lawn but taking out a dead tree which sits at the top of the garden as I write this. This coming weekend (today's Wednesday) I'll go out there and cut up the tree into logs and then I'll use those logs in a fire pit on the patio. I haven't bought it yet, but I plan to and then I'm going to sit outside in the early evening, burning a few logs and chilling as the night sets in. Or maybe not, it all depends on the weather and let's not forget that we're almost in April and that means 'April showers'.
While I took the train home last Saturday, I did manage two rides. Yes, the first ride was around nine miles on the outward journey to Oxted, on Sunday I rode to Tatsfield village to meet Andy, so I got out on both days and also mowed the front lawn (for the first time this year). One great piece of exercise, by the way, is lawn raking. I'll be doing some raking this coming weekend as the gardening doesn't stop until November. I normally stop in October but my neighbour said he always gives a last cut in November because it makes things easier when the cutting season comes around again.
I'm still not doing things and by that I'm saying that I keep meaning to do this and that but I never get around to it and I need to kick myself into gear. If I sit in a chair in front of the television I get cosy and sometimes I nod off and miss whatever I was intending to watch on the box. I've also got to stop eating marmalade. Yes, I'm back on it. I'm on my third, possibly even my fourth consecutive jar. I had planned to stop after the last jar, but a trip to a place called Graffham in West Sussex led me to a store that sold marmalade and I'm a sucker for traditional marmalade, you know the sort of thing, the gingham cloth covering the lid. I love it, but buying another jar set me on the road of having a couple of slices of toast and marmalade for breakfast every morning plus another couple of slices when I return from work. So, when my current jar expires, that's it unless I feel so demotivated that I feel tempted to buy another one. Comfort shopping, that's what it is.
This evening I read an article about the benefits of walking so I'm going to ramp up my walking. I used to walk a lot at work and recently I have started walking to Merstham from Redhill (it's around two miles). I might start walking 5km at lunch time and then the two-mile jaunt in the evening, every evening. And what about swimming? Well, I've not gotten round to that either and I need to and soon. Trust me, it's going to happen sooner or later. Sooner I hope. I think the key with exercise is to build it into your daily schedule. We'll see how things go.
What am I reading right now? Charles Bukowski. I started with Post Office and now I'm reading Ham on Rye. I loved Post Office and I note that Bukowski wrote a book on writing, called On Writing. Will it be better that Stephen King's book of the same name? Who knows? One thing I will say is that I love books about writing written by writers. Consider This by Chuck Palaniuk is brilliant but there was one by Murakami that I really didn't like as he never really answered and questions and I hated that.
It's getting late, 22.23hrs to be precise and something else I mean to do is go to bed early. I messed up last night and possibly the night before too, but I've got to get into bed around 2230hrs, something I'm not going to do tonight, but then I can have a later start tomorrow as I'll be working from home, no commuting, so all should be well. I'm planning an early walk before work too as I want to get more steps in.
Gotta go!
