Andy in hospital with a broken hip...

Andy has come off his bike and is in hospital with a broken hip. Black ice is to blame. He needs an operation and for all I know he's had it or is having it as I write this at nearly 1900hrs. We didn't meet in Westerham as usual on Sunday because Andy was marshalling for a bike race. I can only assume that he came off on his way to the marshalling point, but I don't know.

Saturday's ride to the Pop Inn, Redhill

On a text, Andy later told me he was being kept in hospital. It's now Tuesday night. I first heard of the accident on Sunday. I'm assuming he's still there, but I know that sooner or later he'll be out of hospital. He told me he'd need a lift, which is fine, but I don't know which hospital he's in. Not that it matters. Wherever it is, I'll be there if he needs a lift. I'm just awaiting the call.

Where cycling is concerned, I'm 'back in the room' so to speak. I rode to Westerham last Sunday and then I rode the Weeble on Thursday, did a double Nobbler on Friday, a ride to Redhill on Saturday and today I sent to Oxted where I sat outside sipping a cappuccino under a blue sky and sunshine. The weather was the same yesterday when I rode to Redhill and sat outside of the Pop Inn Cafe on the A23. It was a tough ride back, coming up White Hill Lane and also Tithepit Shaw Lane, but I took it in my stride and covered 24 miles. Today's ride to Oxted meant a ride up Titsey Hill, which is a long, slow, steep hill all the way to Botley Hill, but I managed it, covering roughly 19.23 miles. So, in total, without actually counting the mileage on Strava, I rode 70 miles, not bad! 

Breakfast at the Pop Inn, Redhill

I've been very slack of late so I'm glad that I'm back in the game. For a while I was getting worried that I'd lost the momentum, but clearly I haven't. I've just got to keep it up. I'm back at work tomorrow so I might be riding the Nobbler Monday to Wednesday and then a couple of Weebles on Thursday and Friday, followed by a ride to Westerham (or possibly Redhill again) on Saturday. What, roughly, would that add up to? Well, it's something like 80-plus miles, which (based on recent cycling activity) would be a result.

The weather's getting better too. As I mentioned above, we've had sunshine all weekend and I've been sitting outside eating fried eggs on toast (Saturday) and a cappuccino (Sunday morning). It's getting lighter in the mornings and in the evening too and I just hope that Andy recovers soon and can get back on the bike.

Both days were good and it was excellent just chilling, first on Saturday with the aforementioned two fried eggs on toast in the Pop Inn (actually, I found that I had three fried eggs, but I only paid for two. They were both served on toast along with a mug of tea. It would have been good had I sat there for just a little bit longer, but that nagging feeling about having to ride home was always present and eventually I paid up and left after taking a couple of photos. The ride back was fine until I reached White Hill Lane. I was going to try an altnerative route that avoided the hill, but in the end I decided to go for it and soon I found myself reaching the summit.

Caffe Nero in Oxted on Sunday

On Sunday, it was wonderful sitting outside the Caffe Nero. The skies were blue, the sun was out and I sat there with a decaff cappuccino, it was amazing. Again, I didn't want to go, but I had to, and this time I had to climb Titsey hill. I hadn't experienced a major climb for a long while, but it wasn't a problem and soon I found myself at Botley Hill and sailing down the 269.

It's still Tuesday night and the weather changed today, it's been raining. Horrible, drizzly rain. I haven't been out on the bike since Sunday morning, so that's two missed days. Not to worry. Last week I did well. Seventy miles. I need to add it up on Strava. If I can repeat last week I'll be happy and I will if the weather lets up.

Today I bought myself a lock for the bike. I've had a U-lock for many years, but the lock has frozen for some reason so I thought I'd buy something a litle easier (and lighter). I bought it from Robert Dyas in Redhill, a great shop.

St. Leonard's Church and the Tatsfield Bus Stop...

I had a broken night and strongly considered an 'abort' text, but in the end I fell asleep and when I woke up I discovered it was 0700hrs and not an hour earlier. I'd reset the alarm on Thursday night and hadn't switched it back to 0600hrs. A text was sent to Andy suggesting a meeting at 0800hrs. Yes, came the reply, but the ride would need to be shorter. Fine.

It was cold out and I was unable to find my balaclava, which seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. When I reached the bus stop Andy suggested we rode to St. Leonard's Church, which is not far away, but still provides us with a 12-miler, including the distance from our respective houses to the green. We headed off and soon we were there, unpacking the tea and biscuits and seeking some kind of shelter from the wind.

Andy's bike, Warlingham Green, 16th December 2018. Pic: Andy Smith

There is no cover at St Leonard's unless we stand under the gateway, so it's not an ideal destination in bad weather and not the sort of place to head for in the rain. That said, it's a good 'short ride' and a place I'm sure we'll be visiting again in the future. Not that we haven't been there before: we were there last week, and in the summer it's a great place to be. Prior to last week's ride, I think we've made a couple of visits to this sleepy English churchyard.

The subject, of course, was Brexit and the potential second referendum. We both agreed it was wrong as it would go against democracy, even if remaining in the EU, I said, was the best option for the country. Personally, I think a second referendum would be hilarious, but who knows what will happen? I have a rule and it is this: Think of the worst thing that could happen and that will be what happens. In the past I've predicted that the UK will vote to leave the EU, I've said that the US electorate will vote for Donald Trump AND I said we (the US and the UK) would invade Iraq – all three happened. And now I'm saying we'll leave the EU without a deal – a hard Brexit in other words, mainly because we won't have a second referendum, but Parliament will be unable to agree on the right course of action for the nation. I hope I'm wrong, for a change.

We left the church and headed home, parting at the green and promising to meet, on time, the following morning.

On Sunday morning I'm glad I went out, but I was still a little weary and could have done with a lie in. Still, I got out and when I reached the green I found Andy taking the photograph above. We opted for the slow way to the Bus Stop and en route discussed the lack of time for our rides. In days gone by we seemed to have more time, but now time has closed in; it's as if somebody turns over an hour glass and the sand runs through pretty quickly. We seem to reach our destination, drink our tea, munch our biscuits and then get up and head home. In the old days things seemed far more relaxed, which might have something to do with meeting at 0700hrs rather than 0730hrs. Perhaps that extra 30 minutes made all the difference.

Sunday was warmer than Saturday, but as we headed along Beddlestead Lane Andy's bike slipped and over he went. Black ice on the road. Andy was fine, but when I stopped behind him and placed my feet on the ground, it was very slippy, a bit like walking on an ice rink. Dangerous if any Lycra Monkeys were planning on racing recklessly down the hill, not that we saw many Lycra Monkeys this weekend. There was no ice in the middle of the road so we carried on, carefully, and eventually found ourselves on Clarks Lane. We turned left and free-wheeled the short distance to the bus stop. We didn't talk about Brexit.

On the return trip, Andy and I parted at The Ridge. I followed the off-road path to Warlingham, sailed along the Limpsfield Road and was soon home. I had a bit of a headache and spent the rest of the day lounging about, watching a movie and then making the Sunday roast chicken. I hit the sack around 2200hrs, but woke up just before 0300hrs and found it difficult to get back to sleep. I must have nodded off around 0500hrs and was then woken by my alarm – the sound of birdsong – at 0600hrs. Still sleepy, I reset the alarm for 0635hrs and then got up and made breakfast. It's now Monday morning and time to get ready for work. I've just enjoyed multi-seed porridge with grapes, blueberries, raspberries and sliced banana, plus a mint tea. I'm listening to the Today Programme, on Radio 4, and there's a lot of air time being given to Gaza, they're talking about the Israeli blockade, but who cares? The whole Israeli/Palestine thing is going to run and run, it'll never be solved, a bit like famine in Africa and homelessness here in the UK.

For video of Sunday's ride, including Andy's fall, click here.