Thursday Night

Good evening,

Well I struggled to life this morning with very little hope.

At midday I set out on a long bike ride experiment, a bike ride into the big town 8 miles away.

Almost all of the journey is along a cycle track, but I had to find the track first, it is the other side of the estate the other side of the main road.

So, I got to the cycle track and off I went. Some of the time the bike was freewheeling, sometimes it was hard to pedal and I felt tired, but it was generally a smooth, problem-free ride, with lots of other cyclists and walkers around, so I had to work out what was the best thing to do in passing people and letting people by and things. It can be like a racetrack, you overtake, they overtake, etc.
Sometimes I felt like the lad in 'Goodnight Mr Tom' wobbling nervously along.

But the bike surprised me, I am not fit, but the bike is fast, and I overtook people.

To be honest, the bike is a bit awesome. People see it and go 'oh a Raleigh!' cos now that is special, whereas when I was a kid, we all had Raleighs, that was the norm.
This is a sturdy raleigh with 15 gears and it goes like Herbie.

I stopped a few times for water and inhaler. And I got a few pictures.
At one point there was a derelict railway station, because the cycle track is the old railway line, so I stopped for a break, and a lady was selling water and cakes, so I got a bottle of water for 50p as I had run out.
Eventually I reached town, so that was half a successful new venture, and to my delight, the cycle track ended at KFC, so I had my lunch there.

It did feel funny, sitting in KFC in town without having been on the bus, and looking at my bike locked outside. A bit of a big change to my brain's usual tracks, so it has to adjust.
Anyway, I had a wander in town, got £10  and got phone credit.
And headed back, wondering if it was going to be an ordeal as I was tired and had forgotten to take any asperin (thins blood, helps heart), as, in this warm weather and suddenly exercising a lot, I am more at risk, and the symptoms begin with a headache.

Anyway, I picked up speed on the way back and made a good journey, never exhausted.
I stopped a few miles from home because I have had a bad few weeks and I need my Mother. So I phoned my friends and they are hoping to come and see me.

I got home, tired and hot, and had a rest, tempted to go to bed, but decided not to upset my sleeping pattern even more.
Eventually I hung the washing, put the rubbish out and had a cycle round the block instead of a walk.
It is so tempting to just keep going though, so much easier than walking.

Here I am, ready for bed and sleep. I am in pain from the bike ride, but at least I can get to places now.
And it keeps me away from increasing sudden allergic reactions to perfume and aftershave as well as helping me to get strong and fit, well, I dunno about that but I can ride a bike, and that is good.