Back in the saddle (nearly)

Yew arch ‘work in progress’ (and the apple tree needs to be pruned)

I was down to lead the club ‘red’ ride yesterday and it was going to be my first day back in the saddle after the crash and (more importantly) the sciatica. It’s not quite 100% but very close – only the occasional stretch or quick turn reminds me that it’s been there at all.

The weather forecast was not great so I prepared to ride my wife’s hybrid (which is a man’s bike really and one I can ride OK with just a fairly small raising of the saddle).

As it was, the forecasts worsened throughout the week and on Friday (perhaps with last week’s accident in mind) the rides were called off. [Speaking of last week’s accident, 5 of the 6 fallers are on the mend and the 6th was operated on in the week and all went well, so wishing him the very best for his recovery although it’s going to several months before we see him back on his bike].

Not convinced it’s really blowing from the east – more likely the weather vane is frozen solid

Another local club has a mince pie ride every December – ending with mulled wine and mince pies at the top of White Horse Hill. A couple of years ago I got the time wrong and found myself at the top of the hill, alone and an hour early so I missed the whole thing. Last year I got it right and cycled out with a group from the Farcycles – an excellent event. It was due to take place today so I thought perhaps that might be the occasion of getting back on the bike but we woke this morning to a few inches of snow and that ride too was called off.

That’s a real shame as it raises money for the club. By my reckoning I’ve ridden the hill 176 times this year training for the ‘everesting’ in July, and I was looking forward to number 177 done in a more leisurely manner.

Perhaps it’s nature’s way of telling me that I’m not ready to ride yet …. or perhaps, more likely, nature doesn’t give a tinker’s cuss about me and it’s just a meteorological phenomenon.

10 foot Bay tree bent double by weight of the snow

It’s been snowing for about 10 hours now and we have something like 4 inches on the ground. No doubt the affected regions will have largely ground to a halt. I’m not planning to go out and see for myself.

I’ll leave the mowing for now

We get snow frequently enough that it can be a problem, but not frequently enough that we are ever really well prepared for it.

‘Stiff upper lips’ and ‘spirit of the blitz’ to the fore!