Systems Check

Writing this from work, cause well, I can. I don't think that I have written from work before so it'll be interesting to see how it comes through.

In my last post I stated that I've gone bike mad. Now the total miles is greater that 420 and I've saved at least £83.20 on transport costs. The main problem with it is that recently (i.e. 3 out of the last 4 trips) the return ride home has been weather affected which typically means that a) I arrive home angry with the lack-o-summer and b) need to launder my wet and filthy gear (clothes, self and bike). I mean for christ sake, yesterday the ride was replete with rain, thunder, lightening and hail the latter of which had fortunately fallen before I rode over it but still had the effect of near freezing the puddles and consequently my soggy arse. I really should invest in a rear pannier rack or mudguard or something to keep me more dry while riding.

Another unfortunate bilking experience was I lost a shoe! No not off my foot in a "Puff! Hey my shoe disappeared!" kind of a way, no the sneaky wee bugger wormed its way out of my bag on the ride to work last Friday. In actual fact it totally unzipped my bag and then jumped to freedom. So I had an interesting Friday walking around work with no shoes, good for encouraging pre-weekend laughter I suppose. Couldn't find the shoe on the ride home either, which is a shame cause now the path has been rained on too many times to consider picking it up even if it comes out of hiding...

Anyway, more biking related news that you probably haven't missed is the fact that the Tour de France started in London this year and yours truly went to Hyde Park to see what the fuss was all about. Got a little distracted by the weather and the cycle village to actually push my way to the circuit but did watch the lads ride around extremely quickly on the big screen they had put up for lazy people like me. Was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in the sunshine. Even signed up to sustrans to help cover the cost my cycling on the national bike network (most of the tow path I ride is on their network). Oh and I got interviewed by a BBC radio reporter about the Tour while sitting on the grass and playing with Sal's bike. I wonder if anyone heard it!

Enough of bikes - so will quickly finish off with what I'm reading at the moment - David Mitchell's "Black Swan Green". He is a writer that the dependable morgue introduced me to - probably back in 2000 when he gave me "Ghostwritten". I loved that novel, still do in fact, and that copy is still in a shelf somewhere at home (I am now better at sharing book love!). Since then I have read his other two novels as well, "Number9Dream" and "Cloud Atlas" the latter of which is amazing

Best quote thus far and has me pleased in the sense that the novel may have some of the fantastical elements present in David's first three novels is:

'Unborn Twin murmured, Go to the lake.'

Reading is fun kids.