Holy house, I’ve really caught the cycling bug ! This summer I’ve cycled 650 miles which is more than the straight-line distance from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, don’t you know ! Quite an achievment really. Even if I do say so myself…
The bike was a bit of an impulse buy and I had no idea I’d take to cycling. I’ve developed a good 30 mile route which I’ve managed to do most Sundays. It takes me over Tooting Bec and Wandsworth Common through Earlsfield to Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon Village before breezing down the A3 footpath to Richmond Park.
I then whizz round Richmond Park and out to the Thames tow path before re-entering the park by the Star and Garter on Richmond Hill. I love racing down the park hill and sometimes get up to 30mph. If only there was a pesky speed camera to trigger on that stretch…
I then whip through the Robin Hood Estate and back along to Wimbledon Village and home past St George’s Hospital and Ahmen Corner.
Just love it. I even extended the route today by going all the way to Kingston and coming back along the towpath, past Teddington Lock and Ham Polo and up Richmond Hill.
Never thought I’d find such an enjoyable way to stay in shape. I’ve lost half a stone and have never felt better !
Picked up a neat iPod Shuffle which I’ved fed with lots of cheesy, feel-good tunes to keep me going. I’ve even, rather more worryingly, started buying brightly coloured cycling gear… !
Wonderful long weekend in Paris. We found a great Eurostar-Hotel deal online and hopped on the train at the spanking new International Terminus at St Pancras. The train whisked us through Kent, under the Channel and through Northern France to Gare du Nord International in Paris.
We had a great room in the Citadines Opéra Vendôme hotel at 2, rue Edouard VII in the Opera district, a short walk from the Louvre.
We went up the Eiffel Tower, walk through the Place de Vendome and toured the Louvre before heading out to eat in the vibrant Latin Quarter. We found a greek restaurant with vast spit roasts turning in an open kitchen. Had a great meal of roast lamb and flat bread and even saw a mouse scurry across the floor !
The second day we went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Élysées before heading down the river on a boat to the fantastic Notre Dame cathedral. We had ice creams in the summer sun and watch the Parisian crowds drift lazily along the riverbank.
The final day took us out to Montmartre, a wonderfully relaxed part of the city. We dutifully climbed the hill to Sacré-Cœur Basilica and admired the views out over the city. I loved Montmartre and found a local cambodian restaurant full of Parisians enjoying a relaxing lunch. The food was fabulous and we headed back to Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar back to London.
Are we really looking at a Cameron led Tory government within a year ? Pheeeeww. I hope not.
There’s one thing worse than government by politicians and that’s government by journalists and PR men.
Cameron is a PR man. Presentation is his craft. He has no experience of government, indeed he has little experience of anything. He only knows the art of spin. Useful in opposition, dangerous in power.
George Osbourne, similarly, has little real-world experience. Michael Gove is a journalist. As is Boris Johnson.
Bad move to elect ‘commentators’ to power. They can generate instant opinion, but can they govern ? I doubt it.
It’s official. I’m now addicted to cycling. I just love taking off on the bike and cycling round London.
I’ve worked up a regular route which takes me over Wimbledon Common and all the way around Richmond Park. The whole trip is about 24 miles and gives me a really good run.
London’s parks are fantastic. I just love them. Today I cycled over Tooting Bec, Wandsworth Common, Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park and Putney Heath.
So, the plan is more cycling and a slightly finer and fitter me.
Apparently, according to a colleague at work, there is an easy way to spot a serious cyclist.
They shave their legs.
I guess to make them go faster.
Well, here I was, powering round Richmond Park, checking out all the cyclists overtaking me - there were quite a few ! Truth be told, the serious, lycra clad, £2000+ bike riders all had shaved legs.
I bought a bike last weekend. Trotted into Halfords on Saturday and picked up a shiny new Raleigh Glide. It’s a fantastic mountain bike with 21 gears and an on board computer ! I even bought a natty cycling helmet to go with it.
So, I’ve been cycling everywhere. Went over Wimbledon Common to Kingston and cycled all the way up Tooting Bec to Balham and round the back of Wandsworth.
It’s great to hit the road on a bike and power your way through town. Busses are scary and other cyclists surprisingly hazardous. But it’s fantastic fun.
I was massively impressed by all the cycleways, bike lanes, sign posts and recessed curbs all laid on to aid this hapless cyclist and prevent him from getting hopelessly lost or hit by a truck.
Bought a neat little iPod Shuffle yesterday to keep me entertained on the bike. So, off on an epic ride over to Richmond Park this afternoon, if it ever stops raining.
Just watched the coverage of today’s budget. Colossal £175bn national debt that will take at least a decade to clear. Taxes and unemployment spiralling ever upwards. Bad, bad news. The good times are very definitely over.
It’s Labour’s black wednesday. In fact, it’s the end of New Labour. Crashing out of the ERM finally finished the Tories, their reputation for economic management in shreds. Similarly, the current recession, and Labour’s response to it, has sealed their electoral fate. They simply can’t win the next election now. They are too compromised on the economy.
I bought a bike last weekend. Trotted into Halfords on Saturday and picked up a shiny new Raleigh Glide. It’s a fantastic mountain bike with 21 gears and an on board computer ! I even bought a natty cycling helmet to go with it.
