yep, got a mess o' the Blues!

I know, its the same for millions of people across Europe, the World even and I'm luckier than many that I can get out on my bicyclette but sometimes that's not enough. I really miss face to face interaction with friends and family, the act of travelling to see them, maybe just a day out, stopping for lunch in a pub, 'not' shopping, taking in an 'event'. I can certainly identify with the need for social interaction that some are so compelled by they have to break the restrictions, I'm made of sterner stuff but it doesn't mean I like the forced isolation.

This coming week I should've been travelling to Germany for the Weihnachtsmarkt, but that was cancelled, obviously, the follow on to spend Xmas on the Rhein, just a month away now, is likely to suffer the same fate and with tighter restrictions likely in England when the lockdown eases, any chance of seeing the family, and indeed friends, is tenuous to say the least. Not knowing is possibly worse than a firm negative decision.

Week three of November has had its moments, no more so than Thursday. I mentioned Mittwoch that I had ridden 16,000km in 2020, well on Thursday I added 10,000 miles to the achievement list. I don't 'have' to do all this riding but this year more than ever, having targets has allowed some sanity to exist in my life, a reason for getting up in the morning, for actually doing more than staring at my navel.

The forecast suggested bright but breezy and with Wales back open for business I headed over the Severn to take in a loop in the Forest of Dean. It was never supposed to be a long ride so by 12.30 I was at my usual burger van stop for tea and a celebratory cheeseburger. Back then, the milestone passed as I returned to the 'English' side of the bridge, by the time I had done there were over 100km on the track. Don't tell Bev but I broke out a bottle of bier to celebrate - well I think I deserved it!

If I was elated on Thursday, it was back to lockdown blues on Friday. I needed retail therapy so it was a hike up to the mega Lidl in Kingswood (same stuff but more of it and the Middle of Lidl actually has more than one of everything!) It wasn't that I'd got money to spend, like BC my funds are quite finite, but the very act of looking at more than shelves of food improved my sense of being. However, that didn't cross over to my writing session, my grey cells refused to string the words together so I gave up in disgust.

The forecast for Saturday suggested there could be a shower or two about so I planned on a shorter ride, a quick spin if you like. By the time I stopped for a cuppa and my sandwiches it was clear that the forecasters were a bit out, it had been an on/off light drizzle all morning! C'est la vie, I returned to the roads across the top of the Mendips heading east to the Wiltshire border before returning to Brizzle via Aqua Sulis (Bath). Okay so short and dryish ended up nearly 120km and damp all day but I did get in over 1000m of climbing and it wasn't so wet as to make it miserable.

That was the week that was, the week ahead looks, well a bit brighter as we head to the first Sunday of Advent next weekend. Now I'm certainly not religious but so much of life revolves around religious calendars, the winter markets, the celebration of the hijacked winter solstice and so on. Whether God botherer or not, we nearly all 'celebrate' Christmas so I'll be trying to make my little corner of the universe a little festive, writing cards, wrapping presents.

I'll also be doing a bunch more writing, I need to do some 5000 words so there is something new for you lot to read over the festive season which I'll be starting this afternoon.

Reading, yes you want something to occupy the grey matter for a minute or two, today you get Avoidance chapter 20, A Woody Affair, Gabs recognises a couple of the Global passengers or does she?

Anyhow, you'll have to wait until next weekend for the follow on as Wednesday I start posting the 'missing from BC', Book 3 in the saga. I know many of you will have read it elsewhere but some haven't and its always nice to revisit some of Drew/Gaby's old adventures!

I can hear that the washing's finished and so is todays diatribe, stay well, stay safe,

Tschussie,
Madeline Anafrid