First warm day of the year

As Met Éireann reckoned it would stay at 12°C all afternoon together with it being the first day without any rain for so, so long and having finally recovered from the flu and it being Saturday, all this spelled the first bike ride of the year. Nothing special and not long enough to warrant the title Foray but all the same at my age even 33.6km and elevation gain 501m seems like a challenge. So it was off to the Wicklow Gap, a good practice run as it has plenty of ups and downs. I took some Galaxy chocolate with me as a reward at the summit. 

My photo was taken on the return and shows my trusty steed, the Valleymount peninsula, blue sky and, oh how beautiful the gorse is when in full bloom.

The flu

OK, so I have blogged for ages - I know. Part of the reason is that we have both been down with a nasty bug - probably "the flu". We are not vaxxed for "the flu" for what that is worth. Anyway it was nasty the first week: unable to function in any positive manner... and it dragged on for almost four weeks. So I haven't felt like blogging and had nothing of consequence to say anyway. The only "fun" thing since ,my last post was a quick trip down to Rosslare on the train from Connelly station - such a beautiful ride - and back again as far as Wicklow to catch the new "local link" (Arklow to Sallins) 183 bus service which goes past the bottom of our road.

Oh, and biking to intercept and then walking the new Ballymore loop - full marks to whoever conceived and executed this walk.

I wish I were running fast and free

It may be the cold, but more likely my age (but I know I mustn't let my age dictate my actions) but I do often find running hard work. I tend to limit myself to c. 5 miles during the winter (ok so I'm soft) and that is not enough to get runner's high. But I can dream.

Not me! But it reminded me of my dream

Last night and the night before I dreamt I was running fast and free. Free from aches and pains, free from loss of breath, free from tiredness, able to speed along without growing weary. I don't know where I was running: it hardly matters - suffice it to say I was not familiar with the route but it was beautiful. Amazing how the brain can supply 3D landscape imagery - where does it get its data from? It took me along a rough footpath on one occasion, along a track in another. At one point I stopped abruptly with a fast flowing river ahead, too fast and too deep to ford. There were a couple of other runners there contemplating what to do next. But the path opened up on the left, alongside the river - and then I woke up.

More on seventy

 

I opened a new box of Shreddies this morning and too my surprise saw that Shreddies were a similar age to myself. Is this significant?  Yes, I think so in as much as Shreddies is at least one of my most favourite breakfast cereals. Yes, I know there are cheaper look-a-likes on the market but they don't taste as good.

And whilst we are on the subject, on February 28, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA.  And (if you believe in such things) it was 70 years ago that the danger of carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere first travelled around the world.

For what it's worth...