Weekends, how do you spend them?

Having a weekend off is not normally something that I’m used to, because of my work I have to work on Saturday and Sundays. But this year it has all changed and I now have at least two weekends off per month. So this one was our real weekend off together for a long time.

Friday evening was spent chatting to a good friend who came over for a dinner and to watch some old “Whose line is it anyway”. Grand evening as our friend would say.

Saturday we got up and had our breakfast well after lunch time, yes we slept in till after noon. After a good breakfast I started to fettle.

Our two touring bikes, which have become our main ride because these Surlys are so comfortable, have not been cleaned since we got back from NZ last year. So a good old scrub behind the ears was due and checking cables, brake pads etc. And Peli did request that I should set up one of her bikes on the turbo trainer since we sold the last one that was used for that.

Because of that I had to clean up our “bike room” as it has become more a “drop our mess into that room” room.

The evening was spent watching telly and eating some rather numnum food that Peli had knocked up while I fettled.

Sunday we had a very last minute version of our world wide famous pootles. 45’ism miles down past Croydon and into the hills there, one of them was 25%. We were joined by TimO and his rather splendid and very RED new bicycle.

Living in London it is a bit of a drag to get out of town but you can find some very nice country lanes within the M25. And we spotted rather a few other cyclists out there for a spin, though I think that we were the most relaxed group, it was a pootle after all. All the others did look like they were out on a TdF training ride. We did find some right ups and downs that tested our lungs and legs, we can clearly feel that we have had a break away from cycling. The road was very rough in places but it was great to get out of the town for a bit and see trees instead of concrete.

We arrived at our lunch stop just as we were about to bonk. We skipped elevenses since we didn’t think that we would arrive in time. But there was no room in the Inn, absolutely rammed packed and the Sunday roast looked ever so yummy.

So back on our bikes and we headed back into town, rather starving. Peli and me had a quick warm slice at the local garage just to tide us over. We found a Wetherspoons some five miles later. Where we had rather nice roast and a drink for at least half of what the other pub would charge.

We then headed home in the lovely sunshine, yes it does happen in Jan here in London. In Croydon we said goodbye to TimO and headed home on the back roads. As we cycled over Wandsworth Bridge we had a rather beautiful sunset. The starlings were out too but as I got my camera out they disappeared, so you have to enjoy a picture of Peli instead.

So this is how you spend your weekends, fettling your bicycles, in good company and a pint or two. I think I can get used to that. I’m looking well forward to next weekend where we are of to Yorkshire for a little spin with friends.

Though the noise I had from my dérailleur now sounds like a little birds’ nest (squeak, squeak, squeak), better fettle some more tomorrow.