Squirrels and Alcohol !

It has been a strange week with the Beast from the East threatening to obliterate East Anglia with snow and ice, only to change direction and leave its tail to whip us on Tuesday. Yes it was very cold and icy and a few snow flakes caused chaos with grid locked roads. Work and social commitments on top of this had meant a week of inactivity on the bike. Now I am not the fittest of forty two year old but by far not the worst. So when Saturday came and an opportunity to get out for a few miles arose, I was eager to get back in the saddle. Wet and windy did not put me off as the temperature had now risen to a balmy 6 degrees C, so off I set towards Billericay with the prospect of a cuppa at mums about fifteen miles in. Now the social activities that I mentioned earlier came into play, you see late nights and excessive alcohol in my twenties and playing football was not a problem. Problem is I am not twenty anymore, when the hell did that happen, and so with some shock my legs felt dead and hills became mountains before my eyes, why did I have that last glass of wine? Now you see people say Essex is flat, not quite and I had probably decided to cycle, to my peril, one of the hilliest (mountainous) routes around. It was hard work in that first stint as it was all up hill on the way out, at least the homeward stint would be of some relief. The roads in the country were still very wet and the water was running from the fields from yesterdays down pours,  

twice I found floods that crossed my path and gingerly I cycled through six inches of water. Reaching mums I was now hot and bothered, sweating more than normal and looking forward to a cup of coffee and a chat, as normal I was spoilt with a new packet of shortbread freshly opened just for me, don't you just love mums. Refreshments over and an easier ride home I set off for the lanes that on a Saturday morning I new would be deserted. Peace personified, I was in a world of my own when out he came, a kamikaze squirrel with a taste for cyclists. Slamming on the brakes on a greasy lane with fallen leaves, for a split second my heart was in my throat. I saw the whites of his eyes as he approached the spokes of my front wheel and then with an agility of a ninja he turned and I'm sure with a wink disappeared back to the trees. It was with an increased alertness that I continued on my way and was on full squirrel alert until I exited the woodland that I was cycling through. The rest of the journey was completed without any further eventful activity and back at home I made a pledge no more excess before training, well maybe after Christmas. Roll on Paris.