Back on the bike

Back on the bike today.  It felt a bit stiff, and my back is a little sore from "grubbing" in the garden.  I did the "West side" route.  I tried to go faster than I normally do, although being my first ride back after a couple of weeks of not riding I'm not sure I went that fast.  It's a flat route and took me about almost exactly an hour.  

I think the "technical" training term for the West side route is an endurance ride. Tomorrow, I'll do a route that includes the Gladstone route (so double my time).  That will be a "climbing repeat" ride - because it has some "hills", especially if I include Millars Road - which I will.

The weather conditions were good today.  No frost to contend with, sunny and warm.  It is actually moving into Spring and getting lighter at night.

I passed this old guy (like really old - as in 70s or so riding on an old bike and wearing an orange sort of roadworks jacket.  He was out there riding and it sort of inspired me.  I also passed a runner which is quite rare.

I missed the walk component but did do another 3-4 hours in the garden.  Eventually I will run out of things to do in the garden and have to revert to house'work'.  I'd rather be in the garden!

My neighbours returned today from their overseas holiday.  I will have to discuss with them my "situation".  I find this difficult, but it will be necessary.  They are good neighbours, but a) I'm not actually that social as a neighbour and b) the longer I am in between jobs I do actually find it hard to talk about.  At least it will serve as a strange incentive to keep active...as I wouldn't want my neighbour popping over in the middle of the day to find me asleep or watching crap tv.

I had a search for my birth certificate because well despite what I wrote yesterday, the reality is, that's the reality I have to face.   There's a job as a case manager at the Masterton office.  I'm going to apply for that.  Although I'm probably not "tough" enough in terms of telling people they have to get off their arse....although if it pays my mortgage then I probably can find it within to toughen up.  I think the overall client base at the Masterton office is probably pretty tough, but then of course I may find there are people "just like me"

Anyway, when I was looking for my birth certificate (which inadvertently made me rediscover a few pieces of my creative writing from years ago - it was strange seeing it again), I found this piece of greenstone that while my parents were alive was always on the mantelpiece at home.  I don't think its particularly valuable, bit it held significance for them in terms of coming from the West Coast/South Island.  I thought I had lost it.  And occasionally it troubled me that I had.  I haven't seen it since I moved from Wainuiomata.  Now I've found it, and I've placed it on my mantelpiece.  Like the greenstone my birth certificate will be somewhere.  I'm not sure about the greenstone.  I place value on "connections" and symbolic things like that sort of thing.   Except I'm not sure what it symbolises - maybe just the importance of connecting with the past.  Like the whakatauki that says something like you have to know and understand where you have come from in order to move forward.  I always think I am confident in that stuff, but I guess there are certain "blindsides".

I received the 'official' letter, as a patient of the practice, advising me of my dentist's death.  It made me sad as "the circumstances are personal and 'difficult to discuss at this time".  That makes me so sad because it really is "tragic" when against all evidence to the contrary, something wasn't right and led to the death of someone who was just so talented, loved as a person, and respected professionally and had so many gifts.  It does make me sad, but it also strengthens my resolve to "live well".

And in conclusion, on a completely different note, I've concluded, I'm getting too familiar with the National Programme on the radio in terms of oh it must be Monday if Sue Bradford and David Farrar are on the "panel" again and John Hawkesby selecting the wines for the food match with the recipe of the day.