Monday 2 January 2012

Nice to be back.

New Year was a good do at my mum's house. Apart from the usual festivities, I was subjected to a Mastermind session where I was forced to answer questions on 1950s Musicals. This was my sister's specialist subject when they had a Mastermind theme for a works do and I was sat in the hot seat while she asked me the questions. I complained that she wasn't saying "correct" like Magnus used to say, to which she replied, "You've got to get one right before I can say that." Needless to say I was rubbish. It was decided that we'll all do it again next year but with our own specialist subjects. Mine will be "Campsites of Southern Rumania". Yes, I spent a lot of last night researching on the internet and found enough places to stay to make me feel confident about getting through that part of the trip, which was always the most troublesome potentially.

I received a reply to my email to the first campsite in Holland confirming they are open, which was nice to know. I will send out a few more emails this week to campsites in Germany and Austria just to check if they will be open and will revise my schedule based on places where I can stay as opposed to towns which are 50 miles apart.

The weather was miserable on New Year's day with heavy grey clouds and steady rain. I had intended to do a small ride and was all dressed up and ready to go but it was too wet. I watched Everton's late rally thwart West Brom and then found the rain had stopped so I squeezed 11 miles in before the Man City game started and what a finish that was?

As well as looking for campsites, I spent the evening ordering my panniers and other bits of camping equipment which should all arrive later this week. I will then be in a position to do a trial run over the mountains to Yorkshire, mainly to see if everything works ok and also to check that I can carry the stuff on the bike etc.   

I was gong to have a rest today because the knees still aren't pain free but the weather was good and rain is forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday so I rode up the hill to Haigh Hall with Barney the blue merle border collie for company. I came down the hill a bit quicker and he loved it, galloping behind with his tongue out as they do. After I brought him back I went on the usual 11 miler and then finally did some work, hence the title of the post. I never know what to put for the title until I've finished.  

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