Last Day Of Holidays!

Hello Bloggers.

I know that I have said that I am going tee total and milk and cheese free for a month, ....... but....... we are still on holiday! So the complete health freak comes out tomorrow.

Today we woke up to a nice sunny bright morning. Me and the Old Boy were feeling a bit better from the old cold germs that have kept us all snotty and chesty for the past two weeks, and we decided to do a 'bit of a ride' taking the country air, visiting a popular public house for lunch, and then see where we went from there.

I put on my new Christmas pressie, all singing, all 'lit up' cycling tights along with my new bright luminous running hat (PWR's will have the privilege of seeing this tomorrow, hopefully) The Old Boy, placed his new Garmin on his bike, and we set off!

Sun glasses on, and looking forward to our ride. The Old Boy has set his Garmin to do this auto stop, and it let him know as we stopped to say hi to a neighbour. The neighbour remarked on my luminous garb, and the Old Boy piped up "Why do you think I got the sunglasses on!" Very funny, but I feel its good to be seen, and boy can I be see. I am hoping that the cars will steer clear of me now. They do really come so close at times, so close and not so much as dinner being offered!

The first leg is really quite a slog! All up hill, on the A21. I'm sure I must be getting fitter, but it still hurts getting up there. We turn right towards Halsted, getting there it is still an upward slog, and I just keep my head down and peddle. occasionally acknowledging fellow cyclists, all, by the way, look totally comfortable and fitter than I did at that point.

The Old Boy was waiting for me at the bus stop, just by the round about! We took a five minute break there, his Garmin automatically turning off, me having to stop mine with my hand. I was quite warm at this point, and took my gloves off to ride the next leg of our outing, to Shoreham Village. But it just shows you, us townies are right softies, because it was blooming cold on my hands I had had to stop and replace my gloves.

There is a short sharp hill just as we ride on to shoreham, but for some reason, my legs and body, and head, didn't really acknowledge the hill. I was thinking, did I fall asleep, am I dreaming? But there I was, cycling up the hill, at a reasonable pace, and not puffing out of..... my ears! Had I suddenly turned into a professional cyclist? I wasn't going to mention it to the Old Boy, I just wanted to get to the top of this hill before my brain realised I was going up hill!

Shoreham village, and lunch! Lovely ham egg and chips for me, Thai fish cakes for him at the Kings Arm, affectionately called (by me and the Old Boy) the Ostler pub. After lunch we carried on our merry way, heading for Eynesford, and another pint of the amber nectar, well, its the last day of holidays, last day of alcohol for 4 weeks! so why not.

Its only about 3 miles to Eynsford from our lunch stop, and as the sun was still shining, we decided to sit outside enjoying the last of the sunshine, but I cooled down pretty quickly and suggested we go inside. "Ok" says the OB, "but try to look inconspicuous as we do", he said jokingly. Yeah right, check out my photo, how can that possibly get in anyway, be inconspicuously!





Off again, and the air temperature is falling now, and I was hoping my muscles wouldn't seize up as I have been fairly inactive for the past two weeks, but the hills of Kent could warm up a wholly mammoths muscles riding up them! But I was determined today that not one hill was going to beat me today, there was not going to be one hill that was going to get me out of my saddle, unless I kept my feet on the peddles and pushing hard up them. Not an easy thing after, ham, egg and chips, two pints of lager and a packet of crisps (so far!)

Just another 10 miles to go before we are home. And just this time last year, I wouldn't have been say 'just 10 miles' 10 miles would have been an afternoon outing for me. From my house to Greenstreet Green and back home again, including a lunch stop! So I think I am getting fitter, I must be, its only logical!

As we got to the roundabout near Pettswood the OB tempted me to just one more for the road, at the Tigers in Chislhurst, so a swing to the right and head on to the best place I know, to get the new delectable bar snacks of tasty olives!

Last leg home, and I was freezing my ass off by now. I am hoping that the thermal tights I have on are working, and that I would have frozen my ass of long before this time, and therefore a good investment. Well, there are a good investment really, because on these is emblazoned with light reflective stuff!!

Geeky stats for you :-) and some more photos.