My gorgeous girlfriend sent me a picture last Friday which made me laugh. 

First though, some background. Before Christmas, she asked me to make her some typing gloves. Pretty simple, flat knitting with a ribbed cuff, opening for the thumb, and open at the ends for the fingers to stick out and type. She asked for one modification - a flap at the top that could be pulled over when using the mouse. Pretty simple, and I knocked them up pretty fast. 

Apparently her socks got soaked on the way in, and having no spare socks available the mittens were pressed into service! I think that's cute. And innovative! 

This was the first week this year that I've managed to cycle every day and do the two runs I was supposed to. Somewhere around 60-65 miles cycling, and 5 miles running. The distance isn't too impressive, but it's a start! I thought I'd note some lessons:

1. Running at 6am is not so bad. It's quiet, and I don't really need to wake up. Just get out of bed, pull my clothes on and get out there. 
2. Running at 6 then cycling at 8.15 is also not so bad. Take it easy on the ride and it works. I even tend to get into work a little earlier. 
3. Getting up at 6 makes me quite sleepy in the evenings. 
4. Apparently it's ok to fall asleep at 8.30 when there's a football match on, but not quite so ok when there isn't! 
5. I really can't afford to skip meals if I'm going to do this regularly. 
6. A slice of chocolate fudge cake does not count as a meal. Even if it is fabulous.
7. I also need many snacks. 
8. I may be baking more as a result.
9. If I don't eat regularly my mood may deteriorate rather badly. 
10. I may need to apologise to people afterwards. 

Rottingdean pond has frozen over completely, which looks quite nice. This shot was taken yesterday morning, as I cycled in. Note the ridge of snow on the road along the sides where the cars haven't been. It wasn't a problem in Rottingdean, but when I hit busier roads it started to be. 

Today I thought I'd try the undercliff walk. No cars, and I figured it would be so close to the sea that it wouldn't be frozen. Particularly where the waves come over the top at high tide. Salt water doesn't freeze so easily, right? 

I was rethinking it when I saw the snow on the beach, but figured I was on slush either way so I'd go for the car-free route. The initial bit was quite icy, but it did get a lot better. But there did seem to be a lot of rubble on the path from the cliffs. 

Some quite big bits of chalk and flint in there, and although I'm riding my mountain bike with full knobbly tyres on it I'm not really a hugely experience rider in these conditions. It took a lot of concentration to get through them. The bike coped just fine, it was me that was nervous and a bit skittish! So I was going along, getting more confident, thinking I might actually make it through and suddenly...

Not sure if that sign is legible. It says: "Unstable Cliffs Keep Out". What you can't see is the matching one, across the other route. No way through. 

I had to turn around, pick my way back through those rocks all the way back through to Ovingdean. Then carry my bike up the steps up the cliff (which were thankfully not icy), and came out only just along the cliff from Rottingdean. Then I had to decide whether to go on the dual carriageway with the slush in the gutter, or the cycle/foot path that was still mostly ice and slush, or the grassy bit that was also covered in snow/ice and needs a bit more technical riding knowhow. I went with the cycle/foot path in the end, until it just got too slippery, then went for the dual carriageway. From there on in it was pretty uneventful, which was a blessing! Took me ages, and I had to concentrate pretty hard for that first bit. Made it eventually and everything, but I really wish they'd put some notice up of the path closure a little closer to Rottingdean!

The way home was slightly less exciting. My Gorgeous Girlfriend gave me a lift because sometimes I wimp. (Or maybe discretion is the better part of valour or something...) We did have to dig out a new parking spot when we got home due to someone else parking in our clear spot. And the side road we temporarily put the car in while we did so was a little icy, so GG couldn't stop too well at the end of it when she pulled back out, and there was a car coming at the time, but hardly any excitement really at all...

When is that thaw supposed to be coming?!

I've been riding my Trek 1000 for a while now. I think it's a 2001 model, which I bought in Spring 2002. I was living around 13 miles from work, it was very flat, and I wanted to go fast. So I bought a road bike, and I kept it pretty clean. No rack, no mudguards, clip pedals. Messenger bag all the way. Oh yes. 

Then I started going on some drove ways. They weren't so smooth. Concrete, yes, but not smooth. There were some nice bridal lanes around as well, so I picked up my Kona Caldera. Still not adding anything like racks and put 1" slicks on it, but that worked pretty well. 

Working in Cambridge, I didn't realise that I was spoiled to have bike parking and a shower at work. A place to keep a spare pair of shoes, and a towel. That was a revelation when I moved to Brighton and had to get the train after cycling. So I've modified the Trek, put that rack on to carry lots of stuff, changed the gears down, made it about as comfortable as I could. But there are still three problems with it:

1. The mudguards are so close to the tyres that the slightest bit of dirt rubs in a really irritating way, and bits of flint leave gouge marks. 
2. There is major toe-overlap going on. This is a big problem on a couple of bits of the brilliantly-designed (spot the sarcasm) bike paths of Brighton, meaning that I find it difficult to turn the wheel far enough to get around the corners whilst pedalling. 
3. When I have a full load of shopping (two panniers + stuff on top) and get up out of the saddle to try and get up some slopes, the back end wobbles. 

The thing that all of these problems have in common is that the only thing I could change to fix them is the frame. I've been eyeing up touring bikes, looked at Thorn and Dawes, and in the end I've plumped for a Surly Long Haul Trucker in blue.  I'm going to build the bike up from the frame, and use the Nitto moustache handlebars, Brookes B17 saddle and the rack from the Trek as it is at the moment. 

The bits have started to arrive...

My Gorgeous Girlfriend is less than thrilled with the added clutter, but the frame is on backorder. I'll have to get the headset fitted by the bike shop, but I am pretty confident that I can do all the rest myself. I'm really looking forward to it!

Other plans for it include getting two sets of wheels - one for summer and one for winter. With the snow and ice we've had this year I'm seriously tempted to get me some studded tyres, but I'll see how I feel come November! I've got 26" wheels on this bike, so I can fit some pretty bike tyres in there come the winter. Just need to snow to clear so everything can get delivered - so excited!

I don't know if anyone's noticed, but it's a bit on the cold side out there. I've just spent three days working from home (which doesn't actually change what I can get done quite as much as you'd think - no snow days here), but last Tuesday before it started snowing I cycled into work and got very cold ears. 

Some people wear hats under their helmets, but I really don't like it. Makes my helmet feel wrong, and I actually have a pretty small head (believe it or not) which means the hats tend to get pushed down over my eyes a little too. So I went to the Two Wheeled Knitters group on Ravelry, to see what solution I could find. 

This has resulted in one of my sillier knitting projects. There was this free pattern for some bike helmet earmuffs, which looked like they would work pretty well. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but I had my sock double-point needles and some leftover trekking yarn, so I modified the pattern for those. Quick knit too. 

I made the strap a bit thinner, as I don't normally like things under the helmet. 

They definitely cover my ears, and only look mostly silly. If they keep me warm, I don't think I'll care...

(For those that are interested, the running started well but has gone on hiatus until the snow is clear from enough of the pavements. I have two years. No point fretting yet!)