So, in response to the comment requesting photos I set off into this perfect morning under beautiful blue skies.

And discovered my camera's batteries were completely flat. 

And couldn't find my phone in my bag. (Oddly it was right on the top there when I got to work.)

So no pictures. <sigh> 

And naturally the weather (this being Britain) is not due to be nice tomorrow.

You know, I don't always take great photos anyway. I'd suggest trying Wibbo's Words - she lives just up the coast in Hove Actually, and takes far better pictures than me! But I will try again tomorrow... 

I've been back on the bike a lot more since the new job started. Actually, since my free (work-sponsered) travel stopped. Yes, I'm cheap!

I've found several different routes in now, which I'm really pleased about. I have my favourites, but there is a time and a weather condition for each! My current favourite is to turn right down the hill on the way into work, and go right along the sea front on the Undercliff walk. With the recent good weather it's beautiful. Blue sea, sun on the white cliffs and buildings of Brighton in the distance. I think it might be because I'm wearing blue-tinted glasses at the moment (to keep the evil hayfever-inducing pollen spores from my poor eyes - I hate wearing sunglasses) but the effect is pure Mediterranean. Even the ugly high-rises of Brighton only enhance the effect. After all, most Med resorts are hardly chocabloc with architectural splendour.

Today because of the wind I decided to turn left out of the house, and go up the hill instead. It's a more built-up route, more sheltered. It's also more direct, so it's about 5 minutes faster. I get to take the high road, past the race course and down into town. The views are more spectacular. The join between the sea and the sky looked smokey this morning. And there were horses being exercised along the side of the race course, and wild flowers growing in the roadside scrub. Then you get the adrenaline rush of heading down Elm Grove so fast the cars don't overtake, and trying to get the braking right and dodge the worst of the potholes. 

Maybe tonight I'll use my third route home, see some of the more rural bits around here. Along the cliffs to St. Dunstans, then turn left up through Ovingdean.

Commuting hell? More like one hell of a commute...

I've finally got some pictures of the changes I made to my Trek. I actually took them ages ago, but then the computer died and I had to fix that, and then work out some editing solution that wasn't Paint...

Anyway. First up, it looking very debonair casually leaning against the bird table.

Click to read more ...

Now I am officially working out my notice, I can no longer get work to buy me a monthly rail and bus pass. That's ok, because soon I won't need it, given that I've managed to get a job in the same town as we chose to live. (On an aside, that seems to be more unusual than you'd think. Really.) But it does mean that I'm back on the bike after a long period of laziness.

I've gone back on my road bike, but I've modified it a bit. It's worth posting a picture, but I haven't got one right now! I've changed out the front gears for mountain bike ratios, because they give me a fighting chance of getting up some of the hills where I am still too weak to churn big old road ones. But that meant I had to change out my front derailleur, because road ones are the wrong curve for the smaller mountain bike curves. And that meant I had to change my gear levers, because road shifters don't pull enough cable to operate mountain bike derailleurs. I got some nice bar end shifters, but they wouldn't fit my chopped down handlebars, so I had to replace my handlebars too. I went for some Nitto moustache bars, and while I was at it I got some cheap brake levers too.

Oh, and I added a rack. And changed the pedals to toe-clips so I can wear normal shoes.

So yeah, it's changed a bit. I've been riding in along the coast on the undercliff walk. The weather has got good - hot, not too windy - which is great timing, and the view is spectacular. The bike still needs a little fine tuning, but it feels sweet.

I still can't get up the hills, but I'll get there.

A quick post, because I'm supposed to be writing a questionnaire for the dissertation.

It's been a lovely weekend. Yesterday I had a haircut booked for 1.00 in Brighton. It was such a lovely day that we decided we'd ride in rather than get the bus, and I've been wanting to try going in along the sea for a while, so we did! We went down to Rottingdean and along the undercliff walk, in past the marina and right along the front. It was a beautiful ride. We took it comfortably and chatted and stuff all the way. I successfully got my hair chopped off (I've gone asymmetrical - that's what you get for letting the hairdresser choose!), picked up the two balls of wool I was short for my latest project, and bought cornish pasties for lunch. GG successfully didn't totally flip out about all the people, and we went and ate our celebratory pasties on a bench on the seafront. The ride back was just as much fun until the last hill when my lungs decided it's asthma time, but still, made it home. We even caught a bit of sun. Not that you can really tell today!

Today we were both supposed to be playing cricket in different places, so GG was picked up by her dad (who was scoring) while I was trying to get my leeks pricked out quickly before heading off. Managed that and was just about to get cleaned up when I got a phonecall telling me my game had been rained off already. Result! I got my peas and mange tout planted, my penstemon and summer savoury potted on, some of my peppers pricked out, and I'm sure there was more than that. It certainly took long enough. Still, the contents of the greenhouse have changed a bit, and that's always exciting. Now I just have to hope that the plants I've pricked out take to their new surroundings and grow big, strong and beautiful!

Spent too much time this afternoon sitting on the sofa in front of the snooker with my knitting, but have managed to do a very small amount of planning for the dissertation. Now it's time to actually do some of the work, before I get to sit back on the sofa with GG for the evening. Woohoo!

 (Oh, and I got a new job. Monday I hand my notice in. It's very, very exciting!)