Last weekend Richard an I cycled 48 miles to Fordcombe and back, for a drink. Well not exactly, we hadn't got together for a long time, so needed to catch up. As is the case with good friends we were soon chatting as if no time had passed.
It was a tough ride, with some challenging hills but Thatchers cider at the Chafford Arms coupled with good food made up for it.
We arrived a little before it opened, so we had plenty of time to find a table in the big garden.
Once open it filled quickly but the service was speedy and efficient. We were quickly tucking into a tasty lunch. I'm not normally a cider drinking, but I'm glad I choose to be. It was delicious, just what I needed to top up my energy for the ride home.
It had started out a bit chilly, within a few miles the temperature was just right. By the time we sat down for lunch it had become a very pleasant afternoon, just right for a pub lunch in the garden. We talked about what we had both been up to and our plans. Richard is a beekeeper, I'm looking forward to some honey next year; I'll start saving some jars. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be, and if he's not careful they could just fly away. It's now all about building their reserves for the winter, having taken the honey during the summer Richard has to feed them quickly. He'll be wrapping them up soon, to ward off the winter cold.
Today was a solo ride, Matt having returned from his holidays late yesterday. So I took out the road bike.
The hills felt a little harder than usual, even the flat was tougher that it should be. Am I getting old all of a sudden? Nope; the bottom bracket has started to seize. A quick trip to Ross Cycles to drop off the bike after my shower will have it sorted by next weekend. I took the opportunity to have the brakes upgraded. They have improved a bit since my first ride, but not enough.
This morning was really chilly, I didn't take my jacket off until I was heading home, a real sign of impending winter. It's beautiful now, with better promised for tomorrow.
Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts.
Follow me on twitter.
Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.
For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.
