Reunited with my one true love
Today was a teasing, almost spring day, and I dug my bike out of the back garden, where it had been hiding away the dirty, slushy days previous.
The sky was blue, mostly clear of clouds, and it was warm! Maybe 8 degrees C or so (almost 50 F). I was wearing just a light jacket and sweater, instead of winter coat, and there were people out walking and sailing along the Thames on the side of Port Meadow. In fact, the river has flooded so much that the Meadow is now a massive lake. It looks beautiful.
I rode to the train station, then up past Binsey and the Perch, which was full for Sunday lunch, down the chalk path to the river just north of Rainbow Bridge, and then followed the river alongside Port Meadow (lake), through Godstow Lock and into Wolvercote. From there I took the roundabout to Summertown, passed Wolvercote cemetery and thought good thoughts for all the people remembering their passed-on loved ones, and headed up to Kidlington. It's a good route because it takes me past waterways we've punted in warmer months and I can see how high the water levels are now that White Death 2k9/10 has melted.
The paths were pitted and particularly the chalk path was muddy and my jeans and shoes suffered. Various parts of the Thames Path were underwater and I had to cross a particularly treacherous field balanced on a branch. I also saw the need for shoe clips, as the bottoms of my shoes became so muddy that they were just sliding off the pedals. All in all, though, it was an amazing ride.
It's also amazing how a sunny day can totally turn my mood around. I have been so sad since coming back to England, just wanting to finish my degree and move back home, even though my friends here are amazing... but I think that this is directly related to the fact that I have not seen the sun really since i came back. I think I belong somewhere with as much sun as possible... I dunno, somewhere where the tourism board advertises 300 days of sunshine a year...
The sky was blue, mostly clear of clouds, and it was warm! Maybe 8 degrees C or so (almost 50 F). I was wearing just a light jacket and sweater, instead of winter coat, and there were people out walking and sailing along the Thames on the side of Port Meadow. In fact, the river has flooded so much that the Meadow is now a massive lake. It looks beautiful.
I rode to the train station, then up past Binsey and the Perch, which was full for Sunday lunch, down the chalk path to the river just north of Rainbow Bridge, and then followed the river alongside Port Meadow (lake), through Godstow Lock and into Wolvercote. From there I took the roundabout to Summertown, passed Wolvercote cemetery and thought good thoughts for all the people remembering their passed-on loved ones, and headed up to Kidlington. It's a good route because it takes me past waterways we've punted in warmer months and I can see how high the water levels are now that White Death 2k9/10 has melted.
The paths were pitted and particularly the chalk path was muddy and my jeans and shoes suffered. Various parts of the Thames Path were underwater and I had to cross a particularly treacherous field balanced on a branch. I also saw the need for shoe clips, as the bottoms of my shoes became so muddy that they were just sliding off the pedals. All in all, though, it was an amazing ride.
It's also amazing how a sunny day can totally turn my mood around. I have been so sad since coming back to England, just wanting to finish my degree and move back home, even though my friends here are amazing... but I think that this is directly related to the fact that I have not seen the sun really since i came back. I think I belong somewhere with as much sun as possible... I dunno, somewhere where the tourism board advertises 300 days of sunshine a year...