A sunny afternoon but I had to stay at work longer than I wanted, due to a meeting. I rolled the Tricross out of the garage at about 16:55. I hadn’t been out on it for a few weeks. Had to be back home by about 18:30 ideally, so it was a short one. A ‘Truncated Twycrosser’, the version that cuts across to Congerstone as a short cut just before Twycross.
Tuned in to the Prime Ministerial press conference at 5pm, and heard the announcement that bars, restaurants, gyms, cafes, etc are all going to be forced to close. I confess to feeling a sort of anxious, low frequency dread in these uncertain times. As much for the potential damage to society and people’s lives in the wider sense, as the threat to everyone’s health.
As I turned eastward at Little Twycross, I was confronted by a cold, pitiless wind that seemed to moderate only slightly when I steered northward from Congerstone, in the fading light. Beautifully, poetically morbid conditions. Perfect for my mood.
You might think that getting out of the house on a bike would be a welcome diversion at the moment, but the relative stillness at rush hour was actually a bit disquieting. As I passed the Queen’s Head at Heather in the early evening gloom, I glanced through the window to see a couple of middle-aged men nursing their pints at one of the tables. They looked a bit glum, or possibly a little bewildered. I assume they’d heard the news. But they won’t be in there tomorrow night.
I either miscalculated the time, or wasn’t concentrating properly. I was back a while after sunset. I did have a rear light on, but not even a little silicone strappy blinker at the front.
I only encountered one human being, not counting a couple of passing cars. A young woman walking two dogs near Little Twycross. I’m pleased to report that I maintained a distance of at least three metres. I’m quite sure we exchanged nothing more harmful than a smile.
Seems a bit frivolous at the moment to be counting miles pedalled on a circular route then adding them to a spreadsheet, but hey ho. 18.95, 317 this month.