Bodmacity

We went to the Hovis Freewheel Festival on Sunday. The plan was to arrive at 12pm when the initial crowds had died down. That was certainly the case as Peckham Rye common was quite empty. On the way from Ladywell we acquired a convoy of about fifteen riders. I had the honour of leading the way because the others were not sure of the route.

We approached the registration tent where funnily enough we didn’t need to be registered. They just explained how the ‘funnel’ worked. The funnel was where the riders set off to a load cheer from a lively group of cheerleaders. It was quite funny as it was only myself, Jake and Amy. The guy on the megaphone asked Jake’s name which was nice.

The route to Central London was actually quite pleasant, well marked with arrows and marshalls to direct us. Soon we had another convoy going on. It took us around 30 minutes to get into London. The final stretch onto Southwark bridge was brilliant where the road was closed to all but the humble bicycle. We stopped for a couple of minutes to take some photos on the bridge. Jake got very excited when he saw the river and started saying ‘water’ and ‘boat’. Further up we stopped at the first of many crossing points manned by the marshalls. These were to allow pedestrians to cross and to allow riders from other hubs/routes onto the main freewheel route. At this point the scale of the whole thing became apparent. Amy and I were grinning broadly and tinging our bells while riding two abreast amongst all the other participants. All ages and abilities were present. The old bikers, the lycra brigade, parents with children and babies in carriers.

Things got a little chaotic when we arrived at St James Park. This was due to the number of people funneling into it but also the signage wasn’t up to scratch. Once we parked our bikes in one of the the huge bike parks there was no way out except to join the throng waiting to get in WITH their bikes.

Several stalls were laid out along The Mall. Disappointingly enough the Hovis tent was at the very end. There was a huge queue clamouring to get their sandwich. A harrassed looking employee came out with single slices of brown bread with cream cheese. We gave up queueing and went to buy something, which also took a while because apart from a coffee stall there was only one other place to buy anything of substance. Next time we will bring a picnic!

All in all it was a fun day and we will definitely do it again next year. 🙂

Jake’s latest words at 18 months

‘o (hot no aitch or t)
we’ (wet with a pronounced ending but no t)
bow (boat)
gubba (usually means a bin but also could mean any receptacle that you could put something in)
seesuz (see you soon)
kish (kiss)
shoosh (shoes)
tishoosh (tissues)
bishkit (biscuit)
kargle (cuddle)
gangad (grandad)
mamor (grandma)
wa’er (water no t)
pikar (picture)

Jake has two incisors now. There can’t be that many left now. He seems to be sprouting one after the other in an endless litany of teething. Jake woke this morning when my alarm went off at 6.35am. After my shave I popped into his room. As expected he was sitting up looking a little ruffled.

I picked him up and asked him to put his dummy in the cot which he did. After a quick nappy change we went downstairs for his milk. He was more interested in eating my muesli however, and he only drank half the milk.

He has recently taken to pointing to other peoples extremities. He will point to their nose, eyes and hair and say ‘no!, eye, air’ in quick succession. He also knows where his finger nails are.

A glorious Bank Holiday weekend of fine weather has come and gone. We came back home from the coast early on Saturday morning. Jake had a sleep on the back sit and Amy snoozed too. Fatigue was setting in by the time I reached Clacketts so I turned off for a rest and a nice stimulating cup of Cappuccino from Costas. Dear but very tasty. Amy caught up on sleep while I looked after little Jake. I think he was glad to be in familiar surrounds. He had his cot, toys and of course the heap.

We basically relaxed on Saturday. I took Jake out for a long walk around Hilly Fields and a play on the Swings and Slides. Jake was the only child going around picking up twigs and placing them in the bin :-). In the evening I cooked Amy a special meal. We had peppered steak, baby potatoes, carrots, and brocolli. This was washed down with Cava and finished off with B&J raspberry ice cream with chocolate brownies. Very naughty but very nice.

On Sunday we took a trip to Bluewater to change Jake’s shoes. We had been given the wrongs shoes in Chichester. Luckily there was a Russel and Bromleys but they didn’t have the same ones as the Chichester branch. We got a refund a bought a nice pair from Clarks. These light up on the heel when Jake walks. Very cute indeed! After Bluey we drove back via Oxleas Wood and sat on the grass while Jake charged around. The chav families were out in force but were harmless enough.

We had planned to go biking on Monday but we got our timings all mixed up because Adam and Jo were coming for a BBQ at 1pm and what with Jake having his nap… However, while Jake was sleeping I took myself out on my newly repaired, cleaned and lubed bicycle. I cycled to Greenwich, walked under the Thames via the foot tunnel(no lifts operating) and then went on to Mudchute farm which is the largest urban farm in Europe. I then had a quick scoot up the Thames and around Canary Wharf before heading back home. When I returned home Adam and Jo had just arrived and the BBQ coals were heating up. It was a lovely day. Lot’s of lovely food and copious amounts of Pimm’s(served up by yours truly). Later in the evening GDK arrived so we all headed to Hilly Fields for a kick around with Jake’s ‘inner tube’. Jake loved charging about. It was lovely to see him take his Grandads hand for the first time. What a poppet!

Jake is now officially a 17 month old. Only 1 month before the magic 18! Latest developments :

• Saying ‘no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no’
• Saying ‘go’ and ‘go down’
• Eating like there’s no tomorrow
• Playing tug-of-war with Daddy
• He has cut one of his incisors. I think that’s 13 teeth(I’m losing count now!)

Jake had two jabs on Friday. One of them was his MMR. I went with Amy to the clinic. It was heart-breaking. I held him in my lap and held his arms while he was jabbed. He howled with the second jab and had great fat blobby tears :-(. His leg is now quite swollen so we think the nurse didn’t put the needle in the correct place. Bloody incompetence. He was a very brave lion though (got the sticker) and was soon happy again. Poor angel.

We are spending the week at Amy’s mum’s house in Rustington. Yesterday we had a BBQ and Jake enjoyed charging around the garden with his bat and ball and playing with his new friend Mia.

In the evening Jake went to bed with barely a whimper and soon was fast asleep. He was very noisy during the night. He kept wriggling about and would say random words like ‘no!’ He woke at around 5ish with a hearty ‘Dada!’. He had leaked again so maybe that woke him up. We changed him and popped him in our bed. He didn’t really settle. He was pulling our ears and saying ‘ear!’ and then was lifting Amy’s cover and saying ‘Boo!’ to her exhausted face. When I got up (at the ungodly hour of 6.00am) I put him back in his travel cot. To my surprise he lay there calmly stroking his tags. What a poppet.

It had to happen but I thought I’d have to wait at least a year. When I got to Clapham Junction for my journey home I found my rear tyre was flat. In fact the tyre had completely come away from the rim. At first I thought that some scrote had let the air out of the tyre but it wasn’t the case.

This will teach me to get a puncture repair kit. I wasn’t completely unprepared having bought a pump a couple of weeks ago when I bought my SPD shoes. Luckily it was a slow puncture so I only had to pump up the tyre three times before I forlornly arrived home on a spongy tyre :-(. I think I have a repair kit that I last used 10 odd years ago. I wonder if the glue is still okay?

Update! No the glue had ‘gone bad’. It’s good to know that the fine art of repairing a puncture is still with me from my Raleigh Grifter days :-). Ames went into Catford and kindly bought me a new repair kit. Q!

I was hardcore today. None of this fair weather cycling for bode. I looked out the window when I woke. It was grey, it was raining. Fine I thought “let’s do it”. I donned my new Helly Hansen long sleeve top, baggy shorts and fluorescent jacket and headed off. I don’t mind getting my legs wet, after all skin is waterproof. Shorts are fine in the summer(what summer?) months but I’m not sure what to do when it becomes colder. Maybe 3/4 length short or waterproof tights with the shorts on top. So stylish :-).

The shorts dried very quickly, drying from the time it took me to get from C.J. to Staines, around 30 minutes. The only thing I would like in the rain are some gloves as the handlebar grips get very slippy when it is raining constantly. I also would like to invest in some panniers. I haven’t quite decided which brand to go for. The Ortlieb’s are a favourite but I would like an external pocket for my bits and pieces. The new seam welded waterproof Vaude Discover panniers look good and are very light. Both are around the same price.

Jakles has been a delight this weekend. He has been smiling and laughing when he flaps his lips and generally on good form. He is gurning a lot which leads us to believe that a tooth will be making an appearance soon. That will make it 14. Ames says that one of the canines is already through. His vocabulary is increasing. He says ‘gee-dor’ for doggy which is rather strange. When I ask him is he wants to go to the heap he says ‘blicker-blicker-blicker-blicker’ which is the sounds of the parakeets that fly from next door’s bird feeder when we walk past! For melon and any dessert he says ‘mamome’. His climbing antics are continuing as well as the odd little tantrum. These are quite amusing as he flaps his arms about wildly and bellows :-). In recent days he has been having lot’ of sleeps. Most mornings he wakes at around 8am. Yesterday it was nearly 9am! His poor nappy was soaked through so it was surprising this didn’t get him up sooner. We will need to invest in new wraps as the poppers are beginning to weaken and can spring open with vigorous movement.

The ride to CJ was uneventful i.e. I managed to unclip successfully each time I came to a stop. Heh heh heh. Now that I have adjusted the cleats on the MT20D’s correctly they really are the business. You can feel the difference immediately. You feel at one with your machine almost. By forgetting about the mechanics of keeping your feet on the pedals and in the correct position one can concentrate on nice smooth fluid strokes(steady there) of the old legs.

I found a Helly Hansen long-sleeve base layer on ebay for 13 quid yesterday which was a bit of a bargain. I need to get a few more base layers as I only have two and it’s getting a hassle to wash them every couple of days(I know I should do it every day but as long as they don’t hum TOO much…).

So back to the ride. The sun was out but when I set off it was a little chilly. I warmed my legs up slowly down Wickham Road with it’s TWO, yes count them, sinusoidal speed bumps. The other speed bumps are the cliff face types that you really cannot take at any speed unless you want your wheels to self-destruct. Onto the A2 and things were relatively calm. A couple of lycra warriors overtook me. I overtook a couple of other cyclists so nothing out of the ordinary. Onto the hellish Queens Road which it’s barrage of pot holes constantly jarring the wrists and again trying to trash my wheels. I hate that stretch of road. It is made worse by some recent road works causing the traffic to queue up through Peckham. Reminder to self. Go via Peckham Rye next time and come out by The Academy.

Camberwell New Road, very quiet and onto Wandsworth Road. The usual Estate Agents’ in their souped up Minis neglecting to indicate. The final stretch up Lavender Hill. When I first started my commuting that hill was a real effort now it is a breeze(maybe I had the wind behind me). Down onto Grants Road and I just made my train after thinking I had bags of time.

Another day, another commute.

Ok, it had to happen. I tried out my new SPD shoes and clipless pedals for the morning commute. I spent a few hours at the weekend getting used to clipping in and out. No problem I thought. I whizzed down Wickham Road and joined that lovely thoroughfare known as the ‘A20’.

I was skipping along without a problem then the traffic slowed up. I unclipped as I came close behind a Bendy Bus. I clipped in again just before the traffic stopped completely. I then ungraciously fell to the left as I realised too late that I ‘SHOULD HAVE UNCLIPPED BEFORE I STOPPED’. Luckily for me, as I arced towards the road flailing helplessly, my left foot managed to ping out of the pedal and halted my fall in the nick of time. I still looked like a total knob-head though. I attempted to assuage my embarrassment by heading off at a rate of knots. Halfway into my journey my knees started to ache. Evidently I didn’t adjust the cleats properly. I gave them a tweak at work so fingers-crossed for tonight and remember the mantra ‘unclip BEFORE you stop, unclip BEFORE you stop, unclip BEFORE you stop…’

The weekend was wonderful. Hot and sunny. On Saturday we met up with my old college friend Jimmy who I hadn’t seen for many years. We arranged to meet in Greenwich Park at 12pm. In true Jimmy style he didn’t show for nearly four hours due to a late start. It didn’t really matter though, as once Jimmy, his son Leon and Michelle had arrived we pootled off to the park and had a lovely picnic with Pimms and lots of nice food. Jake loved running around trying to play cricket and making new friends. I also loved ‘trying’ to play cricket which I was rubbish at. I fared a little better playing the frisbee with young Leon. We had a nice patch under a big shady tree so it wasn’t a problem trying to keep Jake out of the rays. We ended up staying till 8.30pm. I felt sorry for the guys as they had to take a train back to Reading.

Jake completely zonked out when we got home and then slept until 9.30am Sunday morning. That was a rare lie-in for us. 🙂