Morning Light on Ilkley Moor

I enjoyed a delightful ride into the office this morning on my standard long route. The best part, other than witnessing this amazing light display, was feeling palpably stronger on the hills than I was just a couple of weeks ago. It's great when you can sense that all the hard training is actually having an effect on the way the body performs. I know there is a simple equation to this response but somehow it still surprises me when it actually happens. The bike fitness is definitely returning.

It was mild with virtually no wind and no traffic. I felt blessed to be able to enjoy this route to work today. The best stretch is the section between Rivock Edge and East Morton, a couple of miles spent riding high above the Aire Valley, looking down upon Keighley on a rare bit of good road surface. I enjoyed some beautiful light on the final descent beside Baildon Moor, and took some more nice solitary tree pictures, but a change was due today!

Well, that was, by a long way, the highlight of my day. From the moment I sat down at my desk things spiralled downhill all the way, starting with finding my computer in a coma. After sending it to sleep last night it refused to wake up this morning. In the end I had to completely reboot it, creating problems with files not being saved that came back to bite me later. Little boring jobs ended up taking all day and had to be left unfinished. I found myself getting very grumpy and being totally unable to do anything about it! Lots of negative energy meant that I was fighting myself as well as the problems. A double whammy!

I was really looking forward to a cycle back by the same long route that I'd come in by, but I discovered that my bike had somehow fallen during the day and the rear gear cable had come free, meaning the chain was stuck on the little cog at the back. I had to go back on the main roads and Hollins Hill was an out of the saddle pull in a big gear. That did nothing to improve my mood. So I'm blipping very late tonight because I had no will to sit straight back down at the computer.

It's strange how I seem to be so in tune with the universe while out on the bike and while blipping, but so completely out of tune with it in the office. I guess I'm not the only who feels like that!