The Road to Burnsall

Ride that road!

Yesterday's blip about Saudade stimulated some interesting discussion. I'm very fascinated by these words which just find expression in certain languages as I'm sure they point to cultural differences deep in our collective or national psyche. But thinking about this while out on the bike today, it's not just that our shared culture is reflected in our national language, but that the constructs in our language turn back to inform our thoughts and feelings and behaviour in terms of who we are as a nation. Once a word like saudade emerges it functions as a hook upon which we can hang a particular feeling and it reinforces it, and can then spread because other people interpret what might be a vague feeling in the terms represented by that specific word. I can imagine that over time the word gets not just more deeply embedded into the language but into the psyche of the native speakers of that language. It's just not possible to say which is the prior reality for they have evolved together and are inextricably intertwined.

I think my suadade yesterday is part of a process of letting go of certain things in my life before embracing some very exciting new ones. I find it very frustrating not being able to do a job well. I feel like I simply haven't got the tools any more. But that's ok. It just another signal telling me that I need to move to a different role. It was good to write about it yesterday and my mood has been altogether better today, although I've been rather slow in getting into gear!

I had plans to head out with a mate to support the Three Peaks Race today, in which Spartan was running. But I didn't get my act together quickly enough and missed the rendezvous. I headed out on my own with the aim of trying to meet up at Ribblehead, but I kept getting distracted by bliportunities! The light and clouds were amazing. As I headed out of Settle I began to hit a biting north-easterly wind. It was very hard going and I started to realise that this was not the kind of weather in which to be standing around cheering on runners. Just a minute to take a picture was bad enough.

I made the decision to turn right at Stainforth and endured a gritty climb right into the wind up Silverdale and over the tops to Halton Gill and Arncliffe. From there it was a very rapid run home, trying to get back in time for the start of the boy's delayed cricket match. Sadly, though, as I got close to Ilkley, the weather closed in and the Wharfe Valley was engulfed by heavy shower clouds. That prompted the umpires to abandon play for the day. Sad because it didn't last long and the weather has been fine since then. The lads were very frustrated but a few beers seem to have put them in good spirits. Roam has just popped in to say hello before heading into town with the team. They know how to enjoy themselves.

Very hard to choose which shot to go with but settled on this, first because I really like it, and second, because it was such a great cycle ride today and this was the best section, with the wind on my back, speeding along these wonderfully windy, wall-hemmed lanes, knowing that there's not far left to go. This is about 15 miles from home and I often pass through here at the end of my long rides. At this point it's always less than an hour back to a cup of tea and some wholesome food. It's easy to imagine what a good feeling it is to be riding through here at speed and feeling strong. That's how it was today.