Mud and Gore(tex)

Ahh, another long lie this morning because duvet, but I had things to do so I did get up eventually for a late, late breakfast.  The rearranged bedroom study space is functional but my hi-fi amplifier doesn't have a proper home yet, nor do its speakers, and I decided some IKEA hacking was in order.  A couple of side tables are a known solution because they just happen to be the right width, and can be stacked with some minor butchery surgery.  Bringing home small flatpacked furniture on a bike is easy enough but since it's still icy out there I decided to use my old postie bike which is still wearing its spiky tyres from last winter.  I took a photo of the rig before I set off home but my phone corrupted the image.

What made the trip surprisingly tolerable, almost enjoyable, was having warm feet!  Last year I would have worn my warm woolly socks with holes in the heels and my horrible brown bike shoes (that I've yet to put in the bucket…and anyway the duct tape toe covers I made failed miserably).  This year I would have worn my surprisingly not awful long thermal socks from Lidl and my newer grey bike shoes that I lovingly globbed Granger's wax all over to help keep them nice.  But when a fellow cycle forumite announced the other week that he was offloading his hardly used winter boots, citing age or perhaps self-preservation in his no longer wishing to ride in wintertime, I jumped at the chance for a complete bargain.  Not only are these clodhoppers Goretex and waterproof, they're insulated!  During the trip to IKEA and back with the air temperature just above freezing, I wore my normal socks – and my feet were almost too warm.  Result!

It isn't twelfth night yet but I took down the Christmas tree today because, to be honest, it was kind of in the way.  After that and after tea it was too late to go into the garage and make lots of noise with the table saw, so I might do that tomorrow.