Clarity

Source - Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd Edition.

Justice (noun) just behaviour or treatment: a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people.
Just (adjective) based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.

Vengeance (noun) punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong.
Vengeful (adjective) seeking to harm someone in return for a perceived injury.

Discuss.

A very well-connected chap on ACF posted today (and I quote) that the new amendment to the Road Safety Bill which will legalise the use of flashing rear lights for pedal cyclists, is not due for royal assent (i.e. become law) until March or April 2006.

The initial publication date was 21 October 2005 but this date has slipped by 6 months due to the general election. The law received its final reading in the Lords earlier this month and now has to be closely scrutinised before being passed into law.

Bugger.

Whilst driving in to work in the dark this week (25 miles, nasty route, wish I could bike it, maybe one day) I've been specially watching for cyclists without flashing lights and checking out what their lights are if I have trouble seeing them.

I'm seeing a lot of the old, white plastic cased BS approved type steadies, and just can't believe now much dimmer they are compared to the LEDs. Someone posted a while ago that the flashies shout "BIKE!! BIKE!!! BIKE!!!" to drivers and I have to agree, to me, they do.

I hopehopehope that the slippage of this bill will not contribute to more injuries and deaths this Winter. I know that it will though, as there will be parents who insist that their children have the "proper" lights not the "trendy" LEDs for cycling to school - as my parents would have. Just as an example.

As for me, I've decided that could not care less. I will continue to use the Passubio supernova on the front backed up by a white flashing LED (Topeak Whitelite), and two monster 5-LED arrays on the back (Cateye TL-LD600) - one on me and one on the bike. Plus reflective gear....

I have just finished listening to the 2 CD collection "Mnemosyne" by The Hilliard Ensemble. It is sublime. (Mnemosyne was the mother of the Muses, is credited with creating language and is therefore the mistress of memory, for those who are interested.)

It was recorded in the St Gerold monastery with it's clean acoustics, and they are accompanied by Jan Garbarek on soprano and tenor saxophones. For the record, my favourite track is "Hymn To The Sun" by Mesomedes (2nd Century Greece).

Whilst riding and cleaning and buffing and admiring (!) I've also been thinking about anti-theft measures. I, like most people first time round I expect, first bought a fairly hefty-looking thick combination cable lock, thinking it looked good and strong. I found out very quickly from various well-respected sources that the products are not worth the elements that they are made from.

I then learned of the existence of the Sold Secure tests and standards. This non profit-making body independently test products and rate them according to their strength. It's well worth checking any product you intend to purchase against their list, it reduces your insurance for one thing. Click on the logo to visit them.

Of course, it stands to reason that when my Noble Steed and porch carpet and shoes and panniers are liberally covered in mud and leaves and squished slugs that I discover that instead of purchasing a can of cleaning stuff and a can of lube, I did, in fact, buy two cans of lube.

Fat lot of good that is!!!

So, instead of trying to clean my bike indoors and in the dark, which I now know would have been monumental folly, I settled down with a fleece blanket, a sleepy cat, a cup of Horlicks and a Jane Austin and waited for the LBS to open at 10am on Saturday morning. Shame. (Heh heh heh.)

I did actually manage to leave the shop with no more having been purchased than what I actually went there for - no mean feat! The Gore-Tex jackets are looking very good to me at the moment though.... I treated myself to something quite sensible - a Muc-Off pack with brushes and sprays and everything I reasonably needed, other than lube. I have enough of that already on board.



The instructions specified that the cleaning agent must not be left on for more than one minute, and it should be rinsed thoroughly with cold water. Good job I hadn't tried to do this on my kitchen carpet!

So, out to the front path we went, in the cold sunshine with a mug of Horlicks. Scrub scrub, splash splash, spray spray, slurp slurp.... before long I had gathered a small audience of appreciative cats, wanting to see what the funny human was doing. My old fella sensibly stayed indoors and watched me from a sunny windowsill.

Once everything was clean, quality lube was applied in the recommended places, excess wiped off, and a spin around the road taken to work it all in nicely. I must say, I was proud of my handiwork - Jackdaw looked fresh off the assembly line, shining and glinting, and if I had smooth tyres I swear this bike would be absolutely silent.

*sigh* Lovely.

The weather yesterday was so fantastic during the day that I had decided to spend a significant amount of the evening out on the roads and trails by about 9:30am. Consequently, as soon as I got home, the Noble Steed was checked, tyres pumped up to recommended levels (after an infomative discussion on the subject - thanks to all members of ACF that helped out on that one), loaded up purse and mobile and camera and MP3 player, made a flask of coffee and headed out!

The light was magnificent as the sunset was already well underway, and I happily pedalled off towards the Downs Link via Horsham Road. I fancied messing about on the private road/paved bridleway and see how the extra pressure felt and practice some slow riding and balancing whilst enjoying the sunset. Once I got there however I wanted to go further, so thought I would hop onto the Downs Link for a little while, to a comfy bench by a lake that I know, to drink coffee and relax and then see how my new light copes with complete darkness.

The Link was really muddy and covered in puddles and fallen leaves and was seriously slippery and my wheels were kicking up clods of mud all over the place (fun!!!!!) but even so I got to my destination in good time. I propped my bike up carefully and unpacked snack and coffee flask and proceeded to imbibe whilst watching the fields and woods around me with great enjoyment.

I have always had the ability to sit very still and very quietly for very long periods of time, and that came in handy this evening! As soon as the light started to fade, the wildlife came out, and took as much notice of me as they would had I been a log. It started with deer grazing on the fields wandering up onto and along the trail just yards away, the rabbits and squirrels were out in force, then the foxes started to appear, running in and out of the woods seemingly in search of the rabbits and setting the little birds off with their alarm calls. A pair of owls began calling to each other, a number of herons glided overhead to roost near the lake (they look huge when they're flying that close) and the carp jumping in the lake behind me kept making me jump!

I was in the wrong area to see badgers - think I might try and find a resting-place near to their homes on another trip. Also saw sheep, cows, an enormous flock of canada geese and heard more calling pairs of owls on the way home.

I was rather pleased to have seen so much in one trip. How did my light do? Not bad, I could see where I was going on the Link, not quite as well as I'd like as the trail reflects a lot less light when it's covered in mud and leaves. I was in quite a state when I got home - bike, pannier, shoes and most especially tires coated liberally in mud. Now so is my porch carpet. Clean and lube session tonight I think, unless it's tipping down with rain. I have something completely different in mind if that happens..... How do you think I'll enjoy riding in the pouring rain? I intend to find out tonight!

Dreaded Winter is striding into my landscape with big hobnailed boots at the moment, and this lifelong S.A.D sufferer was quaking in her small, squeaky, pink boots for a while, wondering if this biggest and most feared of her foes was going to put paid to this cycling, freedom, exercise lark for the next few months. From about now until March, generally.

I've sat for the last couple of weeks and considered this in detail. From about the beginning of October until the end of March, I feel trapped inside my house from the time I get home until the time I leave for work in the morning. The main reason for this, I have concluded, is a serious lack of energy and very, very poor night-vision. Until I took up cycling, I did not have any outdoor activity that I could enjoy in the dark hours.

So I examined why it was that I felt "trapped" in the house. It turns out that I feel oppressed by the dark. It presses in on the windows of my house - an impenetrable, inky, thick barrier between me and the rest of the world. Everything is murky and indistinct - I can't knit or sew or paint or draw when it's dark - partly for practical reasons and partly psychological it seems.

Horrible! Why do I have this attitude and where has it come from? I used to be excited by the darkness and enjoy the way it made everything ordinary seem mysterious and new. When did it become an oppressor???? I'm baffled. I sincerely hope this is not a symptom of creeping middle-age and vague fears and phobias. That's too "she's always been, well, nervy, Doctor" for words.

So. Having discovered this new and disquieting set of feelings, I decided (in character) that this is not acceptable. Things only seem murky and indistinct because they are not being lit properly. The darkness is only pressing against the windows because it's out there and I'm in here and I can't see. It's not solid, it's not thick and gloopy, it's fresh and it's cold and if I go out there I'll discover that.

Bless cycling once again. With credit card in hand, I approached the fantastic LBS which seems to be slowly becoming responsible for the maintenance of my sanity. One set of lights later:



and the bike budget blown for the next two months(!) I was the proud owner of a Lupine Passubio XC set, wondering if I'd done the right thing. It was a lot of money to spend on one light. I spent the next few days faffing about finding the best place for the light on my cockpit and conditioning the battery. I also read the reviews and checked out the light test:



A few days ago everything was ready, but I still didn't go out. I spent the last few evenings upstairs watching "Mermaids" and "Black Books" whilst not doing the household accounts that I was supposed to be doing, in an ever-increasing funk, first watching the light fade and then glaring out at the darkness. Last night I couldn't take it any more, and at 9:30pm told my other half that I was headed out for a "short" spin to try out the new light.

Night-time riding was all that I remember, and more. The air was cool and fresh, there were hardly any cars about; I had the road to myself. I rode in the centre of the lane almost all the time and all I could hear was my breathing and the occasional owl. The moon was spectacular - about a third, low on the horizon, golden at first then slowly turning red. The thrill of diving into a well of blackness as the streetlights end, in which not a speck of light could be seen ahead was something that I had forgotten. I went much further than I intended!

After a short break in the village, I rode home very relaxed. I know I have rain, frost, ice and snow to contend with next, but I am now happy that I can cycle whenever I please. I hope this may be the turning point in my attitude towards Winter - I am well aware that expecting to have a horrible Winter means that I have lost the battle before I start.

On Sunday, I convinced Jan and Neil again that a cycling trip out was a good idea, and this time we went to Worthing to check out the seafront and town. The evening was cold but sunny and we rode to the end of the rideable seafront and stopped there for cake and water. Of course, with all of these interesting stones about, fossil-hunting, flint-knapping and cairn-making just naturally started to occur.



We ate cake and messed about until we got too cold and the sunset was starting to get interesting and then we hopped back on the bikes and cycled back to the pier to see what the sunset would be like from there. It was worth it. The sun seemed to go down really quickly, but it was stunning.



A very nice final evening out at the end of my holiday. We then went a very interesting route back to Jan & Neil's at which I was fed pizza and salad. I then snuggled under a fleece blanket on a vast sofa until it was time to go home. Lovely.

Jan and Neil have been suggesting that I might like to come and cycle with them in different coastal towns for some time, but I've never really had the opportunity until now! The weather today was awesome, sunny and breezy and warm, and I was just in the mood for a gentle pootle along the beach. And so it went for a while. Whilst we were at the other end of the beach from the pier however, I saw some very interesting clouds forming above the town and pointed them out to my companions. As we travelled back towards the centre of the seafront, the weather developed very quickly into quite a beautiful rainstorm which swept down to the sea, luckily a civilised distance away!



Everyone along the beach was entranced, and a lot of cameras and camera-phones came out. The weather front continued out to sea and therefore treated us to a very picture-perfect sunset.



A fish-and-chip supper under a shelter whilst what little rain there was in our area abated seemed justified. We cycled slowly back to the van in the dark, after a very relaxing few hours.