My Babe 'n me

The sun was shining today and it was about time I got my knees in the breeze out on The Babe. She kerfuffled and gleamed with the pleasure of being allowed out to play.

She chugged past the flow of traffic and we accelerated to speed along the bypass.

Then I learnt that a full tank of petrol to the reserve is approx. 100 miles. I ran out on the dual carriageway & had to pull over to switch to reserve, and I have not mastered the change on the move yet, especially with winter gloves on.

Oh deep joy at passing stationary traffic in a long queue at the road works.

Roads wet and muddy up the hill to Newlands, so had to be cautious.

Only one other bike in the carpark, an older man on a jap bike, “Have you got enough chrome?” He said.
I smiled, “There’s nothing you can say that I haven’t heard before,” and ordered a coffee at the hatch.

Made a point of taking myself over to the view point and gazing across typically English rolling hills into the distance, and thinking that life was good, even in the drizzle.

People sat in their cars either side of me. I felt uplifted by being out in the elements and appreciated my freedom for a bit. Then I wandered back to the open sided café and saw he was clad in waterproofs and helmet under the shelter of the canopy.

“Yeah, but I’m here, in the rain too, just have a bit more cleaning than you.”

Oh no….. I’ve got mud splatters everywhere, I’ll be sure to clean her as soon as I get home.”

He laughed and we chatted for a few minutes about our shared fun of a weekday ride out just for the sake of it.