I want to ride my bicycle...

Or do I? My adventures on Shanks' Pony on Sunday led me to a renewed motivation to get back on my bike and start cycling to work again. I have had two aborted attempts this year already where I managed it on the Monday of the week and then found an excuse to stop by Tuesday. Some of these excuses are a lot more legitimate than others (atrocious weather being the main one) but they are all just ways of justifying my laziness to myself.

I think I might have cracked it this week. For the last two days I have cycled to work and feel infinitely better for it. It undoubtedly helps that for the last couple of days it has been bright and clear rather than dark and snowy which I find to be rather off putting if you plan to spend half an hour in it. It has however been lung searingly cold this week. Monday morning was a particularly savage assault on my respiratory system, not to mention any areas of exposed skin. It was bloody marvellous!

Although my out of condition legs actually hurt right now, and probably will until the end of the week, I can't stress enough how much better I feel for all this exercise. I am much more awake when I get to work, I sleep a lot more soundly. My appetite is massive but I burn off the extra calories and then some so I feel physically better. Slow, depressed and sluggish becomes quick, alert and enthusiastic. Listlessness turns to drive. Magic.

I've rounded out a day of physical exertion by watching the first episode of Underbelly. Regrettably it's a bit shit. Bad writing, bad acting and awful (not to mention pointless) narration. It's almost like an extended Crimewatch reconstruction but without the drama. Or maybe a late night edition of Home and Away. Everybody in it looks a little bit like somebody else, mostly British soap actors or minor celebrities. Perhaps whoever was responsible "was just trying to silence the devil voices in his head". That's an actual line from the actual show.

My devil voices are perfectly silent tonight, worn out and looking forward to a night of restful sleep. Just enough time for a Shameless before bed though...