The cycle of life.

I'm fit right.

Now I don't mean in the modern sense of the word. You'll have all seen my SP, so no point pulling the wool over your eyes. No I mean I have always been fairly sporty, fairly active. Not really ever had much problem keeping reasonaby fit. So decided today to take a bike ride down to the Thames. Mistake.

Half way there, I'm thinking this is a doddle. Whe I arrived there, I knew it was going to be a nightmare ride back. Now before those of you that know me accuse me of having one too many cigars and four too many beers, the heart and lungs were not the problem. The bones were definitely creaking, a lot!, but the real problem was the derriere! These modern day saddles and the position you need to be in to maintain contact with the handle bars at all time are definitely not built for comfort, but for speed. And when they say speed, they mean get there as quick as you can so you can get off!

I know people who ride these type of bikes all the time (it was my son's). How do they do it? Trust me, at 55, I have a bit of padding in that area, but still it was like sitting on a crinkle cut razor blade. Give me the comfort of my Jag with it's heated leather seats on setting 2, just warmth enough that you don't think you've had a small mishap, James Taylor comforting my ears and the car's 'Comfort Control' toasting my toes.

Sure enough, the journey home on the bike was significantly shorter and took 4 times longer, because I walked most of it! For the first time in my life, I think I was what i had frequently heard of but never experienced...saddle sore! - I always thought it was just a metaphor! But as I stepped into my lovely hot bath, it caused a sharp intake of breath followed by a deep sigh.

Once there, I took some lovely shots of the sun setting directly down-river, but was actually quite disheartened how much disgareded rubbish had 'collected' in a small ten foot 'inlet' on the riverbank. I tried to get down closer to lift some of the larger items out and drop them in the bin which I managed to do, making me feel 'holier than thou' for a small moment, but whilst down at the rivers edge, I noticed to my right, previously hidden from view, a Vodka bottle - the one in my blip, standing perfectly upright.

I couldn't reach it (water between it and me). It got me to thinking....'How did it get there?', perched, perfectly upright on some loose sappling and reeds? Some alcoholic sitting on the bench 15 feet away just emptied it up an 'lobbed' it into the river...it just happened to land perfectly upright? What are the chances I'm thinking, as the natural floatilla ebbed and flowed with the current of the Thames. Anyhow, I managed to lean forward, arms outstretched convinced i was going to mess up and fall in, and capture the offending message in a bottle.