On the road again...

On February 10th last I apparently fell from my bicycle onto the beach near Ponce Inlet.  I say "apparently" because I have no recollection whatsoever of the event. It was today - April 9th (exactly 2 months later) - that I rode a bicycle for the first time since my little episode.  Though I had to walk the bicycle up the exit ramp from the parking garage where I keep the bike stored in a locker (I hadn't the strength to ride the bicycle) I have to say that it was a positive treat to mount the machine at the top of the incline.  And I will admit that I was somewhat wobbly to start - a warning I fully accepted for the remainder of my tour.

As might be expected I clung to mainly flat surfaces for this initial run, which means I dotted back and forth along the local roadways in our residential environment.  I did however manage to cycle a good distance along Country Street by the adjoining farmlands.  All the while I was uttering to myself how divine it was to get some exercise (other than walking - which I abhor), expanding my lungs and moving some considerable distance.  It always amazes me that I feel so comfortable cycling a reasonable distance when I know I could hardly walk a half mile.

My Electra Townie is semi-recumbent.  It has gentle balloon tyres and what I call a "fat ass" seat.  It only has about seven or eight gears but by and large I stick with the lower gears in any event - except when coasting downhill.  I like that there are disc brakes (operated naturally from the handle bars, not the pedals).  The bike is an undeniable improvement over the used rental bike I had over the winter.

On my way back home I passed our elderly neighbour who was taking an afternoon walk.  He is well into his eighties and I have to admire him for his conviction.  Not unlike my admiration for Mr. Justice Knatchbull who - at over eighty years of age and clinically blind - still walks his dog Rosie every day, whatever the weather.  Exercise on this level is no hardship for me.  Certainly I can bear the deprivation of downhill skiing or horseback riding, but a slow cycle is the Sacrament of Heaven in my opinion.

Unquestionably even this moderate exercise is a catharsis.  The subsequent reward of a hot cup of green tea and a good book (which at the moment means the biography of Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, a recent arrival from the Osgoode Society) is all the more meaningful and enjoyable.  The physical effort also lubricates that adage that the best sauce for any meal is an appetite! We dined relatively early this evening, salads, fresh salmon fillets, followed by black berries and Kéfir for dessert.  Our background music was a Verve collection of classic jazz (my favourite being Mark Whitfield's "Some Other Time").