Silver Blizzard adventures

I might have mentioned before that I got a new bike for my birthday! I know, ever the 9 year old. It's fun to go places on your bike, especially in the great summer weather we've been having. I thought a bike would be better for my knee than running. I can actually hear it creek when I get up! It's quite disturbing, although not painful (however more on that later). I have taken to taking pictures from where I end up cycling to on my bike. Which is lucky, because now I can post them on here!

This is from my first cycle to Brown's Bay in about fifteen years. This was taken on the saddest day of the year, 23rd July, but the weather made a special effort and it was actually quite good! Self-timer shots are tricky, and I was annoyed that I cut my front wheel off in the photo, so I thought I'd try again.

And got this one of me running into position. I think my phone slipped and it took extra, valuable seconds to put it up again. Not be deterred, I tried again.

Yeah, so the wheel cut off isn't that bad afterall.

I went another day, more cloudy, but better self-timer skills.

Florescent colours are the only way to go on bike.

I cycled to Carrick one day. It was not as bad a cycle as I feared, with the busy main road and all that, but just as I was coming into the town at a set of traffic lights, a big cement mixer went past me. It's weird you'd think you'd hear something that big coming behind you, but maybe because of all the other traffic noise I didn't. I promise he did not move out one inch from his usual place in the road and with the shock, the noise and the wind from him passing I nearly died. I was able to recover enough to display my feelings to him. That's right I...shook my fist at him. I may have sworn too, but he wouldn't have heard that. The people at the bus stop however were left in no uncertain terms as to how I felt.

The traffic light incident didn't stop a beautiful self-timer shot at the Castle though.

On days when the weather isn't great/I can't go far/I can't be bothered I usually cycle up to the cemetery. 

Sure, it's not as picturesque, but I still took a photo.

My biggest cycle to date has been all the way into Belfast! I was so please I made it! The weather was amazing that day. I actually got tan lines on my legs! 

I think the most surprising thing was that it only took an hour to do. It takes 30 minutes in the car! I can see now the appeal of cycling in rush hour.

I cycled along that footpath/cycle path and into Duncrue. It was weird to be as close as this to cars travelling at 70mph and nothing but a bit of wire fence between us. Woooommmppphhhhh! The bit from Whiteabbey on was easily the best bit of it all. It nearly reminded me of East Coast Park in Singapore. Without the acres of park, big jumbo jets landing at the airport and dozens of big tankers in the sea. Well I said nearly.

The next day the weather was still great so out again I went.

Brown's Bay was packed out, packed out I tell you!

There's always some idiot that reckons he's in a 90s Brit Pop music video.

While I was out I noticed that my left knee was a bit sore. That evening it got much worse. And the next day was pure pain. Apparently this can be common when you start cycling a lot. And that weekend I definitely cycled more than my average mileage. So I've put it down to that. I haven't been out since because I've had the cold, but now my knee is better and my sneezes have stopped I think I'll try to get out again soon. Definitely before the summer is out I want to go up the Antrim Coast. Might get the train to Larne though.