Excuses, excuses; Beddington to Merton Abbey Mills, Saturday 18 July

For some it was too hot.  For some there was the Nonsuch ride.  Whatever the excuses there were but three riders outside the Pavilion on Saturday, plus Maggie, back on a bike but only allowed to come to the park and back.  She took the photo.

I had prepared a route, too.  Decided that I was fed up with leading people to the same old places and we would revive Colin and Shirley's old route to Streatham Common.  Used the old paper guide "straight across to Norbury Hill, turn left on Covington Way" and spent a half hour transcribing it into a gpx.  But out there in the park the enthusiasm was smothered in heatwave lethargy, I had evening commitments etc., etc.  Excuses, excuses.  For goodness' sake, Paul, are you a leader or not?

Thus we ended up going the usual route to MED.  It was pleasant.  Enjoyable, actually.  Friends.  There was little traffic and even dog walkers were pleasant to us.  And I got to have the ginger and pumpkin cake and hear all about Roger and Anna's adventures in Iceland (the country, not the shop), where they construct new highways by roundabout routes in order to avoid encroaching on the places where the elves live.  Only Anna spoilt it a bit by telling me that elves don't really exist.  But I don't believe her because she says the same about Father Christmas.  

But at the end when we went our separate ways there was this unsatisfactory feeling.  Same old, same old.  Where is this going?  Soon they'll have me in a care home, playing bingo and singing along to pop songs from the sixties and pretending I'm having a jolly good time.

Tish, pish!  Next time we will have a proper adventure.  No options, no discussion, no excuses. Streatham Common it will be and if they say they don't like the climb up Norbury Hill or the steeper one up Gibson's Hill or they don't fancy the coffee in the Rookery Cafe then it will be up and down to Caterham on the Hill.  Twice.  Or maybe an all day ride to Iceland.  The country, not the shop.