A country bike ride and a bit of thinking time

I don’t normally write about politics on this blog, but even I can’t avoid it today. I woke up on Friday morning feeling shocked with the result of the EU referendum. I wasn’t a fervent supporter of either side. My strongest feelings during the whole conflicting, bewildering campaign, was that I didn’t feel in any way qualified to make a decision of such magnitude. Voting Remain was the only option for me.

I thought it’d be close, but I hope it’d be in the other direction. Ever since the result I’ve felt shocked and confused. There’s only so much time you can spend reading about it before your head feels like it’s ready to implode.

A country bike ride was the perfect antidote. James and I rode from Ely to Coveney along a quiet country road. The flat, fenland landscape is ideal for cycling and you’re surrounded on all sides by cow parsley and fields of lush green crops. Ely Cathedral rises like a beacon in the distance.

My new Pashley bike was a dream to ride – so smooth and comfortable. I love the way I can sit upright while I’m riding it.  This is a must for me with a bad back and I’ve struggled on other bikes where you can’t maintain an upright position. We cycled nine miles, but I didn’t feel any discomfort the next day – which is a first for me and must owe a lot to the lovely saddle.

Whizzing down quiet country lanes was a great time to think and talk. Not just about the big issues, but also about things closer to home. I’ve spent a lot of time lately feeling like I’m not achieving as much as I should be – trying to run a home, a business and a blog and not really succeeding at any of them. But a pep talk in the sunshine with the breeze in my hair has given me a little boost.

And as for the current state of this country? I think it’s going to take a bit more than a pep talk to sort that mess out.