On top of the world

Well, not quite, but getting there.

Yesterday was one of those perfect, clear, cold days where every sane sense says stay indoors, light a fire and take it easy. So I went for a ride on my mountain bike.

It's the first proper exercise I've done since the incident of the rock, so it was hardly surprising that it took about five minutes longer than usual to get to the viewpoint.

Two thousand feet above the sea (or something)

This is the spot where I inadvertently interrupted a not-so-young couple in the throes of passion earlier on in the year. This photo doesn't really do justice to the view - on a good day like yesterday you can see Plynlimon (the source of the rivers Severn and Wye) and on up into Snowdonia, Bardsey Island and the Lleyn Peninsula. And from here you can't see the windmills.

There used to be nothing here but sheep

It's been below freezing around here for several days now, and everything is icy, which caused a bit of a problem on some of the more tricky descents. I only fell off a few times, but I've managed to acquire an egg-sized sore lump on my right ankle. This is odd, because I don't recall hitting it against anything (and hitting your ankle against something is usually very painful).

The long term forecasts are for a cold winter this year. I only hope it's a dry one as well, then I can get out on the bike a bit more often and start to shave off the extra pounds I managed to acquire overseas.

And now back to work.