rituals

This morning I decided to get back into the habit of my Sunday morning bike ride. I haven't done it in a few weeks for various reasons. (One being the past few weeks it has been super cold out.) I really love doing it, and I always kind of do it the same way. I developed this ritual a bit by accident. I had had a different sort of ritual of going for a long run on Sunday mornings, but then I hurt myself and couldn’t run for a while, so I decided to ride my bike instead. It was then I discovered how much better a bike ride can be compared to a run. I don't have to wear special clothes or worry about being covered with sweat and freezing to death when I stop (not too much anyway). I can eat a normal sized meal and still be able to ride (I find it hard to run with much in my stomach). I can carry a camera with me. I can stop anywhere I please and have a look around. I can go a lot farther which leads to investigating different places. And Sunday is the best morning for run because no one's around, its also the best for a long ride because the roads are nearly empty. Of course its not really the same level of intensity of a workout but that’s ok. I kind of prefer my bike rides to be slow and laid back. People with lighter, more aerodynamic bikes in brighter, more aerodynamic gear are constantly passing me. I don't mind.

So even though I got up kind of late for my usual ride, I thought it was still early enough and headed out without too much fuss with a banana for breakfast around 9:45. I wanted to get out as quickly as possible so I could get in plenty of sunshine since the days are so short now (sun sets at around 4:30). It was sunny for most of my ride, which was great. And morning sun is the best. Dunno why, but it is. I headed north to the river and then followed it west through Putney. I stopped at my usual place in Barnes for a coffee, and since I had all the stamps necessary for a freebie on my loyalty card, I got a grande vanilla latte and a pastry (usually I just get a small cappuccino). I had to sit outside because all the tables inside were taken, but it was nice because it wasn't too chilly and I had a huge drink to keep my hands warm. Steam came off my cup and out my mouth every time I took a sip. I listened to Kate Bush's Aerial on my iPod. I watched people walking along the charming little high street. Ah, Sunday. I imagined I lived in Barnes for a bit until my coffee was finished and then I hit the road again towards Richmond.

I took a different turn and went a bit of a different route. I ended up going past this pub with this crazy name and cheeky little sign. I had to take a picture. Found my way to Richmond after crossing the river twice. Had a nice little croc monsieur for lunch at the top of Richmond Hill. Coasted back through Richmond Park. Went a new route through Sheen and came across another cheeky pub sign. Weird. Again I just had to take a photo. I hope I don't become one of those people who compulsively take pictures of one certain thing, in my case, cheeky pub signs. But I can feel it coming on. Took a few other photos. Hopefully have a few to post soon. In the meantime please enjoy the pub signs:

Pull my finger? What kind of a name is this for a pub??

Is this a depiction of the Landlady? Its a bit too detailed for my taste. At first I thought it was just an Angel with big boobs, but on closer inspection its just made to look like an angel, when really its just a busty bar maid standing in fron of some cleverly placed windows and clockface.

I only included this photo because of the street sign on the right. I wonder how many people come there for the Funday MEAT RAFFLE!