cease riding!

Well as ever things haven't quite gone to plan. Carla spoke to Orange last night about cutting us off as when she called a month ago they said just give them a ring when we were leaving. However, last night they said we needed to put it in writing 15 days before we left! Carla spoke to seeral people to no avail and ended up getting properly pissed off when they implied she was lying about her first phonecall. A letter is being written but it's entirely inkeeping with how shite customer service is here generally and how cack Orange are in particular.

I also spent an hour on the phone with student loan flk asking what it was they wanted as 'evidence of my partner's temporary work abroad' but the chap I spoke to had no idea. Some persuasion and a long time on hold and I eventually got the answers I needed* but an hour today plus 2 calls where I was on hold for 15 minutes will make a hell of a mark on our phone bill, let's hope it was worth it.

On a positive note yesterday's ride was ace and had planned to get up early and get a final pedal in but being tired as hell last night meant I was more than happy to stay in bed until half 10 this morning. So I changed my address at the bank, registered my details with vodafone (some new Spanish law) and had a look at trains to and from Derby and Escocia then spent an hour on the phone to student loan people. Now I'm packing a bike indoors with no air con and it's 34 degrees outside and my mates are at the pool :( Very, very tempted to get another pedal in but experience has taught me that an already angry Carla plus gratuitous bike riding only equals a world of pain for dave. Ah well, thanks Madrid you were fun to pedal in. Besitos x

heavy eyes

Not been out drinking yet or really had any late nights but I'm feeling preeeettty tired this week. A month of summer camp and a lack of breeze when we head to bed means I haven't really caught up on as much sleep as I had wanted to. Plus I've managed to get my lardy arse out exercising a few times: couple of hours on the bike Monday evening then swimming yesterday* and now I face the dilemma of whether to go for a pedal this morning. I know I should, the bike gets packed away tomorrow for a month, but legs and eyes feel heavy, must resist...


*As I've told Carla a million times I managed to swim 40 lengths altogether :D

EDIT: went cycling, got 2 and a half hours in altogether and it was ace. Suffering a bit now as I managed to time it during the hottest part of the day :(

living in circles

My time in Madrid is ending as it started: no work*, no mates and spending inordinate amounts of time indoors. The latter is my fault because I haven't sorted out my stuff and I'm feeling too lazy to brave the heat. Actually it's not really the same as when I first arrived as I actually have mates it's just that they're on holiday and this time I have an actual plan of what I'm going to do for the foreseeable future.**

So the first order of business is to make a list of what I should be doing.

Gratuitous photo (something I've learned to do whilst living here)


*I'm on holiday which really isn't the same

**Foreseeable future being about the next 6 years

closing time

So we're almost at an end here, a year and a half has churned by with varying degrees of success but overall I think we'll both be pretty gutted to leave. Just seen that I haven't blogged in 2 months which probably says a lot-so much to occupy our time which can only be a good thing. It has definitely been an experience, I've learnt a lot about myself (3 months unemployed with no mates and no Spanish will leave you with a great deal of introspection) and made some great friends as well as got more time on my bike than ever before. However as Carla and I have just been gawping at a scene on TV where it was raining, you have no idea how much we'd like to see rain right now, a change of climate seems well timed. I'm sure the novelty will wear off after a few days of pissing wet Britain but still, we need to remain positive.

So the 'to do' list gains more lines every day than Gordie B. as we try to co-ordinate packing, seeing friends, finding a flat in Derby whilst living in Madrid and the fact that Carla is working until Thursday and we have to leave the flat on Friday. Still it's all part of the experience isn't it?

coming soon

Normal service will be resumed soon, sorry for such slackness - although I'm sure both of you will have slunked away by now.

weasel down

Just heard Andy Cathcart died this week in South Africa. He'll be sorely missed by all who knew him. Boy had skills and the ability to break kit just by staring at it, legend has it the UK importers of Intense bikes kept a spare frame for when he broke his current one.

he also rides bikes

After a week when I contemplated selling my mountain bike for a camera* I went on my first 'marcha.' Essentially they're enduros, today's was relatively short (40km) and was without placings to encourage beginners and others to attend. There were still your willy waving baw jaws, sporting expensive bikes, little in the way of skill and tonnes of aggresion but Alex and I managed to get past most of them.

The only annoying thing was that at the feed station 15km everyone had to wait for everyone else to catch up. Given there were 400 or more riders that only took a while but was a pain in the arse when Billy Big Baws and his mates all scooted to the front of the queue despite rolling in well behind us. Cue Alex and I having to cut through the field again. Which would have been fine if any fucker had heeded me shouting at them when coming up hills, theres pretty much only one way to get a single speed up a decent incline and all the granny ringing and line wavering in front of me meant I got a lot of practice doing slow speed high torque stuff. Was quite funny get a few guys bigging up me with 1 gear (single speeding, 29ers and using rigid forks on mountain bikes are things punishable by death here)

A great ride and only now starting to feel the burn although more to do with trying to clean sand from my chain at 12.30 last night and getting up at 7.


*a very, very nice camera it has to be said.