Call me Mr Vain only 48.9

We have been blessed with the weather down here in the south of England, clear powder blues skies, warming sun, gentle breeze kissing the tops of the trees and the leaves the flutter. It's been warm, to say the very least, more like August than September, more summer than Autumn and more enjoyable to be in the great out doors.

So yesterday after a bagel for breakfast I asked my brother if he wanted to ride, it was so lovely weather wise, it would have been pretty rude not too, so on my steads of steel we rode off down the road. Now, of course having done a rather low ride down the Downs Link trail the day before I wasn't much in the state for a long ride. The day before yesterday the weather was fine, perhaps not quite as hot as it was yesterday, but nice, it was.

Shoreham, then on the trail we cycled in the sunshine, got to Bramber and then decided to go a little further, so peddle on we did and ride along we did. Most of the Downs Link, the pathway, trail then links the South and North Downs together is a very picturesque, much of it rough off road tracks, fields and woods either side, boosts the mind as well as the spirit, surrounded by British countryside.

We stopped somewhere along the banks of the Adur, where I snapped a photo and sent that off to the blog, it was so pleasant, would have been even more so had there not been an over abundance of cyclists coming the other way, doing some other charity race. There are such lovely sights to see along the way, that sometimes its a shame to be whizzing passed on a bike, but I tried to make the best of it, although I was feeling the strain a little and also a little tad of the cold that has dogged me for the last 6 or so days was still under the surface.

The Downs Link goes all the way to Guildford, which was way further that I had planned to go, but, we carried on heading along the trail, nodding to oncoming cyclists and walkers in a rather genteel and true English way, which is almost comforting and reassuring. We took a different tack, we spotted the sign for Horsham, off the link trail, which was more in the direction my mind was taking us, if only the legs would be willing.

Horsham town centre was a bit busy, being a Saturday, also a farmers market was going on and there was a road show from the local radio station, hosted by old mate Chris Oxlade, I nodded a hello to him and carried on. It's amazing how things and people change, when I first met Chris is he in his last year at school when he first came to Mercury at a weekend. My my how times have changed, so has Chris!

After Horsham, we kept on riding, it was rather strange, legs ached, body ached, nose ran, but I carried on. Brother stuck close behind on his blue bike and me in my two tone machine, I say two tone, which is really blue and rust! Crawley! I used to live there and so it was strange to see buildings where space there once was, although there is still a lot the same, it was nice to feel the touch of old 'New Town' that always envelopes me when I'm there.

I found the way to Gatwick down the cycle paths through the industrial centre, which was empty, it being a weekend, but was still nice. They've updated the cycle way, much better than I remember and progress was rapid. There wasn't much to do, just keep on cycling, up through Horley, down over the common, Earlswood rapidly came and went and after a little detour to the lakes it was on to Redhill, over the hill, past the leisure centre and then on to the parents house.

Going in their massive wooden gate was a wonderful feeling, legs ached beyond what I thought was possible, but it's a long way, Brighton to Redhill, a very long way indeed. looking at the route we took, calculating it on Google Maps, it's approximately 48.9 miles! Now, my friends that is a pretty far ride, a fair old distance, I felt elated at having down it.

Ask me now, well that's a different story, my arse is sore, my legs chaffed, my cold back and my leg muscles feel like granite. But hey, when you get to my age I've worked out pain is good, when you feel pain, at least you know your still alive.!

The passage of time waits for no man, or woman for that matter, but at least now you can watch it happening!

I saw this little gadget on a few blogs a few years ago and kinda thought it strange, odd, a little weird and just a tad vain. It probably only appeals to the more narcissistic of bloggers I thought at the time. However, that didn't stop me signing up for it and placing it on my blog and on my


Twitter !

I didn't like it at first, then after a while, it grew on me, it did and although I don't always do it every single day like I'm supposed to, I do do it regularly! People moan to me if I don't do it, mind you, having said that, other people have complained when I have done it!

I am talking about taking a daily photo with Daily Mugshot, the website that allows you to take and post a daily photo of yourself, which can be shown like a flicker book in rapid succession. It's up close and personal, it's a daily looking into my life that I'm happy to share with the wold no matter how crappy I look. I'm not vain, honestly, when you see my face you'll see why, but there is just something about seeing how much you change on a daily basis. I didn't think I would notice a different, but after taking nearly 80 odd snaps with my old webcam, I certainly do.

Daily Mugshot

Is it vain to have a daily photo programme like Daily Mugshot on your blog? Or is it just another exercise in documenting our daily lives, as us bloggers are known for doing? Is watching your changing face each day thrilling or scary, can you actually see the hair grow? Do you sit and look at others daily photo shows, or just your own. Is it the a great invention of social documentation or a narcissistic public mirror? I dunno, but I gotta run and take another mugshot!