'Twas Christmas Eve in the workhouse (or it felt like something pretty close to that, anyway), and the fickle finger of fate (remember that, Batman?) had selected me for the 'graveyard shift'. By that, I add hastily add, I merely mean for the pleasure of leading the Cheam and Morden Sunday ride between Christmas and New Year, no aspersion towards the riders involved is intended!
Anyway, me mustered 12 for elevenses at old favourite the Golden Cafe, Addlestone, which was a good turnout for the 'festive season' I reckoned. Keen to get back out into the cold (or perhaps just to get it all over with as quickly as possible!), 10 of us set off promptly on the ride. At the start of elevenses we hadn't even decided where we going for lunch, and where we eventually ended up hadn't been on my list of possibles, so it was more by luck than judgement that we eventually ended up anywhere!
Our 'route', if I may dignify it with that term, took us on a meander around the cycle paths of Chertsey, the nooks and crannies of Shepperton, and the prisons of Ashford before a traverse of Shortwood Common where the the herds of cattle and wild horses were, fortunately, quiescent! I should mention that Bernard suffered a puncture on the way, but gamely rode on so the rest of us didn't have to wait around in the cold! By some miracle, the route eventually deposited us at Wetherspoons, Staines, where it was not too busy and service was very good.
This time it really was difficult to drag ourselves away, but even before 2.00 pm, dusk seemed to be falling, so we went our separate ways, with me leading a small contingent back to Walton.
Many thanks all for your company, and for putting up with it all. Our first ride of 2026 will, thankfully, be in the hands of someone competent and sensible! In the meantime, Happy New Year!
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