Life Fulfilment

As there are no grand tours on the horizon, I thought I’d keep the blog ‘ticking over’ with an entry about yesterday’s ride.

A day riding the motorbike seems to ‘kickstart’ my brain, to put into words my appreciation for my life. Maybe it’s my yoga, my meditation, my nirvana? Whatever it is, here is a sample:

To Keswick and Beyond

The Chalet Tea Rooms & Restaurant at Portinscale took me back to the street cafe in Coimbra, Portugal. Like then, I sit at my table typing thoughts on my mobile phone. But this time there is no solo traveller a couple of tables away making notes on his notepad. I am the only solo traveller in this sparsely occupied cafe, and I’m starting to feel less like a leper. It is slowly feeling like the norm for me to be sitting alone in such a place. It is a slow process, but the adjustment to single life is beginning to envelop me.

Caldbeck Common never ceases to please, and my morning ride exceeded expectations yet again. To my left the sun struggling to break through the clouds, but creeping just enough to clear the fell tops and to cast its speckled light across the emerald coloured fields in the bottom of the valley. I could stop every time to photograph it, but my photos will never do justice to how it makes me feel.

The repetitive and relaxed pop, pop, pop, pop sound from the pea-shooter silencers enhances the riding experience, and takes me back to a bygone era of motorcycling. The modern comforts of the smooth engine and heated handlebar grips reminds me that I am in fact riding a ‘modern classic’ in the 21st century!

I make a left at the crossroads at Castle Inn, and after Bassenthwaite village I turn off the wider A591 to take the narrow twisty back road through Millbeck & Applethwaite, which eventually terminates on the outskirts of Keswick.

Surprisingly the town wasn’t rammed with tourists, so it was easy to pick up a few little presents for my upcoming trip to see my French family, no cheese of course! Not only would it be like taking snow to the eskimos, but COVID rules forbid it.

Brief shopping trip completed, I head west and turn off the main A66 road into Portinscale. I’m enjoying my trundle through the Lakes on the Bonnie, and then that feeling of not being able to share the moment. As soon as I feel the loss, I think ‘There isn’t a person I want on this bike with me’, I prefer sharing these experiences retrospectively with you.

After lunch, and the seedlings to this story, I ponder my route to Whitehaven to meet up with friends Nige and Sue. The straight forward quick way consists of two main roads, but I prefer a route that will make the ride more fulfilling. With time on my side before my expected ETA, I choose the more scenic Whinlatter Pass to Lorton, then south through Yewdale, along the shores of Loweswater, before having to be guided by my satnav for the final section.

I used to keep my phone on the handlebar until the bike’s vibration wrecked the image stabiliser in its camera. Now with a new camera fitted I still use it as a satnav, but keep it in my pocket, and get directions spoken from it into the speakers in my helmet via Bluetooth. So not for the first time, here was a man responding to messages he was getting from something contained in the confines of his trousers!

The bright sunshine and blue skies at Portinscale were soon lost as I climbed through the forest of Whinlatter, but as I descended towards the village of Lorton and looked south down the valley I was greeted with several rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds, another beautiful sight, which yet again disappeared within ten minutes.

The words emanating from my trousers now guided me to the high ground east of Whitehaven, where the extensive view out to sea is in complete contrast to the fells and lakes, but no less inspiring.

A brief cuppa with Nige and Sue and it was time to head home before the bike turned into a pumpkin. Not that time was getting that late, but I’m not a fan of riding in the dark so aimed to be back in Carlisle by four-ish.

This is where it was needs must, so it was pretty much straight Roman roads all the way home, but this was by no means the end of enjoyment for the day.

Clouds and Spaceships

I have never seen such a variety of clouds, maybe because this is the first time I’ve ever spent so much time looking? A tricky pastime you may think, when riding a motorcycle at 60+mph? I wasn’t transfixed by the sky and clouds, let’s just say I optimised my observations to enjoy my surroundings to the full. Eventually I couldn’t resist stopping to take some photos, but as usual, they will not do the sight, and certainly not my feelings, justice.

Home is where the heart is

I hold my grandson in my arms whilst I sit in the nursing chair of his darkened bedroom, and give him his good night drink. This truly is a special moment. My emotions flit between this life-fulfilling experience of grandad treasuring it, and the absence of granny missing out. I quietly sing him a lullaby as I lay him down in his cot, and the content little fella is soon in the land of nod. 

I believe mothers and grandmothers have a bond with their children and grand children that us males can rarely, if ever, have. But during that moment I had a feeling like I was bridging the gap. 

This was the moment I felt my life was complete.

Reflecting on the day

In a world which seems full of angst, fear and political turmoil, by contrast, my little world has so much beauty and moments of enjoyment to be treasured.

Life, you can’t beat it!