Day Twenty One Monday 4th June 2007

Forecast for today: Monday
Becoming cloudy with a shower or two later in the day. Light winds tending moderate southerly.

Precis: Late shower.
City: Min 8 Max 15

Today was supposed to be the test day for my welding on the trike. However, it was not to be. I awoke this morning with a very sore back. I guess that's what can happen when you spend the weekend lifting 20 and 40 kg bags of concrete. Best to take it easy and let my back rest. It's not as easy as it might sound when the kind of person who has to rest is really eager to keep going with the challenge. So I watch the weather from the window. It starts out to be a quite morning as far as wind goes. There is a shower before lunch.

I think about the culture we live in that tells me that I "should" be pushing through the pain in my back to get on with achieving the "goal". This is very unlike what happens when I ride. I am just involved in the process of the activity, the goal takes care of itself. I have, so far at least, always ended up at my destination! I need to remind myself that the goal is participation and the challenge for me today is to care for myself so I can go back to participation. It is interesting, that in all this thinking, I have only just noticed that I have been car free all day!

Day Twenty Sunday 3rd June 2007

Forecast for Sunday
Partly cloudy with just a shower or two in the south. Light winds.

Precis: Shower or two.
City: Min 9 Max 15


Did a lot of driving today, had to pick up nine bags of concrete, weighing 20 kg each and two bags of potting mix. I guess the alternative would have been to ask for home delivery. However, that would have been more expensive than the fuel and wear and tear on the car! I guess economics is still one of the big factors in choosing the option of the car.

Did a lot of mig welding last night using gas. The results are better than before, but still not that pretty. However, I believe they will be strong enough. I have discovered that it is much easier to weld using gas than gas-less mig. The test will come tomorrow when I ride! I hope I make it to work!

Day Nineteen Saturday 2nd June 2007

Forecast for today: Saturday
A few showers, mostly in the morning. Cloudy periods with moderate to fresh northerly wind easing in the afternoon.
Precis: Few showers.
City: Min 9 Max 15

Up at 7 am and off to yoga class. Going to class in a different place to where I normally go. Before May the 15th I would have elected to drive this route on a Saturday morning. Just to be quick about it, and for the convenience factor. Today I do it car free, and there isn't really much time difference. Minimal traffic at this time on a Saturday morning. This yoga class is on a hilly route. The great thing about this route is that the momentum from one hill carries me most of the way to the top of the next.

The way home is actually quicker than in the car. The traffic has increased and in the car I would be stuck in it, on the bike I just ride past. Mmmm convenience factor???

I drove the car last night, first time in a couple of weeks only went 12 km and had five people in the car, so feel like I am doing okay as far as keeping up with the spirit of the challenge. I wonder how difficult it would have been to do on public transport??? The mental shift is pretty big...Perceived convenience I guess I might call it...