The sun was beautiful and I couldn’t resist getting my bike out and exploring. It was a bit cold when the sun went behind the clouds but overall I couldn’t complain. The grass is green and all the animals are having Spring babies. I rode by lambs and calves nursing on their mothers. The gorse was in full bloom with its yellow flowers cheering up the banks and fields.
Funny how a real bike feels so much more freeing than the Peloton. As much fun as I have pedaling my heart out to Jenn Sherman’s encouragement, nothing beats the rush of air on your face. Also, regardless of how hard I put the resistance on my Peloton, I can’t quite replicate the long, steep hills on the N12.
I came home refreshed if a bit saddle sore after a 15 mile ride. Sophie was not up to playing in the garden, so I decided to do the job I hate–clean my car. My neighbor Dave was finishing polishing his perfect car and generously agreed to come with me to the car wash. He had been more upset about the state of my unwashed car than I was. He likened the inside of the car to a beach and was clearly relieved I was taking the time to remedy it.
Car washes are a little different in France. They have the vacuums like ours but the automatic wash is done outside of the car (touch-less) with a robotic frame. It didn’t cost much but it felt like it took forever. Dave said it did a great job on my tires. Waiting for the robot to finish allowed me some time to observe the men at the car wash energetically scrubbing their toys. There was the option of doing this myself but I didn’t entertain it. Somehow I knew that the robot would offer a better wash than I could muster.
The men I observed may have had the upper hand on the robot. They scrubbed, rinsed, rescrubbed and buffed. Then they looked at the results and started again. If only my OCD could be channeled in this car enhancing way. I will never understand the obsession with cars. They are really all about utility for me. I imagine some of the guys I observed would have similar difficulty understanding my passion for pansies.