New Year in El Mirador de Canberra

Fireworks display viewed from Waikiki Beach

The start of the year is often associated with change and implementation of new routines. For us it was the first New Year that we saw in as husband and wife. It was an exciting start in Honolulu, unfortunately it was also there that we caught a really nasty flu virus, pretty much the worst flu either of us had ever had. So three weeks off the bike in Hawaii (sorry, we were so busy hiking, surfing and snorkelling that we never got around to hiring a bike like we planned...I’m happy to do a write up of our surfing safari though if anyone is interested...) turned into five weeks off the bike. I can’t even remember the last time I had that long off the bike!

The first week of January, which was also the last week of our holidays, we spent on a makeshift bed in the lounge room sleeping and watching TV. The second week found us well enough to stand, eat and more or less function at work. Although I was left with a cough that meant walking was still difficult, so riding was out of the question. To make matters worse, last week was also a heat wave with temperatures of 37-41 degrees Celsius. 

The invalids are comforted by faithful Reggie.

Today though, the temperature is a mild and refreshing 23C and my lungs are more or less functioning normally. So I wheeled out my faithful Fixie ready to load up for the daily commute. Bob and Betty might also note from this picture that there have been some changes in the Mirador de Canberra.

Getting the bike ready for the first ride of 2014 (and yes there is a story to be told about the wheel in the chair ;-)

The time away from home, combined with the stifling heat of last week, provided us with the impetus necessary to undertake some radical changes. No, not air conditioning, nor was it a spa, although the spa is officially on the list of things to eventually be added. I can’t even begin to imagine the luxury of having a spa to slip into after a day of cycling. Maybe next summer?

This new year has seen the commencement of a new living space, the removal of walls and the opening up of our kitchen and lounge (there has also been the luxury of a dishwasher added to the kitchen, hello 21^st century). This means a much easier space for manoeuvring bikes around as well as a refreshing cross breeze through the house. 2014 is very much looking like the year of us establishing ourselves in a new way of living. A more open lifestyle. 

It's good to be back on the bike!

So how was the return to cycling? It was tougher than I remember. The relatively short 18km between home and work really tested me today. While one never forgets how to ride a bike (it’s just like riding a bike, yeah?), the legs have lost a lot of strength over the past month, especially after the week of flu where I hardly ate a thing. It felt good to get the legs moving though and I’m really looking forward to getting back into a routine of riding daily. The question is where 2014 will see us riding? Only time will tell.

Before I go today though, I just want to say thanks to Andre for the advice on the renovations and thanks to Bear for his help in taking down the walls. There is some kind of nice symmetry to life that the same two wonderful individuals who supported us through the night at WEMBO in 2013 are the same two who have helped make the exciting new changes in 2014 possible. 

Oh Yeaaah!

And thank you Lobo for your excellent supervision!