Lila and Joey have gone on holiday. They’ve taken their mummy and daddy to Cyprus. And left me behind!! Ok, August is not really my prime ‘go on holiday’ time anyway, in fact I’ve avoided it ever since my kids left school. They’ve gone to Cyprus. Which, as long as it doesn’t catch fire, like mainland Greece, should be lovely. And we’re here working away and enduring the tube when it’s 35 degrees outside. Although I took the electric bike into town yesterday which is ‘the way to travel’ on hot days in the City. And I’ve managed to trim the journey significantly on past records. Firstly because it’s August so there is really little traffic, and secondly because I have emphatically become ‘that biker!!’, the one everyone hates. The one who goes through every red light, who goes when all the pedestrian lights are green. Because that means there’s no cars moving and I can weave my way through a few dozen irate walkers. Because I know I’m safe. They’re not. There’s fucking madmen on electric bikes screaming at them to ‘GET OUT MY FUCKING WAY!!!’ Which is why although Google Maps reckons my journey should take 47 minutes, I can do it in 35.

I’ve always felt riding a bike to be a very liberating experience. That feeling that you can go anywhere you like (range of battery may vary). I get it to a degree in a car, but on a bike it’s ten-fold. Because driving in town is a miserable experience because of all the lights, all the stopping. And on a bike, literally nothing stops you. Roads blocked? Go on the pavement. Lights are red, go anyway. Lime Bikes are a bit of an issue because they’re not quite as fast as my bike. So they get in my way. But there are ways to overcome this issue which I won’t mention here in case Mel or the girls reads this. Because they wouldn’t approve.

And then in September, we’re going away!!! The kids all get sucked back to England to start school and Europe empties other than a few foreigners knocking around. The problem is: where? We had flights booked to go to Israel and last week I cancelled them. Because of ‘recent events’ we feel that wouldn’t be the holiday we need right now. British Airways send you a nice message. “If you cancel this flight we will work out what refund you’re entitled to within 7 days. The decision is final and not subject to negotiation, appeal or change. But we’re not telling you what it is until you get it.” Long as I get my air miles back I’ll be happy.

And mid-September is getting close. Closer every day, you could say, if you like stating the totally obvious. And there’s so many options. We’re narrowing to ‘a Greek island’, but there are about 400 of those, some of which aren’t even on fire. Or we could go and invade Russia. But everyone’s doing that.

Ahhhh, first world problems…

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx