So it snowed in London then

Well it snowed all over the UK in the weekend and, amazingly in London, it snowed almost on cue and to the depth that the Met office predicted.  It has also made Mr Global Cooling New Ice Age rather happy as his prediction models that seem to have let him down badly through December and January have come good again. This is just after 6pm when it had really just started to fall.

However, the 4cm plus of snow put pave to sunday's planned cycle ride around Richmond Park.  This wasn't so good, as I had the latest addition to my ever increasing "sad git" wardrobe ready to try out. Yes ... over shoes and, yes they look like scuba boots and, yes they are made of the same material.

I really felt the need for a ride too as my great idea of going for a ride on Friday night after work when "everyone else would be in the pubs so the streets would be clear" turned into a nightmare. I chose a route that seemed to have also been selected by every truck driver in London at the time as their means of exiting the city. I went on one of the Cycle Super highways to practise with my cleats. This called for a great deal of concentration and as a result I realised that when I thought about unclipping and attempted it that for some reason I drifted into the right hand side lane, much to the alarm of on-coming cyclists.  Worse, in riding on the right, I was in serious danger of being seen as "eurocentric", a position heavily frowned upon here in the UK right now!!

After 30 minutes or so I decided to turn back and head for home, taking a different route back through the city.  Slap bang into a closed road, where there were several signs shouting "Cyclists Dismount" rather loudly.  My last brush with the law still fresh in my mind, I decided it was best to concur, so I got off and pushed Lara down the footpath.

Outside Cannon Street station I saw this obviously grumpy old guy rudely pushing people aside as he attempted to cut through the pedestrian traffic against the flow to get into the station.  As he made it to me, he didn't realise I was pushing a bike and barrelled straight into Lara.  My complete fluro "sad git" outfit and helmet was clearly not enough of a clue that I might actually have a bike for this charming chap.  There followed a rather heated exchange in which I was forced to cast aspersions upon his ancestors.  Came home and cleaned Lara!