Borough Market

Borough market has become one of my favourite places. Full of character, full of life, full of good food. Quality food. Food like it should be. Food like it used to be.

And the other day, after a successful shopping trip and wander through the market we rose up in the lift for lunch in Roast. A great, honest, restaurant using fresh market ingredients, sering great English dishes. I started with Haggis and poached egg, followed by a burger and Kim had suckling pig as a main course. Beautifully cooked, great service and a friendly and lively atmosphere. We'll certainly be returning. And you should try it too.

Cycling in London

I cycle to the office in London when I need to go there. It's fun, healthy, environmentally friendly, gives your body a great lift for the day, faster then the train, and cheap. However, I have heard people say cyclists are a nuisance in London. That they cause accidents and that they all 'jump' red lights and so on. This is evidently not the case. Undoubtedly some do behave badly, but the majority [including me] comply with the laws of the road, whilst trying to protect themselves from other road users who are not so considerate. We're not all lycra wearing urban warriors.

It's interesting how the hazards a cyclists faces change as the journey goes through different areas. My route home starts in the City and for the first mile or so pedestrians are the biggest hazard. They step out into the road without looking and often with iPods in their ears so they can't hear your bell, whistle or shout. It's a real problem and is not the cyclists fault. For the next couple of miles it's buses and coaches - especially London buses which seem to think the normal courteousies of the road don't apply to them. They indicate without moving, move without indicating, pull over in front of you without warning and so on. However well they are being driven I always give London buses a wide berth as I'm not convinced they can see me anyway. Further out of London it's white vans who seem to think every cyclist is on a mission to stop them getting home. They often pass dangerously close and try and overtake when there isn't room. Ironically, they never get very far as traffic is so slow in London they come to a stop a few hundred yards down the road anyway.

Anyway, rant over. The main point of this post was to link to the excellent City Cyclists site which conducts a much more thorough analysis of the issue and the response of the City of London police. Well worth a read.

Cycle routes

It was good to read of the Sustrans lottery grant. I've looked at their website and whilst there's a scheme in close to me in Dartford, this country has an awfully long way before cyclists get the same kind of facilities as they do in places like Amsterdam and Vienna. It's a start though.

Pie and Mash

Went to Manze's pie and mash shop on London Bridge Road today. I know it's a London tradition, but does anyone seriously like it? I felt really sorry for the tourists behind me in the queue who were discussing what flavour pie they were going to have. Boy, were they in for a surprise!!!

It Took A Long Time, but I made it in the end

It’s now 5 years since I finally got motivated to do something about my weight. Over the course of the first year I managed to lose about 65 pounds. I did this through sensible eating, and a vigorous exercise regime. I feel good, and better than that I’ve managed to stay fit – although the doctors will probably tell me I could easily shed another 15 pounds or so. But hey, I’m fit, healthy and happy! And I think I buck the trend as a ‘fatty’ who has managed to keep the weight off.

It’s not easy though. I think I’m one of those people who is going to have a lifelong struggle with my weight, but doing the active things I enjoy (running, cycling and sports in general) gives me rather more scope than if I was leading a sedentary life style.

The next few months are really a steady build up to the London Marathon. Make no mistake, I don’t see myself as a marathon runner, but I do see the London Marathon as the culmination of my efforts. I don’t intend to make it a regular thing – the training regime is just too punishing for my fragile legs, but I have to do it just once. And the next one will be my last opportunity before I hit 50!

So pop back from time to time and check out my progress.