Archive for July, 2010


I am very definitely going to have to open up my own animal sanctuary one day, as soon as I can afford it…something along the lines of Best Friend’s Animal Sanctuary…where the place is like a giant home for all animals great and small, where they can roam freely, but safely and are all well looked after and cared for.

This not the actual kitterello but, again, it's pretty close! The original kitty had brown eyes and a smattering of orange on it's forehead.

Midway through today’s ride, I came across yet another kitten in the middle of the trail…just lazily wandering across the path, seriously considering plopping itself down right in the middle. It was slightly grown..perhaps 3 months or so, but looked so tired, skinny and slightly sad. With the way the teenyboppers zoom around in their golfcarts this time of year while they are off school I certainly didn’t want to leave it in the middle of the path so picked it up and moved it over to the side…giving it a few gentle pats at the same time. Well, show an animal just a little affection and they’re your friend for life! This little kitty did just not want to leave me after that and I was *completely* torn about having to leave it behind so just did not know what to do. I was too far out on my ride to be able to pick it up and try carrying it back…it would be much worse off if I did because the area it was in was much safer (traffic-wise) than where I was headed on my way back to work. So with a sad heart, I eventually had to say goodbye and be on my way. It really broke my heart having to ride off while it’s gaze followed me long into the distance… I trust in the angels to take care of this little kitty.

Man, do I LOVE my new bike! It was SO worth the wait and the perseverance in making sure to get the one I had set my heart on. A great many thanks go to my friend and colleague who told me not to give up on my dream bike!!

I feel like I am riding a Porsche, I tell you! It handles WONDERFULLY! Of course, I made a deal with myself that I would have to wear a helmet the moment I started riding the new bike, so now I am. Sigh. Safety comes first! The problemo is that I feel like a giant mushroom when I am wearing it…

Anyway, the fact that I now feel only 1/3 as tired as I normally do after my daily ten-mile route dramatically reduces the “mushroom-effect”:)

Those uphill climbs…ahhhh, what a BREEZE now!

exhaustion

Utter, total, absolute EXHAUSTION.

This is what happens after you ride a high intensity route!
(This is not me by the way…merely a depiction of how I felt after the ride!)
I decided to venture off the beaten track today and – upon my return from the regular route – take that “little side-path” that myself and a friend/colleague had discussed a few times earlier this week. Well, let me tell you something….that is NOT for the faint-hearted!!
It’s a lot more built up than I thought and I think it goes on for quite a way…good news!!. They are also doing a lot of construction on the other side of the bridge so chances are this path is going to be extending a lot further in the near future. As of yet I don’t know HOW far it goes because I decided to stop and turn around while I still had the remainder of my by-then-almost-totally-depleted energy reserves:) There are *long* stretches of downhill (which transform into monstrously uphill stretches once you reverse direction…yikes) and equally long stretches of uphill (which thankfully transform into delightfully downhill stretches once you reverse direction…nice!!). It’s high intensity riding, that’s for sure!
I actually **don’t** recommend that you try it unless you are a seasoned rider!
elephant

An elephant-sized mammal

Unfortunately, this is exactly what I feel like after the giant-sized lunch I just had! We just finished our July 4 braai here at work…. eeeeeeesh…

baby bird

This is not the actual baby bird, since I did not have a camera on me at the time, but it's pretty close!

And so, ladies & gents… today was all about rescuing a l’il baby bird that happened to hop onto the middle of the path while a golfcart was coming…

The kind driver of the golfcart drove carefully around the bird … he seemed to want it to be kept safe as much as I did:) I managed to coerce it into going back into the foliage on the side of the path thank goodness! Momma bird returned and it looked like all was well and under control, so I was able to continue my ride:)