near my house there's a big old building on the bike track. it was empty for years, being owned by a clueless council. then a bike repair place started to move in. they did up the interior and cut big windows in the brick wall facing the track, in the process cutting through a gigantic dinosaur mural. I thought, well, that can't be helped. then a few days ago I saw they'd painted over the dinosaurs a blank white, and I was furious. my kid loved those dinosaurs. I considered getting some spray paint and defacing the white with "bring back our dinosaurs." I decided I would never go to that bike shop.

this morning, I saw a new mural, half-finished; funky robotic 21st century dinosaurs, riding bikes. and I liked it. very much.

tired and a little headache from 3 hours riding...all the way to Mentone and back before 10...huge packs of cyclists, amazing how many there are, where do they all train during the week?

glad to have done it; longest ride in years. should do more, hit those muscles hard, get some proper fitness happening. none of this half-arsed 60 minutes a day...

think I might go for a swim now. whoever said you can't stay fit with kids was lying. all you have to do is neglect them and make your husband take them for swimming lessons on Sunday mornings. in other words, to insist on having a life of your own too...

this morning a flock of birds rose over me as I rode beside the railway line near the zoo. they screeched and panicked and the tone of their calls rose with their height.