Porridge Mules
Day 0: 11th May, Oakhill. 0 miles, 0 miles total
Our clobber
Day 0: 11th May, Oakhill. 0 miles, 0 miles total
The spreadsheet has spoken; we’re off tomorrow. We’re unable to eat dinner at the table tonight, as it is buried beneath a colossal pile of cycling clobber. This has been caused by a multi-page spreadsheet ensuring we won’t forget anything.
Over the weeks to come, I imagine we will become expert at shovelling this lot into our panniers every morning. Maybe we will slot into an efficient packing routine where barely a word is spoken. It will be interesting to observe ourselves as we adapt to this new cycle-camping lifestyle. Nicky, being a therapeutic counsellor, will no doubt tell me about the mind games I am subconsciously playing. Of course, I feel that her psychoanalysing me will be a mind game itself.
Got to hop in here. I don’t want to psychoanalyse him - he is my husband not a client. I own that when I feel irritated with him, I may resort to throwing a bit of counselling theory around as a weapon, as we unconsciously wrestle for power in a conversation. Rarely in the moment is it helpful!
Couples sub-consciously play all sorts of mind games and inevitably over the years so have we. A regular one for us has been the “Half full half empty game”. One of us will try to deal with a situation by being overly enthusiastic or upbeat. To counter this unrealistic position the other responds in an overly pessimistic way. The average of the two extremes is probably somewhere near reality. However, until we recognise this is the unconscious game that is being played, we just feel annoyed with each other.
So, at the risk of stating the obvious, to work well as a team on this “Safe adventure”, communication is going to be key. Certainly, we are both going to have to pay attention to own inner thoughts and feelings. As we will in the main be away from friends and family and their listening ears, there will be an increased need to listen empathically and support each other.
So, in summary as Chris works at keeping Edith rolling along smoothly, I can work at encouraging us both to keep our relationship on track as we navigate the miles and then hopefully the years ahead.
You may be wondering why I’ve not mentioned our rigorous training regime, that’s because we haven’t had one. We’ve done a few longish rides but mostly we’ve been going out for a cycle every 10 days or so, never fully loaded up though. Our hope is that by starting slowly, we will find our rhythm and get fitter as we go. We will see how that pans out.
We’ve read that other touring teams take pre-mixed porridge made from powdered milk and oats, blitzed in a blender. These are portioned into plastic bags for a nutritious energy packed breakfast. We made a practice batch, but the bags looked very dodgy; with 40 of those in our panniers, we’re going to look like drugs mules loaded with industrial quantities of cocaine! At border crossings patrolled by armed gendarmes, and with only 40-year-old school French to defend ourselves, fresh local croissants might help keep us out of the Bastille, and taste better too.
No point going to bed early, we won’t sleep.
Ah! The joy of the open road, 1400-miles of fun, I couldn’t be more ready, I can’t wait. Wow their bums are going to be so sore!
