Got the bike out, dusted it down and pumped up the tyres for my first ride this year. Thinking it best to start slowly I cycled around Swansea Bay in warm sun with just a little haze. Quite as good as the Bay of Naples but without the slums and gangsters (cynical Jacks tell me Swansea has some form too but Wales' second city is like leafy Surrey in comparison with the scary Neapolitan suburbs straggling along the coast). The reward for cycling past the unremarkable cafes and ice-cream shops in Mumbles and all the way to Bracelet Bay is a "Get real, Nick" Trident-missile-sized bacon and egg roll at 1950s throw-back Forte's with a large, strong tea overlooking the small beach and watching the boats sail past. Nirvana.
Back in Swansea I visit Waterstones to see what to order from Amazon and succumb to an offer of chocolate cake with jam filling in St Mary's (not much to look at since the Luftwaffe called but worth a visit for the refreshments). A meat pie on the way back to the car means calories expended on gym, swim, and cycle are all "cancelled out" by snacking - ho hum.
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