In no particular order

We have hot water and heating again after many months. A good thing, as we're now hurtling towards winter with reckless abandon. I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say it wasn't just a new boiler that was required and good plumbers are in high demand. It's all that central heating bizzo.

The shortest day of the year is just a month away. Thankfully by then I should be headed to Oz on a non-Qantas non-Air China flight. Air China jacked their prices up by nearly £500(!) this year, which is capitalism gone mad I tell you. Although they were still cheaper, I couldn't face Beijing Airport for a measly £200 saving.

Qantas makes me nervous for some reason, so I'm taking an alternative option.

I'm quite looking forward to Oz, although it means I'll miss the Cycling Time Trials Champions Night in January. Bummer, because I think I won a medal for finishing second in the national TT series. But you pays your money...

That said, it had better have stopped raining in Oz by the time I get there. November in the UK is always a bit crap. Apart from the odd sunny day it's grey, stormy, occasionally frosty and there's wet leaves everywhere. I've been out when it was -2 on the bike path but it wasn't so bad as the sun was out. Worse was when I took John, Sam and Kirsty out one day and there were two crashes equalling one broken thumb and a separate case of a ruined pair of knees. All in one 45km ride. Oops.

I've actually been doing a fair bit more than I usually do in November, which I've traditionally treated as a rest month. However because I finished racing at the start of October, everything has been moved forward. It's not been so much hard work as solid amounts of riding. As such I'm still as fit as I was (on average) during the season, although a damn sight slower. Winter cripples your average speed because of the cold and all the gear you have to wear. But as I'm finding out, not your power.

Hopefully I can build on this going into next year. We shall see.

Finally, I'm not sure whether it's appropriate to end on a sad note. I don't think it is, so this is enough.