Today the roads looked so dry and the sky looked so blue (if not celeste ) that I thought I would take the Italian bike out for the first time in a month and her first outing since I entrusted Woodrups of Kirkstall (founded in 1949) to pamper her back to perfection.
Oh the joy! Everything was so tight and silky smooth with the Italian gears not so much purring as sighing with delightful pleasure as the sun reflected off her new gold chain.
Needing to avoid sludge, water and anything that would besmirch her shining frame I kept strictly to roads associated with Harewood and Harrogate and my reward was an average speed over 20% faster than any previous outing this year - proving that selfless love freely given will be rewarded in return.
So 32.32 miles, 1000 feet of climb that I hardly noticed and 231 miles so far in January.