Thursday 7 January 2016

A New Leaf

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I don't do "New Year's Resolutions" as such but there's no denying that the slower pace and longer nights do seem to create the right atmosphere for reflections and ruminations. 

The blog has been one of the areas I've been contemplating.  Somehow over the past year or so, I began to see this is a growing collection of articles. While I wish I had the brainpower and turn of phrase to produce beautifully constructed essays with illuminating insights into life, the human condition and the future of civilisation -- even if only insofar as cycling infrastructure is concerned -- then, failing that, I seem to have set myself a mission to write 'definitive' product reviews and drool-worthy ride reports. 

I am not succeeding in this mission. And it strikes me that I have taken my eyes off the ball. All I ever really wanted was to express myself, to share my experiences and occasional Eureka moments in my own individual way. That's what the "voice" in Velovoice was supposed to be all about. 


With that realisation comes a new resolve. Out goes that ever-growing, languishing list of articles* to write. Torn up is the list of products I intended to review.

In comes -- well, perhaps various musings that are a little more personal, a little more vulnerable, with no definite conclusions or endings. I may post "micro posts" and occasional re-blogs of items I read elsewhere that I find intriguing or thought-provoking. All with some obvious connection with cycling, even if only because cycling could be an integral part of proposals and solutions directed at problems like climate change, pollution levels, illnesses with connections to serious health conditions. 

One of the things I will need to consciously "let go of" is my need to research everything thoroughly. The high standard I put on myself in that regard is the only reason I have consciously avoided being "political" on this blog, i.e. talking about cycle advocacy, active travel campaigns, "liveable cities" movements and the like. 

But these things are a part of my daily life, even if mostly in very small ways. So I'll share what I see and what I think, and I'll try to post links and suggestions for "further reading" so that you can get the views of others, who may see things from different angles and write more eloquently about how small changes fit into bigger trends and ponder where we want to go from here and what is needed to get there. 

Let's see where this goes. I hope at least to trigger some new conversations, where you feel inspired to share your own thoughts and experiences with me and other readers. 

Meanwhile, I hope winter is treating you kindly and that you are enjoying riding your bicycle! 


* I do hope to finish and post my write-ups on our cycling tour in France, Belgium and the Netherlands last September, especially for Suze if for no one else! 


12 comments:

  1. Glad you're back! Hope you had a nice Christmas break and that you managed to cycle at least a little. The rain has stopped me getting out on the bike which is frustrating. I seem to be doing more running than cycling these days ... not good!

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    1. Hi Stephanie. Yes, had a lovely break, thank you. I have in fact been cycling every day right up to this last Tuesday... 500km in December... so much in fact that my sports massage therapist says I do need to give my legs a break now and then! Much to my surprise, I've enjoyed cycling in the rain and am learning to manage those headwinds too. Adding cold temps to the mix though may be my deal breaker...! Running sounds good! My knees won't permit that but my friends who run all love it, year round. Good on you, keep going!

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  2. I've been waiting to hear how the rebuilding of the pair of Puch Princess bikes is coming. ~Keith

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    1. Me too, haha! Lorelei is done and I love riding her everyday in London. Petra is a half-day's work away from being done, with the final ingredient arriving by post this week. Meanwhile we've been rather preoccupied with re-building Adam's Bickerton. Hopefully Petra will be finished soon.

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  3. I'm tuned in for the new version.

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  4. I can relate to your thoughts about blog-writing! Its a lot of work, can be quite satisfying, but sometimes can feel like its been subsumed by all the other short-form social media. At some point I decided that I didn't need to conform to any particular standard of frequency or depth, and that's been freeing.
    I look forward to whatever suits your fancy to post! Happy New Year!

    Dave

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    1. You're right, Dave. Planning and writing takes time, and usually it's the knowledge that this is so that is the first hurdle to overcome. I need to remember the satisfaction that comes with getting my thoughts down, however briefly. As MG points out, you can always go back and add to it later! :)

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  5. I can relate to the perfection in posts. It's actually one of the reasons I initially started blogging-- it was a release from having to make sure that all my statements could be referenced and verified. Now I know most of my posts need editing, but I don't have the time to do the same editing I would if it was a work product. I don't want that to kill my creative flow so instead I post after the writing reaches a certain point, and then go back as I can and edit. Good luck to you expressing yourself in this new direction, and I look forward to continuing to read your writing!

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    1. Thank you for reminding me of this, MG! Yes, I can edit later. No, it does not need to be comprehensively referenced and verified (yes, my work demands that too). It does need to be about creative flow -- which I've always loved about writing -- and indeed, not ignoring that little tickle in your brain when inspiration strikes, just because "I don't have time right now".

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  6. Best to keep it simple for now on blog writing for yourself. I find sometimes posting a few favourite photos on a subject and then write a few poems.

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