Autumn looms

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and with September arriving on Tuesday, I thought it was high time that I updated the blog again. Unlike Jo, who's been faithfully keeping a daily pandemic diary since March, I only update my blog every week or two.

Since the last post, the new saddle for my old mountain bike arrived, but sadly it didn't work for Jo so we've had to resort to the old saddle again. Until now, Jo's cycling practice has been restricted to going round the Tor-na-Coille car park but I thought it was time for her to try a small sample of "proper" cycling, so, on Thursday morning we took the bikes along the Deeside Way to the other end of Banchory, stopping at Buchanan's for a halfway coffee:

She does look a little tired and sweaty, doesn't she? Anyway, she made it home - the whole way in the same gear. The next stage is to try using the gears on the bike - watch this space.

I had a lovely time at our St. Andrews outing a couple of weeks ago, playing my best golf for a few years. Unfortunately, that appears to have been strictly a one-of. There have been a few cycles as well and yesterday I went on a hill-walk up Clachnaben. It's the 3rd time I've climbed that hill but they've all been in the last couple of years. It's odd that I lived here for about 35 years and was almost 70 years old before hiking up this iconic local hill with its distinctive "carbuncle" at the top:

Yes - the heather's out but already it's starting to revert to its normal dull brown colour. The purple only lasts for a few short weeks every year.

Last Monday, the first day when the Aberdeen lockdown started to be lifted, was my annual visit to my cardiologist. It was a pleasant sunny morning so I decided rather than drive in to Albyn Hospital, I would cycle instead - and not on my e-bike. I used my old hybrid "analogue" bike, powered only by me. The ride in took me 1 hour, 40 minutes but it was a little longer on the way back. The ride in total was 64 kms - my longest yet. It's the neck, shoulders and posterior that suffer the most but I enjoyed it. Normally, I prefer riding with others, mostly because it's safer, but the Deeside Way is well-travelled unlike some of the more remote areas we often cycle in.

The route in to Aberdeen takes you past a number of the former stations on the old Deeside railway line, with many of the platforms still intact. This one at Culter was lined with the painted stones that have been prevalent everywhere during the pandemic:

Anyway, what did my cardiologist think of it all? Firstly, he noted that my heart rate was much higher than usual - and much higher than it should have been, especially considering I take beta blockers. I'd had plenty of time to recover from the bike ride in, so that wasn't the cause, and he wondered then whether I might have a thyroid problem and has now written to our GP practice and asked them to take my bloods again. My last tests had revealed a potential thyroid issue and I had to take another test, this time getting the all-clear.

My heart rate wrist monitor often records over 100 bpm, even when not exercising, but my Atrial Fibrillation can easily skew the results. However, it does look like there may be an issue here and I would like to know asap what the position is. I hope I get a call soon from our local practice to go and get my bloods taken, but I know things are particularly difficult just now and I may have to wait a bit.

That's all for now, I think.