An aristocrat of the mind

 

Reading The School of Life's 'A Simpler Life', I came across the phrase ‘aristocrat of the mind'. Think aristocrat, think landed gentry, but in the book a purer form of the word is used, one that sees an aristocrat as “someone who follows their own mind, who reasons independently and is who instinctively suspicious of popular assumptions”. It's not a position arising through arrogance and conceit but rather from recognition of the flaws in collective thinking. And there's me thinking my skepticism of the consensus was me being a contrarian sod; no, I'm an aristocrat of the mind. There's more than one way to skin a cat, and I do have a habit of skinning differently to the majority.

Cycling has involved pedalling squares of late, a real toil. I start a ride feeling knackered and, well, end up even more so. I closed my eyes on a few occasions on a recent ride and was confident I could fall asleep with ease, despite being on a bike. Four days since my last ride, obviously the time to do a five hour one. I'd done the route once before and it was a chore. The lactic was there a third of the way through, the slightest incline felt Pyrenean. There was no rush and with three hours being my longest ride of late, I was careful to pedal well within my limits.

The Labyrinth Meadow. A memorial of some sort ? There's a gravestone out of shot to the right.

Pedalling slow and feeding often (cheese and jam sandwiches, peanut M&MS - the food of champions), the first third this time is fine. A cruise through Wilmcote and then a descent to Welford on Avon. In fact, about as low as you can go around here - it's roughly sea level.

The River Avon at Welford

A head wind thus far but once at Long Marston and a turn to the East the breeze is on the back. With the road smooth and empty and energy levels good, there's much to enjoy.

A bridleway east of Lower Quinton. One for future exploration.

Some climbing next. Starting at Alderminster and topping out close to Loxley. Steep at first, then a gentle rise along a country lane, before a short burst on a flat A road leads to the final gain in altitude. A long climb for around here. I don't know its name but the Ordnance Survey map says Long Hill. A friendly farmer pauses work to have a chat. Down now into Loxley, the 8th century St. Nicholas' catches the eye. A non-believer I may be but I can't resist a look at and old church.

St. Nicholas' at Loxley

The Midnight Special is holding up well, no featherweight, and something lighter would help with the climbs (as would less belly fat, and something approaching what could be described as training) but it's comfortable and with mudguards, wide tires, dynamo lighting, and a substantial saddlebag it's ready for all eventualities.

Past Hampton Lucy, the roads are more familiar. I've become bored of the roads of my usual routes but having ridden the less familiar today they pass without much dwelling on repetition. And then home, did I say 'aristocrat of the mind'? Drop the 'of the mind':