Saturday 25 June 2011

Back on the Chain Gang

Dear Followers

It's been 253 days since our last confession...

We're not sure that any of you are checking the site anymore. And who can blame you. But we wanted to post a blog to let you all know how we're getting on back in London.

We'd like to say that it's been easy slotting back into normal life, like a bird soaring through a cloudless blue sky, or a shark slicing through the deep, icy waters of the ocean. But actually it's been quite tough.

It's hard to match an experience like the one we had on our trip. Getting up each day with an adventure ahead of us. A new horizon, quite literally. Meeting new people, breathing in fresh air against an unknown and frequently beautiful backdrop, and never knowing exactly where we would be laying our heads at the end of a day. Yet also feeling a constant sense of achievement as we notched up another few miles, and carried ourselves a few thousand pedal strokes closer to our goal.

But we're learning to smile and be happy with where we are now. Once more in the serenity of our home in Crouch End, we've forced ourselves to return to a life of routine, of being settled. Giving ourselves a sense of comfort in the familiar and taking pleasure at being enveloped back into the cocoon of family and friends.

From a practical perspective, we are of course back in the daily grind, with Anthony having returned to full-time employment in the City, and Kat writing a book about the trip. But we're approaching it all with a fresh sense of purpose, and priorities.

Tomorrow, we will be participating in our first organised ride since our return. We, together with Trusty & Steed, will be pedalling 52 miles around the streets of London in the London Bikeathon 2011, in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

Here's a link to our JustGiving page for any of you who would like to know more about the event or the charity, or would like to donate.

We met so many truly wonderful people on our journey. You know who you are. We miss you very much and think and speak about you often. We hope that you are all happy and healthy, and enjoying life.

Us x