Sigh.
It's strange how money can just be eaten up by stuff you never think about, didn't want or even know about in the first place. I have just paid a biggish tax bill and a horrible mobile phone bill (half my fault, half the company's, much time spent arguing with them has earned me a 50% reduction). Also coming up is a bill to unblock the toilet - literally, money down the drain.
I was heading out the door this morning, musing on all this unpoetic and unjust stuff, and preparing to go to the library to return an overdue book (only 25p, hurray) when I saw that the saddle of my bike had been stolen. I have had this bike, plus saddle, over a year. It is not quick release. Whoever did it must have spent considerable time and effort unscrewing it.
Three days ago, I gave away a spare saddle I had knocking around, to free up space.
Sigh again. So, in order to cheer myself up, I made some blueberry muffins. And remembered that - without wishing to sound too preachy - I am lucky really, in that despite bills, I have enough to eat, clean water, a nice place to live, free medical care when I get sick, that kind of stuff. Which probably makes me one of the richest people in the world.
I really wish they hadn't taken my saddle, though. As a bike owner you constantly court the possibility of trauma, of coming out and finding that your precious friend and faithful companion has been stolen or mutilated. And when it happens it's a really horrible feeling, because your bike almost feels like an extension of you. At least the little b*W$62z)s didn't steal it. That's a silver lining, of sorts.
