Turning the corner

At my stage of advanced maturity I am subject to a gradual loss of flexibility in all of my body parts. This manifests itself in very visible ways like the whole shoe lace fastening problem and in other notable ways like the creaking joints but it is also present in diminished capacity in my respiratory system. Diminished capacity means I have a smaller margin to absorb a reduction in breathing efficiency. What this all means is that when I get a little case of the sniffles the treatment that I followed as a young man is no longer effective. Of course, treatment as a young man consisted pretty much of a nap and a glass of orange juice following which I was usually good to go.

Now I have to lie down for a week.

This point in the rapidly closing season is no time to lose a week off the bicycle but I lost a week off the bicycle. Today I felt better and decided to give it a go. I believe I have turned the corner and bicycling can resume.But my goodness, what a change in conditions since my last ride!

It was about 84 and a touch muggy, uncomfortable for October when last I rode. Today it was 48 when I started. But it was sunny and clearly crisp, the wind was manageable, it was a pretty day.

Today's sign of fall is this fall maturing grass.It is more stunning looking from the other direction when looking into the sun. The sun filtering through those seed tops is pretty spectacular but unfortunately, also pretty much unphotographable, at least with a cheap pocket digital. But actually, the scene is still pretty nice even from this angle.

I haven't posted anything from the flower yard in my neighborhood that I have posted often in years past. It appeared every time I rode past there all summer that something had changed and indeed, something has changed. The master gardener over there has gone with an all fall flowering side yard.Tuesday France tied Bosnia 1-1 to advance to next year's big international football tournament.

But the most surprising corner that has been turned in French football is the turnabout suddenly underway in Nantes. On Friday FC Nantes defeated FC Istres by 3-1. This makes 6 games in a row without a loss, 3 wins and 3 ties. If the disappointing exit from the Coupe de la Ligue is omitted FC Nantes has a record of 5 wins, 4 ties and only a single loss in league play since their two disappointing 2-0 losses to open the season. Despite those early appearances FC Nantes has rendered themselves relevant in the league table, having now risen to 5th, just 2 points away from the promotion zone.

Hope springs eternal.