Hey Jack

As one year rolls out another rolls in and we've been turning the knobblies to celebrate. Oh and we're also trying to undo the Xmas excess acquired all too easily with great friends over good food and copious drinks.

Chipmunk has been keen to crank out a few more miles on her new rig and her confidence is building puddle after puddle. So much so that she very nearly ran over me as I pulled over to wait for her to negotiate a particularly dodgy looking pool. Only to look back and find her head down, ploughing on through before yelling "don't stop now"!

On New Years day I ventured out solo and figured I'd explore the of north MK as I'd not been up there for a while. As I cleared the metropolis I had a good view from the grand union over the flood plains below to see that the river was brimming. Swooping back from Castlethorpe has you running parallel with the railway and my track had turned into a sluggish silvery river rather than a fast gravel descent.

Hacking back under one of Isambard Brunel's bridges I was confronted with a *ahem* slightly flooded underpass that I figured "didn't look too deep" *big mistake*. Into the murky waters I cranked, getting slower and slower as the level rose higher and higher until... I STALLED ! Fortunately I didn't choose this moment to lie down but the water was easily over my now oh so chilly knees. My tootsies were soon so cold and gawd damn wet that I had to remove my booties and wring out my footwear once clear of the torrent.

Other than the high water, the weather was fine and it was good to see plenty of peeps out and about either walking their pooches or grumbling at their ankle biters who were trying to enjoy a new rig recently delivered by the guy in the red jacket.

The final memory from the first ride of the year was the sight of a frisky Jack Russell humping a mooring line. What a guy...