My year has taken an unexpected and exciting turn.
Before travelling to Scandinavia, I wrote a submission for a place in a national professional development program for emerging writers. Last week I heard it was accepted!
Only thirty writers are chosen nationally to participate in this program so I’m thrilled to be one of them. The focus is developing a full-length non-fiction manuscript while learning about writing and publishing in Australia. It’s a wonderful opportunity for which I’m very grateful.
The program is called HARDCOPY and offered by the ACT Writer’s Centre. It’s made possible through funding by the ACT Government and the Australia Council.
So what does this mean for my bicycle experiment?
Well, it means I’ll be riding in Canberra, the nation’s capital. No, I’m not riding to Canberra – that would be a bit extreme and this experiment is not about the extreme. It’s about incorporating bike riding into my everyday life in a way that is realistic and achievable over the long term.
HARDCOPY involves two three-day workshops in Canberra. The first workshop is at the end of May and the second is early September. Looking at the temperatures in Canberra this week, I think it’s going to be similar to what I experienced in Oslo and Copenhagen – which is rather cold for a sub-tropical coastline dweller like me. But thanks to my recent cycling in Scandinavia, I’ll be better prepared for meeting the climate of the coldest of Australia’s cities.
Canberra is also a planned city, having been built in the early 1900s on an undeveloped site to serve as Australia’s capital. It was designed by an American architect Walter Burley Griffin and rather than a grid format, streets follow a wheel and spoke formation. A bicycle reference perhaps? I’ll be interested to see how this design works for bicycle paths. As Canberra is home to the Australian Parliament, I’m wondering if I’ll see Tony cycling. The current Prime Minister is a regular cyclist, lycra style.
With my flights booked and my accommodation confirmed, in a few weeks time, I’ll be writing – and riding – in Canberra! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Travelling makes demands of the body that everyday living doesn’t. Different beds, unfamiliar pillows, pollution, changing temperatures, breathing airplane air compressed and conditioned; and most of all changing latitude and longitude which means being awake at times when you’re normally asleep.
In the middle of the eleven hour flight from Copenhagen to Singapore when I couldn’t get to sleep and when my body wanted to neon light every discomfort it was feeling, I concluded it was mind over matter that was going to help me.
In the middle of “the night” when I’m supposed to be sleeping on the plane, my body says this slightly reclined chair with its thin cushioning, amongst the ongoing ambient noise of jet engines, the aroma of human gases rising and fading, and the blue glow of individual entertainment screens from passengers who’ve given up on the idea of sleeping, is extremely uncomfortable. And then to prove it, conspires with the mind to itemise each area – ankles, legs, bum, shoulders, neck – where there is discomfort and draws a convincing argument that getting any decent sleep is unlikely. Teaming up with the mind again, the body then hounds me with ideas about how crap I’m going to feel if I don’t get some sleep.
It was at this point that I’d had enough of this whinging mass of materialised stardust and decide to beat it at its own game by teaming up with the mind. This is nothing more than mind over matter I decide – game on!
Well not really game on. I prefer to be collaborator than competitor, preferring to move with kindness than beat into submission. So dosed up with kindness and another melatonin tablet, the body starts to listen to the gentle cooing of my mind and me as we chill out to slow breathing, moving the mind’s eye attentively around the body, releasing tension; and finding some semblance of yoga nidra.^
* * * *
So, at home Monday morning when the alarm sounds at 5.30am and the body wants to slip back in time to the northern European night that it’s been sleeping for the past three weeks, I’m determined to outsmart it.
I make myself get out of bed, get on my bike and ride into the day, into its sunshine and fresh air. At first I feel a little bleary headed, but happy. The sky is clear, the sun yet to rise and my legs feel an easy rhythm as they spin around.
Monday is a sparkling autumn day that opens with about nine degrees celsius and drops to 7 degrees just after the 6.10am sunrise. It’s cool but after three weeks of living in the cool Nordic spring, I’m confident with choosing clothes to keep me warm. Cycling nicks, with legs added, woollen socks, my new Nike Free shoes, Icebreaker woollen long sleeve thermal shirt and vest, Windstopper gloves, Snowgum woollen skull cap and I’m warm, comfortable and enjoying breaking down the jag of jet lag.
Movement, sunshine and fresh air are the ingredients my biorhythms need to align to where my feet are walking, where my wheels are turning.
I do the same the next day.
Being on my bike early in the morning helped me move through any jet lag that was waiting to grab me. Getting out of bed and being active required some discipline, a bit of mind over matter, but it was worth it to be in sync again with the timezone.
I still feel tired but at least I’m awake and asleep at the right times for this latitude and longitude.
And now everyone’s happy – my body, my mind and me.
^If you’re interested to explore further, Daniela Casotti has an excellent Yoga Nidra CD.
It’s Bike Week!
Saturday 25th April marks the beginning of Bike Week in Queensland, Australia.
This celebration of cycling takes place every year. It involves workshops, group rides and Ride2Work day, all with the intention of seeing “more people cycling more often”. This is the mantra of Bicycle Queensland as they organise this annual festival.
“more people cycling more often.”
Bicycle Queensland is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to “promote safe, everyday bicycle riding”. I’m a member for a range of reasons. One is because they perform a valuable role in advocating for and influencing the provision of cycling facilities and participation in bicycle riding in my home state of Queensland. You can learn more about them here.
“Eat. Sleep. Ride. Repeat.” Now that’s a good rhythm!
You can find out more about Bike Week from the Bicycle Queensland website here.
If you live in regional Queensland, some local city councils have a program of events. The Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns City Councils each have Bike Week celebrations and here is a link to what’s on around Queensland.
Ride2Work takes place on Thursday 30th April and is an easy way to participate.
Do you think you’ll be involved in any of the Bike Week workshops or events?
a bike for all seasons 