Well I am a little late in wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR, but I will have you know this blog started on the 1st January 2011 and now it is the 7th January, so I'm determined to finish it today. My 2011 New Year's Resolution is to take one photo every day, plus write a blog about riding, guiding and Potter racing adventures every 7 days too. I will not fail in this first month of 2011 and must learn to be concise (one of my many resolutions).....if only that were an easy task!
My slackness has nothing to do with Writer's block either. My brain is constantly filled and over filling with exciting biking adventures from the last few days of biking here in Luchon and also planned Potter AQR ventures for the future, but it’s these very adventures that are slowing me down and getting in the way of my writing time. At the moment I blame the weather.....'blame' not 'moan about' that is. The weather has been annoyingly GOOD here in the French Pyrenees!!! There are too many sunny winter days when I just wish it would be horribly wet, cold and miserable because I work so much better when I know I can't go out and play in my Luchon 360 degree panoramic view of a back yard. I often set my alarm for 4am and work until 11am, because I work solidly when I can't feel the warmth of the sun or see the mountains surrounding our little village home....but around 10am the fidgeting starts and there is an internal pressure, mental torture and compulsive need to escape the confines of the office room.....LET ME OUT!!!!!
I must have a break from staring aimlessly at the computer screen with this internal screaming rattling inside my mind. I open the windows to warm the office up. It is January 3rd and here I am actually opening the office windows to warm up the permanently cold stone walls of the office....during winter the Potter home is also known as the ‘igloo’, a Luchon locals joke (Ha! Ha!) J.
I shut the blinds and attempt another hour of work as I have so much to do....tick, tock, tick, tock....YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S IT.....then that voice starts and grows in intensity....YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S IT....A voice with demonic overtones that is starting to sound like that ‘Gollom’ character from ‘Lord of the Rings’. YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S IT.....I MUST ride my bike.....YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S TO....I’m starting to wonder if the Cotic demon on my bike’s head tube really does possess me....YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S TO....focus on your job KP....YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S TO....it’s no use my thinking has been impaired, but one more job before I stop..... YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S TO.....grrrrrrrr!
It is 11am and Ian dares to open the office door to see the woman he fell in love with bedraggled in 100 layers and a dressing gown to keep warm, with red worn out eyes, hair sticking out on end and slurred incomprehensible speech. Those Cotic demon like characteristics are starting to take hold of such an ‘innocent fragile angelic creature’ (OK I threw that last description in for effect J ) Mr Potter does look scared though because he knows at this time of day the slightest action on his part could bring the ceiling down. He asks me if I would like a drink, but methinks it is to see if the internal Cotic demon has possessed me yet or not......I SNAP!
I shan’t print all the words that fight their way out of my mouth because the words are merely a build up of noise going on inside my brain. Thankfully my boss is also my husband and he is the one who drags me down stairs and demands that I ride my bike for the sake of his hair colour. Mr Potter understands that the Cotic demon is like a puppy dog that needs constant feeding and walks.....my Cotic demon must be given attention too so it's time to hit the trails and play in the sun, oh dear which Cotic bike to choose from? My Cotic Soda, Cotic X or Cotic KP24.....oh golly gosh I have to make a decision and now there are three Cotic demons trying to take over my brain.....YOU KNOW YOU WANT’S ME.....Oh for flop’s sakes!
Mr Potter quickly sends me on my way on the Cotic Soda before I start becoming an indecisive KP. All the tension, red eyes and head full of steam finally subsides (the scary looking hair remains but is covered by my helmet), as has the Cotic demonic voice who is speaking to me like an angel now because we all know we are where we want to be. The two of us together have been like screaming school children desperate to get our own way, but now we can relax because we have found our trail and it’s time to pedal!!!
There is something quite surreal about riding trails by oneself in the middle of the week when one knows they really should be working. I feel like a guilty school student who has missed classes even though my boss has given me the go ahead, but it’s difficult to see Mr Potter as the boss when he know very well that ‘wife’ means Boss in Aussie-english J.
I stop every now and then to look around at our beautiful mountain biking playground, before my little Cotic Soda (which we shan’t say too loud as I don’t want the other demons to moan about my choice today) and I recommence blasting up, along or down our favourite Luchon trails with Mr Potter joining us on occasion too when he thinks it’s safe to do so. I must admit that this is all part of AQR Holidays work as well (can you sense my guilt) as we always have new trails to check out and even clear, new ideas for different loops in the guiding season and general training to ensure we can do our job as guides and race from March until November if time allows for it.
I return later in the day around 4 or 5pm when the sun has disappeared over the mountain peaks and darkness is closing in. I know my work brain will switch back on now and no more Cotic Demons will fight for trail riding attention until the same time tomorrow. Their distractions have been engulfed by darkness and the sun has disappeared for another day. So it's back to AQR work for 4hrs until Ian has to drag me down stairs for dinner by our little wood burner where I happily fall asleep to the sounds of Ian playing his 'darn' Xbox machine....yes the machine and I don't get on, but Ian has his demons too :)
For me life can't get much better than this....MOUNTAINS + BIKE + ADVENTURES = COTIC DEMONS....because knowing the mountains are on your doorstep might mean early starts and late nights, but the Cotic Demons also remind you what a biker’s life should all be about.
So what are my 2011 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS and ADVENTURES.....well to ensure I don’t break my first resolution (the one about being a little more concise and to the point), I will briefly state what they are, and elaborate on them some more in 7 days time:
COTIC ‘to be announced’ RACE TEAM – a new team!!!
AQR HOLIDAYS – a new trail adventure!!!
AQR COACHING – a new ‘A Quality Ride’ chapter!!!
IAN & KATE POTTER – a new journey!!!
Hope you all feed your Cotic Demons on a regular basis too for your own sake......I will be back! (heehoohaahaaa....there’s that wannabe scary laugh again)
Tel: 0845 1304824http://www.aquickrelease.com
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