Don't keep me waiting!

Sometimes you leave work and it's a sunny day and you're very happy to be on the way home and you need a really uplifting song to start the journey. Anyway that is where the cod Motown (can you even say cod Motown?)of Sharleen Spiteri's album 'Melody' comes in. If I am honest with you I don't actually own the album anymore, but I am still in posession of the standout track - Don't Keep Me Waiting. I first heard DKMW on one of the latter (for latter read shitter) series of the L-Word in a club scene. It's a bloody good song, and I sing along unashamedly as I ride down the hill into Leicester.

In fact, the carefreeness of the song has even paid musical tribute to the caution to the wind action that was - gasp - me leaving my helmet at home. Jesus girl what next, bicycle clips off a cliff top? One handed along Glenfield Road?

Anyway, so there I am, Spiteri-ing my way into town (in fact I wasn't even going home thinking about it, I was just cycling from one job to another, that's how good this song makes you feel kids!) and then I see someone I know and I have to stop and talk to them (Cue that noise where the needle scratches right across the record causing jollity to come to a shuddering halt).

Small talk ensues, and that's when I notice - SHE IS MY BIKE HELMET TWIN. Bike helmets are bad enough, without having the same one as someone else, and thus drawing even more attention to it. This isn't like Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow both turning up at the Oscars with the same dress on, it's like Jen and Gwyn both tripping up the red carpet and sporting matching chin grazes for a week or two. Maybe the bike helmet twin thing wouldn't annoy me too much if I hadn't recently acquired a BIKE TWIN (yes that's someone who bought exactly the same bike as me). I was a bit gutted about that as I love my bike - that's a bit moe like the dress at the Oscars thing!

So anyway, I cycle off, Spiteri has been skipped for something far more appropriate like Jack Johnson and I invent reasons I need to buy a new bike helmet...

You could be my Silver Springs

Cycling down Nevanthon Road to Minehead Street, a part of my journey from work (and my journey through life, 'cos it's where I used to live, to where I live now) was today my 'Silver Springs' (the town in Maryland after which this rather gorgeous Fleetwood Mac song was named.

Just when the opening keyboard notes come on, I relax even more - it's that kind of song. And yet bizarrely, Silver Springs is one of the most intense songs I've ever heard. It's essentially about a woman (let's call her Stevie Nicks) screaming at a man (Lindsey Buckingham might be a good name for him) about how she's going to follow him and the sound of her voice will haunt him, and he'll never get away from her. But somehow, combine this song with a downhill bike ride after a day full of meetings and you've got an MP3 version of yoga.

Writing about Stevie Nicks today is a bit jumping on the bandwagon, because it seems that in the US she was on Oprah with Joan Jett and Pat Benatar. Stevie even 'trended' on twitter this evening which is rather fabulous, but I've liked Stevie far longer than Oprah viewers and tweeters. One thing I like about Stevie is that she doesn't drive, which in America is a bit like not knowing the national anthem. She hasn't driven since 1978 simply because she never went anywhere alone which, when you stop and think about it is a fairly mind blowing idea.

As I am sailing home on my Merida Glide, Silver Springing my way along - the concept of never being alone doesn't compute, sometimes when you are cycling it's the being alone that makes it so chilled out.

And so maybe I am not only recommending cycling to the masses I'm recommmending it to Stevie Nicks, because if she's lived without a car all this time she ought to get herself on a bike - if only so she can be on her own for a bit. I did try and google Stevie Nicks and bikes (you never do know) but it's seems that to Ms Nicks, a bike is a Harley Davidson (Stevie in Radio Interview:"I mean what is more fun, really than being on the back of a Harley Davidson, driving down the freeway to a Bob Dylan concert?").

I really can't imagine, but she's kind of pissed on my 'cycling is great' thing from a great height.