Wired Cola

Here's what I did Monday:

• 2 hour secret-training bike ride that started at 06:45 with a severe 10-minute climb and ended with a very severe 40-minute climb. The middle bits were easy enough. The roads are twisty and the local traffic is pretty laid-back, so I occasionally pass cars and scooters on the flattish or descending bits. It was glorious.
• Cleaned some dishes, hiked to Lia (Λια) Beach with TLO, waded, and back
• Swimming at another beach, then a late lunch: grilled pork steak (μπριζολεσ).
• Much-needed siesta, followed by hanging around the house, and a bit of light housework. Soup for supper, and then to bed.

The joys of vacationing with your mother-in-law, as illustrated by a conversation on Tuesday. (Background: the shower door is stuck part-closed, and I have a pot belly):

Mom-in-law: "I opened up the shower door a little so you can get in."

Ryan: "It's okay, [TLO] and I are skinny. We can make it."

TLO: "I thought you said part of you got stuck on the door."

MiL: "Parts of him are huge!"

TLO: "That's not the part that got stuck."

On the other hand, my mother-in-law (and I must say, she and my father-in-law are a joy to travel with, and generous to a fault) has taken it upon herself to be my cycling coach, which is great. She's keen to ensure I go out for my rides and only lets me have half a cake-piece per day. It's like living in the Triplets of Belleville. I return home from each ride covered in bugs. Today, I figured out that it all happened in one moment, as I plowed through a cloud of midges on a descent. I felt rather than saw them.