If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know I’m really into cycling. I poked around trails on a hybrid bike for years, but two years ago at age 59, I bought a road bike and have never looked back. During the cold winters in my city of Winnipeg, Canada, I ride on aContinue reading “Prisencolinensinainciusol”
Tag Archives: Zwift
The Course
Today I’m sharing a folk song I heard during an online gathering over a month ago and which has stayed with me since. “The Course” is a stirring, soulful anthem by Ayla Nereo, a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer and filmmaker from northeastern California, USA. The song evokes, for me, a sense of fellowship and the togethernessContinue reading “The Course”
Roundabout
Today it’s Groundhog Day. And, as in the Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell movie, every day in pandemic time might seem to be a repeat of the one before. The same chores, the same game played with Perry Como the cat, the same coffee and breakfast, etc. I’m trying to change it up as muchContinue reading “Roundabout”
Nocturne in F-Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2
The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) wrote 21 nocturnes. The three that make up his Opus 15 were written between 1830 and 1833, and he wrote “Nocturne in F-Sharp Major, Op. 15, No. 2” in 1832. The nocturne is made up of three sections. The first is slow and intricate (larghetto), followed by a doppioContinue reading “Nocturne in F-Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2”
Alive and Kicking
It’s Friday! (And, to begin, my apologies… I planned to post much earlier in the day, then an appointment, groceries and other obligations got in the way. But here we are now. Let’s settle in and enjoy, shall we?) Back when I was working, Friday was a day that arrived with much celebration of planningContinue reading “Alive and Kicking”
Absolute Beginners
At the start of a year, we’re all beginners. We start fresh, with a new beginning, a clean slate… or so some of the clichés go. In “Absolute Beginners,” David Bowie captured this notion, from the perspective of one telling his lover that, even though they’re absolute beginners, the two of them can do anythingContinue reading “Absolute Beginners”
Für Elise
Okay, just one more track from the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. It really is a great album… I highly recommend it. Today is Classical Sunday, so I’ve chosen a piano piece from the album, one composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827). It’s another lazy afternoon, after a fair bit of exercise. MyContinue reading “Für Elise”
Piano Concerto No. 23, K. 488, II: Adagio
It was a long day of online Christmas shopping yesterday. No hassles with crowds and parking, but many different websites, all with very different, sometimes confusing online experiences and slow responses from my computer, the internet, and or websites; it was good to complete all that, hours later. Then I relaxed, listening to an archivedContinue reading “Piano Concerto No. 23, K. 488, II: Adagio”
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Today I did another “thing” on the bike. Not a long distance outdoors, like the 100 kilometres (60 miles) I cycled on September 18, but inside, on the trainer. I rode one of the most challenging climbs on the smart trainer platform, Zwift, the Alpe du Zwift, a virtual course designed through GPS data toContinue reading “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Holiday
Holiday, anyone? “If we took a holidayTook some time to celebrateCome on, let’s celebrateJust one day out of lifeHolidayIt would be, it would be so nice You can turn this world aroundAnd bring back all of those happy daysPut your troubles downIt’s time to celebrate” (from “Holiday,” by Lisa Stevens, Curtis Hudson) If there wasContinue reading “Holiday”
I Don’t Want to Go Home
This week’s edition of my perfect afternoon of music enjoyment (or more, if I dole out bits of listening to the program at a time), BBC 6 Music’s Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour, just finished an hour before I sat down to write this. The archive was already pasted up on the BBC Sounds site atContinue reading “I Don’t Want to Go Home”
Top of the World
Today has been virtually great. Well; great, really, too. It started with a bike trainer ride, virtually connected to the worldwide Zwift community (please see this post for a description of that platform), though with a different group than usual (ironically, one based here in Winnipeg, Canada), and I was joined by a former co-worker,Continue reading “Top of the World”
Birthday (a teaser)
Today has been a good day! And no, today is not my birthday. I spent some truly wonderful time in an online connection this morning with some men who are vital to my existence; it’s a small group that feeds my soul. Then, a bike/smart-trainer ride using an online platform, Zwift.com, connecting my trainer to theContinue reading “Birthday (a teaser)”
Song of the Day for Today 