7th April - Day 28 - "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." Albert Camus

Oscar Wilde may have said that, “conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” but….tough… as I was certainly lacking imaginative thoughts when I cycled home last night. In fact, I lacked all thoughts other than those that were about a hot bath!

I did start off quite optimistic as the earlier snow showers had stopped and the sun was out. There was a very ominous dark sky ahead but I thought I was going to be lucky and would just follow it all the way home. How wrong could I be?!

Half way and the snow started, or more accurately, it would be perfectly just of me to say - that the blizzard started. I’d had my sunglasses on to deal with the glare and they quickly got covered with snow. It was very difficult to see a thing. Wiping the glasses with the back of my gloves, seemed to make them worse and with an increasing loss of feeling in my face, hands and feet, I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t exactly enjoying the experience.

It certainly can be described as a challenge and Martin Harvey and Oonagh Pocock I’m sure will have appreciated the effort I made on the day they’d sponsored. If it means it inspires other people to sponsor, donate or do their own challenge and increase funds for the work we do at St Wilfrid’s, it will all be worth it.

Not least - because when I got home, I could be met with a smile of concern, get in a hot bath, change my clothes, eat a hot meal and afford to put the central heating on early. I was determined to keep going yesterday, even though at times I wanted to ring up and ask for a lift home, not because I’m completely daft but because I am so aware that there are many people in our world who can’t take any or some of those things for granted. In the depth of winter and in a challenging year, let us all find the invincible summer inside us and do what we can to sustain the warmth and generosity that is strong enough to challenge the depth of winter and counteract the cold and despair in others.

“Every mile is two in the winter.” George Herbert