A couple of trundles after a long absence

After almost a year of not cycling, I've suddenly found myself back in the saddle: I've done two round trips, in two days. One was 12 miles, the other 14. I expected to be stiff and sore and exhausted. Apart from some minor tension in my right shoulder (which stopped me from cycling 12 months ago), all seems well. Why didn't I get back in the saddle sooner?

And cycling at this time of year is such a treat. The colours of the leaves on the London plane trees are just beautiful, all shimmering golds and yellows.

The above photograph is a view of Constitution Hill, which runs alongside Green Park, but my favourite autumnal scene is the gorgeous leafy avenue which is Bird Cage Walk. Sadly, I didn't have my camera phone at the ready, so I didn't take a shot. But as I cycled along the road at around 1.30pm, under a clear blue sky and a brilliant sun, it felt really good to be alive. The crunching of the leaves under the wheels only added to the experience!

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens (above) are particularly beautiful at this time of year, too.

And it was lovely to come across Amish Kapoor's latest installation — Turning the World Upside Down — in the gardens. I wonder if you can spy the woman in the raspberry cycling jacket in the mirror!