Today I start 23 weeks of leave from work and am both excited and apprehensive.
There is so much about work I will miss, e.g. the people I work with and the money. There is so much about work I won't miss, e.g. the awful building and the tyranny of computer systems.

For a long time I have believed it would do most people good to take a portion of retirement at a time of their choosing (after say 20 years of work) to go off and do things while still fit and well enough. I won't be able to retire until I am 67 and whilst I am confident that I will still be relatively fit then I am not sure I will be up to cycling 3000 miles (I might not be already!), so I decided to do it now and my employer (bless them) have allowed me the leave.

Having announced to everyone that I am going to do this bike ride I guess I had better get on with it. My work colleagues have given me a generous voucher to spend at the local bike shop so I think some padded cycling shorts and a good windproof, waterproof, lightweight hi-vis jacket are top of the shopping list. Oh and a bike of course.