Have you ever drowned a puppy?

I hope your answer like mine, is no. My real question is how do you occupy your time when you ride your bike? In a race there is enough going on to occupy your mind, training in a group can be social and the conversation helps the miles go by. Pick a good route and the scenery helps the hours. This is a favourite of mine, but even when it is stunning scenery when you ride the same route sometimes you want a bit more to occupy the time.
Personally I love to think and remember. It is a great time to solve problems and perhaps come up with new ideas for work. The other thing I love to do is think about some of my favourite memories. My Father had a competitive nature, from his days a cross country runner and hockey player to his darts, snooker  and particularly his love of crown green bowls. When I am struggling on a ride I often think about how he would never give up.
My Mother on the other hand is a story teller. There is no better story than reality. Mum was evacuated to Shropshire in the war and lived on a farm with farmer Jones. My favourite stories include the bull that got into the kitchen and the Rooster that chased the children so good old Farmer Jones chopped off its head and, after it finished running around, threw it into the cooking pot.
The other thing all farmers did in those days was breed sheep dogs. This was a commercial venture, they were there to round up the sheep or sell to other farmers and the public. If a puppy didn't look like it was going to be up to task it was often tied in a bag and thrown in the river to drown. They were  known as the runt of the litter, and as much as I hate that this happened it was life on a farm sixty years ago.
Here is my link to the bike. I was riding my new Talon along the promenade at the weekend. As I was riding along and my mind drifted away from Mum and Dad I realised that the bike is noisy, has high resistance in the tyres and is slow compared to the pedigrees I left back in the stable. It wasn't up to the task I want from my bikes. It is my runt of the litter. But then, I'm not a farmer and I wasn't using it for the purpose it was made for (it was mostly tarmac). The other thing about the runts of the litter is they can be tremendous fun, look good and are extremely loyal. They don't mind going out in the rain or cold weather and they recover well from any damage making them much cheaper to look after. Yes,I have a runt of the litter, but I think we are going to be good friends and enjoy our wanderings along the beach without a thought of throwing it in. Can't wait to go for a run through the fields.

The end of my road. I can ride for thirty miles or more along this, I know how lucky I am!