…but only in the saddle! 
A fortnight into the US adventure and at this current time life is good and I am happy. I’m building up a simple routine that keeps me focused and the many hours of sunshine each day definitely help. I’ve always suspected that I might be prone to bouts of SAD, affected by the cold dark winter times in the UK, then generally perking up as spring starts and the days become lighter. Over here with an average of nine hours of sunshine most days I rarely feel low, irritated by the humidity sometimes, but I think the climate suits me. Of course there is the bonus of not going to work, which might be a major factor in the stress reduction stakes. As time goes on having no meaningful occupation may start to become an issue, but I have plenty to be getting on with, once I’ve completed some DIY jobs around the apartment I intend to make a start on some of my other projects like learning Italian and trying to practice playing notes on a guitar rather than just strumming chords. I also have several books to read, and a few ideas about things to write myself.
I think it helps to that I’m getting plenty of exercise on the bike, which is my primary mode of transport. The bike in question is nothing special, in fact it was a kind donation by one of Tina’s friends on my very first visit to Jacksonville. 
But it is vital to my life at the moment, and up to press I’m enjoying using it every day. Add the substantial distances between places over here to the equation and it leads to some long rides. For example on Sunday I decided to ride all the way to the Food Lion supermarket on Mayport Road to partake in their special offer of two bottles of factor 50 sunscreen for the price of one - I am on a tight budget after all, or maybe I was living in Yorkshire too long, a county renowned for keeping a close eye on its wallet. According to Google Maps the planned route was 5 miles each way. However Google didn’t actually show that one road I intended to use was a private gated complex surrounding a lake, and on arriving at it a quick scan of the map revealed I had to double back and take a detour of at least two miles, maybe more. So that trip to save me $6.99 provided around 12 miles of exercise mainly through the pleasant leafy suburbs, until I got closer to the supermarket where I saw shrimp outlets, and my first gun store. Later that evening I went down to Neptune Beach to get some sandpaper I’d forgotten earlier, so that probably brought my daily tally up to 17 miles. Luckily everywhere is flat so there’s little effort apart from battling with the heat.
To give you some idea, the nearest bank and supermarket at Jacksonville Beach are a one and a half miles round trip, after moving it in March the nearest post office is now three miles there and back, while the my bank and preferred stores at Neptune Beach are probably a five miles journey overall. On Monday after a morning of sanding in the bathroom I had to head out to South Beach Plaza to the hardware store. That was another six miles round trip. It is also evident that I travel a lot faster than the average Floridian, who tends to trundle along at turtle speed. Returning to the apartment on Sunday evening I sped past a slow moving group of three riders meandering about the road. One of them exclaimed, “Say I wonder what’s up with that guy, he must have diarrhoea or something!”
Here’s a few more photos of recent daily life…
The view when I walk out of the apartment and turn right. At the end of the road is the beach and Atlantic Ocean. Photo taken about 7pm.
After 17 miles on the bike I’m entitled to a cat nap!
There are no limits to the mischief Molly gets up to. Here bug chasing.
