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The shortest day. A slightly amusing day on which to be delivered of a new bike, especially as I forgot to order the lights. Part of the appeal of bikes is supposed to be the simplicity and elegance of the concept; freedom and mobility delivered by technology so simple that anyone can understand it. Well, maybe it's still there underneath, but these days you have to dig through a sawdust barrel of brand names to find it

One of the most cheerful things I've read for a while was today's report of a university survey of 95-year-olds, who gleefully related to the researchers how they frustrate and undermine the efforts of their care-givers and children to manage their lives and reduce their exposure to risk - things like 'accidentally' losing walking sticks, falling to wear emergency call buttons, or supervising their own medication (and not necessarily taking it). The point being to retain some autonomy and independence, even if this involves accepting, and maybe even welcoming, some increased risk

I'm not yet 95, but perhaps there is something similar in the back of my mind in buying a bicycle