The gears have been wrecked since I came off on the ice in December. And they are getting worse. The brakes are a shadow of their former selves and last Friday the rear break arm sheared off. I had to take it off completely and ride home in the dark in pouring rain with no rear brake. Not clever.

I am thinking of buying a new bike. Its not worth forking out for a Halfords one again. It degraded very quickly and their servicing is poor. The cheapest one from the bike shop is £300. I want to get it from a shop rather than online so that I can get it serviced regularly.

One the other hand, not cycling in has meant my legs dont feel as tired. Both nights this week I have run home from work in 38 minutes or less. That's three minutes faster than I have managed for the last couple of months.

Having said that, the bus is terrible. Four pounds for a service which leaves you standing around in the cold for at least 15 - 20 minutes at either end, is crowded, full of noisy teenagers and is often late or in the evening, non-existent.

I am very tired. I am as close to the edge as I have been since Jamie was a baby. I have not slept through myself for several weeks now (since before xmas at least). Every night one or two children wake up or I wake up and cant get back to sleep in the bed. Then I end up on the sofa, which I used to think of as comfortable but now I hate. I have a crick in my neck which can be really painful from lying with my head wedged at an angle against the sofa arm.