Several squeaks of delight....

Today was like yesterday, only bigger, better and more beautiful.

I woke after a really deep, red wine induced, sleep with a surprisingly clear head at 8:30am. Breakfast consisted of two large cups of coffee and a bowl of porridge (I never leave the house without something hot inside me...). I went for a quick bike ride over the bridge to the supermarket at about 10am to get some bits and bobs (no, not more wine...). Then I met my friend, Jaime, for a coffee in Cardiff Bay at 11am. We chatted and then went for a walk through Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve. The place was alive with wildlife: flowers, insects, ducks and a pair of swans with their four cygnets. There are so many swans in Cardiff Bay this year; you can't move for them. Undoubtedly they're beautiful birds but their feet leave a lot to be desired; I expect chiropody isn't high on their agenda.

After the Wetlands Reserve we then meandered up through Hamadryad Park, solving world peace and generally putting the world to rights. This park is one of Cardiff's best kept secrets, judging by the number of people who use it. Jaime then went for lunch at her mum's and I went for a leisurely bike ride. The weather was absolutely glorious and it really does make a world of difference: people are friendlier and more open and the whole of Cardiff had a big smile on its face. Or is that my imagination...?

I bumped into a friend of mine I'd not seen in a while at the King's Cross on my way through town and stopped to say hello. Cycling on, I spotted some lads diving off the footbridge at Blackweir in Bute Park. They'd drawn quite a crowd of spectators. With their improvised swimwear, playfulness and easy charm, it was reminiscent of a Henry Scott Tuke painting. Despite the warning signs not to dive into the water, you couldn't really blame them in this weather. If I was their age, I would have been first off that bridge.

I cycled on for my swim at Maindy Swimming Pool (Cardiff International Pool being closed for the third consecutive day this weekend) and then slowly made my way back home, cycling at a relaxed and leisurely pace with the warmth of the sun on my back; soaking up the the atmosphere, the ambience and the good mood in which Cardiff seemed to be revelling.

Days like yesterday and today really do make you glad to be alive: good friends, great weather and an all pervasive excellent ambience... On days like today I could squeak with delight.

There really is little option but to give into this good feeling...