Every morning I look forward to my commute from Attard to the Valletta Waterfront.

The most enjoyable part is from Attard to Qormi. I use the country lanes. And no, not in style in a luxurious 4x4 but on my bike as I would do in the Netherlands. Sure, this part is rather wobbly which causes my hairdo to collapse but there is an advantage as well: I don’t need to ring the bell, it rings by itself.

At this time of the year it is not without danger. The hunters are out and my collapsed hairdo could be mistaken for astray ostrich.

The morning scenery is beautiful. Singing birds (not scared by my bell or gun shots) combined with misty flood relief barriers remind me of Africa.

It gets more tricky scaling the roundabouts in Qormi. However, after nearly two years I guess most motorists are used to this peculiar (at times mud covered) lady on the bike and do pay attention.

I love the downhill bit from Marsa to the Waterfront. The only obstacle is a policeman who cautions me to slow down in front of a school. When I arrive at work 23 minutes later I am wide awake and ready to tackle the world.

Going home is more of an uphill cycle and I have to carefully watch the exercising racehorses on Triq Xemxija. I have had a close encounter with a sulky twice, the third time I may not be so lucky. Even so, I can only recommend commuting by bike. It’s fast and provided you don’t get a flat tyre (or get mistaken for an ostrich), you will beat the rest of the traffic.

The other day it gave me great pleasure to reach Attard in front of a beautiful Ferrari that had left Qormi at the same time as me.