I took the bike down to the bridge and just a few metres from the old east/west border found a quiet spot where the water held an endless conversation with the wind and there was no other sound, before I turned to the 10% incline that is quite enough for me these days thank you and then passed the Russian church in Nikolskoe that played out a version of "ding dong merrily on high" on its silvery tinkle bell as I sweated by, and on through quiet streets and warm lit houses full of family reunion, and felt that this crazy year had finally tilted and we slide now to the next.