Distance covered: 45km

Bugs swallowed: 2

Hours of torrential rain: 3

Highlight: Being called a little duckling and a sweetheart in one day

Lowlight: Missing the cycle lane and chasing Roz across the M50 on our bicycles

Today is the first day of my new job. Unlike most new jobs where the first day is spent learning the names of workmates, finding out where the water cooler is and how to file a timesheet, Ireland is my office (this week) my co-cyclist sisters are my colleagues and every time I look up I'm sitting somewhere different - but I gotta say the view from my office is quite impressive.

A score of hardcore friends and followers made their way to the Barge Inn, Dublin for a very early bon voyage. For a moment I was worried the alcohol fumes I breathed in during farewell hugs would put me over the limit but I appreciated the effort and ignored their wobbly cycling. My sisters Roz and Chez joined me for the first leg of the journey but we were side tracked by the delicious pastry Avoca aroma at Rathcoole. Six different salads later we were back on sunny country roads heading straight for thunderously grumpy clouds.

Some people would say cycling in the middle of summer is fairly safe but they've obviously not cycled in Ireland. At Naas the clouds cried down on us so we took shelter at Swans on the Green Grocer. We decided we should probably buy something and three coffees, a piece of carrot cake and a bottle of sauvignon blanc later we'd solved the mystery of quantum physics, deep fried chicken and the difference between' being content' and 'alcohol content'. We cycled the final 10km to Newbridge in the drizzling rain but I stayed dry-as-a-bone thanks to my new awesome omni-dry jacket from Columbia Sportswear.

We've splashed out and got ourselves a B&B in Newbridge tonight with a hilarious Irish host and the plan is to eat Indian take out and have a sisterly slumber party. Day one. Tick. See you bright and early for work tomorrow xx