Half Term Cycling

My Uncle Michael, who came up from Cornwall to stay with us during half term, is a keen cyclist. He suggested we should all do a bike ride while he was here. Looking on the internet the two choices seemed to be along the canal bank from Slimbridge or Cannop in the Forest. As everyone's immediate response was that we couldn't do the canal as Boo would probably end up in it, we went for the Forest.

We picked a beautiful day but I set off rather apprehensive about cycling 12 miles not having ridden a bike for quite some time. The first 3 miles were quite tough but after that we settled into a steady rhythm and started to enjoy it. Uncle Mike insisted on checking the map at every junction - a wise move as it happens. After a while I suggested this wasn't necessary and we would just follow the posts. Guess what - we got lost! But a very kind man at the car dealer put us back on the right track. He was obviously well experienced at dealing with lost cyclists.

A brilliant day and can't wait to do it again.

Comeuppance

Last week I had to do an observation at Wyedean just outside Chepstow. Started driving back to Gloucester at 8.30 pm, in the dark, and remembered there was no water in the windscreen washer bottle. Managed to squeeze few drops out, streaked the windscreen and hence was totally blinded anything came the other way. Had to keep pulling over to let the people behind me overtake as I to brake firmly everytime someone passed me.

Got to a garage and spent 20 minutes trying to locate the bonnet release catch - even had to consult the manual which is underheard of for me. Then needed to consult the manual again to see where to put the water - didn't want to get it wrong. Went into the garage with my last 50p and bought a Milky Way so I had 20p or the air and water machine only to be told that water was free, it was air you had to pay for. Back to the machine and off again on my journey. Oh and I forgot to mention that for the past few months I have only one windscreen wiper -the other one doesn't work. Luckily it's the one on the driver's side!

For the remainder of the rather long and lonely journey I pondered the foolishness of refusing to let George show me how to top up the washer bottle. I've always refused on the basis that he doesn't need to know how to use the washing machine. But how much more dangerous it is to travel at night with a dirty windscreen, than with dirty underpants. A lesson learned!

The pic is my car covered in snow. The quality is poor as I wasn't brave enough to go outside to take it so it's through the glass of the sitting room window.

Welcome back to me

Have just reread all my posts on this blog and really enjoyed doing it. It's interesting to note that I stopped writing in it in October when I became really addicted to Facebook and started putting all my photos on there instead.

It was interesting to read in the first post that we were about to tackle the garden and hall. Neither have yet been touched! However, there is positive news. We are about to have the back of the house double glazed. Wow a back door again. Not had one for the past 4 years since a friend's dog ate her way through the cat flap and we boarded it over with ply wood. Perhaps next winter the back of the house will be warm and I will be able to sit in the sitting room without an artic wind coming up the stairs and freezing my feet. And the best news is George thinks we will have enough money left over to have the hall plaster skimmed and painted. Hurray!!!! Will take some pics of the current state -not good. The top landing still has red paint on the walls and half a carpet on the landing.