The Club

Vernon had an appointment up on the far side of Cromer this morning. So he popped Gino in the back of the car and we set off. He's off to see a client & then down into the office in Norwich and I cycled home. 40 miles with a headwind all the way. I had a Lycra headband on over my ears and I was glad of it. Even with a base layer, arm warmers, long-sleeved jersey & waterproof I was chilling fast on the downhill bits. But it was invigorating and remarkably traffic-free on the lanes. Had a great ride until I was less than five miles from home. Coming through Longham, a woman was reversing out of her driveway. She didn't see the cyclist on the road and kept on reversing. So the cyclist hammers on the brakes & stops as there's no room to go anywhere as the 4x4 is taking up the entire width of the lane as it's completely across it.

Then the cyclist realises that her bike is falling over whilst she is still attached to it.

I did a 'Nathan' and ended up half in the verge, half on the road with the bike on top of me. My left knee was getting intimately acquainted with the tarmac and I've pulled my left calf muscle & wrenched my left arm. On the plus side, the bike is fine.

To her credit, the driver stopped, and was very concerned. She got the bike off me & helped me up and asked if I needed anything - doc, hospital, phone etc.

No damage to bike or my attire and I've just got a bruised, stiff knee, pulled calf muscle & sore left arm. I can't get too worked up about it as the driver was very concerned - unlike the swine who did a hit&run on Vernon. And if I'd managed to unclip in time, I wouldn't have gone over anyhow.

So that's me off the bike for a few days (sorry Pagan, I was going to try to get together with you this week). B*gg*r, feck, b*gg*r, damnation, infected follicles and all of that.

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

I am stupid. An imbecile.

As I walk out of the bathroom, after a swift soak in the bath to clean up after my earlier off, what do I do?

I only wander aimlessly into the door frame and thwack my right knee.

I may retire to bed for the rest of the day, as I should be safer there

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

*warms healing hands*

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If life is a rollercoaster.... How come there's no height limit?

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

No damage to bike or garb, so all is not lost. Knees heal! (And the resprays you can get for them are a very limited range of colours, steel or ceramic really, no funky splarkly ones).

Dear oh dear, you are in the wars!

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Borrowing momentum from the future!
OpenStreetMap UK & Ireland Streetmap & Topo: www.ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps (updated weekly)

This morning the knee is fine. On the other hand, the left arm is hurting like h*ll. Especially the bit from elbow to shoulder. feck, feck, feck.

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

Hah! You've been living down south for too long - it's turning you soft...

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If life is a rollercoaster.... How come there's no height limit?

Too true... too true. I am now a softie southerner.

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

No Waffles... you are now officially a delicate flower and in need of looking after!!
Hope you feel better soon pet.

*tuts*

Bloody southerners...

When ah were a lad we'd 'ave thought we were lucky breakin' an arm. Meant a night in t'ospital not 'avin te sleep in t'barn eatin' slugs...

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If life is a rollercoaster.... How come there's no height limit?

Thank you Ms Pagan. I went to the supermarket this afternoon. I ahd to have the checkout woman pack my bags for me as I couldn't lift stuff properly. What a wimp!

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

Oh

Born after NHS privatisation were you?

That was interesting.

Got back on Gino for the first time today, since the 'off' As TA is home from uni for the weekend (complete with suitcase full and several bags full of laundry), he & I went out for a pootle.

Quote from TA "you've got fitter" and it was said with a not entirely encouraging tone, more of a quizzically shocked one as in "Good grief, mater has been at the exercising in a way that is not seemly for a woman of her age!" tone.

My knees are developing a lovely shade of a spreading green/purple, but other than that, they were fine. My left arm, on the other hand, is still pained. But after Anth's unkind remarks about being soft (that boy has no respect for his elders), I gritted my teeth and got on with it. After a while it went away pretty much, just the odd twinge.

On another plus side, at last Gino is going to be resprayed & refurbished. Hurrah! TPBM has finally recognised that as I am planning to do some Audax events, then Gino really does need some cycling equivalent of plastic surgery & botox. I love the bike to bits - the frame is perfect for me - and even if TPBM said he'd buy me a new bike for audax, I'd much rather have Gino resprayed.

Gino is going to be black. It'll go with my ninja pootler persona

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Middle-aged matron of the parish

Stealth matron of this parish!

Cool. Gino deserves some tlc. As do you...

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The man with the key to the door of reality underneath the mat of insignificance

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Black!!

Good choice that woman!

I suggest that the only thing you can do with Anth is wait til your knee gets better and then put him over your knees and give him a good spanking. He's clearly begging for it!