The Edge

It's been a two bike rides sort of a weekend.  Both really different and both bloody marvellous.  And I think I only fell off once.  Well, only once that anybody saw so that's the only time that counts.  And that was pure stupidity.  I hesitate to describe the incident in which I don't feel I come out at all competent or in control.  What in fact happened, and I think I only whispered gently the truth to one of the other women on the ride, is that I was going down steps.  Happily indeed.  Quite early in the ride.  When a little voice inside my head said hey, Al, what are you doing riding down this with your forks locked.  And in the words of the ugly duckling, I looked, and I saw, and I said oh crap that's me off.  And body followed thoughts and there I was ... in a holly bush.  Prickly goodness.  But mostly it looks like I've attempted to shave my legs with a really really bad razor.  Which is OK.  And in an objective factual fashion, I have to say the holly bush was worse to land in then the gorse bushes of yester month.

And the bike ride was with a nice bunch of people and the pace was delicious and the route was kind and friendly, and the weather only bucketed down on us a little bit out there in the Peak District.  And there were moments of bonding where I attempted to rename a Martin - Tarquin (which I felt he initially embraced) and a high five between the husband of the cheesecake maker and I in our mutual distaste for said substance.  And there was tea & cheesecake at someone's unexpected home.  And don't you wish your garden looked like this.  Unusual blooms indeed.

And because today's ride was with my friend Viv and her Dad and therefore deliciously sedate in the flatlands of Delamere where we found many an interesting bit of unofficial singletrack, all of which seemed to bring us to the edge of the forest, today's tune in my kind of mellowed by tiredness head is brought to you courtesy of Lady Gaga:

"I'm on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge,
I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you
I'm on the edge with you"