Friday, June 11, 2010

A Day in the Country

Dear Diary, It must be partly due to my maturity, but all the excitement of the past week has caught up with me.

I did put in an appearance at breakfast; no one else had surfaced. I guess everyone is recuperating. The sun shone from a brilliant blue sky; a gentle breeze ruffled the trees and the air was warm, perhaps a hint of a change tomorrow?

Not wishing to moulder away in my room I packed a light lunch; cheese and pickle sandwiches, a bottle of water and a slice of the cake that Niece had, inadvertently I wonder, left in a cake tin on the table. Surely she must have known that Cake Fairies love such donations! There is plenty left for the invalid! The cake turned out wonderfully ... a banana cake with lemon flavoured icing. I did taste a tiny slice, mainly to check that it was suitable for a picnic lunch. It was. The slice in my little lunch box is larger than I would have taken had it been cut on a plate, but then again what I intend undertaking today requires sustained energy.

I happened to read a notice in the corner shop advertising a new activity in town. Dear Diary, it sounds fun, and one that is new to my experience. I have a purchase to make before the adventure begins; I intend buying a tricycle. These bikes are not for small children, but stable cycles for those among us who wish to keep up cycling even though our balance might not be as good as it was when we were fifty. The Sports Shop has a range of tricycles, and one, a cheery lime green with brakes and a light, and a basket attached to the handlebars will suit my requirements exactly.

I did have a practice ride Dear Diary; found myself wobbling a little, but soon regained full balance, and off I went, lunch and water in the basket. There were nine others outside the meeting spot. As we all were novices at this new sport, and as we all hadn't ridden a bicycle for more years than we cared to remember, we chose a relatively short run. The nearest town has a delightful back road, seldom used by heavy traffic, with delightful scenery to occupy our senses. We rode sedately; the morning warmed and the breeze ruffled our hair. Dear Diary, after five kilometres my legs began to feel like jelly, a half-set jelly. Joan, a newcomer to our area, rode alongside me, and we engaged in conversation. She too confessed to jelly-like legs. We stopped for a break alongside a rustic cattle yard.

I ate my cake and the team leader produced a flask of tea, hidden in the depths of a huge knapsack carried on his back ... tea and cake revived me. After half an hour we proclaimed we were fit enough to continue; it was only another two or three kilometres.

Dear Diary, this tricycle journey may be the beginning of a new activity, and one where I have already met some lovely new friends.

The day was successful; we, The Cyclists, have decided to make these trips bi-monthly; all voting the day one of the best. Dear Diary, I will confess that my reception upon reaching home was less successful, but I did some swift talking and after Niece did a turn around the block on the tricycle, my attack of silliness was declared 'tops'!

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