My new hobby!

I have taken up a new hobby.
These seven words are enough to worry most people who know me, as they will be unsure exactly what my new hobby is.
However fear not, I am not training to be a lion tamer, or walk the tightrope, and I have not bought a motorbike.
The last option is close though, as I have taken up cycling.

My trusty mountain bike has not been used since the incident known as The Great Crash of 2001, which involved me and 3 others ending up in a tangled mess of bikes in an underpass.

But since  Joe is such a keen cyclist I decided to have another try, and my dad, with some surprise, dusted the cobwebs off my bike and repaired bits that had worn away.

The first outing went well, and it was actually my dad who fell off and landed in a pile of stinging nettles! Now you can see where I get it from!!
However my second outing did not really go to plan.

We set out, Joe on one of his bikes, and me wobbling along on his other, more expensive bike.
Letting me ride his beloved bike was a huge leap of faith for Joe, and he kept shooting me little worried glances.
There was a slight drizzle, but being the keen cyclist that I now am we powered on.
But in a matter of minutes the drizzle had given way to heavy rain, thunder and lightning!
Add this to the fact that we were on a country road in the middle of nowhere and you can imagine the scene!
I am not a fan of thunderstorms, and so asked Joe if we were likely to be hit by lightning

I was hoping he would put me at ease, instead he replied that it was unusual, but could happen!

Heading home drenched and with the fear of being struck by lightening I though things couldn’t get worse...I was wrong.

Halfway across a busy road my shoe fell off, and in my haste to grab it I put my bare foot in a deep puddle, almost fell off the bike, and was in great danger of being run over.

To cut a long story short I survived, and have not been put off my new hobby.

So if you see a women tearing around Clevedon on a turquoise bike stay clear, disaster seems to follow me whether my mode of transport is two wheels or four!