N is for Nerds!

No I don’t mean nerds as in people with thick glasses, who sit in dark rooms staring at computer screens for hours on end. I mean the much more tempting and sweeter nerds. The retro sweets that I used to love as a kid! Walking past an old fashioned sweet shop in Bath I did a double take when I spotted the tasty treats on display in the window. And as luck would have it, I had reached N on the list. So it was fate! I had to buy them!

The sweets always take me back to my childhood. When I was younger my mum worked in Safeway (before the name change to Morrisons) on Saturdays leaving my lovely, but crazy dad in charge of three kids. His weekly task was taking us to the shops to choose some sweets, as this was our treat on a Saturday. These trips always followed the same pattern: I would go straight up to the nerds, and always had the same sweets every time. My brother Jonathan, who is four years younger than me, would copy what I picked. So he ended up with the nerds too. Then came the long wait for my sister Jodie to pick. Jodie is very indecisive, and finds it hard to make a decision. Her Saturday mornings involved her walking round and round the sweet aisle, carefully considering her options, until egged on by a bored me she finally picked!

I am pleased to report that the nerds tasted as good as I remembered. I was especially excited to get the rainbow box, which a number of flavours all mixed in together! Now the hard thing is staying away from the sweet shop, so I don’t end up spending all my wages on the sweet treats!

M is for Mountain Biking!

After months slowly going through my alphabet challenge I have injured myself. Not badly enough to require hospital treatment though - so I count myself lucky. This injury only left me with a bruised and cut knee, leaving me unable to wear skirts in this nice weather we have been having. The cause of my suffering? Mountain biking at

Ashton Court

.

Joe is a very keen mountain biker - having numerous bikes and taking part in competitions. He is even going to France to hurtle down the alps on his trusty bike. I have never seen the attraction myself, but as the good girlfriend I am when M came up I suggested mountain biking. I thought it would be something nice for us to do together. Please remember that the last time I suggested doing something adventurous left me in A&E for three hours, and off work on crutches for 2 weeks. I am talking about the dreaded climbing wall incident, which saw me fall from a pitiful three feet and dislocate my knee.

With this thought resounding in my head and armed with my trusty falcon bike (which I have had since I was a teenager - the rust proves the age) I headed to

Ashton Court

with Joe.

Ten minutes into the ride and I thought history was repeating itself, as I wobbled and made a spectacular fall off my bike. Luckily I was wearing my helmet, so my head was protected when it smacked into the ground. I will never again complain about Joe making me wear a helmet - even if it does mess my hair up! So with a bruised knee, hand and elbow I got up, gritted my teeth and carried on, ready to moan to Joe at the end how much I hated it.

However, I was surprised to find that I actually quite enjoyed it! Once I got used to the track, and gained more confidence I found that I didn’t do too badly. It is actually quite a thrill, and the track at

Ashton Court

is made especially for mountain biking. Joe told me that I may actually enjoy mountain biking, and I insisted I would hate it. In this instance I am happy to be proved wrong! So....same time next week? Though this time I may invest in a full body suit - including knee and elbow pads, and a pair of stabilizers!