Thank Goodness for Long Dresses!

I rode to the Marriott for a swim this morning with a suitcase hanging from my handlebars. I had borrowed it from Carey, but I've decided to use my bigger one this weekend so I returned hers today as she is off to Scotland on Sunday. There were a couple of dodgy moments but I arrived in one piece.

After breakfast I rode to Boothstown and met up with Steph and did my second mammoth ride of the week...we cycled to Bents again. This time the sun shined and no-one fell off and Tracey and Max met up with us for a cuppa. It had been a muddy ride along the canal and we were splattered from head to foot. It was a case of the sublime to the ridiculous as we sat there with mud caked legs and an old lady at the next table was decked out like an extra from Downton Abbey.

I was buzzing by the time I reached home and I wasn't in the mood for packing (I'm still not) so I rode on to Pat's. We sat out in the garden and whilst we were enjoying a cuppa we could hear a helicopter. It was obviously very low and hovering. We had to stand at the bottom of the garden, stand on a mini wall and lean sideways ha ha ha...but we spotted it. We looked at each other, "Let's go," we said together.

We locked up, ran up the road, raced into the woods...down the steps to the linear walkway, up the steps, over a fence, through the barbed wire and brambles and into the field. What a disappointment!! There was no incident. It was just from the national grid. I think the pilot must have spotted us...well I did still have my fluorescent yellow cycling top on...as he moved right over us and posed for the camera. Photo taken then he flew off.

It was only as we ambled back that I noticed that my leg was scratched to smithereens and bleeding. Thank goodness I'm wearing a maxi dress for the wedding on Saturday!

I suppose I had better go and pack now.