My bike tried to kill me!!!

Last Sunday we arranged to meet Gav for a ride around Houndkirk and Totley Moor. It was quite a novelty, riding the moors in dry conditions and we were all riding well - Gav commented a few times on how much more confident and in control J seemed since we last rode XC with him, which is quite cool. I was living up to my 'solar powered' suspicion and was also riding well.
Unfortunately, on the last rocky, hard climb before we headed downhill, fast, back to the car, my gears started skipping. Only a couple of times and I made a mental note to check it out when I got home.
And then the chain snapped.
This has never happened to me before and I didn't like it. :-( To my left, a grassy slope with hidden rocks, to my right, the rocky trail dipped away. I fell to the right and managed to unclip my feet, but not quick enough. I clattered down on my right knee and (somehow) my left hand, the thumb taking much of the force of the fall.
I picked myself up quickly and cursed the bike - had I not lavished enough love and attention and shiny bits on her? What had I done to deserve that kind of treatment? :-( My knee was bleeding, my thumb was throbbing and my pride was in tatters. And even worse, there were no witnesses - no one to come rushing up and pat me on the back and say 'there, there'. I was alone in my pain. (on the plus side, there was no one to see me fall off...)
I gathered up the broken chain, noting it had snapped just before the power link - odd, I thought - and pushed the evil machine up the hill to where Gav had been sitting for some time, having a drink and waiting for me and J.
[I worked out later it had snapped where I split it to reroute after I somehow managed to route it OVER a guide on the rear derailleur, insted of under it. Muppet. I had used a new pin to rejoin it but obviously I'd done something wrong and it had warped and pulled undone under strain. Still, it was a (painful) lesson learned - I won't do that again. And the paint on the bike is still in tact, so she is still beautiful.]
By now, my knee was bloody but not too bad, but the thumb was definitely not right. :-(
I coasted down to the pub and had a pint of medicine (cider) then went home, thoroughly peeved with myself - I was so close to cleaning that climb too, sooo close.  Ah well, next time.
Unfortunately, I had to drive down to Reading at 5am the next day and when I got up my thumb resembled a sausage, not a thumb. Uh, oh...
I spent Monday evening at The Royal Berkshire A&E dept wher I was examined and x-rayed and declared to be not broken. I was however sent away with a real heavyweight neoprene and steel splint to wear at all times for the next week. Great - sunshine and outdoorseyness with a big old sticky and stinky splint on = stripy arm...
On the plus side though, not being able to ride my bike meant I had to find an alternative way to spend my evenings at the hotel.
Monday was a write off due to the hospital visit so on Tuesday I got my shorts on and set off for a tentative jog around the lovely route I mentioned last time. Miraculously, my knees held up fine - I think my jeans had been squishing the sore bits and making them feel worse than they really were.
Not only did I cut 2 minutes of my last effort but the woods had been transformed into a wonderland of sring loveliness - bluebells, new leaves, young deer, bunny wabbits, new lambs in the field and best of all, warm sunshine. It was lovely. I felt surprisingly fit and fresh.
So much so that I did the same the next day - and chopped a further 2 minutes off, getting my 'lap time' below 40 minutes. Well pleased with myself. Maybe I am not so bad at running afterall, I just need the practise.

Bad news - my thumb is still very sore and swollen and I am beginning to think maybe it IS broken afterall. If it's still as bad on Tuesday I might take myself back to the docs. Boooo for injury.

Fat thumb, skinny thumb. Ouch.

Mind you, I feel lucky to have got to 38 with no major cycling mishaps, so it had to happen some time and having spoken to various other cycling friends I got off lightly anyway - they told me horror stories of not only broken thumbs, but broken wrists, elbows, compound arm fractures and testicles so badly battered by the handlebar stem that there was still no sign of them three weeks later. At least I avoid that delight. :-)

My veg garden is taking shape. My planting now includes red onions and carrots. I have 3 very robust looking buttenut squash plantlets, 5 cauliflowers that need to go in the garden, my spuds are sprouting nicely and my aubergines and tomatoes need potting on.
We've also managed to get some of the garden waste burnt - probably a couple more burnings and it'll be clear. I don't want to burn too much at a time and piss the neighbours off, but it is proving difficult to find a time to do it when people are not enjoying barbecues or have washing out.
We're getting there though.

Tempus fugit

It sure does. 3 weeks since I last checked in - and what's happened? Not a lot, really...

Well, it has and it hasn't.

The bike has been well and truly christened, with a few trips to Wharncliffe, Bakewell and Wyming Brook and just out and about. All the bits that came loose while I was riding (including the non-drive crank and the headset) have been firmly secured and it actually rides really well.

Apologies for crap quality but here is the bike in its natural habitat - Wharncliffe.
No trees were harmed in the making of this photo...

The main difference over the old bike is that it looks so pretty. No, only kidding - although it is true - the main difference is that because of the bigger frame and the wide handlebars, it opens my chest up while I am riding resulting in better breathing and not kneeing myself in the boobs when I am bobbing around trying to get up a hill.
I have also gone back to the SPD pedals - mainly because the old DMR flats looked far too shabby for my lovely. :-) I can tell the difference on the hils, again, but it is taking a lot of nerve when I am riding XC not to unclip and ride like a motocrosser, sticking the leg out for stability (and an easy escape).

What else??
J has bought himself a road-ish bike. It too is very pretty - all matt black and sleek. He seems to be enjoying riding that, which is cool. I wasn't sure how well he'd get on with the lack of suspension and the general difference in riding position but it's all good. Apart from one comedy fall whilst still attached to the SPDs. Lesson learnt; make sure you adjust the spring on BOTH sides of the pedal. Ho ho ho. (we've all done it)

Erm, so, gardening.
I now have 19 cherry tomato seedlings, 18 aubergine, 1 butternut squash, 5 cauliflowers, lots of peas and 1 purple capsicum all growing up nicely, ready for potting on or planting out. There are also more peppers and chillis (supposedly) germinating, carrots and raspberries in the ground, potatoes in bags and strawberries, thyme, oregano and sage in pots. I am waiting for some Tumbler tomoato plant plugs and my red onion sets to turn up - any day now...
It all sounds very organised, but I have never attempted this kind of thing before and I am definitely winging it. I guess I will see what grows and what doesn't and adjust/abandon next year as appropriate.
The front garden is a mass of colour and is my little haven of peace and girliness.

My little corner of peace and quiet. Wish the back of the house got so much sun.
Found an old, enamel bedpan in the back garden and planted it up with pansies.
I think it looks ace on the table.

Wish my house faced the other way though, so I wasn't facing every passing stranger when I sit out and read.

And finally, the exercise...
Well, I have not been as exercisey since the turbo trainer got packed up - maybe I should recommission it?
I have been out running a bit more though, and while I was down at head office last week I went for a run that looked good on my little map and was even better in real life - I got fields and woods and hills and nice chatty cyclists and baby lambkins and I was back at the hotel before I knew it. Yes, I ran and I enjoyed it - breakthrough!! Here is a pic from that route:




In a field, near Knowl Hill.
There's cycling in them thar woods too - might take my bike next time I am down south...


Since then I have been out on my local 4.5km 'time trial' route and from my baseline time of 34.5 minutes I did it in 30 minutes and 3 seconds. My 'might take some time' target was 30 minutes, so to have been just 3 seconds off already made me very happy indeed. Feeling quite pleased with that.
Cycling - the race is in 65 days so I need to get my arse into gear for that.
Got my BMI and body fat % down into the next number. Still a fat knacker, but a little less so.

Gratuitous food shot - sorry.
I made american style pancakes with slightly tired strawberries and my home made dandelion jam
that didn't set and is more like dandelion syrup. It's kind of like runny honey. Nice, but dead sickly.

Right, dunno about you but I am bored now, so bye for now. Hopefully my next update might be a little bit sooner.