to another!

Well not disaster exactly but another expense i could've done without - i'll explain in a bit.

But lets go back to Wednesday. I know i alluded to some stuff in Fridays quick note but its sort of worth telling the full tale, so i set off to get my two vaccinations. Although both venues werte doing both jabs, for reasons i still can't fathom, it was nigh on impossible to book for both in the same location / time but at least i got the same day. First up was the Covid booster, job done i then had two hours to walk three miles and get some lunch, sorted with time to spare but as it was another three miles back to base i got the bus for the return after the flu jab.

So far so good, no real discomfort but that was about to change! A slight ache in the Covid arm became quite uncomfortable but more worrying was the disturbed night with flu like symptoms, i felt and looked like poo in the morning. There was no way i could ride in this state so instead i set to writing, completing one and starting the next chapter. Friday i woke having at least slept but the Covid arm was still a bit painful, i set to and spent the day writing and editing up to putting a new volume up on Amazon, hence Fridays short post.

Saturday arrived with me determined to go for a last 'summertime' ride, the aftermath of the double vaccination seemed to have cleared and i set off into a cool but quite bright morning. My main stop was at Chippenham, bacon buttie and tea but there was something amiss with the bikes crankset, a quick check for tightness was fine but the movement was still there. Not wanting to push my luck, i less cut things short as didn't take the longer route for the return, ending up with a mere 80km ride for the day and a soaking to boot - my own fault for making a second stop for tea and bunnage!

Today then i needed to sort the bike issue or at least identify what the issue was, there were two choices, failed bearings - annoying, a big job to do but given they've been on the bike for twenty years, sort of expected. Second possibility was a damaged crank which may have happened on my silly acrobatic incident a couple of weeks ago and indeed, that's what it turned out to be. No repair possible, its a replacement job, not hugely expensive or difficult however the chainrings are on their last legs so a twenty pound job becomes fifty at which point a whole new set becomes more economical.

I've located a used but excellent condition, better quality replacement (the same as the original which was replaced three years ago after 15 years use) which, if things go smoothly i'll have by next weekend. In the meantime, Foxy is off the road, Aunty Bev has offered the use of one of her stable, it has big wheels and everything! I could've done without the extra expense, reactive repairs are always a bummer but shit happens, i've not been stranded out on the road and its stuff i have the facilities / tools to do myself. Maybe i'll get a spare bearing set as a precaution, guess that new frock will have to stay in the shop!

One day i might get to put some money by but not any time soon!

I have of course uploaded the next chapter of On The Edge, part 11, The Kids are United in which the Bond's journey to Tenerife for the team's training camp. For once there are no drama's, the calm before the storm?

And finally, the folks at Amazon excelled themselves on Friday, perhaps the fastest i've ever had a new title go live on their platform, just two hours from upload to release! So here you go, Part 5 of Balancing Trick, available for all to purchase! So if you can't wait for the complete book (currently expected for Christmas release), click on the image which will take you to the relevant page on the big A.

Tschussie,
Madeline Anafrid

PS - forgot to say, Happy Halloween for Tuesday if thats your thing.