Had a nice ride home last night and used my bike to get to work again today - although my bum cheeks are feeling slightly bruised from the shaped “polished marble” that is my saddle. Ouch. I wonder if i can get the wife to massage it better later tonight?
I also realised that i forgot 2 places that i go past on my journey to work that remind me of my youth.
- “The Boat” or “Mumfords” was a kiddies play area which also doubled as an adventure playground, a BMX track and a community center. There was a large 70s style concrete building in the middle which was covered in large metal tubing and even had what i remember to be funnels on top. Hence the name “The Boat”. Mumford was the name of the man that ran the place. My best memory from there was when Mumford used to roll in with his tipper lorry and all the kids would pile in the back and he would slowly tip it up until we all fell out. I can still remember hanging on for dear life to the top, legs dangling and seeing other kids fall. I bet he would get sued or arrested now!
During the BMX craze of the early 80s the place was turned into a BMX race track complete with a proper starting gate made from scaffolding, tabletop jumps, launch ramps and quarter pipes. I was total crap at it, but watching BMX Bandits always inspired me to ride better. I have also just remembered how we used to make ramps from a piece of wood and 2 bricks, get our mates to lie down in a line and jump over them! Madness!
- The other place i cycle through is an underpass next to “The Boat” which my friend James would not go through because of the risk of Bullies. He lived one side and i lived on the other and the underpass was avoided. Then again, he was ginger and had a slightly white puffy “dead person found in a river after 3 days” complexion. So maybe his fears were real! These days the underpass is a haven for broken glass and graffiti. Just like any other in Milton Keynes then! In fact “Bullies in the underpass” is still a common saying with my parents and relates to this story! So James, where ever you are now… your legacy lives on!
It was spotting with rain on my way in - but now the sun is shining and i remembered to bring my shorts to go home in! Yay!
Also, a quick thanks to Mr “Angry Ravioli Revenge Attack” (Andy) for my pair of £2 cycling glasses i won in the last Curry Night raffle. They saved me from certain death when a bug decided to kamakazie into my line of sight.
I had to drag my carcass off to work on my trusty £40 mountain bike today as the wife needed my “soon to be smashed to a thousand pieces” car which has developed yet another fault. Not that i mind the cycle in (5 miles = 30 mins hard pedal) but i am sure the rain clouds will break when i step out of the office at 5pm and i will have to endure the smug “i’m not soaking wet” glares from the cars as they cruise past. What i did suffer from was the remnants of drinking too much wine the night before and having my Son in the bed with us after a nasty dream which prevented me from sleeping until 02:30am.
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