"Look Tanya, this is the very field".
Straddling my bike with Tanya behind me safely harnessed into her 'green plastic trug bucket' I gazed into the small overgrown grassy green field. I saw myself, years ago, as a budding early teenager riding shotgun on an ancient Binder as it cut down ripe golden wheat, shuffling, sorting and tying it into neat bundles known as sheaves. My brother Richard on the red International B414 tractor tugged us along. We knew it then as the 'big tractor'. Against todays monsters it would be a toy.
"Ah! And here's the sledging field".
It seemed so small as I looked down the sheep grazed slope where all those years ago we rode 'Big Sledge' as it rumbled down the snow covered incline. 'Big Sledge', a converted sheet of corrugated tin, was popular as four people could squeeze onto it with a fifth needed to push it off, steer it and as we neared the bottom at breakneck speed shout "DUCK". This enabled both 'Big Sledge' plus occupants to smoothly slide under a barbed wire fence. I don't recall any decapitations but it was a long time ago. I do recall 'Woody', one of the boys from a neighboring housing estate. He was struggling and wincing as we hauled 'Big Sledge' back up the hill. He received choice language from all and sundry for not pulling his weight. Later we learned he had cleanly broken his ankle during the sledge run as we careered with a sickening thud into the hedge beyond the murderess barbed wire fence. I cannot remember if I was 'Big Sledge's' pilot on that occasion but I do remember poor Woody was roundly blamed for causing his own injury by being an obvious amateur and not seating himself correctly.
The day was a beautiful sunny one. Perfect for a bike ride around 'Quorn' from our wild camp spot, discovered two years ago, by 'Swithland reservoir.' We could hear steam trains chugging back and forth along 'Great Central Railway' between Loughborough and Birstall. Every now and then I'd pop down to the bridge and wave to the driver and passengers.
Scotland and 'Sunnybraes', Barbara's lovely cottage near St Andrews, were far behind us. Behind us too were two days perusing all that was on offer at the Caravan and Motorhome show, NEC Birmingham.
OMG!
Approximately two million quid was my imaginary spend on shiny new Motorhomes and gadgets. In reality? .... £48.00 on a new four piece dinner set plus a decision, after looking at the many smaller motorhomes on display, not to downsize. Making do and compromising is fine for short term trips or holidays but not, if like me, you are living fulltime in a motorhome.
Such was the decision and total spending actually at the show. However; Messrs 'Conrad Anderson', whom I spoke to at the show, are at this very moment busily working on Sadie and will soon be substantially raiding my bank account. Sadie is being treated to a Satellite system upgrade, new telly complete with DVD player and the electric faults which have been dogging me since fitting the fridge (buzzing step etc) will, I am assured all be sorted. Spending money on such things is tough but necessary. I could continue to manage quite happily without telly and with ongoing electrical faults but selling Sadie with such inherent faults and non working telly would be problematic. I am, in effect, futureproofing against the day, and it is coming, when I have to part with Sadie for a younger model.
Shhhh! Don't let Sadie hear that!!
While Chris and Rick, two of 'Conrad Anderson's' very capable electrical engineers delved deeply the depths of Sadie's wiring looms I mounted the green trug bucket/Tanya taxi onto the bike and, with occasional help from Mrs Sat Nav, negotiated the canal network into Birmingham city centre. What a different world lies down there deep beneath Spaghetti Junction where the M5 and M6 motorways meet. I've sailed those fearfully fast and roaring, exhaust belching and often jammed solid motorways above many times in various vehicles. The quiet cavern like perspective I was now experiencing from the canal towpath was a very different and enjoyable experience plus a pleasurably stress free way to enter the city. A biking experience, or rather a 'bike-dog walking experience', to be recommended.
The busy week continued with a trip to 'Melton Mowbray'. I was meeting my sister, husband and family for a double birthday celebration of Husband and youngest daughter Jo who was turning 21. She had escaped for the weekend from her final year studies at Nottingham Uni.
After then heading South to meet one of my former bosses I sure was glad to park up in a lonely spot and just stop. Stop and be silent with only the rising moon and stillness as audience to a period of grateful meditation. I hope you all felt it touch you.
