With impeccable timing, a spanner has been well and truly chucked in the works …

I’m learning to ride a motorbike.  As I can’t ride a pushbike (!) this has been quite a long road, but, a year since I started, I’m finally becoming much more capable on two wheels.  I have a little 125, and my husband Dave has a big BMW (it may be big, but it’s no sportsbike by any stretch). 

Dave and I went for a bimble to Bourton-on-the-Water on Saturday morning, had a nice early lunch, and were on our way back, when …

SMACK.

A kamikaze bird decided it was going to fly into me.  At 50mph.  Approaching a bend.  When the roads were still quite damp.

The upshot was I had little choice but to drop the bike and roll quite a long way down the road.

It’s weird.  The bike going out of control was scary, but the moment I left the bike behind and started sliding, I felt quite calm.  Apart from thinking how fast I was sliding.  I eventually came to a halt slap bang in the middle of my side of the road.

A lot happened, but I have to say a big thank you to the Gloucestershire ambulance service, who sent a fast-response paramedic within minutes, and the crew who had to come from Gloucester and still took me to Warwick A&E.  They also put up with my dazed and random witterings :D

I also owe a big thank you to all the people who stopped and offered help, blankets (very appreciated as it was cold!), reassurance for both me and Dave, and helped sort traffic out till the police got there.

I can’t stress this enough as well – if you’re on a motorbike, WEAR THE PROPER KIT.  I was wearing all the right gear, and although I’m battered, bruised and got a stitched up knee, they’re relatively minor injuries (although I can’t get around without assistance). 

If I hadn’t had proper protective clothing, helmet, boots, gloves etc, I’d have been a mess; my clothing and my helmet are well and truly trashed.  I’ll post some pics when I can.

So, there may not be much book news for a while.  Although I could always take this opportunity to work on the sequel, when my brain gets back online!