An hour at my local bike store.

Went out shopping with my better half today,just a few odds and ends,exchanging a faulty toaster that was still on warranty,buying a scart lead for Tierloch and his home entertainment set up (all too complicated for me),then trying not to look bored while Elizabeth hit the ladies clothing shops,just like a woman she couldn't decide today,leaving the all important decisions for a later date.....Ugh!!

But then I had the chance to visit the local Halfords store in Swansea,Elizabeth said she'd stay in the car and exchange some texts with her sister,sister-in-law and our eldest son in Northern Ireland,Belfast to be exact.Well it was like the veritable shackles had been loosed from my feet,I spent an hour in there.I got myself a basic cycle computer,12 functions,I've been longing to get an accurate measure of my commute distance,using googlemaps it works out at 8.9 miles each way,but I can't google my exact route,so I know that figure is not right.All I need now is ,once it's up and running,I'll get a much smaller reading,which will cause my ego to deflate somewhat.

I also bought some bike cleaning gear,because all my regular commuting in the cold and wet,along with the borough council's salting of the roads has left my bike in a sorry state,and I also ordered some anti-puncture tyres,I dread punctures more than anything,I've said before,I'm not at all mechanically minded,and ham-fisted,when it comes to fixing something,especially where some patience or dexterity is needed.As will be seen later in this post.

These items cost me just under £80,which cost nothing to me ,because of the generosity of my family i.e.,Elizabeth,Keiron,Tierloch,Conor,Anne and little Jack,who bought me £120 worth of Halfords vouchers for a Christmas present.So I've £40 left,which I hope to spend wisely.It's very difficult for a novice,like me,to decide what to get.Clothes are,obviously,very important,but I'm happy to make do with what I've scraped together,so far.I may not look very fashionable, but,I'm not cycling to win any fashion prizes,or look swish on a bike.I'll have to get a photo of me put into this blog of mine,in all my finery,once that is,I've figured out how to download pics from my mobile phone.

By the the time we got home I was itching to have a go at putting my new cycle computer onto my bike,for me the task was fiddly in the extreme,my less than patient persona was more than tested,poor Elizabeth,had to put up with my constant groans and grunts of consternation,as my podgy fingers and poor eyesight were given a severe examination.Looking at it positively,it must be the love of cycling that prevented me from getting someone else to do it for me,and I'm grateful I didn't,because consequently,no doubt,I'd be feeling a bit of a lemon,afterward for having done so.I have to admit Tierloch did come to my rescue,on the final furlong,and together we got it working,though sadly too late,to give it a test run.However,it is ready for my commute trip tomorrow,I'm days,so I'll be up at 04.00,to ride to work from Neath,let's see how far I really do cycle! By the way the forecast is for heavy rain,but as my blogger mate,Doug of Duluth,Minnesota so wisely said,

".......don't worry about me,rain doesn't hurt...."

Hope to talking to you all again soon,I think,posibly the word "all" might just be an exaggeration,I'll just say I'm posting this for posterity,but does the future deserve this?

Going back to that "rain doesn't hurt",as I mentioned to Doug there is a car sticker in there somewhere,how's this,

"Rain ain't nothing like pain."

How's that?