Saturday 31 March 2018

The ditch, up close








The littlest boy has a new bike. Well, a new-to-him bike, which is just as good. He part-exchanged his old, too-small one. They asked him to wash it before the exchange, but as they were closed he then had to wait two days to get the new-to-him one. Oh the agony. We were there the second they opened. Then we went for a bike ride up to the little church overlooking the river.

We stopped at the community shop on the way. It's a really great place, lots of different and local things for sale. Also some books and hot drinks. I had hot chocolate and picked up a new read.

The littlest boy was loving his bike, swooping round me, racing, slow-racing, all of the things. When it wasn't exciting enough, he decided to cut in across the front of my bike. His bike hit the front wheel of my bike. There was that moment, you know the one, when you know you're going to fall, but you're not quite sure where you'll be landing. Oh. The ditch it is then. I came to rest in a thick thicket of  scrubby scrub over the top of the ditch. To his credit, the littlest boy was horrified and very apologetic. He tried pulling me out, which didn't really work as my leg was trapped under the bike. We got there in the end, although it wasn't very dignified. Imagine a cow stuck on its side, suspended halfway above a ditch on a cushion of thorns, all legs flailing. Much of the swelling has subsided now and the cuts are healing. I have sworn never to go on a bike ride with him again ever. We all know I will, but I have to maximise the drama, you know how it is.

Bertie had a lovely birthday, thank you for your happy wishes. We did a good walk and he had a bit of tuna with his breakfast. Doesn't get much better than that.


Tomorrow there will be the usual Easter treasure hunt round the house. Everyone still wants to join in, even though some people are big and cool now. The lure of chocolate I suspect. I am wishing you all a lovely day, with your share of rabbits and chocolate and all things spring. CJ xx

20 comments:

  1. Poor CJ. I'm sorry you ended up in the ditch but I'm really glad to know you're basically okay. I hope he's enjoying his new bike otherwise, when he's not trying to kill his mother. :) My daughter needs a new bike. She's been riding the same one since she was five or six (she's nine now), but she's small for her age and hasn't gotten too big for it yet. I think we'll try to get her a bigger one later this spring. I hope you have a good day tomorrow, enjoy your hunt. I have one who thinks he's big and cool now too, but he'll still do it for the candy. :)

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  2. Poor you, upended in a ditch! I'm glad he's enjoying his new bike though. I borrowed that book from the library last year; I think I enjoyed it. I'm getting to the age where I can be most of the way through a book before realising that I've already read it! Have a wonderful Easter. xx

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  3. Oh I’m feeling your pain, not good. Nothing worse than falling off. My most recent calamity was on the cobbles of a slip. I foolishly followed my son. There seems to be a pattern here between boys and mothers I think. I’ll be intrigued to know what you think of the book, I’m saying nothing at this point. Bertie looks a gorgeous one year old :). Enjoy your chocolate. B x

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  4. Oh dear, I am so sorry but I nearly wet myself laughing. I hope you are not too sore. You and I should never go on an outdoor adventure together, something YouTube worthy would surely happen to us. The other day Jack made a runner, jumping over a wall down onto the disused railway tracks. No promise in the world got him back and I eventually had to climb (roll) down myself and pull him out of a pipe. He escaped twice more, leaving me cross and covered in mud and scratches. It was terribly undignified, particularly the climbing back over the wall because it was far taller on the ditch side and I have a lot of body to pull up over the wall. It was difficult with a wriggly dog under my arms. I am glad that your youngest loves his new bike, what a fab thing to get for spring. We have an Easter egg hunt with hints to find all over the house (nothing to do with me), much excitement before bedtime. My oldest said he was going to hide his own egg because it would be easier to find that way. Have a lovely weekend. x

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  5. Oh no! Sounds painful, hope you're not too battered and bruised, and fair play to your little man for being so concerned.
    Lovely image of the doggy.

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  6. What a tremendous amount of good and bad drama. I so know what its like to want, and want, something and then to wait. Poor guy. And I know he enjoyed every minute with you. Oh , so sorry for that spill you took. I thought a lot about a wedding the whole family was at about two years ago. My future son in law was dancing and twirling me around on the dance floor, when I suddenly knew I had no balance left in me. Down I went. That wasn't bad, but I had nothing hold on to get myself back up to standing, except sweet SIL. I'm over weight , clumsy and my heels were very slippery. Argh.........not pretty. I sulked at our table the rest of the night.

    Sending love, Easter blessings, and of course, birthday wishes to Bertie!

    Jane xxx

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  7. One of the joys of motherhood?! One to tell the grandchildren?? Your doggie looks gobble up cute! x

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  8. I once fell of a bike into a ditch in France. I'd stopped and put one foot down - as you do - but hadn't noticed the ditch into which I plunged my foot so in I toppled bike and all. Trouble was that we had just seen a snake slithering across the road. Martyn tried the same trick of trying to pull me out from under the bike.

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    1. I fell into a ditch in France as well! One of the big concrete ones about 3' deep. It was the end of the day and I was so exhausted I literally just toppled in. Couldn't get my bike out either. At least no snakes though. CJ xx

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  9. Sending you Easter Wishes CJ. Jo xx

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  10. I’m glad you survived even if your dignity was a sacrificial victim. No Easter egg hunts here this year, for the first time 😢. The book is brilliant, btw. Very insightful. X

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  11. Thank goodness that you were okay, relatively speaking. Good pictures, I like the one of Bertie.
    Thanks, and you too. xx

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  12. oh dear! I can't read of anyone falling/tumbling anymore without immediately feeling their pain...or rather, feeling it as my own pain. I suspect it's one of those muscle-memory type things that dredges up my own litany of bodily injury. I also suspect it has to do with age and the corresponding magnification of injury-induced-by-falling. i hope you're quite recovered.

    Glad Bertie had a good birthday -- I can't believe he's a year old already!

    Hope the Easter egg hunt went well. We're mostly too cool for that sort of thing in our house these days (although starboy still participates with great enthusiasm) but still happy to receive any other offerings of the gift-giving variety. :) xoxo

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  13. Glad you are healing, oh those boys! Even the littlest of ones seem to cause some trouble. You are a fantastic Mom by the way, I think that needs to be said. Happy Easter, hope you all had a fun time.

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  14. I hope you're having a lovely Easter CJ. And that you managed to extract suitable favours after the tip in the ditch. Maybe extend the bike riding ban another few days just to make sure? x

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  15. There definitely comes a point in life when it's not good to fall off your bike. I fell off (and got pinned by the bike) onto a busy local road after a woman and child dashed across the road in front of me. Obviously the mother thought it was just as safe to drag her small child through the traffic rather than walk up to the pedestrian crossing 5 yards away. I had a split and bloodied lip and was bruised but able to hobble home. No shopping was done that day and I've been nervous about bike riding on the road since. Hope you fully recover; I think your small boy will be much more careful in future!

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  16. I'm afraid it was a dog who sent me unconscious to hospital on the last occasion I had to ride a bike. He was off his lead in a park and I was on the cycle track with my smallish son a little way ahead. Not good for him when he saw a huddle of people around his prostrate mother and her helmet shattered beside her. I'm glad you are OK.

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  17. Oh goodness, I'm pleased your encounter with the ditch didn't have any lasting repercussions ( it is two years to the day since my ditch encounter resulted in a broken ankle). You can never be too cool to hunt for chocolate!

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  18. I'm glad you're swelling is going down and you're recovering. There is little dignity when you're down in a ditch. I highly endorse maximum mother drama in this situation. Wishing you well.

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  19. Oh dear. This is why I don't have a bike and only cycle on holiday in France where I am surrounded by sunflowers and sun. Much safer. I do hope you are ok though.

    Happy birthday to Bertie. Ziggy thinks a little tuna with breakfast sounds just perfect. x

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