Desmond Morris says....

(not to be confused with Johnny Morris), Desmond being a prolific author of books on non verbal communication which include a less than popular and little known tome, 'How to read the body language of South American mammals' would probably have said that this alpaca, with his flattened ears and prominent teeth, was telling me to bugger off go away as I cooed at him over the wall to get him to turn around!

In another part of Wendy's universe today, I reached half way up Bents Lane this morning when my bike made a very ominous click and my handlebars froze! Amazingly, and previously unknown, a fellow cyclist was just passing and he picked it up and shook it, at which point it made several more ominous clicks....and he announced, 'I think you need a new stem!' Did he mean brain stem?! I know I probably looked as if I shouldn't be in charge of a two wheeled form of transport and I had sounded like a Year 9 pupil when I apologetically said, 'My toolbox is in my husband's pannier.....' but apparently it is a fairly important part of my guidance system.

So then I had to decide, did I turn round or did I carry on....in a straight line....to work. Well I carried on, despite several interesting right turns and left my bike in the care of the experts, Steve and Rich, at school. At some point during the morning an e-mail arrived to say my bearings had gone....what's new?! Anyway, they very kindly sorted it so that I could safely get home and when I went to pick up the machine I found some very decrepit and rusted bits and pieces taped to my handlebars, and a post-it saying Scrap! on my saddle. Thanks guys!

Apparently you have to grease some bits occasionally!