Childhood tricycle

I don't often write this much but it's a story worth reading.

I was 3 years old when I got a tricycle like the one on my t-shirt. I was 3 years and 1 day old when I took off on my first expedition. Mum last saw me on the drive way at 9am. The police picked me up at 2pm ;-)

In the meantime I biked 5km. Up a sizable hill, along foot paths beside main roads, across roads, past houses, a new housing development and across a bridge with the motorway beneath (where I stopped to play and wave, small enough to have squeezed between the railings if I'd tried).

Then onto the t-intersection with State Highway 1 where I followed a man beneath the partially built HQ for a major NZ company (no restrictions on entering building sites in those days). Now in the depths of heavy industry I played beside two factories by a lilly pond, then over to the top a bank leading down to the motorway. There I played, waved, jumped up and down and somehow avoided tumbling down the unfenced bank and dropping onto the edge of the motorway.

Yes, a small blond, 3 year old on a tricycle beside heavy traffic, several km's from the nearest house and surrounded by heavy industry. I remember it like yesterday.

Eventually a work man on the footpath said "little girl, aren't you a long way from home?". Then he went back to his work! That was the first time I felt scared and out of my depths. From memory the police car pulled up soon after. He read out my name and I said "yes". The only time I cried was when he put my trike in the boot. He picked me up to show me it was safe and ok.

He delivered me home to Mum at 2pm. I remember eating sandwiches in my rocking chair. It was afterall a big ride for a little girl ;-)

Dad was out of town for the day and Mum had no way of contacting him. Her best friend drove around looking for me but I was long gone. Parents reading this will appreciate Mum thought she'd never see me alive again.

I think they put a few more constraints on me after this ;-)

Preparations for my weekend project are coming together. It's a big project for a weekend but it will keep me out of trouble ;-)