Bikers Galore, Not a Helmet I Saw

 Take Me to the River

Bikers Galore, Not a Helmet I Saw

There is a huge increase in the amount of people cycling and that would be a good thing were it not for the fact that none of these new casual bikers are wearing cycle helmets. We are seeing them go past our home in ones and twos and families with not a helmet in sight. Here comes one of those ‘If I were Prime Minister‘, moments; It was be compulsory to buy a helmet at the same time as a bicycle was purchased. Then there are so many cameras mounted on the roads that it would also be an automatic fine for riding without a helmet. The fine would come through the post in the same way that a parking ticket does now, if you are driving in London and stop somewhere to ask a question in a shop or café. The ticket is a sent with the photo of your car standing at the curb. I find it hard to believe that parents are that careless. Don’t get me started on people riding bikes in flip flops and carrying a shopping bag in one hand.

If you are wondering, why yes; I did get picked up from my dancing class by my big brother sometimes in the winter, when it was dark, and I did ride home sitting on the cross bar. In the school holidays my dad would sometimes take me with him when he went out to some of his plumbing jobs. I would sit on top of his tool bag on the front of his trade bike.

In those days, I didn’t know anybody who owned a car, and the traffic was not as packed tightly bumper to bumper as it is now. We know better now. Taking chances with the lives of your children is stupid if not criminal. Rant over.

Last night I had selected a movie that I thought might be good and would suit the tastes of both Steve and I. Steve never questions me at moments like that and so he set about trying to find it which was no problem. It was a 2015 film ‘Take Me to the River. Steve didn’t even ask what it was about and I would have been stuck if he had. I had seen a couple of photos and a poster and it just got the ‘Different’ vote.

Take Me to the River has a quite young man in the lead. Logan Miller is playing Ryder, who is seventeen and his parents are making a trip from California to meet the Mother’s very large family in Nebraska. A big picnic gathering has been called. The teenager is wearing very short snug red shorts and a skimpy tee shirt. It starts to get quietly worrying when one of the many children, a pretty little girl of nine, takes a shine to Ryder because he can draw pictures to amuse them. It quickly gets very awkward and just about all the huge family take a dislike to the teenage boy. It is not a murder plot or a horror scenario but it gets you feeling seriously uncomfortable and things get more and more edgy.

There, I gave nothing away and it takes most of the film to get to the family secret. We both thought it was excellent and both the young man and the little girl will be a big stars very soon I would think. So if you don’t want another movie with helicopter crashes and car chases you might give it a try. The child is Ursula Parker.

It was as well that we had found something to hold our attention last night since our big race of the year should have been yesterday. Ironman 70.3 Graz, Austria. So we were feeling a little deflated.

This morning we did our old standard 10km run out in the woods of Angmering Park. It was the most beautiful bright sunny morning and we didn’t see a soul anywhere, unless you count sheep and deer. No wind at all and so the woods were filled with birdsong; just a glorious happy to be alive day, and we had finished our run well before 7am.

 

At home after wards it was Qigong and the ballet workout class once again before Steve took himself out in the garden for a spot of sun worshiping, while I attended to the washing. Then just to show just how boring I can be if a really try; I potted up three clay pots with grass that I had dug out of the front garden. These will be rotated for Birdy the cat who it turns out to  have a love for lawn mowing pots of grass. Some critters are easily pleased.

It is twelve weeks today that I stopped going out to my usual places with my usual friends. For Steve it is eleven weeks. Neither Steve or I, are convinced that it is time to start mixing socially again. Not for a good while yet I think.