Lust and glitter........

I was thrilled to be asked to be a guestblogger this week on the

Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital blog http://greatormondstreethospitalcharity.wordpress.com/ - another first!

Lusting after the paint job (honest?!) on the Triumph Speed Triple that Ross Noble rode from one tip of the UK to t'other for Riders for Health, I was delighted to hear that Esse, one of our fabulous supporters of the challenge, offer glorious glittery Shellac nails. Perfect for bikers! Especially those lusting after.......

On more important matters, since my tuition with Gary at the weekend, I've been on the bike every day since - a record. On Mr T's bike to be precise. It still phases me a tad mostly because it's heavy, a 400EXC 4 stroke. Possibly also because it's a bit grotchety when first out of the garage and not yet warmed up - bit like me in the morning! However, it's all practice and if I can manoeuvre that particular beasty in a figure of eight, the GasGas should be easy, apart from the blipping the throttle bit, which you don't really need to do on the 4 stroke.

From all this slow work on heavy bike I'm developing all sorts of muscles in my legs and boy my stomach muscles ached yesterday.

I've practiced all the techniques that Gary shared; ascents, descents, lots of figures of eight and little right hand circles (yeuk - not good at them) got some air again of the top of the hill- teehee. I was enjoying it too, even if the thumping in my heart indicated otherwise once or twice.

Then as an extra boost, albeit unplanned, a couple of eejits had somehow managed to get their car (what it was doing on the byway I have no idea) stuck on something and was blocking the way rather. In fact it wasn't blocking the way, it was blocking my way, my usual route that is! So, on heavy bike I went through a little gap with a big lumpy bit in the middle, a concrete slab, a muddy puddle and a thorny bush and aforementioned car to my right. A scenario that would ordinarily have rendered a stop on my part and help from one of the boys or another way to go. Either way, a mishap would potentially have been expensive. As Mick Andrews said in a trials video (vintage technology) that we've borrowed from Gary, it's often all in the head, the difference between a successful manoeuvre and one less so.

I did it!

There's hope for the old girl yet or perhaps it was just a spot of fairy magic from my glittery biker nails. Positive psychology! Whatever works eh....!