Stop me if you've heard this before...

So a bear walks into a bar, and says "Could I have....

...a beer please?" The barman says "Certainly sir, but why the big paws?"

Sorry. That was by was of an apology that I last posted OVER a week ago. The good news is, you've all sorts of excitement in store, mainly my trip up to the Edinburgh Festival, and how I combined that with training.

Anyway, our last episode left you with the startling news that Sal had relented (and we're getting the idea that as reasonable people go, she's actually quite high on the list. Wait, did anyone else hear an echoey; "Mwah ha-ha-ha, they're falling for it..." Hmmm just me? Right.) and in an effort to ensure that my leg actually gets better, so I can do some proper pace training, she has me resting for two weeks. Well, I say, "resting", what I mean is "not running". That's not necessarily the same thing. 

So I made a vain attempt to book my bike onto the train to Edinburgh, but they claimed that that the bike slots were all full. As a last ditch attempt to keep up with my instructions, I posted a message on Facebook to ask if anyone had a bike in Edinburgh that they were willing to lend me. I came up trumps! Daniel agreed to lend me his bike. Of course, this could be because Jeanette suggested that he should. You know how I said there was something about Sally? Well, Jeanette makes Sal look like a fluffy little kitten. I like to think that Terry Pratchett based Susan Death on Jeanette. To give Pratchett fans an idea of how scary Jeanette is, so does she. The best example of Jeanette-ness that I can give you is to quote from one of those “Friends” emails that come round every so often, where you are supposed to answer a dozen or so questions, and then send them onto your friends. One of the questions was “Glasses or contacts?” and Jeanette had replied “Glasses. Contacts stop my death stare from working”. 

Anyway, I’d hate for anyone (especially Jeanette) to think I was complaining, because Daniel lent me a very fine bicycle indeed. It’s a Marin, which is exceptional, and probably means Daniel has never seen the way I ride bicycles.  (Let’s just say it’s not dissimilar to the way I was driving in New York). Well, I’m never one to ignore a rest day, and that’s what Friday was, which was extremely fortuitous, because that was also the day Summer and I took the train up to Edinburgh. Once we arrived, and checked out the venue for our show, it was time for me to pick up the bicycle. I trotted over to the top end of Princes Street, where I found Daniel and the bike. He’d been so thoughtful as to bring a tool for me to drop the seat, and some bike oil (which frankly I found alarming), he seemed to think I’d need it for when the chain fell off (what?). We made arrangements to see the Magnets together on Sunday, and he told me he’d offered them his flat to stay in, which was when I realised I’d massively missed a trick when I asked for a bicycle to borrow… I should have asked for a flat! Never mind, next year. Well, Friday was all about the excitement, meeting up with Tom, Jonni and Ashley, and deciding what poems I was going to read out for my part in our show. Oh, and writing a poem – I called it Jlogging.