Celebrities in Cheshire

As we descended from the lakes down into Blackburn I was sure I could hear the cyclists going in the other direction singing Bali Hai, that evocative song from the musical South Pacific, but the Senopr Doctor soon brought me down to earth with a bump when she said it wasn't Bali Hai but "Bl--day hills". On reflection she was probably right. I think I was just trying to forget the ordeal of the previous few days by a bit of self delusion or it was the result of a TIA. Only time will tell.

 

 

We sped down into Blackburn and the SD was sad to see her former alma mater now raised to the ground and a new housing estate in it's place. The nuns who taught at the school must have been sent where ever you send redundant nuns to be replaced by high density housing -Nuns 0. Property developer 1.

After all the cycling we have been doing the SD now had a new pet name for me - Thunder Thighs - However she has had to become more discerning when she uses it in public after the incident with the small child in Blackburn B & Q. After all we cannot have bulling in public!

 

 

We went through Leigh and Bolton without incident before making our way onto the flat Cheshire plain. What bliss, even the SD was content as we effortlessly pedalled along. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Wayne or Coleen if they were out and about shopping or one of the class of 92 (football reference for those in the know. SD thought I should just use their names but since she didn't know their names I was allowed to keep the original. - head girl material that SD!). Ideal way to tap them for a handout for the charity I thought, but no such luck. They must have hearded we were coming and jetted off to Dubai or somewhere. Some people will do anything to avoid a chugger. The SD was not best pleased to be called a Chugger so I coined the term Cycleugger- she was much more at home with her new title despite not getting a penny from the Rooney's. (Wayne/Coleen if you read this, as I know we do have some celebrity readers, please do not take it to heart as I know you would have contributed if we had met - it was just fate and the 3400 miles to Dubai keeping us apart)

We went through the Cheshire plains like a dose of salts and before you could fix a puncture we were down in Wem in Shropshire. I do have to say however that we both had a nasty turn thinking we had gone off course when we realised we were in Bolivia having seen a herd of Llamas by the side of the road. The SD soon put us right however when she said they were not llamas but alpacas ( apparently alpacas have smaller ears) and we must be in Peru, but on perusing the map we realised that we were actually not in Peru but just south of Wem Shropshire. (One hell of a map reader the SD - her time in the Sea Scouts wasn't wasted). Disaster averted. Stress of another 6300 miles on the journey avoided. What a relief. Conclusion the here'd of alpacas must have somehow walked from Peru to Wem. Strange creatures alpacas.

 

 

We had only just recovered from the Peru scare when real disaster did strike as old Colossus gave up the ghost and had to be recovered to Race Co Cycles shop in Stourbridge. Good old Rich and his merry men pulled out all the stops and after a fine bit of cycle fettling and other assorted jiggery pokery Colossus was back on the road. We missed 30 miles south of Wem, but the SD agreed we will do this short section after we have returned home just so we really did do all the mileage of the end to end.

 

We came down through Bristol on a great cycle path and we are now well into Somerset. The SD has become a bit demob happy as the end is now in sight although you never quite know what's around the corner on this trip. On into Devon and Cornwall. Bring on those Cornish hills and pasties. We can manage both.