Stolen bikes and the beach

Monday:

We planned to go to the beach on a day trip - the coast is about 2 hours drive away - but were running rather later than planned already when we discovered that my husband's and my bikes had been stolen. They were just in the garage, which has the broken roller door propped open. I'm not bothered about mine, really, I've only used it about five times in 3 or 4 years since I got it. But my husband had an expensive one that he rides to work every day so that is a real loss. The thieves left a kid's scooter in our driveway, which they had presumably nicked from somewhere else. They had also opened our (unlocked) shed door, it's mainly a junk room and it looks like they were daunted by the treadmill blocking the doorway and the stacks of boxes and piles of old toys scattered over everything. Or maybe they took stuff, we'd never know. We hung around for a while so Tim could call the police and the insurance company.

Then we drove to the coast. Canberra is in the mountains so it is mainly downhill, with the final section steep and winding down the escarpment, quite tiring to drive (I was doing that leg of the trip). We had lunch then a lovely afternoon at the beach. It was so hot, yet with a cool breeze. As far as I can determine no one got sunburnt. The kids splashed in the gentle surf and made sandcastles and stuff while I napped. I usually never "sunbake" - it is dangerous and hot and boring - but I was really sleepy with the heat and just after lunch. I was just enough awake to flip over after a while, and then sit in the shade instead. But I couldn't get any energy up so I sat all afternoon watching the kids on the beach and then in the adjacent playground.

We had a nice dinner as night fell outside then drove home, with my husband at the wheel this time. In the dark the steep bit of the drive was terrifying! Up and down and round tight curves and then moderately tight curves which were even worse because you could go a bit faster. Tim is a great driver and drove very safely, and even more slowly than he otherwise would have because I was so scared, but I was still gripping my armrest and seat in terror and wouldn't take my eyes off the road to talk to the children in the back seat. It was my concentration, you see, that was keeping us safe! I have a vague memory of the last time we did that trip - we don't go to that nearest beach often, we usually go away somewhere for several days - vowing to never do it again.

I feel like a bit of a coward, really. Scared of heights, dentists, public speaking, driving off the side of a cliff in the dark, spiders ... oh yeah, there was a big spider next to the front door when we got home. Have you seen Australian spiders? They keep the venomous snake numbers down.

A fear of dentists

Tuesday:

I still hoping for a ticket to my daughter's dance concert, a school friend of Jasmine's is the granddaughter of the woman who owns (or runs, maybe) the dance school so I am using that connection and it looks like I might be able to get at least one. Yay for knowing the right people!

It's day two of carb loading. I ate nearly 3000 calories yesterday but that really wasn't necessary -- I had a lot of fat to go with my carbs. Potato in the form of hot chips, lots of butter and cheese with my bread etc. I had really planned to do better today but had a stressful morning then a comfort binge. I know I really need to work on how I deal with stress. Not just turning to food but in other ways too, I get so churned up inside and can't think straight.

Today's stress was the dentist.

I am really scared of the dentist. For a while I thought I was allergic to the anaesthetic they use because I always shake and feel sick until my dentist pointed out I have that reaction even when I don't have an injection! I'm not scared of doctors or needles but there is something about the dentist that freaks me out. I assume it goes back to lots of dental work and braces when I was only 10 or 11 (I had my braces done and off before I got to high school, very mature teeth, but small mouth with no room for them all). I remember hanging on to the parked car for dear life while my mum tried to drag me into the dentist surgery for my next extraction. Injections in the roof of your mouth hurt!

Today was just a clean and check-up. It was mostly done with a manual pick, which I can deal with ok so I got through it merely feeling like a seasick limp rag. It's the air, water, suction, drill, polishing etc that I struggle with. Strong gag reflex, but all psychological - I often gag when they are working right at the front of my mouth. There was only a little bit of that, and the hygenist was very good at giving me breaks when I needed them. But the problem is what they want to do in the future. At my last check up my dentist said she wanted to replace a couple of fillings as they are jagged and stopping me from flossing properly. I made an appointment but then cancelled. It just didn't seem worth the stress when it wasn't an actual emergency. But she pushed it again this time, prevention being better than letting decay start. Two hours (over two appointments) in the dreaded chair; with all the feared appliances. She even talked about using a dental dam - my last dentist tried that once for about two minutes and I felt like I was drowning in my own spit and panicked.

I've made the first appointment, but I don't know if I can do it. I know I should be brave and get it over with, and maybe straight after today's appointment (with the horror so fresh) isn't the best time to make the decision. I'll leave it for now.

But I filled the gaping void of fear in my belly with food.

I'm usually against non-sugar sweetners but yesterday I bought Natvia (made from the stevia leaf and supposed to be natural) because I really do want to cut down on sugar and carbs (after tomorrow) and I haven't had much success with sugar-free tea. Less than half a calorie and no carbs per sachet. I love it! If anything, it tastes better than sugar, although I bet I couldn't actually tell the difference in a blind taste test. So unless I read somewhere about how bad it is for me I'll be using it in my tea and maybe introduce it elsewhere as well.

The bike ride

Sunday afternoon:

We went out to a nearby bike track. It took a long time in preparation; Tim had to take the front wheels off my bike and Jasmine's so that we could fit the three bikes in the car and boot (no chance of fitting Tim's as well), and the kids ended up squished in with the frame of my bike. We need a bike rack. Then they all got put back together at the track. Pushing my bike through the car park, it felt wrong -- like the brakes were a bit on. Tim had the first ride and agreed and fiddled with it for a while but couldn't fix it. It was ridable, but hard work.

The bike park has a few different areas including a little kids area and long hilly tracks and BMX stuff; but we stick to the sealed loop. It's kind of like a skinny oval (1.2 km around) with a wider bit at one end so that you're not doing a hairpin turn, and a much wider interestingly wavy loop at the other end. When I went up to the sign to see how long the track was, I could see from the map that from the air the track is actually in the shape of a penis and testicles. Long shaft, bulbous head, two testicles. Who designs these things?

Anyway, while Tim was running along beside each child in turn as they practised with no training wheels, I set off. Riding a bike is still very scary for me. It's hard to remember the confidence I had as a child. I did one lap with a stop in the middle -- going quite slowly and even braking on the gentle down slopes. I had a rest and admired the kids' improvement then timed myself on a full lap. 9 minutes to do 1.2 km; that is only 8 km per hour. Kind of amazing that I wasn't going so slow I tipped over -- that is how Jasmine still rides. Oh well, I can only improve.

Not much riding for all that hassle getting the bikes there, maybe we will stick with the bike tracks near home for a while. But it is a nice spot.

photo by billhd