Accidents do happen...

It happened to me a few weeks ago. I'd been to the Lab of the hospital in Dokkum to donate some blood. My thyroid-gland is out of balance since last year and so I've been donating blood for every 6 weeks this past year, so I could adjust my medication to it. I had parked my bike close to the hospital. Not that she would be in the way for ambulances, but close enough to be seen from the hospital, rather than on the parking.

Well, that's done again...
When I returned to my bike, I put my helmet and gloves on the buddy and took the ignition-key from my keyring and slit it in the ingnition-lock. Put in my earplugs and put away my keyring in the glove-compartment. Put on my helmet and already put on my lefthand glove. Then I turned the key, pushed the button to disable the immobiliser of the alarm and started the engine. Put on my righthand glove and slit my leg over the bike. I looked how I would drive away, turning left, kicked up my jiffy and put the engine into first gear. Then I released the clutch and tik, boom, there I was sitting on the ground, next to my bike.

How was that possible?
Immediatly it was clear to me: I had forgotten to remove my disclock! Last year I was in Scotland and spent 5 nights in the cottage of Inverardran House in Crianlarich. In those days the socalled drizzle fell. Even finer than the drizzle we know on the main land of europe. Driving in this drizzle is no fun at all. It won't blow from your visor and all you see is droplets that you have to wipe away all the time. It also seeped into everything, also in my disclock. In the days after that, with the least trembling the alarm would go off in my glove-compartment and believe me, it is an annoying sound, even with earplugs in. On arrival home I put it on the radiator, but it was not of any help. Eventually we cut the threads. I could still use the lock, but the alarm would not work anymore.

So, what's next?
One of the paramedics came rushing in to ask if all was ok. Sure, even my ego could handle this one. First of all I grabbed my keyring from the glove-compartment and removed the disclock. Then we put the bike up again together. And there it was.....my footpeg, broken off! Put the bike on the jiffy and the footpeg in the pannier. Put lock and keys again where they belong and started the engine again. This time no obstacles, but I had already decided that I'd better drive straight away to the bikeshop in Dokkum. With the heel of my boot I rested on the pillion-footpeg and "in free space" I kicked the bike into the next gear. That's how I arrived at the "brothers" at the other side of Dokkum.

It's tricky driving...
Together with Adriaan we put the pillion-footpeg up front, so that I had a place to rest my foot while riding the bike. I ordered a new footpeg and new brakepads for my rear-brake. In Whitehaven they had told me, that they would need to be replaced in the near future, after they had fitted my new rear tyre. I always thought that Milwaukee iron was so expensive, but in the eastern countries they dare ask prices as well. This sure makes a hole in my pocket. Now I realise why the bike-scrapyards are florishing. No bad idea to have a look around some day. In the mean time I do have my new footpeg and new brakepads fitted and I can drive away again. Matter is, that I don't feel very much like driving, with all the leaves on the roads and the rain- and hail-showers. I don't feel the urge at the moment. But now you see, that accidents do happen, even by little gadgets.

Betty Smit.
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