Pushing on.

Yesterday, being a saturday meant that we got to close early and have the whole afternoon to ourselves, it is pure luxury indulging in our two afternoons off on the weekends.

Most of the time, we either do house or yard work and catch up on the washing that mounts up, slowly during the week in the wicker basket in the bathroom.

Yesterday, however George was away, I tidied the house room by room with the intention of vacuuming but in the end only managed on cleaning the bathroom, so while the rooms were tidy the carpet is still thick with dust, I cleaned it last week, but it doesn't take long to amass an amazing amount of powdery dust from who knows where.

After watching a bit of TV on my computer, I packed my backpack with a jumper and a drink and made my way down the rickety wooden stairs, pumped up the tyres and strapped on my helmet.

George and I bought ourselves new bikes, George put them together the other day and I have been waiting to get the opportunity to spin my new wheels.

I was so excited and a little bit nervous as well, as I could hear the local kids fooling around in the main street, and as stupid as it is I am a little scared of them, little louts that they are, when I was a kid I was a little timid around grown ups, certainly I would not dare to speak to them unless they spoke to me, let alone ridicule them. This is definitely not the case any more, kids have no shame and no fear, the kids around here anyway.

So I sucked it up, I thought, so what if they see me riding, I pushed my bike out of the gate and called to Boogie, who cowered in the bushes beside the pool, weird dog that he is, he's a little scared of the big bad world, or maybe he is just confined to his duty of guard dog and the guilt of leaving his post is too much to bear.

So I left him there, shut the gate and jumped on my bike. Its been a number of years since I rode a bike, but I haven't lost it, its just like 'riding a bike.'

Pushing down on the peddles and being propelled forward was an exhilarating feeling, I rode down the back lane, a little bit wobbly on the uneven surface of the dirt, dodging the puddles festering from last weeks rain, unable to drain away, bumping over the mounds created by the cars and trucks driving through the mud which has long since dried up and crusted over, getting lost in the pot holes and divots in the lane, until I pushed out from between the pub and the derelict house on the corner, onto the road.

I waited at the main street for a car to pass, I could feel their eyes watching me as they passed, I glanced to the left to look down the main street, to my relief the kids had gone, off to cause some mischief in someone else's yard, they wouldn't be game to try to get into ours, not with Boogie there at least.

I stood up on the peddles and rode up onto the bridge to head out of town, the sun on my back and the wind stroking my cheeks, the fresh dusty air filling my lungs as my muscles stretched out in luxury, unencumbered by the confines of everyday life, out in the open space, with room to move.

As I rode along the narrow rode, praying that I wouldn't have to compete for the bitumen with a roadtrain, I concentrated on the white line beneath my tyres , watching it disappear where the soft edges of the road had crumbled away, I played with the gears amazed at how easy they were to change, one lever to up a gear and another to go down, one flick and the chain ground its way from one cog to the other, it took me about a kilometre before I had it completely figured out.

As I glided along, I lifted my head and noticed the ugly beauty that surrounded me.

Everything was so peacefully quite, when I looked to my left off in the distance, I saw a lonely camper taking a cup of water back to their site to make a cuppa, to my right lay the fresh carcass of a Kangaroo.

The breeze tickled the leaves in the trees and the bird chirped blissfully, playing, ducking and diving, chasing each other through the branches.

I was starting to tire but knew that I didn't have far to go and not only that, I was enjoying it so much that I didn't want it to end.

I reached the two kilometre mark and turned to my left, onto the dirt and through the gate, Smidge started barking even though I was still hundreds of metres away, I whistled out to her, letting her know that it was only me, she heard me but didn't listen.

As I came around the bend I sped up and yelled out to her, the tail tucked up between her legs wagging, she did a little dance as I parked my bike in the shed, excited to see me, waiting in anticipation for a little pat.

Her tiny frame danced along side me as I made my way onto the porch where I was met by Jock, the Jack Russell, complete with ball in mouth, ready to play.

I made my way inside to find Mama up on a stool, putting away a years supply of rice which she had divvied up into smaller containers.

We chatted and soon the dogs were off barking again as the boys made their way down the drive.