The Stoatherd...

Wow, it's hot isn't it? I spend the whole winter bitching about how cold it is and then as soon as the summer comes I spend it complaining about the heat. And sweating. Plus wearing a skirt seems to result in an unnatural amount of shaving.

I have had an exciting week trying to ride my bike. Unfortunately riding my bike involved having the dog 'herd' me. Such is the joy of owning a sheepdog. I'd love to know what kind of farm animal he thinks I am... He runs along after me going from side to side and panting enthusiastically. Sometimes, if he suspects I am going in the wrong direction he comes up alongside and noses me in the knee. People think it is cute that he behaves in this way. It is not. Dog snot marks down one leg will never be the height of fashion. Mind you, I would have said the same thing about velour tracksuits and look where that got me.

The reason this is rather annoying behaviour is mainly because I have to avoid running him over. Or stopping suddenly and having him crash into the back wheel. People aren't going to find it very cute when I run over one of his feet and he does that attention-grabbing screaming thing he is so very fond of. Sometimes he does that in the street for no reason. I am getting a reputation as some kind of dog abuser in my street.

Anyway. During a trip around the park, I took off down a grassy slope, dog behind me. I turned around for a second to check he was still behind me and when I turned back there was a big pot hole. The bike stopped dead, I continued at approximately the same speed, until I was thankfully slowed down by the violent impact of my knees into the handlebars. Then I fell to the grass and ground my face into it, knocking off my glasses and giving myself an attractive black eye. Over the course of the week the black eye has gone, but I have had two fantastic knee bruises to cope with.

On a mildly brighter note, it is my birthday on Wednesday and that means only four more years until 30 sneaks up and beats me with the 'unmarried and childless' stick. Ya-hoo!