bike day, the third

Sherlock, L, and I went to pick up L's new bike today. It's very...shiny. And sleek. Obviously I am not jealous at all, no matter how new and nice looking it is, and how smooth to ride, and... Not jealous at all. And I still maintain that my bike is superior (for me).

We went to pick up Mycroft afterward, so he could ride it too, got a snack together, and delivered him to his school before his housemaster could start making disapproving faces. Good day.

Last night...was strange. I got a call out a little after eleven, went from that to another, and then got another when I was heading home. Home happened around three, I think, so all in all I wasn't even gone that long. It felt much longer and like no time at all.

In some ways, it was like being back in a war zone. A lot of differences, too, obviously, but that familiar sense of urgency, of things that need to be done right this second, the feeling of not a moment to lose. Different consequences, too, but still the same feeling.

The first and last were fairly straightforward drugs incidents, no overdoses, no one too badly off. The middle one was a man who'd had hot sauce thrown in his face, one of those hot sauces with dire warnings on the label. I hadn't seen that before. I think I can now definitively recommend against it. 

baggage handling

After lunch, L took me on a mystery tour of London. He said we were going to pick up one of my birthday presents...somewhere. I was surprised he didn't want me on the back of his bike so he wouldn't have to give me directions, but as it turned out, my bike was a necessary part of the proceedings, because I was getting real, rain-proof, lockable luggage for it: 

Obviously it looks better on my bike (because it's my bike), but this gives you a general idea. It's all somehow coded (magnetically? Electronically? Magically?) to open with my ignition key, which is amazing - how do criminals get by these days? Stealing things must be much more complicated - and it all fits perfectly. It's made by BMW so they ought to know how to put things on their own bikes. It'll be perfect for the FME job; I can keep all my things in it and not worry about someone wandering off with them if I turn my back for a minute, and there'll be conferences and so on I'll need to travel for (and Spider fits, I checked, although she does take up almost an entire bag on her own). It's a wonderfully thoughtful gift, and I have an amazing fiancé. 

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On a completely different note, here's the story Sherlock wrote for school a little while ago. He asked me to post it here. 

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snow and pinstripes

It snowed. I believe Sherlock may have mentioned it once or twice. It's very pretty, or at least the parts that haven't been turned into grey sludge by the traffic are very pretty. 

Sherlock has done his best to spend every waking moment outside and actually chose to walk to school today rather than have us take him on the bikes so he could be out in it longer. Amazing.

L and I dropped him off, had a run that ended with cold fingers, dripping noses, and a desperate desire for coffee. We went home rather than inflict our sweaty selves on some unsuspecting coffee shop. There were showers, coffee, toast, etc., and he talked to me about accent colours for the wedding, which seemed premature, since we don't know where we're having it, exactly when we're having it, or in fact any about it except that it will occur at some point in the future. But since we can't decide about any of those things, perhaps accent colours are a good place to start? He was talking about lithianthus purple (I had to look it up too), which is...extremely purple. But you can't get married in a beige jumper, and it is a nice colour.

Harry texted to say it should be a bee-themed wedding. I'm not even sure how that would work, but Sherlock would probably love it.

After lunch, we went to look at suits, which was like entering some sort of time warp composed of fabric, polished floors, and terrifying neckwear. We only went to two places, and then suddenly we were almost late to pick up Sherlock. I'll let L tell you about the shopping. The only thing I definitely decided was that I don't want to wear pink pinstripes, ever, for any reason, and I don't know how anyone could wear them without looking like a super-villain.

bike day 2.0

Sherlock got most of his bike gear for Christmas...got his helmet...so we arranged a little surprise. L and Mycroft and I set off into the cold and the wet, and eventually met Sherlock and Mrs Hudson near Harrow so Sherlock could have his first ride in real traffic without it being in the middle of London.

And so I could practice with Mycroft on the back of my bike, and in poor weather, in an effort to make L feel a bit less nervous about my abilities. And also obviously because I do need the practice, but he does occasionally give me this concerned look that makes me feel as if I ought to be asking permission before I ride in the rain.

It was cold. It was wet. I may have mention that already, but the cold and wet featured prominently in our day and bear repeating. At one point I thought my fingers might never uncurl, just be frozen permanently in handle bar gripping position.

Not cold enough, of course, because it's still rain and not the S word.

purple bougainvillea vine

Our day was, as L said, lovely. We were awakened at a semi-godly hour, and I got to stay in bed a bit longer while L and Sherlock did ill advised things with cheese on toast and calculated the speed of light, all before breakfast. Took Sherlock to school. He likes L going with us because he'll let Sherlock ride on his shoulders. It gives Sherlock a chance to see over garden walls and mimic L's hand gestures while L can't see. It's a good show. 

Got home, had a semi-healthy breakfast, by which I mean that although it contained bacon, it didn't contain pancakes, and lay about on the couch for about an hour saying we should do something. Nice to have the time for that, for once. 

Then a slightly chilly bike ride with random pub lunch - just pulled over and took a chance, as people did before the days of the internet. The food was good, but there were some people talking about Arsenal...in ways that L did not approve of. Thought we might have to leave early for a few minutes there... 

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Purple Bougainvillea Vine

Don Blanding

no one needs to worry

We had a little accident on the bike. Bruises and scrapes mostly. We're going to hospital for L's hand, which is swelling nicely. I don't think anything's broken though.

I've talked to Sherlock and Mycroft already, and Mrs H is picking Sherlock up from school, though he's not happy about it. Please be good for her, Sherlock. Hopefully we won't be too long.

Some bastard, also on a bike, cut right in front of us and there was just nowhere to go, bus on one side, pedestrians on the other. You'd almost think he was trying to knock us over. I'm glad it was L driving and not me; I'm sure he managed it better than I would have.

And when I say no one needs to worry...I mean about us. The bike didn't fare so well. I don't think he'll be riding it for a while. 

red and shiny

I got the call just after lunch. The man on the phone seemed nearly as excited as I was, confirming my impression than my bike is superior to all other bikes, but perhaps it's just his personality? Anyhow, went to pick it up as soon after work as I could decently manage, but had to go home first to retrieve helmet, etc. and then excite various curious glances on the tube regarding non-tube-standard attire.

It was waiting for me outside when I got there, looking very red and shiny and larger than I remembered. Last bits of paperwork taken care of, I had time for a very short ride before fetching Sherlock from school, sadly not on the bike.

(I now want him to grow nearly as much as he does because then I could drive him to school on it. As it is, since I go straight from his school to work, I'll really only be able to ride it in the afternoons - though after the summer holidays and two months away from the surgery, I can't really expect Sarah to keep me on anyway. Perhaps when Mycroft goes back to school, I'll just ride about all day.)

Brought it home, went to collect Sherlock, brought him home and introduced him to the new bike. Let him sit on it. Successfully extracted a promise to keep entirely away from the internet until after I surprised L. May have bribed him slightly with biscuits.

Mrs Hudson agreed to look after him and feed him dinner, and I left for NSY, keeping a safe distance from anything that might scratch my paintwork.

L walked right past me, though he gave the bike an appreciative glance, and I had to take my helmet off and call him back. His appreciative glances were this time more appropriately divided between the bike and me, and he called me a sneak and a toe-rag and a git, which was entirely the reaction I was going for, and then graciously allowed me to take him to dinner. We had a very nice time, and I'm already plotting where we can go for a decently long ride, hopefully at the weekend if not sooner. 

no bike

I got a call this morning - no bike today. There's been a delay of some sort, maybe something to do with the flooding, I'm not sure. Next week they said. I'm not sulking, honestly.

Sherlock did reasonably well today at school. He was still grumpy about going, but there were no incidents, involving cheese or any other airborne food, so I think that's good enough to be going on with. The new teacher seems inclined to forgive and forget. I suppose it's not the worst thing she's ever had thrown at her, given the age and temperament of the kids she's working with.

She came out with Sherlock and I and a few of the other kids and parents when we went to visit the pond before she left...

Sherlock: *searching for newts* LOOK AT THEIR FEET!

Mrs N (for new, but also conveniently her real initial): Have they got feet already?

Sherlock: *tells her more about the stages of newt development than she could've possibly wanted to know and nearly drags her into the water with him*

She looked more pleased than not at his near-supernatural levels of enthusiasm for newts. So, there's that.

I'm watching Federer play Benneteau. It's not looking good. Like with Nadal and Rosol yesterday, Benneteau is just out-playing him. He's moving a bit better now though, and Benneteau looks knackered, so maybe he's got a chance. Someone has a sign that says: Federer - the once and future king. Let's hope. Oh, and Boris Becker is a arse.

And an article I expect to be good because theirs always are, though I haven't read it yet: Wimbledon, ‘Bare-leg’ Tennis, and the Bitter Rivalry Between Helen Wills and Helen Jacobs

three astonishing things

This man makes underwater sculptures that act as a hurricane barrier to protect coral reefs and also have started turning into coral reefs themselves. It's amazing and a little eerie to see the coral covering up the faces of the statues.

The second astonishing thing is the email I just got from my mum. I'd asked her why all her wedding china arrived on our front step in a large box on Saturday. She said: "Because you've got some sort of a family now and someone may as well get some good out of it."

The third astonishing thing you probably saw in the comments of yesterday's post... L offering to buy me that BMW bike, which, yes, I'm going to post its picture again so you can all admire it:

I feel sort of...overwhelmed about it. I wasn't seriously considering buying it, and it's more money than I've ever spent on anything in my life (those two things are probably related). And anyway, we haven't been on the test ride yet and it might not feel right.

But despite all my normal hedging and pessimism, I keep having to restrain myself from hugging L to death at random moments just for making the offer. He's amazing.