Trick cyclist

Today I did about five miles (probably a bit more - Google maps is guessing distances based on routes I didn't actually take) on the trike and didn't die of it.

First we went to the toddler group at the YMCA, which was interesting. It involved a right turn onto the main road, which was much less difficult and frightening than I thought it would be. I had to walk part of a hill, and stopped for a breather halfway up it, but it was otherwise fine.

Then we went from toddlers to the playground, which was very interesting because the map shows part of one road as one-way but doesn't make it totally clear which part, though I've sorted that out now. I took a detour so that I knew I was legal, anyway.

From the playground we went to meet Rob in town for lunch. Then Linnea and I played in the toy shop, I dropped in to Mothercare and ordered a buggy - we want to see it, and the only way to do that is to order it and return it if it doesn't suit. IF it suits it will live in the trike; otherwise we'll continue to make do.

Then I cycled home again, becoming a pedestrian to cross a road and use a little bit of very wide footpath, rather than do two complicated right turns and add quite a bit to the journey.

I had two alarming experiences - a man in a red car pulled out of sidestreet and turned left behind me, without indicating, and then overtook me, causing the traffic facing him to swerve around him, and rolled down his window to yell that I was a "danger to traffic". I know I had right of way - I am hyperalert as only someone with a toddler to protect from buses and lorries can be - but it still shook me. Not least because he drove off very fast indeed on a 20 mph stretch of road.

And a woman parked suddenly without, you know, pulling over or anything - just stopped the car, and sat there with lights flashing as a passenger ran into a shop, and as I passed her on the one-lane road a huge car full of young men and thumpy-thump music overtook me on the inside, where there are only parking spaces, not proper road.

But I'm highly visible and was never in much danger and I expect I'll get used to dealing with drivers from a cyclist's perspective as well as from a pedestrian's one. One other thing I saw that didn't bother me personally but made me angry because it would bother me as a pedestrian was as I was stopped at a red light at a pedestrian crossing (which had little green men walking), a car passed me and whizzed through the lights. Luckily the people crossing saw him coming and stopped in time.

I ended up tired, but more confident than when I left the house, which has got to be good. It really is much easier to see from the trike than from the regular bikes we have; the riding posture is much more upright. It also has a parking brake for use at traffic lights, which is a godsend.

And tonight I must have a bath.