New Experiences #45 - #47
W/C 21st May
New Experience #45: Cycling To Penarth
I was on the cusp of finishing my exams and the weather was on form, so decided to spend the warm Tuesday evening on my bicycle. I haven’t been cycling for long so don’t know Cardiff’s cycle routes very well but got myself onto the Taff Trail and followed it all of the way into the bay and then on to Penarth Pier (a seven mile ride from my Roath residence).
Rating: 3/5 A highly pleasant way to see the city in all of its sunshined glory and do a little exercise. But, it’s been marked down because.
New Experience #46: Coming Off My Bike
then (a relative) disaster struck. On the way back from Penarth I felt the need to speed up as my tea, some sort of pasta dish, was ready and waiting at home. I had been smiling incessantly since leaving Penarth, not because I don’t live it there but because I was ready to return home and greet my family with a positive, sun-drenched frame of mind. And I was quite hungry too.
But then, whilst coming around a bend out of Bute Park, a topless, nappy-clad toddler crawled out from a bush-hidden clearing in which her family seemed to be picnicking across the cycle path. Grinding quickly to a stop, I managed to avoid hitting the child but instead flew over my handlebars and received a face full of gravel and deep grazes on my arms, hands and legs. As I dusted myself off and inspected my injuries, the toddler returned to her tea none the wiser. The family didn’t even notice anything awry!
Rating: 3/5 I was heralded a wounded hero but had no serious injuries other than the (still healing) grazes. I ended up needing extra time in my last exam due to my injured writing hand, which I suppose is a new experience in itself. But for the sake of keeping this blog at least mildly interesting, not one worth exploring.
New Experience #47: A Film With A Live Musical Accompaniment
I was offered the chance to review the screening of Bela Lugosi’s Dracula at the Wales Millennium Centre for this here site and went along expecting a highly entertaining evening. And I wasn’t let down. Having Philip Glass’ soundtrack being played live just a matter of metres below the big screen added a whole new dimension to the film viewing and transported me back to a time of silent movies where such practice was common place. I came away feeling I’d really been at something exciting and special and doubt I’ll get the opportunity to see any film like this for a very long time, if at all.
Rating: 5/5 See my full review here.
Click here for more of tommy b's New Experiences
TheSproutDirect.co.uk Pedal Power Project
Info Sport & Leisure Outdoor Sports Cycling
Info Health In an Emergency Emergency services
IMAGE: New by chrisinplymouth
