Rachel Bailey

I plonked myself down and took a drink of water.  All my gear was on and I set off.  My legs were shaking like a leaf.  I felt a sense of dread, and slightly sick.  Some dog walkers wisely shuffled their dogs away from my ineptitude.  It soon became apparent that slight hills were a lot harder to ascend than I remembered.  I got to the road.  I was doing well ! I tippy toed my way towards the intersection planning on crossing.  It was at this point that my hat flew off and was crushed beneath a car wheel, and I fell over.  I crawled off the road and decided I didn't really need to cross anyway.  I heard that was for Chicken Folk anyway.  I headed back where I had come from.  The hill I mentioned before, seemed a lot steeper on the decent.  I tried to remember how to stop.  I did it !! And then I fell over again.  I did this a few more time (the falling over bit), before I started to relax and got some wind in my hair.  I started to really enjoy myself. I skated for 3kms.  My equipment saved me from injury.  This was a good day.