Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'Err, no,' I said, 'Sorry to bother you. Are you expecting people?'
'No, no, it's fine. How can I help you?'
'We're on a bike ride and we've got a puncture. I don't suppose you have a puncture
repair kit and a pump that we could borrow?'
'Oooh, that'll be the thorns,' he said. 'They're cutting the hedgerows today and there
are thorns all over the road.'
'I told you it wasn't my fault, Ben.'
Ben was too busy staring in disbelief at the man who had answered the door. Despite
living in Wales, he had a distinct Yorkshire accent. His animated face was full of character,
including a unique triple curved dimple on his chin. I can only assume that this was the
result of a lifetime of smiling and laughing. He looked like an affable gargoyle, and I half
expected water to spurt from his mouth.
'I think I've probably got a repair kit in the garage. I'll go and have a look for you.
Everything's a bit disorganised at the moment as I'm in the process of moving,' he said,
pointing to the
For Sale
sign at the end of his driveway. 'I've got someone coming to look
around any minute now. That's why I was a bit confused when you came to the door. My
name is Peter, by the way.'
Peter was a genuine character. He emerged from the garage with an unopened puncture
repair kit and a hefty tyre pump.
'Here you go,' he said. 'I knew I had one somewhere. Not sure why, as I've not owned
a bike since I was a child.'
Peter had lived in Wales for 15 years, and was planning to move to a smaller house just
over the border in England. During the ten minutes that we spent repairing the puncture in
his driveway, he didn't stop laughing. It was very refreshing, and was the perfect antidote
to Ben who moaned incessantly about The Falcon. He confidently claimed that he could
remove the inner tube from The Falcon's tyre with his bare hands and that 'tyre levers are
for losers'.
'Why don't you just get a couple of teaspoons out of the picnic set? It would be much
quicker,' I said.
'No, I can do it. It's easy. Just you watch,' he said, gritting his teeth and turning slightly
purple as he pulled and tried to prise the inner tube from the tyre.
'You look like you're struggling. Why don't you just give me a couple of teaspoons? I
could've had it off by now.'
'Hang on!' he snapped, turning blue. 'What use are teaspoons going to be anyway?'
'To use as tyre levers. What did you think?'
He continued to exert himself, so I reached into his rucksack and took out a couple of
spoons while he wasn't looking. Ten seconds later, the inner tube was out and I hadn't had
to turn blue.
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