Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

How to deal with loss?
How can I never hold her again!

This blog is for an extremely close and probably the most special friend that I’ve ever had. Not only I, but her family and mine along with all of our friends, we all lost her several days ago. Like most people, throughout life I’ve lost more than a handful of friends and family and each is no easier than the last. But I have never, EVER lost someone who was just so damn close for so long even when we were years and worlds away from each other. Everyone throughout their life finds 'that special friend’, you know the one you may not see for a year or so but when you do get to hold them in your arms again, see that wonderful smile and share each others warmth, you just pick up where you left off….kind of like;

Yeah I’d love a cuppa mate but you’ve moved your teaspoons since last week.
Oh, it was two years ago? Bloody Hell! Are you sure?

Gone, things become gone but most of the time they return and are no longer gone.

When it comes to someone so special, being forced to accept the literal meaning of the word ‘gone’ is probably the hardest thing we can do in life. I know she will always be with us but at the same time she will still be gone from this world and my arms and that is the part I am having an extremely hard time trying to deal with. She was not only the apple my eye but also her entire families eye. She was like a big colourful bowl of fruit, always so full of life and joy…..people just adored her.

The photo I have chosen is from waaaaay back in the mid 90’s and my personal favourite of ‘us’. 
I love you Nielsen and I will miss you forever and ever and ever xoxox

I have the next five days off, I’ve packed a bag and I’m heading to SanQingShan Mountain to do my best to mourn the loss of Fran. Well at least I think I'm heading there, knowing me I’ll get to the bus station and forget my chosen destination and end up elsewhere but no matter where I end up I will have to somehow come to terms with and accept the loss I feel.

But I don't think I can, I don't think I can ever let her go.

Under the circumstances, while writing this blog I tried to make it humorous as they were the only ones she loved to read and I’ve also added a few extra food shots to help her on her way….I doubt she’ll be happy with dumplings and noodles and she'll want to shape up for another pillow fight but hey, when you live in a rice field in rural China it’s about all you have to offer.

Frank Sinatra once said
I feel sorry for people who don’t drink.
They get up in the morning and that’s the best they will feel all day.

Eddakath now says
I feel sorry for people who continually maintain their bike.
They get on and ride and that’s the best it will feel all year.

Last summer in Baise my chain broke, I got it fixed and the following day half way through my many hour ride from Baise City to tiny Tianyan town it broke again. Last Friday not only did I lose my gearing and was stuck in first gear for many hours but my chain broke thankfully just down the road from the school. Saturday morning I got it fixed and had my bike totally maintained (first since I purchased it last September) and an hour later found me happily way out in the fields and villages and yes, you guessed it;

WHAMO, my chain broke again.

Not long after a farmer who was heading into Dexing stopped and I threw my bike into the back of his three wheeler motor bike with a tray. He took me to the bike store, he then went and did his thing, came back and took me to where he found me (what a guy!). When the bike store guy examined my chain he found a further two links that had cracks in them which of course were two future ‘situations’ waiting to happen.

Today I rode for seven hours and my bike rode like it was brand new.

It shall continue to do so for the next many months and by then I won’t even notice any decrease in performance until…WHAMO, things begin to fall apart in a rather quickish manner which will ‘laterish’ result in my bikes second maintance and after that I will feel like I have yet another new bike.

Seriously, isn’t it great to think and live life like a total idiot.

Something as small as bike maintance will keep me happy for many months to come and each time I wave and pass a rider on his three to five thousand Yuan constantly maintained bike I will be filled with warmth and gratitude that he/she will always ride with a constant balance of performance and that I whose peddles fall off, chains break and gears fall apart etc (always far far away) twice a year will experience that mystical and tremendous feeling a child has when they receive a new bike.

Yep, I’m thinking that’s the ‘Idiots Guide’ to bike riding!

Oh yeah, when I got my bike maintained I also lashed out and purchased a new light, new gloves to replace the ones I purchased seven years ago and wait for it…wait for it…wait just a little longer…

I’ve now got coloured whirlies!

I feel like I’m back in the seventies with my coloured spoke beads on my three gear dragster. So next I’m going to get some pegs and some Footy Cards sent over from Australia and peg the cards to my spokes and go clicitty clack all over the shop. My new whirlies are shaped like kungfu throwing stars, you attach them to your spokes and when you turn them on at night they change colours and flash and the best part is they drive young children into a mesmorised frenzy when I ride through the town. No matter what they are doing, crying, eating, urinating on the footpath or being good for mummy and daddy, as soon as they see my whirlies they turn into freaked out flower children and race off to follow the lights and Mummy and Daddy then have to race off to catch them.

I make sure I turn them off as soon as I reach the school though.
Could you imagine the reaction of thousand primary school children!

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
 
PS: That funny little building is actually a little village school set in the rice fields and I did actually make it to the far away mountain but by then I was not only over taking photos but also so over riding and just wanted to go home, but I had a further three hour ride to get there.
 
Say Goodbye, never say goodbye!
Love N Miss ya guts Nielsen xoxox
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The soundtrack to this entry had to be by Bon Jovi
The album was of course had to be ‘Slippery When Wet’
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