Ten good things..........

............about having a sprained wrist.

Either you can describe this as reframing the issue if you are into management-speak - or you can call me Little Ms Sunshine. I have to say I prefer the MBA-speak.

This incidentally is about a right-handed person who has sprained her right wrist. It would apply equally to a left-handed person. But not someone who is ambidextrous like Irritating Partner.

• You can't do the cleaning. (Not that you do much anyway)



• You can't do the ironing. (That was OK, didn't mind doing that, suitably mindless task without too much effort)



• You can't do the washing up. (You don't do that either normally)



• Or the drying up.



• Your finger nails grow very long and elegant because you aren't doing anything....



• You don't walk the dog. (It was his fault anyway...when he went for the cat)



• Your partner suddenly remembers how to cook. In fact he starts to do some things better than you can. Great roast pimientos.





• At more than 40 years of age you suddenly learn how to use your left hand.



• You can idle endlessly in a bath full of essential oils on the grounds that it is good for helping the swelling to go down, easing the bruising, relieving the stress, well, you get the idea...



• You have an excuse for not doing what you don't want to do, and indulging in whatever you do want to do.

And the counter-side....

• The house is dirtier than ever. (He doesn't like doing the cleaning either)



• There are no wrinkle-free clothes, and you can't even find half of them because the pile on the ironing board is so huge.



• You can't do the gardening with one hand.



• You have a scruffy-looking bandage on your arm, and sometimes your arm hurts. More initially. Less now - but this is two months later.



• You can't walk the dog - well the walking was nice - even if the cat-lusting dog was a bit of a nuisance. Walking too far (even without the dog) also makes your arm hurt.



• You can't type fast. Or accurately. This is very irritating but it finally seems to be getting better.



• And the biggie - you can't get on the bike. You can't grip the handlebar or use the right (rear-wheel) brake. Why is this a biggie?

Vanity. The calf muscles still look ok. The arms don't. And as for the sudden re-appearance of the cellulite that I thought had gone for ever....I'll buy an exercise bike if I can't get on a real bike any more after this incident.

So on balance there are more pros than cons. Idle life of leisure and brill cooking by Cocinero Partner. But this doesn't assign values to the points.

The downside is I'm less fit, I've no suntan ('cos I'm not out much), and the dreaded cellulite has reappeared. I'm counting the days to getting back on the bike.

So's the Cycling Partner 'cos he has no companion. And he's certainly sick of two months of cooking.

Today I got on my bike

It's a bit of a pain when it's windy.

Did you know the Costa del Sol used to be called the Costa del Viento before some marketing person got their hands on tourism?

Or so I read in a book in the days before broadband access. And for anyone who doesn't speak Spanish - that's sunny coast, and windy coast.

It's normally always sunny, even when it's windy. But when it's windy most Spaniards stay inside. So do the rest of us, especially if we wear contact lenses.

Anyway, if you find that miracle window of opportunity, you can get out on the bike when there is a nice breeze, rather than a full gale blowing dust devils in your face.

And normally the motorists are ok too. Especially as they now have to leave a two metre gap when they go past a cyclist.

Of course in my village they don't know that. That's because half of them don't read, don't have a driving licence, don't have insurance, so certainly have no idea the law has changed.

Fortunately, because of all of the above, they don't drive fast either.

I cycled down the street to the crossroads and followed a car left onto the main road through the village. As usual there was some typical Spanish delay, so there was suddenly a three-car traffic jam.

There was nothing coming the other way so I indicated to turn left and started overtaking them. One of the motorists also twigged there was nothing coming the other way, so he did the same thing (although he wasn't turning left). Without indicating. Into exactly the same path I was taking.

Had this guy not seen me? Despite the fact that he was driving down the main street and I had pulled out behind him when everything was clear? Do cyclists not exist?

For all I know his eyesight may well be poor. People round here don't buy glasses lightly. My neighbour uses her husband's glasses when she wants to sew. Obviously not for reading because she can't. This guy may not even know how bad his eyesight is. Or his driving.

Sometimes assertive cycling means getting out of the way. And taking slight consolation in shouting helpful suggestions in loud English at blind motorists.