Gently does it!

This is my first posting for some time....well that is if you don't include the POSTING I nearly got on the bike!
A few people have asked how the bits, the undercarriage, the boys or... my nuts are after smashing them into the seatpost when we experienced yet another gear failure?
Honestly; I think the majority of the remaining bruises are mental rather than physical! Oh sure.. for a brief period of time I was a bit inflamed, a bit bruised and a member of the silly walks club but after 5 or so days that'd all but returned to normal.
The hardest thing(if you excuse the pun) was climbing back onto the trainer -which I thought might be a gentler start than the tandem, for a test ride....
10 mins on the trainer at a reasonable cadence and I found out that despite my ability to walk normally, talk normally and generally perform all physical tasks with no (or very little) discomfort there was still a groan in the chassis when undertaking the action of cycling.
So...we waited...and I decided last Sunday was a good day to shake the foundations and give the tandem a go!
So, with new brakelines fitted, gears changing like a dream and my plums newly restored we set off!
Two hours later -after plenty of bumping, grinding and generally testing the bike, the brakes and the balls we returned home with all things tested given a pass mark.

time now to get into the training.