Well it's been ages since I broke my leg.

I was riding home from school on the 12/05/1999 and got knocked down on Seven Star Road, Solihull.

I'm a very lucky guy - as the helmet made a huge difference to the outcome of the accident. Thanks to that helmet, you now all get a few more MegaBytes of rubbish to read :)

The reason it took me so long to put on my helmet was this:

I made a bet with a teacher that there was a mistake with a question on the exam he'd given me. It was a thirty minute exam. The first question asked to reference a table - lets call it fig. a. This table had three columns of variables - call them a.i, a.ii and a.iii. The first question was a simple comprehension of each of the 5 rows.

The second question was much harder - and asked something like - if a.ii was raised by 2 - then what would the answer be. As the original figures were all under 2 - most people in the class read this as "if a.ii was raised to 2." I'm sure the scientists among you can spot the difference right away. I had to reconstruct the table with these new values - then calculate the new values for a.iv a.v and a.vi - it took up the whole of the exam and I was still not finished.

Anyhow, I digress. Said teacher decided that since the exam had been going out to students for "the last thirty years" - it was very egotistical of me to have claimed to identify a mistake - rather than accept my poor mark. (I got 5% in comparison to most of the class getting 80-100%).

The teacher also made me sit at the front of the class - and if I were to lose, I was to stay there.. and if he were to lose - I get £15.

As it transpired - I was correct. There was a failing on the exam. (Of couse, if I was wrong I'd hardly be bloating about it now).

So - given that my deposition at the front of the class had made the "gentleman's agreement" a few of the 'more vocal' lads in the class really started laying into the teacher. Looking back, it was must have been a stressful time for the teacher - with lads coming up and asking them where the £15 for Andy was.

So anyway, after a science lesson on the 12.5.99 - I was kept behind and given a firm talking to. (I also hadn't been moved back to my original seat in the class). The teacher explained that it was "un-ethical" to bet with a student - therefore he was unable to pay. Anyhow, I was impressed that he was easily able to not only prematurely and confidently placed me at the front of the class, assured of his win - but to keep me there even when the outcome had been reversed.

What made the day more exciting was that it was the day the GCSE students were released on study leave - which really meant that there'd be egg and flour in every bush leaving school by now - and some of those lads were pretty big and scarey.

I legged it down to my bike - got on it and pedalled as fast as I could until I was past solihull city centre. I then got to the end of Ashleigh Road and put on my helmet. You can see the diagram for the smash.. but three weeks in hospital is is an experience.

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"Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

What reminded me of this episode - well here are the pins I had in my leg - cute :)