In time honoured fashion, as with many thrusts in life, skateboarding has temporarily fallen by the wayside for me. When I say temporarily, I really mean it has forever been ditched. I realise my last posting, some time ago now, charted me showing a renewed vigour to learning the sport and a commitment to improve. It hasn't happened, I remain the floundering idiot on a skateboard that I long-attempted not to be. I could use the ramp closing down as an excuse, but it would be a poor one as there are more at Hopeman - a mere 10 miles away. Equally viable would be the onset of winter, long hours at work, a reluctance to damage the environment by driving elsewhere, and the inexplicable dissapearance of my essential kneee and elbow pads. The truth, all the more shameful, it that it is just too hard. I am a person who aims to see progress, charting mini-achievments to spur me ever onwards. Imagine then for a moment the sombre weekly review of proposed forward leaps and bounds - "no progres, no progress, no progress". No, I am loathed to admit it but it would seem there are people out there who are just far better than me when it comes to standing atop the ramp and attacking it with all-singing, all-dancing tricks and turns. So I drink to the skateboarders of the world - something I can do very well - and salute their ability as, for me, mastering skateboarding is a skill akin to scaling the highest peaks... Now, where are those roller skates.