2nd Comprehension Timed

The Diary of Jamie Leonard

Day 1

Hi Diary!

I have decided to write in you every day.

Apparently, it is a really good idea to write down how you are feeling and what your hopes are for your future. My mum said that you can put these ideas on paper and then start planning how you are going to get to your destination (a little bit like a journey).

I said, ‘I don’t really know where I want to end up.’

She said ‘Don’t worry, you are only ten. You have many years to think about it.’

It sounds quite useful though, so here goes:

I am ten and I love cycling most weekends.

I wonder if I could be a cyclist? I wonder what I would need to do to become one?

Hmm. Maybe I should go on the internet and look up how to become a professional cyclist?

Oh, does that mean I can’t eat chips? I must ask Mum. If I can’t, then that’s the end of my career and I haven’t even started.

I wonder if I could eat chips on a Saturday night? Just as a special treat?

Day 2

Hi Diary!

Mum says it’s probably ok to eat chips even if you are a professional cyclist. So that’s good news!

Right, what can I tell you next?

I looked on the internet and have found some really exciting cycling clubs, which are not too far from home.

Mum is going to call them tomorrow to see if they have places available; how much it costs to join and whether you need to have a really amazing bike (something professional with suspension and a ton of gears). So Diary, I will let you know then!

Day 3

Hi Diary! Should I give you a name? Are you like a friend without a name?

I think I will carry on calling you Diary for the moment. I don’t feel like we know each other well enough for me to choose your name! I assume I can do that?

So, Mum called three cycling clubs. One sounded rubbish, as the lady who answered didn’t seem to know anything about a cycling club. Mum said she sounded confused. Maybe I wrote down the wrong phone number.

The second club which takes place every Wednesday (so I could go after I have been to Cooking Club) sounds good. The annual membership costs £15 and I could have my own team vest for £10. Mum said I could have my name printed on the back. Mum suggested my nickname of ‘Tarantula Head’ could be stamped on there.

Actually, that might be quite embarrassing…. I don’t think that is a good idea. I am called a million different nicknames by my friends. I’ll have a think about which one I like the best.

Diary, are you wondering why I was called “Tarantula Head”? Well, let’s just say my older sister Tamsin did not like my new haircut and she was feeling particularly unkind that day.  Also Diary, I should say that I had just trodden on her guitar and broken it. It wasn’t intentional, it just happened.

Ok Diary. I can’t lie to you. I was annoyed with her and I stamped on it. I now realise that I was extremely badly behaved at that moment and I was very sorry. Ok, Diary I wasn’t that sorry…….!

The third and final club sounds amazing too and I have asked Mum if we can try it. It’s quite expensive. I may need to get a job window cleaning or cleaning everybody’s house in the road. The annual membership is £75 (including a hooded top and a rucksack with the team’s name). It is a mountain biking club where I can learn all the skills of how to handle my bike going over huge rocks, through enormous puddles and riding skills on all sorts of gradients and surfaces. I can’t wait!

Diary, maybe this is the start of my career in cycling. Maybe I could cycle across the world for a charity or maybe be the world’s first ten year old to cycle the coast of the UK, or…….. Wow!

Hold that thought Diary! I haven’t worked out the next option for my career. I can’t do it right now. Mum has just called me. My dinner’s ready.

Back soon.

Tim

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