the week before christmas

SO its the week before christmas, and its around 20 degrees and pissing down rain outside today. I'm used to - 6 degrees, a meter of snow and complete darkness around now, so the 20 degrees, warmth and light until 9.30 pm doesn't really fit in my christmas. It is exciting anyway to try something new, a barbecue and fruit salad on christmas day will be nice! I don't have anything against that!
This week has been pretty busy, paddling almost every day and working. Its been real good in other words.
On Thursday i got pulled over by the cops on my bicycle!
I was biking along, happy, eating an apple and completely content with my situation, when the cop-car stopped (there's only one in old Murchison, but two cops, a bald one and a not so bald one) and the bald cop put his head out the window and said: "helmet". I said: "alright" and kept on biking, thinking he was just trying to keep me safe, but OH, NO! He did a U-turn in the middle of the street and came driving after me, which didn't take long, cause honestly i was biking about 10 km an hour. Anyway, he pulled up next to me, at which point i stopped, realizing I wasn't going to get very far on the bike and a bike-car chase would be very hard work on my account. He then rolled down the window, and if he'd only had pilot sun glasses he would have looked like a cop right out of a movie, he didn't have them though and instead he said:
where's your helmet?
me: I don't have one
Copper: Where are you going?
Me: up the valley.
Copper: Where are you from?
Me; Norway.
Copper: (said in a stern and authoritative, but not very deep voice) Alright Norway-girl, if I ever catch you biking again without a helmet i will fine you 55 $, because its illegal to bike without a helmet!
Me: really????!!
Copper: (said in same voice) yes, its a 55$ fine, get a helmet, you're a bad influence on the locals!
and then he sped off in his not so cool car, without what would be cool sunglasses!

Emma, a woman from the cafe, saw the whole thing, and she said she had also been pulled over and apparently mr. copper had told her it was an 80$ fine.. someone is a bit confused i think, either way its a fine for not biking with a helmet, and not wanting a fine, no matter how big it is, I've said goodbye to freedom and wind in my hair and decided to use my kayaking helmet, which looks way cooler than a bike helmet anyway!