Heather Fell, Olympic modern pentathlete silver medalist, writes about her life 'on and off' the track.

IT is amazing what a bit of sunshine can do. Admittedly this recent glimpse of spring weather does not require the discarding of jackets and boots just yet but it has allowed for the removal of a layer or two. I can now wear tights, with a skirt, or jeans, and no longer both together.

The sheer shock of bright blue sky combined with the need to hold my unruly hair vaguely in place called for the trusted sunnies. In line with my love of vintage clothes and accessories - okay I mean second hand and cheaper – I have a wonderful pair of old but much loved sunglasses.

On a recent visit to the shops I found myself drawn into an eyewear store for a spot of browsing, otherwise known as dreaming once I discovered the price tag attached to the designer frames. That uncomfortable moment followed when I found myself pretending to be interested in order to avoid appearing rude and exiting the shop obviously fast. This strategy was not going to plan as the friendly assistant had struck up conversation and kindly passed me several gorgeous frames to try on.

In the meantime he had kindly offered to attempt to fix my 'vintage' pair – apparently they were a little on the loose side. Unfortunately he did not manage to tighten the hinges but bizarrely the result was in my favour. The assistant's generous endeavours backfired on him as part of my glasses snapped. In true British style I awkwardly laughed it off and assured him all was fine, but he would not allow me to leave until I had found a suitable complimentary replacement. I struggled not to skip out the door while he was still profusely apologising.

n Times readers can be updated on what Heather is up to via?her social networking site twitter:heatherfellnews