Trusty Stead!

I love bikes.  This one particularly took my fancy as I walked past it on my morning wander.  It sat propped against this flint wall looking rather abandoned and lonely.  It looks a very practical bike with its sprung saddle, mud guards and large rear reflector.  

I suppose this looks a bit of cliche of English village life - the type of thing you see on the tv but there seems to be a bit of a resurgence in people's interest in more traditional styles of bikes - certainly our local cycle shop has some gorgeous gleaming models.  

I am in rather a dilemma at the moment as I have a 20 year old Raleigh mountain bike.  I bought it using money I saved from my first job.  Its been all over the country with me and whilst I have had other bikes, this is still the best one in terms of the quality of the build.  Its totally reliable and the gears change like a dream.  The one problem with it is that it weights a 'ton' (!) which makes life hard when you want to put it in the car or when going up steep hills.  And so I am feeling an urge to get a new lighter model.  But they are expensive and I am sure won't be as well built.  I suspect I will have to do quite a bit more investigation into the types of bikes and models available, and some soul searching, before I make a decision!  Happy cycling and happy St. Andrew's Day to you all!  

In writing this blip I have realised that today is the 5th anniversary of my starting to blip.  Thanks to you all for being there - you make me laugh, smile and cry; you inspire me to learn and try new things, and to look at the world from different perspectives, opening my mind to new ways of understanding.  You are wonderful and I wouldn't like to image my life without you.