A Love Affair

First off, I want to thank you all for your kind birthday wishes for Patrick.

You made my day and Patrick was equally as thrilled...the comments lifted us both right up.

It was very thoughtful of you and we send our sincere thanks :)

NOW

My question today is...

do you think it is possible to have a love affair with a bike???

Some of you may remember my deliberations over purchasing a new bike a while back.

I was very fortunate to receive great feedback from readers and the decision was made in no time.

A Pashley it was and a Pashley it is. 

Finally, after weeks of waiting......it's here!

and...I love it!

Can you tell??

the Buckingham Black colour..

the leather seat which I am assured will soften up in no time...

the groovy wheels...

the front basket and rear attachment for a pannier...

the clean lines...

the little night lite...

Best of all... 

the bell, 

which goes..

ding..............dong......

in a very English sort of way.

At this point my son peddles way ahead of me 

as I burst out into laughter...

ding, ding, ding...

comes the crazy lady down the street.

Ok, some may say that this is a bit tragic...it is a bike after all.

But what a bike!

:):):):)

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I am Mother and I Shall Conquer

I did it! 

I have to thank one and all for their suggestions 

as to which Pashley bike I should purchase.

The overall winner was, as I had hoped, 

the Buckingham Black, Princess Sovereign.

My order has been placed and it is off to the Pashley

bicycle manufacturer where it will be hand-built

by their bicycle specialists in Stratford-upon-Avon.

It is a 4-8 week wait but I believe it will be worth it.

This is my first 'Made in the UK' purchase and 

I am delighted. 

I thought it would end there but alas...there is more to consider.

So much more that it has my head spinning!

Someone asked about the use of bicycle helmets in the UK.

A good question, as the only bicyclists I see using them are the serious speedsters.

I made an inquiry and discovered that they are not mandatory here. I am still in a quandary,

while it does look better without one, I can't help feeling that I am putting myself at risk.

Next step: find a bike helmet!

I send my thanks to Jane over at The World According to Jane who now has

me up to speed on the latest bike wear around London. 

What a clever girl she is...I am indebted to her!

The place to go is Bobbin Bicycles

397 St. John Street

 London.

They have it all!

Uber-stylish cycle helmets... 

Cycling Macs and hood...

Zippy double and single panniers....

Yikes, which one? Can you see my dilemma??

I have to say, Mr. H and the family think Mom is off her rocker by now.

She walks around chanting B-Well, B-Well, B-Well....

a pedometer, a bike, health journals....what next ??

To which Mom says...

I am Mother and I shall Conquer!

or something like that :)

If you have any opinions on any of the above, I would love to hear them!

PS...Be sure to stop in at the Gorgeous Grace Giveaway

for this classic 1950's double music CD

and leave a comment ;)

Closes 6:00 pm~9 May

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Decisions, Decisions...

It has been many years since I hopped on a bike. 

It has been many years since I have even thought of hopping on a bike, but now I am ready. 

For months, I have been looking longingly at the town and country bikes that pass me on the road. 

I have discovered many things about the English since moving here and one of them 

is that they have a fondness for cycling. I have also concluded that there are two types of cyclists. 

One uses a bicycle for local errands around town. They ride at a steady pace, hair flapping in the breeze, 

not a care in the world, just happy that they can glide thru traffic and you can not. 

The other rider is serious...very serious, the outfit, the stride....they are on the road for some action.

Finding serious action on the road is not on my list of things to do at the moment, but, 

purchasing one of these bicycles is. The bike of choice is a Pashley. 

It is the classic English town and country bicycle and it is calling out to me. 

The problem is I can not decide which one. You are all ladies of exceptional taste, 

can you tell me what you would select? I have narrowed it down to three. 

Which is your favourite, Princess Sovereign, Sonnet Bliss or Sonnet Pure?

Thank You!!

Pashley Princess Sovereign in Buckingham Black ?

Pashley Sonnet Bliss in Ivory/Midnight Blue?

Pashley Sonnet Pure in Ivory/Claret?

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Blogs by Jeanne

Collage of Life~one woman's view

In One Place~thinking about a creative life

Finding My Way~ discovering England

B-Well Report~ wellness