Birdsong

Lovely article in The Guardian about birdsong, and how to recognise different British birds by their song. It's all part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which was this weekend.

Even though I wouldn't consider myself to be a twitcher, I do enjoy birds. The last couple of camping trips we've taken have been absolutely full of birds. The first was because it happened in May so the dawn chorus was in full swing. We were camped right next to a large amount of trees, so the noise at about 4am was uproarious. The other trip was taken in June, in Cornwall, and there were tons of little birds nesting in the eaves of the shower block (they were either House Martins or Swallows, I've never been able to work it out properly). Because the roof was quite low, I used to spend a few minutes every morning just standing there in my pyjamas and wellies, towel in hand, inches away from these lovely little birds, watching them interact and sing. It is one of the loveliest memories I have about that particular trip.

Listening to the birds in the Guardian article has made me long for Spring.

(It is driving the cat a bit crackers, however, so I'm going to stop listening now!)

The Caprice, take two

I feel a bit like yesterday's post about the Caprice did it a disservice.

I took her (of course she's a she...) into the bike shop this morning and they sorted the breaks for me. It is like riding a different bike. Much easier.

Also, I'm getting the hang of her now. Today the ride was much more pleasant, there was less effort on my part and the whole thing felt much more positive.

I popped to the shops at lunchtime for milk and strapped it securely to my pannier rack before pootling off back to the office. So easy.

The riding position is very comfortable and I feel more stable as I can see more of the road.

Another positive is illustrated by the following picture.

That, my observational reader, is a total lack of bicycle clips. I can cycle the Caprice in a skirt, or in trousers, without the need for uncomfortable metal clips around my ankles.

Lovely.

Raleigh Caprice

I did a bad thing. When in the bike shop, ordering my new Dahon, I ending up 'accidentally' buying another bike...

It's a three-speed Raleigh Caprice, a lovely step through bike with a rack and skirt guard and hub gears. I love it to bits, and it was a good price as it was second hand but in practically mint condition.

Once the Dahon arrives it will be used for my commute, but it won't really be suitable to take camping. The idea is that I use the Caprice for camping trips. The old blue bike is going in my parents garage until I decide what to do with it (I can't quite bear the idea of parting with it just yet and I may still use it for trips where the Caprice won't be suitable).

Obviously, until the Dahon actually arrives, I will be using the Caprice to get to work.

Today is the first opportunity I've had to try it out properly.

Some initial thoughts:

1) I will have to get used to slowing down... the three speeds are definitely different to what I'm used to and initially I'm finding them a challenge.

2) I am not in my prime at the moment - I'm holding onto my Christmas weight and the last few months I have not been cycling every day so I am not fighting fit. All this means that I am finding the lack of gears harder going that I thought I would.

3) Added to this, my brakes are sticking slightly... This does not make things easier.

4) On the upside, this means that my legs will look fabulous in a couple of months!

5) All of this will take some getting used to, but with time will improve (as will my fitness).

Overall, the bike is going to be great for camping trips and pootling around town. However, I have to admit to looking forward to my Dahon arriving for my commute.

The 'other' Dahon

My week just got better!

When planning my folding bike purchase, I originally wanted a model called the Ciao. It's a step-through affair, very unlike any other folding bikes I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 2008, which was a bit disappointing. I plumped for the Vitesse and adjusted my hopes accordingly.

The bike shop rang me earlier today to tell me that when placing the order through for my Vitesse, the sales rep mentioned that the Ciao is back in their 2010 collection!

So, I now have a lovely Dahon Ciao - the bike I originally wanted - on order.

I'm so happy!

The Dahon

I'm very excited - I'm getting a new bike!

I've signed up for the government's Cycle Scheme through my employer. Its a fabulous scheme, created to encourage people to cycle to work. You basically lease a bike from your employer (who are reimbursed by central government) over a 12 month period, saving VAT and income tax along the way. After 12 months, you buy the bike from your employer for £1 and the bike is yours forever.

We're facing an office change at work - the Council is buying a building in a town about 15 miles away from where I live - and it's very likely that my team will be based there. I'm reluctant to give up my cycling commute as it's something I enjoy so much and get so much out of. There is a train service from Weston to a little village called Yatton - about 4 miles away from the new office base. I hit upon the idea of taking a folding bike to work and catching the train. I still get to cycle, I save money on petrol (albeit by spending money on train fare...) and I leave my little old car at home as much as possible.

So, for the past few weeks I've been researching folding bikes. There are lots to choose from, some totally out of my price range, some utter trash. I was thankful for the advice of my local bike shop, who have been really helpful. One happy consequence of my being in there so much over the last week has been that they now know me - and I much prefer it when shops know me.

I've decided upon a Dahon Vitesse D7HG.



It's got 20" wheels, which makes it more stable to ride than a folding bike with 16" wheels. I've sat on the shop's bike which they use for running about town to the bank etc (something I thought was a good endorsement of it!) and it feels stable, if a little different from a 'normal' bike. It folds nice and small, and whilst not as light as some folding bikes, is very portable nonetheless.

This week I've put my application in and next month sometime I should be able to pick up my brand new bike from the shop.

I can't wait to try her out!

Amother WIP

A peek at another WIP started... this time for a friend's 30th birthday coming up soon.

I just can't stop knitting at the moment!!

Haiti

One of the most awful things about the situation in Haiti is that the charitable organisations that were already there, providing vital support to an already desperately impoverished population, have also had their buildings, hospitals and equipment devastated.

Médecins Sans Frontières, for example, are treating people in courtyards because their three hospitals were all but destroyed.

It's a brutally cruel situation. I read on the MSF website that Port-au-Prince, a city with a population of 3.5 million - half of which live in slums - had 21 public health facilities, including its 4 hospitals. To put that into context - Birmingham, a city of around 1 million people, has 16 hospitals, with many more health facilities besides. The country just does not have the infrastructure to deal with a natural disaster of this magnitude. The UK would struggle, I think.

If you want to donate to MSF, there are plenty of links on their website.

I've got my knit on...

I'll say one thing for this weather... it's got me my knitting mojo right back. All I've wanted to do these past couple of snowy weeks is sit indoors knitting, cat nearby and mug of tea on hand.

One of my Christmas presents was an Amazon voucher (Best. Present. Ever.) and I immediately ordered Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting. Fabulous book. It's been on my bedside table ever since it arrived, and dipping into it before I put my head on the pillow has been seriously therapeutic during all these cold snowy January nights.

Of course, one side effect has been a growing desire to actually knit something, particularly something stranded.

Eunny Jang's Ivy League Vest has been on my Ravelry queue forever. It's now on the needles. It's growing nicely, and all the colours and stranded work mean it's interesting to knit. The brown that arrived is a little darker than I'd originally envisioned, but I'm going with it. Partly because the yarn was from the US via a friend's post box, and partly because I just couldn't wait to get started.

Yes, I have other things to finish... (like a teddy bear promised to a friend for Christmas!) but at the moment I just can't take my hands off this vest. I think I'm in love with stranded knitting.