Look at this lovely bunch of flowers! Aren't I a lucky girl?
Yes, I feel so lucky to have been taught how to make my own flowers, that no one need buy me any more, ever again!
I was taught how to make roses and carnations as part of another sugar craft course I did at Tamworth College. Although fiddly, the carnations were a lovely flower to make. I love how delicate they look against the more robust rose.
It's actually a cake...
...a bouquet cake to be more precise!
I ended up giving my Mum the flowers on top of her own birthday cake one year. She still has them stashed in a shoe box somewhere, and ever the embarrassing parent she'll get them out to show her visitors:
No, I'm afraid this isn't a David Bowie based post. I figured I'd just rip off his song title to illustrate the ch-ch-ch-changes (sorry) I've made to my new bike.
The beautiful original cream tyres on my Gazelle were, well, past it. Cracked, dusty and tired there was no way I was going to risk going on an adventure without immediately replacing them. After all, I didn't want to be riding a death trap.
I wanted to replace the old tyres but if possible keep the cream colour as they look lovely against the dark green frame. With the Gazelle being my first vintage bicycle I had no idea where to start looking for replacement tyres, as Tamworth isn't the sort of town to cater for the more traditional bike.
As a regular reader of Lovely Bicycle!, cream tyres feature a lot on Velouria's blog, and Schwalbe Delta Cruisers seem to be the tyre of choice. A quick search on the web confirmed that I could get them in the UK at a reasonable price, so what was I waiting for?
Mucky pup...
Ahem. The cream tyres may be a problem to keep clean - maybe I should've opted for black after all?
Chillin' at the castle
See! You can't even see the dirt from far away!
I made the decision to take the front rack off the bike, which to me, did nothing for the overall look of the Gazelle. Without it, it feels less cluttered and the bike is 100 times more gorgeous, not that it wasn't before mind you! The rear rack is more than enough for me and what I carry, although I may have to get some funky bungee straps to aid with my more bulky cargo.
When I bought the bike the dynamo light was totally knackered so it had to go. I'd like to replace it when I have the time but I need to do a bit of research to see if I can use the original light with a new dynamo set and how best to fit it to the bike.
Wheeeeeee!
So, those are the little changes that have been made to my bike so far and I'm quite pleased! What do you think?
The other day I stopped off at the supermarket on my way home from work, locked up the Gazelle and popped in to grab a few bits. Back outside, as I attached the pannier to my bike I noticed a group of young girls on their bmx bikes watching me getting myself ready to head home - feel free to use the picture below as a visual aid. Honestly... this was them.
Yeah, but no, but... what you lookin' at?
Intimidating? Uhh, yes!
As I cycled away I overheard one of the girls comment, "Why would you wanna ride that?"
Forgive me if I'm being stupid, but wtf? Why would I want to ride a bicycle? The girl on a bike really did ask that question. God, I need to get out of this town.
Okay, okay, I'll cut her some slack. The more I thought about this comment from Sharron* she can't have actually meant what I thought she meant, can she? I mean, its fairly obvious why someone would ride a bike. It keeps you fit and healthy and above anything else it's great fun! OH! Sharron must have meant the style of bicycle i.e. upright, traditional and darn beautiful.
It is a fact that 50% of bicycles in Tamworth are of the mountain variety, and the other 50% are bmx bikes. So to 'fit in' in this town should I have opted for a bike that I already own or a bike that I can do sweet jumps on? Well neither, thankyouverymuch.
I'll happily stick to my fabulous new bicycle and hope that I can inspire other ladies in this town to follow suit and see that traditional is not something to be scoffed at.
Oh my goodness, it's been an age sice I last posted. The nights are drawing in and winter is definitely on it's way. But...
I'd like to introduce you to my new bicycle! She's a 1975 Gazelle Impala, a bicycle make that I'd only really heard of through Lovely Bicycle! Isn't she a beauty?
As you might know, I'd been dreaming of getting a traditional bicycle for such long time and had been saving hard all summer but with one thing and another I never actually got round to buying one. Looking for cheap books on ebay I found myself once again dreaming about bicycles and typed 'vintage bicycles' into the search bar. There were loads! After an age of searching and a failed bid on a vintage Raleigh I found the bike that would be mine. With my heart racing through the bids I was soon the proud owner of a vintage Gazelle, and at a bargain price to boot!
Since getting her I had to replace her original cream tyres with some new Schwalbe Delta Cruisers, which I hope will last for years to come, only because I'm a very lazy bike owner.
I never imagined that I'd find a bicycle on ebay after I had my heart set on a new Pashley, but I would definitely recommend it for those of you that are on a budget. There are some real gems out there, but be prepared to search hard for the right bike for you. I think myself lucky in finding a beautiful bike in such great nick.
So, would you consider buying a vintage bicycle on the internet over a brand new one?
The rain has eased off and the sun is shining, for now, but it's just a matter of time before there's another downpour. I was hoping to get stuff done on my day off today; our garden currently looks like a jungle - I fear Ray Mears'* survival skillz would be put to the test; the lawn is desperate for a cut but I don't want to die, so mowing it whilst it's wet is out of the question. Maybe I'm being a big ol' blouse, but I didn't even go for my bike ride. I actually put it down to the puncture my poor bike got the other day. Yes, anotherpuntcure! That's two in the space of 5 weeks - is this normal? Maybe cycling through the glass-bottle graveyard that is my route to work isn't such a great idea. My bike is a bit under the weather, so he's tucked up in the garage until he's feeling a bit more sprightly.
Instead, I've enjoyed my afternoon watching 'A View to a Kill', supping a big mug of homemade masala chai - Yum!
*swoon*
There's nothing like a bit of Roger Moore, who incidently is the best Bond, to lift your spirits on a rainy, miserable day off. Yes, I know, everyone prefers Sean Connery - not this gal. I'm also partial to a bit of Timothy Dalton *sigh*
*super dreamy*
But the rain... please come again another day. Preferably when I'm at work...
235 ml water
6g sugar
1 whole cardamom pod
1 whole clove
2 black peppercorns
3g black tea leaves (I love Yorkshire Tea!)
120ml warm milk
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the cardamom pod, clove, peppercorns and tea leaves. Remove from heat, and let the mixture steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain into a cup, and fill cup the rest of the way with milk.
Way back in 2007 I took a 9 week recreational sugarcraft course at Tamworth College. I wanted to do something with my spare time that I enjoyed, and as I come from a family that loves to bake I thought that this would be the perfect way to spend two hours every Tuesday evening, that wouldn't interfere with my job and shift patterns.
Yes, please ignore the very crude photo, but I was extremely chuffed with my efforts from my first proper cake decorating course. It may not look like much, but that was my flowerpaste poinsettia! Don't you just love the glare of the flash against the red of the petals?
At the time, I felt frustarted that I couldn't quite get the hang of using this 'stuff' that was not too dissimilar to chewing gum. My hands were always too hot and made working with flowerpaste really difficult. I almost gave up within the first couple of weeks as it seemed almost impossible to create anything.
Patience and persistence was all I needed. I felt I could create (almost) anything once my poinsettia was complete! Bring it on...
...I mean, just look at my bow cake. You want one don't you? Admit it.
And this is my embossed, piped and whatever-else-I-could-get-on-it cake. Simply Beautiful (with a capital B)
Having the day off today I decided to make the most of this fab weather and go for a spin on my bike. I headed out of Tamworth towards Wigginton on a ride that I do a lot with Kellie, but as she's sunning it up abroad this week, I'm on my tod.
Please excuse my pasty whites
Look at this lovely house for sale, shame it's just out of our price range.
HELLO! I just love these yellow gates on Sunnyside Farm.
These pots are lovely aren't they?
Wigginton Manor.
Eye eye.
*Thhhuuuuptt*
With schools off for Whit Week I thought I might have seen more families out and about on their bikes, sadly no. I did see (and was overtaken by) a few lycra clad gents on their road bikes, I tried to keep up but couldn't be bothered didn't want to miss any of the view.
Look at all these broad beans! The field went on for ages
and potatoes! Lots and lots of potatoes - I hope they'll be sold at our farm shop when they're ready.
Canal in Fisherwick
Packington pig
Poppies
What a feast for the eyes! I'm now sporting a rockin' farmers tan on my arms, ending just below my elbows. Where did the sunshine take you today?
