I Want to Ride my Bicycle!
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I want to ride my bicycle… i want to ride my bike! Ok… here’s the thing. I post an ad on FreeCycle for an old second-hand bicycle. Mark Boyle managed to get a caravan for free… so I thought I could at least try and get my transport from there… free. I didn’t quite get one for free/pasella/gratis but a very kind person put me in contact with BEN Bikes, and I bought an old ‘vintage’ bike for R140! Wow… that is basically ‘gratis’, right? She had some rust on her rims but I thought I could just fix her up nicely. I was super excited and ready to go! All this happened in January this year, but I only managed to put some new tires on THIS weekend. So here we are on my super sexy vintage bike… before the facelift. I will post an update on how sexy she looks after we cleaned her up nicely and make her look all shiny and new! Now BEN Bikes (Bicycling Empowerment Network South Africa) imports used bicycles from Europe and distributes them to low income areas. Pretty amazing right? This bike came all the way from Holland and I’m now the new owner. I wish she could talk and tell me her life story… (the bike that is) **grin** I’m hoping to take the kids to school this summer on our bikes. I know this is very optimistic thinking… but wouldn’t that be nice? Early morning sun shining down on us. Listening to the birds as we fly past them on our bikes. Bliss, don’t you think? Unfortunately the school is quite far from our home. A good 7 – 10 km. **Phew** thats sounds a lot! So using our bikes instead of driving is a good start right… it is free! No fuel and we are saving the earth one small gesture at a time. Now imagine if all drove their bicycles to work, visit friends or to the farmers market… awesome! Please share in the comments below and let me know if you have a bike and if you use it! Much love to all! May your heart shine and be filled with so much love! 
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I love your new bike, she’s so pretty! I hope you have lots of fun with her!
I bought a new bike this weekend, my friend gave me his old bike, but it was too big for me, and I figured out the cost of making it over (tyres, paint, new bits and bobs) would be about half the price of a new bike, I tried to look for a second hand one, but couldn’t find one near me and got impatient and bought one, she’s soo pretty, she’s blue and she’s called Betty and I rode her into town today, which was great and so much quicker…shame it rained torrentially on the way home, I was soaked to the skin!!
Aaaah, thanks Sooz… that is so sweet of you. I hope I have lots of fun on her too. I’m so proud of you for going to town with your bike! how far is it…? I can’t even remember the last time i rode a bike… but i’m learning slowly again…
Like my mom (@Bets) said… i hope you didn’t catch a cold riding in the rain… Betty IS a cute name! You must show us on your blog… 
would love to see Betty… I am proud of my mom too for riding her bike too…
It’s only a bout a mile or so into town, but I haven’t ridden a bike since I was about 11 so I had to be brave (specially cos adults aren’t really allowed to ride bikes on the pavement, we have to use the road, and there are no cycle paths on the roads near me so I was quite near to the traffic!) I’m waiting for someone to take photos of me riding my bike, then I can write about her!
@Sooz, I like the name of your bike “Betty” I need to get a nice funky name for mine, as it is also blue? Hope you did not catch a cold, when you had to ride in the rain, but that is all part of the ” fun” not so…?
Hi Bets
No, I didn’t catch a cold, I didn;t mind too much, I wasn’t out for very long and had a nice hot shower when I got in!
I love your bike,must give it a name – it must have a lovely history/story, you look soooo cool on the bike – and so is madam, one thing that is also positive with the bike riding is the exercise and all that fresh air in the lungs,how awesome, Phil must also get a bike and the Coopers can go for a nice family ride and when Ouma comes and visit – she can bring hers with – how awesome is that – specially where you stay – the birds chirp,what a a wonderful sound – and you feel so free,when you bike riding.
With the light shining on you – you remind me of my Angel book,which i am bust reading
“Angels in my hair” will tell you more about it at a later stage – i love it.
Hee-hee… would love to read it mom! That photo of me does look like there some ‘naughty’ angels in my hair… all bushy! Yip… you see now what you’ve started!