I decided to interview myself - ! -as that somehow seemed the easiest way of telling readers about me.
Q "Why is your blog called "What this bike needs...."?
A Because I love the books by Quentin Blake about Mrs Armitage, e.g. "Mrs Armitage on Wheels" which I used to read to my children. I feel a bit like her. And I really do look at my bike sometimes and think "Hmmmmm, what this bike needs......".
Q Name?
A Yes I've got one, it's Elizabeth but most people call me Lizzie.
A Because I love the books by Quentin Blake about Mrs Armitage, e.g. "Mrs Armitage on Wheels" which I used to read to my children. I feel a bit like her. And I really do look at my bike sometimes and think "Hmmmmm, what this bike needs......".
Q Name?
A Yes I've got one, it's Elizabeth but most people call me Lizzie.
Q How old are you?
A Ooh, maybe a teensy weeny bit past 60.
Q Marital status?
A Married, with 4 adult
children and two grandchildren. Edit - 2024, now 7 grandchildren.
Q Where do you live?
A In a tiny hamlet in Oxfordshire, in the house we lived in when we first got married. We moved back here last year after 32 years in our old house. I still miss it at times but don't regret moving.
Q Do you go “out”
to work?
A No I don't. A few years ago I had to go “out” and
find jobs because money was so tight but I found it extremely hard
doing this after 25 years at home bringing up our children. For a
period of a few years I had a variety of very part-time jobs, the
last one being in a health food shop. I have to admit I hated most
of them, though not all of them all of the time! At present I earn a
little money doing sewing for people – anything from darning to
quite major alterations. Edit 2024 - no longer do this.
Q What are you going to
blog about and why?
A Over the last 2 or 3
years I have found a wealth of information on blogs which has
answered the many queries I have with regard to sewing and cycling and all things frugal. After a while I
began to feel that I too would love to be able to share with people
things that I was learning and doing. Hopefully I've got something
useful to offer! Here's a bit about -
Sewing – I
have done this since I was a young child. My generation all learnt to
sew. I did
'O' - Level needlework
at school, and sewed a lot at home too, and made a lot of my own
clothes. My first wearable garment was a blouse I made at 15 – I
can still remember buying the blue flowery cotton fabric to make it.
I still like making my own clothes, but also love making bags, mainly
from previously used fabrics. I have also taught myself how to do
alterations. I love mending things too. About 3 years ago I developed an interest in older sewing machines, particularly vintage Singers, and taught myself quite a bit about refurbishing them.
Cycling – again
I have always cycled, or at least since I got my first bike age 6
(with stabilisers). I have scars on one knee from when I fell off it
onto the foundations of our garage that was being built at the time!
But it is only in the last 6 years or so that I have done more of it.
I got a new lighter aluminium bike in 2014 and started doing longer
rides, but had to admit I didn't like this bike after all. I got a
lot of shoulder pain from the riding position, and also found
that I could feel every bump in the road. Then I found out more
about different types of bikes – in particular touring bikes. I
went back to my old steel one (a mixte Trek, which
fortunately I had hung on to) and found I liked it a lot better than
the new one – which I sold.
I even realized
for the first time that this older Trek had eyelets for a front rack
on it.....so I thought “This bike was made for touring.....”. And
I am very keen to do some – not round the world though, as many
women have done. This country will do me. The idea of just getting on
a bike and being able to pedal off somewhere different, a bit further
than your feet can get you in the same time, in the fresh air, for
very little cost, is very appealing to me! Edit, 2024 - I now have a Stanforth and a Brompton as well.
Q Other hobbies?
A All things creative!
I have had a go at weaving on a peg loom, lucetting, crochet,
kumihomo, making braid rugs, painting old furniture and decoupage. I also
love walking, and the outdoors generally. Ever since I can remember I
have also had a very keen interest in the environment and man's
effect on it – as a teenager I can remember walking down the street
in the town where I was brought up and hating the pollution that cars
created. Unnecessary use of cars has always made me angry. Edit, 2024 - this is still true, but I do not believe in the "climate emergency" and am totally against "net zero".
I love reading and
have always got a book (or two....) on the go. I read the Bible and
any books that help me understand it better, in particular David
Pawson's “Unlocking the Bible”. I find myself going to the
non-fiction shelves in the library much more these days –
favourites lately in particular have been travel books by cyclists.
Q Anything else that
describes you?
A Someone who is
interested in all sorts of things and finds all sorts of things
interesting! A fan of Radio 4 - it's on a lot when I am at home. 20204 BIG EDIT! I no longer listen to Radio 4, having done so for as long as I can remember. I now consider that the BBC is completely biased. I now listen to podcasts and videos while I am working.
