An upcoming house move, and a bike tour to take in the Festival of Quilts

Just to say at the start of this post, that I'm hoping to be able to add some photos, but if I don't then it's because either I couldn't get them onto the PC from the smartphone I used as a camera on my trip, or they just weren't good enough. In which case apologies, and I hope my words can paint a reasonable picture.

Since I last posted, quite a lot has happened one way and another. Back at the beginning of June we asked the estate where we live if it would be possible for us to move back into the house we lived in for 3 years when we were first married a mile away from here. It would be a lot smaller, should be warmer, and has less garden to look after (though still quite big!). The answer after a while was yes, and after much thought we decided to do it. It will be quite hard to move from this lovely, shabby, big old cottage where we have lived for 32 years (we came here with just our eldest son, and then had three more children) but it makes sense to move. We can't afford to buy in this area, and don't feel it right to move a long way away from family in order to be able to do so. When we moved here Husband worked on the farm, so the cottage was a tied one. He was made redundant 19 years later, taking a job in a warehouse, since when we have paid rent. Moving to the smaller house will save us some money, and once there we will think again about our future.

So since then we have been clearing out this house....... putting stuff on Gumtree, Freegle, and Ebay, and filling up the garage with stuff for passers by to buy or have for free. We have cleared out our outhouse and various sheds which were full of stuff that you keep because you've got the space to keep it! We also kept our firewood in there – that will be going with us. Youngest son has taken a couple of vanloads of scrap metal etc. to the recycling centre for us.

In the midst of this I seemed to get more sewing jobs than ever (not much time to do any of my own sewing...) but there came a point at the beginning of this month when I decided I would have to stop, partly because of all the sorting and packing there still was/is to be done and partly because I needed to start packing up my sewing room.

Our lovely granddaughter Lily is now a very smiley little person of going on 8 months, full of baby chatter, and we have another one on the way – our other daughter is expecting in January!

The Lovely Lily

Earlier in the year my bike was off the road for a while. A tyre blew and I realized that my ancient tyres really did need replacing.....in the end I went a bit further than new tyres and Husband put new wheels, derailleurs, chainset and tyres on it for me but for a while I had no bike, and felt very lost without it as it's my main means of transport. I began to think again about visiting Oxford Bike Works, not far from us in Steventon....... more on that in a future post! 

Meanwhile I also began to think that if I didn't get on and plan something then what with all the moving business and sewing jobs I was not going to have the bike tour that I'd been wanting to have this year. So then I thought, well what about if I treat myself to a visit to the Festival of Quilts again this year (last visit was 2012) and, er, cycle there? I knew there was an NCN West Midlands Cycle Route which I could pick up further north in Oxfordshire, which would take me into or quite close (depending on how brave I was...) to Birmingham and the NEC where the Festival takes place. So after much planning and changing of the route, and buying a very lightweight tent, that's what I've just done!

So come with me on my first ever bike tour.....

Day 1

I had originally planned to pick up the West Midlands Cycle Route at Shipston-on-Stour (after camping there the night) but that didn't really fit in with the plans to go to the Festival of Quilts unless I took the brave step of cycling right into Birmingham, which I didn't think was a good idea as the route doesn't go right to the NEC, though I'm sure it's possible to use other cycle routes to get there. So instead Husband and I planned that I would go from here to my first camping stop at Aston Somerville, west of Broadway, roughly via Faringdon, Filkins, Burford, and Bourton-on-the-Water. I changed the route slightly as I got closer to Aston Somerville to what were quieter roads. The next day the plan was to cycle to just south of Redditch, where I would spend two nights in a B and B, travel from there to the Festival on the Thursday by bus and train, and on the Friday to set off back home, spending another night camping, probably near Shipston-on-Stour, before cycling home the rest of the way on the Saturday.

I had pieces of map printed off from Husband's OS Memory Map on the computer, and I also had his old smartphone (not using as phone) with Memory Map on it, so could use that and the GPS signal if I got lost. I do tend to get lost, despite being, actually, quite a good map reader...... I read a book recently by a man who had done a lot of running who also had a habit of getting lost, but had come to accept it as part of his running life. I like that. Getting lost isn't always bad. I like maps and can happily sit and read one for pleasure. My father worked for the Ordnance Survey when he was young – perhaps that's where I get it from.

I'd done most of the packing of panniers the night before, using my lists from last year's overnight stay in, and ride back from, Winchester as an aide. Let me just say one thing here which proves important later on...... several days beforehand I had taken the sleeping bag out of its stuffsack and left it to air, and then stuffed it back in the day before the ride. I then realized that it was rather big – not that heavy but big in dimensions. I could have got it on the back rack with the tent but it would have made getting into the panniers very difficult, so at the last minute I decided not to take it, but instead took 3 pairs of Husband's leggings and Rab waterproof overtrousers, plus my Primaloft winter jacket, aiming to put all that lot on at night instead of using the sleeping bag. So on the bike I had the rear panniers, the tent on the rear rack and the small homemade bar bag I made last year. 

I set off at about 8.10, slightly later than I'd hoped, but it wasn't for want of getting up early (5.30) – it was just all the pfaffing around with what to take to sleep in that delayed me (eldest Son, note – Mother pfaffs too...). The weather was warmish, but windy, which made for quite a struggle riding. My first stop was at Filkins, about 15 miles away, at the Cotswold Woollen Mill, which I can highly recommend for refreshments (I had coffee and a scone) and toilet facilities, and a lovely garden (or cafe) to sit in. 

Next stop was Windrush, near Burford, where I made my first mistake regarding eating. I thought I'd have what I'd planned for lunch, which was one of my John West tuna fish meals, which I normally like, but I just couldn't stomach it, and ended up wasting half of it. Then at Bourton-on-the-Water I stopped again (WARNING: Stay away from this place in summer!!! Chock a block full of tourists and CARS!) wanting a cup of tea, and thought I'd better try and eat again, aware that I hadn't actually eaten that much, but could only fancy cake, so asked for fruit cake, which they didn't have. I had carrot cake instead, but left half of that too......

Unfortunately this all left me feeling rather bloated, and together with the strong wind (no not me, I was bloated but not windy...) I really struggled on the next part of the journey. It took me past the Cotswold Farm Park (fans of Countryfile will be familiar with it as Adam Henson's farm). There were also two quarries up this road as well and so lots of lorries were thundering past me. I wouldn't use this road again if I had the choice.

I made more stops to obey the call of nature, and to drink and eat some fruit and nuts that I always take with me on bike rides. Last year on the way back from Winchester I experienced the “bonk” a few miles from home and I was conscious that I didn't want this to happen again, hence the constant nibbling.

I finally reached the campsite at Aston Somerville (www.manorfarmglamping.co.uk) just after 6 pm (51.6 miles). It was their “Wild Camping” bit, with a compost toilet, a washing/washing up area, and an outdoor shower (not literally outdoor, but in a wooden shed!). At first I thought I was the only camper there, but then in the adjoining field I found two ladies camping, and chatted to them a bit. Even so I was surprised to find the place so empty. I pitched my tiny tent in a sheltered spot in the same field as the loo etc., so I wouldn't have to walk far if I needed to go in the night. I didn't really feel like eating any of the food I had left, although I drank plenty of water, which the two ladies had kindly given me to save me walking quite a distance to the farm to get drinking water.

I think I got into my tent about 8.30, as I was very tired. I had on merino leggings, my cycling trousers, and the waterproofs over the top, plus the vest top and shirt from the daytime, a windproof jacket and the winter jacket, plus my shoes and socks. No camping mat by the way..... Then I took the winter jacket off and draped it over me as I thought I might prefer that. I had the flaps of the tent at least partly open at first as I do not like being totally shut in (I always like the curtains drawn back at home at night in the bedroom, and the window open summer and winter). After a while I began to get a bit chilly, so put the jacket back on, and zipped up the flaps a bit. Later I zipped them up completely.

I then spent the next few hours very cold indeed. Throughout all this I was both praying and constantly trying to think of the best way to try to prevent myself from getting any colder. Stay in the tent, get out of the tent (but let cold air in) and jump up and down, even go and disturb the two ladies and ask to share their tent??!! Believe me I was desparate, and I kept looking at my watch longing for the dawn to come. I thought – do people who get really cold go to sleep and never wake up? I also thought of homeless people trying to stay warm. At one point I got up and went for a wee (not to the compost loo I'm afraid, just a squat by a ditch....) and got a large plastic bag out of my panniers to put my legs in back in the tent. Eventually I also got all my spare clothing out of the bag I was using as a pillow, and my towel, and draped it all over my legs.

I knelt up at one point (the tent was too low to sit up), put on my head torch, got out pen and notebook and forced myself to scribble things down, to pass the time and to keep my brain occupied. It was also warmer kneeling up than lying down. Oh and to cap it all the ground was very hard....(bruised hip the next day) and my tendency to get cramp in my feet was worse than usual, perhaps due to the cold. Here's some of the rubbish I wrote -

“2.25 am. Kneeling in tent writing with headtorch. ABSOLUTELY FREEZING. Can't sleep so trying to be vaguely active.”

“Ate one bite of Nakd bar which I had in rucksack which is in tent with me but it tastes weird but will try to eat more.” 

“Now 2.44. Might try and sleep again. Traffic noise awful even though in distance.” [Must have been the way the wind was blowing as the main road was quite far away].

Well, I thank God that I got through it.  Husband, who's a bit of a weather expert due to his hobby of paragliding, told me later that it probably got down to 5 degrees that night.... At 4.15 I got up, even before the birds, and started the whole process of packing up etc. etc. Once again eating was very difficult – I had some muesli but had to put most of it in my bag of rubbish (properly disposed of at the farm later) as I just couldn't get it down. But I got the energy from somewhere to cycle on my way, leaving the campsite at 7.15. I'd seen an early morning dog walker but no-one else at all.

I was going to skim over this awful camping experience and pretend it didn't happen.... 

I haven't been put off camping. I'll just do it differently next time!

Tomorrow - a kindly farmer's wife sustains me with tea and toast!

Bike maintenance workshop and stuff I've been upcycling/sewing

A bit about the bike workshop I attended. 

It was given by Lew Lawton of www.mobilecyclemedic.com/ at nearby Shrivenham. This event was organised by Sustainable Wantage at The Wantage Mix. It was a mere £10 for 6 hours tuition. There were 5 ladies and 1 man! We did a bit of looking at stuff on a screen in the morning then and then it was all hands on deck doing the actual stuff. We had to take off the back wheel (I was the only one there with wheelnuts... everyone else had quick release), remove the inner tube and replace it and the wheel (all of which I knew how to do but it was good to repeat it). After learning about what wheels and tyres we all had, we had to pick out the correct size and type of inner tube from a selection. We also learnt about adjusting brakes, fitting new brake pads (I'm going to do that on mine this week), and adjusting gears (I must admit that didn't really sink in), and a thing called the M safety check.  And cleaning and lubricating. The word Teflon came into the conversation which it does with sewing machines as well! Lew is doing another workshop on July 23rd, so if you're local and reading this, then go for it! There was a waiting list for the one I did.

I have to give credit to my Husband here, after all it was he who taught me how to mend a puncture, but sometimes, as indeed some of the other ladies said, it's a good idea to learn from someone else as well as one's other half.......

I must admit I'd like a workshop stand and have looked up the two types and how much they are. 

This type - less dosh

and

this type, the "proper" one - more dosh

Has anyone out there got any kind of workshop stand, and if so how do you rate it?

Workshop pics

Thank you to Jo Harvey of Sustainable Wantage for letting me use your photos.

My bike gets its brakes looked at (that's me in the cream jumper).

Two roadies doing something to one of their bikes.

My bike again. Well, it is lovely.....

The road bike again. Gear talk this time.

 I cycled home in the rain, but had borrowed Husband's (expensive...) waterproof trousers so arrived home nice and dry. They are Rab, not cycling specific but very comfortable for cycling in, very breathable.

On to another subject, "this week I have been mostly doing" getting ready for a sale in my shed. I call it my shed but actually it is rather posher than a shed, and used to be my sewing room when all the children still lived at home. I no longer use it to sew in as it makes more economical sense (regarding heating) to sew in the house, now that we have the space. I don't really use my shed at the moment, but it's coming into its own tomorrow (Bank Holiday Monday) as I am having a sale in it, of stuff we don't want any more, some bags I made, and furniture I've been upcycling. Here's some pics:

Before - ordinary but solid pine bedside cabinet

After - painted with satinwood, old brass effect knobs replaced with wooden ones, which I painted and oiled.

This was a bathroom cabinet which I painted and decoupaged with flour bags. I was intending to use it in our kitchen but have now changed my mind on future colour schemes, so the bright blue had to go!

Is it my camera or am I just lousy at taking good quality photos? This was a rather boring mahogany veneer table. I covered it in plain thick cotton fabric to give an interesting texture, then painted it and oiled it.

I'm told these are thimble shelves. I started priming them then remembered to take a photo!

Primed, painted, decoupaged and varnished.

By the way, I do find that Waitrose Kitchen magazine, and John Lewis Editions magazine, are just the right weight for decoupage! The blue bits on the thimble shelves were from the "blue" Editions mag that came out earlier this year with really beautiful colours in.

Bum bag made from this pattern

Bags made from old jeans and remnants from other projects.

Well, that's it for now. Let's hope that lots of people come to my sale then maybe I'll be able to afford a workshop stand......

Lizzie

Punctures and pictures

Now that the weather is improving and the days are so much longer, I have been cycling more - no big trips yet this year, just mainly to go shopping, although I often go a long way round. I'm not, frankly, the type to go cycling just for the sake of it, or for "training" purposes. I just like cycling because it gets me places and keeps me fit in a cheap, environmentally friendly and highly enjoyable fashion.

I had a puncture a while ago and had to do the call of shame to my husband, who fortunately was on his way home from work (by car) and would be almost passing where I was. Last year I had watched Husband mend a puncture for me, as I knew I ought to learn how to do it, so now was the moment to do it myself. I did it outside on a sunny day, with help from said Husband. Then lo and behold the same tyre went flat after the next journey. This time the day was not sunny so I got the bike into the kitchen. Kitchens are not just for cooking! They are most definitely for sewing as well (see the fabric slung over the chair) and fixing bikes.

I though that maybe my previous puncture repair would prove to be the reason for the flat i.e. the patch had come unstuck, but it had remained perfectly in place - on the left, and by the way it was a self-adhesive job from Wilkinson's (shall buy some more when I am near a Wilkinson's again) that I had bought Husband for his birthday. But in fact there was a massive split, and it wasn't even on a seam. There is a slight right angle at the left hand end. So I put a new tube in, and did it all by myself.  I didn't get the tyre back on quite properly so Husband re-did it (I'm learning from my mistakes). I have since bought two new inner tubes, which necessitated a small crisis of conscience regarding where to buy them. Buy Bontrager brand from local bike shop at a cost (last time) of £10 for two (£5.50 each) or send off to, in this case Wiggle, and get two, delivered, for just under £6? I don't think, but can't be certain, not being an expert, that there's much difference in quality. I really really like to support local shops, but when money is tight sometimes financial considerations have to come first.

I recently booked my bike in for a service locally, but then discovered that  this chap is doing a bike workshop locally, 6 hours for the princely sum of £10! So I have cancelled the service and booked myself in for the workshop. I think that with doing stuff to bikes I don't quite trust myself to do it properly and safely, but I know that the more I do it the more able and confident I'll get, just like I have done over recent years with sewing machines. (I can't believe how I treated my sewing machine in the past........hardly ever changed the needle, never oiled it......).

I got this wonderful bell for my birthday recently! My son (the one who has the pfaffing problem!! Read all about that here) got it in Germany. It is much louder than the last one I had, which definitely pinged rather than dinged, and sounds rather like a shop bell and now when I go out I look forward to dinging it at pedestrians.

Talking of sewing machines, as I was a minute ago, I found this in a charity shop, going for a song, so I snapped it up. It was in very good condition, and all I needed to do was clean it, oil it, check that all the stitches were working, and then sell it at a vast profit...... Well it wasn't vast but I did indeed sell it at a profit a few days later. It was a really good machine and like new. I'm not sure of the exact date as it seems you can't find the dates of manufacture of New Home machines except the really old ones, but from the style of it (and the manual) I'm guessing it must be 1970s or early 1980s. The model is a 641. 

And now for some sewing.

I am taking part in Stitch Wantage, which you can read about here. I didn't manage to get to the first meeting so I think the fact that I got lumbered with probably the most boring building in Wantage - the Leisure Centre - is due to the fact that everyone else had already picked out the nice old interesting ones! But I didn't actually mind as in a way it's presented more of a challenge.

Most of the other ladies are doing their buildings in traditional embroidery, but I am using applique and machine stitching, which perhaps is appropriate given that it's a modern building). In the pictures above and below I have appliqued the roof on (right hand side and small bit on left hand side, brown),  and in the picture below I have appliqued the wall on the left. However, I just wasn't happy with the wall, so I unpicked it - hand and machine stitching.......took ages - but I'm glad I did.

 This is the completed picture, although I have still got to add the title and my name.

Some applique, and a little hand embroidery, on the bits above the wall, with machine stitching over it.  There are bike racks at the front of the building, so I used a bit of artistic licence and put my own bike in! I hadn't got any suitable fabric (others used organza) for the glass in the doors so I put some glue on the sections to make them shiny and it worked quite well.

I appliqued the white wall, the roof, and the doors, and machine stitched over. There's also a bit of hand stitching on the grey grill thing.

I've never done this sort of thing before, but really enjoyed doing it. Two of the other ladies both cycle and sew! What is it with cycling and sewing??!! The panels are going to be exhibited between 1st June and 16th July in the Vale and Downland museum in Wantage. 

A bit more cycling

On both days this last weekend I cycled to some of the studios opening for Oxfordshire Art Weeks. The weather was very good for it, nice and warm, windy but not too bad. On Saturday I went to Shrivenham and then on to Bourton (the latter a very picturesque village but I wouldn't want to live there - probably one of those villages that's dead during the week when everybody's at work). Then home, and was pleased to find I could still get up a local steep hill. 

On approaching Shrivenham I got talking to a young German cyclist, who had come over to Harwich, and was making her way down to Cornwall, hoping to find work for the summer. I could see she was looking for somewhere, and it turned out that she had a noise on her bike and someone had told her about the chap I mentioned earlier who is doing the bike workshop, so she was trying to find his house. Good job I'd looked up where he lived as I was able to direct her. I also gave her one of my sewing fliers and said - if you get into difficulties and need somewhere to stay then ring me.

About 22 miles. 

On Sunday I went to Great Coxwell, via Little Coxwell as I was hoping to find that going this way would take me to an easier place to get across the horrible A420, which indeed it did. I have previously crossed it nearer to Faringdon, and that can be a nightmare particularly during rush hour. The only other safe place to cross it locally is further east at Buckland, where there is an island in the middle of the road. I hate the fact that this major road chops up the countryside making it very difficult to get from south of it to north of it in anything but a car! Great Coxwell had several artists exhibiting. Again a very pretty village but I wouldn't want to live there! 

I then cycled on and and called on some friends who have recently moved to Faringdon (don't get me started on the terrible state of the "cycle path" at the side of the road.....) and later attempted to get to Littleworth where there was another studio open, but I gave up in the end as it meant too much travel on the A420. The only way to get to this village without going on the A420 (though I'd still have to cross it) would be a much longer route going further north from Faringdon and then east and south - I might try it if I get time. Then unfortunately I had to cycle back along the A420 to get to my turning off. Boy was I glad to turn off!!! 

About 20 miles. 

I got home to be told that our younger son (25) had had a motocross accident near Aylesbury, and was in hospital with both wrists broken......I am thanking God that it was no worse. He is being operated on this morning and we shall visit later today.

And now back to some earning-me-money-sewing (a dress alteration), so bye for now.

Lizzie