I Want to Ride My Bicycle

I love riding my bike so much. Not in lycra, or with a speed demon determination, no, I love riding my bike slowly, shifting gears gradually and taking it easy. All through my childhood into my teens and now in my adult life I have loved the freedom riding a bike brings. The wind on my face, exploring roads and places unknown and at a pace that enables me to watch the world go by and take it all in.

My first bike was red and black and called 'Alex' funnily enough. It had stabilisers and a fixed pedal. But my true love was a sparkly, golden children's bike with a cream saddle and basket on the front - she was a beauty! Today I have a lovely purple Victoria Pendleton hybrid called 'Brooke', it was second hand from my niece and of course, she has a basket on the front.

The Importance of Play

There is a sense of joy in cycling along, as though my bike could take me anywhere, even back in time to more carefree days. It connects me to my six year old self that would play outside my Nannies flat for hours, going round the block, up and down pavements and having the inevitable grazed knees when I fell off. I think there is something wonderful about revisiting the things that brought you joy as a child and including these in your adult life. I have heard people say that this form of nostalgia is regression and childish, but I disagree. There is a great quote by George Bernard Shaw - "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing". I have a whole list of things that I loved to do as a child that I still do today. And do you know the best bit - I'm not very good at some of them, but they still make me smile.

For instance, tennis. I'm not especially co-ordinated or the most agile, but I love everything about the game - playing it, watching it, the sound of the tennis courts in our local park, strawberries and cream - I digress! In fact, I will keep some of my stories about tennis for another post, as playing tennis was one of my favo