Bike Lights in the Fruit Bowl

Little signs of hope: family cycling in East London

"There's a baby in there, right? Stop cycling with your baby in that f**king chair!" he shouted out the window of his sports car as I cycled (actually without a baby on this occasion) down a quiet street on my way home from work a few weeks ago.  

 

I've been sworn at a few times over the years for cycling.  "F**king weirdo" was another nice one I had whilst on my way to work one morning in suburban Birmingham.  Just because cycling was a bit, err, unusual from what I can gather (either that or my fluorescent tabard!).  I didn't quite catch which expletive I inspired from another motorist who sped across my path at some traffic lights one day.  Apparently enraged at even the slighted suggestion that I might want exercise my right of way at the junction. I felt wronged for the rest of my journey - I almost wished I had jumped a red light to justify such as outburst!

 

My experience a few weeks back reminded me of two things.  Firstly that cycling with a family in tow is rare.  I cycle around in my East London bubble feeling like I'm quite normal (for my cycling behaviour at least!).  I frequently see other cyclists with rear mounted child bike seats like ours. I'd say there are usually 5 or 6 families at our childrens' nursery using them most days - more than 10%.  Increasingly I'm seeing a range of other set ups for more than one child. Pics of three of the bikes I've spotted recently are below - one day I'll get a picture of the semi-recumbant tandem with an extra rear-mounted seat (!) that I've seen on my way to work a few times.  It makes sense really.  Apparently I live in the place with the most people regularly cycling to work in the country…people who are also referred to as the 'three-wheeled buggy brigade'. Plenty of cyclists,  plenty of small children and hey presto a burgeoning family cycling scene.  

 

 

 

 

 

Secondly the outburst reminded me that, actually, cycling in London, particularly with a family is far from ideal.  However offensive the comment from the sports car driver, it was motivated by concern for my child's safety - arguably an understandable reaction.  Plenty of people, particularly those from outside London who haven't become accustomed to the hoards of commuting cyclists, look aghast at the idea of cycling in London without children in tow.  There are plenty of places I won't cycle with my children.  I didn't, for example, take our bike trailer on a theatre trip a few weeks back, despite an annoying part closure of our local train line, because I didn't know the route well enough to be comfortable that it was safe.

 

But I still have hope.  Cycling is becoming more normal, less weirdo-like behaviour.  Yes, we need more space for family cycling in cities and yes, some people are always going to think this is crazy idea.  But I take hope from seeing lots of families enjoying cycling around the streets of Hackney. I take hope from seeing lots of people experimenting with different family bikes, and I'm sure inspiring others to do the same.  I get quite a lot of interest in our bike trailer from other parents and saw someone with the same model taking what appeared to be an inaugural spin around or local park the other day. And I take hope from the local cycle routes that I love. There are some great routes from my home to parks, to fun activities for kids and to shopping destinations all through quiet streets and off-road cycle paths.  Without these family friendly cycle routes I would not have been lucky enough to spend most of last summer cycling around listening to my children singing songs in a trailer behind me.  

 

 

Family cycling in London, and other cities, can work if we get out of the mind set of thinking it's crazy.  We need to start helping people find routes that do work for families and create a lot more so we can safely explore a bit further afield!  I guess I should play my part in that by finding time to blog a bit more!

 

Recent Saharan dust (and…ahem…transport pollution) debacle reminds me of the hopeless lack of ambition our government seems to have when it comes to rethinking how we get about our cities and protecting the health of a generation of children.  I have to take hope that people can lead where the government is failing to and show that there is another way.

 

If you're unhappy that the government thinks 2025 is an appropriate date to meet EU air quality standards in London you can send a message to the government via 38 degrees campaigning website.

 

You could also add your voice to Healthy Air UK campaign and support the brilliant London Cycle Campaign as they keep the pressure on government to create more #spaceforcycling.

 

Simple pleasures

Today was a good day. And yesterday was a great day. Both packed full of simple pleasures, mini-milestones, and lots of smiles.

Little M’s adventures with her new bike have made me smile most.  Yesterday she got the whole cycling thing.  We got her a bike a month or two ago after much deliberating about the whole balance bike vs sparkly bike with stabilisers thing.  I know in theory kids learn faster by starting of on balance bikes but Little M was so insistent on a ‘proper’ bike and our flat so lacking in storage that we went for the not-very-sparkly-lightweight-one-with-stabilisers compromise that should last her a while. For a few reasons we hadn’t really got going with the bike much, I was starting to wonder if we'd made the wrong call.   We made cautious practice trips last week with little M concentrating very hard on pedaling and steering, and me hovering very close by to head off any rogue maneuvers. 

Then yesterday something changed as she was pedaling along on our way to the mini-plot.  She was singing a song, no longer having to think carefully about pushing each pedal down and nimbly steering her way past the lumps and bumps on the path in the park.  Suddenly I had to jog to keep up and neither of us could keep a smile off our faces!  Fellow cyclists rang their bells at her and she smiled back - she was one of them now!  We had a proper day out and about, post office, shop, mini-plot, and playground with little M cycling all the way. Very exciting! A cycling nursery run is definitely not far off.

We also shared a first - eating home grown carrots fresh from the ground (well, after we gave them a good wash at the stand-pipe).  Little M led the way...after she'd finished off the tiny strawberry harvest.  I can't believe I've never done this before!  Little L, back to form after a horrible bug, wanted to join in, of course, but her teeth weren't really up to it yet.  I know people talk about how childrens' attitudes to food are changed by getting involved in food growing but I've often though that, once they've tasted marshmallows, kids will love getting messy but don't necessarilly get particularly excited by eating the veg.  Little M loves sweets.  And yet she declared the carrots were her favourite thing that day, pipping the strawberries and the rare sweets she'd persuaded me to include in our picnic to the post!  I may have to rethink my skepticism about the benefits of growing our own!

We had another lovely day today, trying out a new art class with friends where little M wrote 'mum' for the first time - she made a set of luggage tags for our upcoming holidays.  She also made a very sensible guess at how to spell her sister's name for her tag. She didn't use all the right letters, but it was phonetically correct - a very proud moment.  Both girls played nicely with other children at a friend's house.  And I got to have a nice chat and a cuppa (not to mention a lovely impromptu lunch). Simple pleasures.

I suspect there are one million and one tasks I was supposed to be doing along-side the art classes, carrot eating and cycle rides. Little L had been ill, I'd been away with work and then off work looking after her.  Probably a good thing I'd accidentally left my mobile at home!

It's good to go with flow sometimes, to slow down and stop worrying about the things you forgot to do and appreciate life's simple pleasures.  I might have been incapable of even writing my "to do list" over the last few days, let alone doing it (falling asleep while trying to read bedtime stories probably tells you enough), but the things we've done should definitely have been on the list.  And probably all the better for the lack of the rest of the "to do list"!

Thank goodness the breakfast was good!

I had a plan yesterday.  We started the weekend with few plans so I'd booked myself a haircut after putting it off for months. I was last minute as ever so could only get a slightly inconvenient 1pm appointment.  I also felt compelled not to waste the opportunity for a bike ride created by the good weather.  I wasn't feeling prepared for a whole day's cycle - no pre-planned route up my sleeve - or inclined to put off the haircut any longer.  I thought, with my cunning plan, that we could get the best of both worlds.

Set out earlyish, cycle to a park a few miles away, and try out a new breakfast spot.  I'd heard good things about the breakfasts in Victoria Park and Springfield Park - both only a few miles away. After some playground fun with the girls we'd then meander back in time for my haircut.  Or I'd head back alone if the others were having so much fun they couldn't tear themselves away.  And that would leave a good chunk of afternoon to play with - pottering with the girls, perhaps a spot of DIY, finish cutting the hedge.  A dose of suburban Sundayness tempered by a mini-adventure in the morning.

It became apparent early in the bike ride that we'd had one of those mouth-disconnected-from-memory-whilst-playing-computer-game type conversations on Saturday night.  The finer points of my plan, which I'm sure had been called "a great idea", clearly hadn't sunk in.  Our exit from the house was a little bumpy, it was later than planned and there was much pedal-dragging when we finally set off.

We cycled in stoney silence for a mile or so until we both saw our exit plan at the same time - The Russet cafe.  There are few places I'd rather be if I have to admit defeat on a bike ride.  And technically, as we'd never eaten breakfast here, and it's next to a park, we were still with the plan!  

We both agreed it was one of the best breakfasts we've ever had - my 'Veggie Pippin' tasted much better than it looks in the picture below!  Our waitress was so lovely too. She negotiated a lack of jam situation with little L (to go with her wholesome looking banana pancakes) with incredible skill!  The place is really well set up for kids.  They have a slightly separate area with sofas and a really good stash of toys, colouring stuff, tiny chairs and proper high chairs, a kids menu of similar food to the main menu and a few trusty packets of squeezy, organic fruit if it's one of those days!

After a few more miles pedalling and a bit more wind through our hair the breakfast might have tasted even better.  Perhaps we'll pop-in on the way back from a morning ride sometime. 

So the breakfast was a resounding success, the playground action was OK, I did manage to get a haircut, and we fitted in a good bit of pottering.  And the bike ride?  I'll mark that one down as recognaissance for the local child-friendly cafes and parks cycling route I have forming in my head.

I have fallen in love with this great Hackney Cafe Crawl poster that was on sale at the Russet - as soon as I can figure out where to put it I'll be nipping back on my bike to get one...and I might just find room for another breakfast too.

 

Slow travel with small children

We had our first holiday of the year a couple of weekends ago (before the crapness of wheezy hospital trips, the Noro virus and a mini ice-age descended upon us) - a lovely long weekend in a cosy cottage just outside Axminster.  Whilst happily digesting the fruits of Martin’s cooking course at the local foodie haven (a strategic Christmas present and the reason for the holiday) I reflected on what it takes to make a success of car-free travel with kids.  It’s pretty simple to get to places without a car, particularly if you’re prepared to be pragmatic and take a taxi for the last few miles to that off-the-beaten-track beauty spot you’ve discovered.  But finding somewhere you can both get to and get around during your stay can feel like finding a needle in a haystack.  Particularly when you’re from a big city and so crave fresh air and countryside views.  Add in a couple of children that are too young to get very far (or anywhere at all!) under their own steam and it’s easy to see why many people think car-free holidays are a ridiculous idea.  I don't agree.  With a little planning and a spot of lateral thinking you can satisfy your countryside cravings without a car.  

On our recent trip to Axminster we managed - just - to cram in something to keep everyone happy.  A bike ride through quiet country lanes and off-road cycle tracks, the best cafe breakfast we’ve ever had, a pit stop at a country pub, animal park action for the kids, a traffic free stroll with huge muddy puddles and loads of snowdrops, and a home cooked Sunday roast whilst the cold wind blew in the first snow flakes.  And all without the expense and hassle of the long drive out of London (when you don’t own a car the car-hire can easily double to cost of a weekend away and the drive takes waaay too long).  

But it wasn't all a smooth ride.  Here are some tips for car-free travel with kids from our experiences. From both our good experiences and from our "with hind-sight..." moments!

Tip 1: Talk to local people.  

They know stuff that the internet doesn't!  We all, especially little M, had a hankering to go cycling.  No amount of internet trawling could locate a cycle hire near enough to be of use (let alone with kiddy-carrying extras).  Bum.  So, not liking to give up, I mentioned our hankering to the owners of our holiday cottage.  They put some feelers out and hey presto!  Lovely Richard, a local bike mechanic, just starting out as a bicycle hire outfit comes up with the goods.  I think he actually acquired the trailer just for us!  It wasn't a top of the range trailer you might get from a well established hire firm but it worked and we were able to make the most of a beautiful sunny Saturday before the cold weather set in. 

After dragging his bike trailer up one too many hills I’m wishing we’d asked Richard about cycling routes too.  When he dropped the kit off (free delivery!) in the midst of a bedtime showdown with the girls it wasn’t really at the forefront of our minds!  Local people also know really helpful stuff like, is it vaguely safe to walk from where you're staying to the nearest pub, town, attraction etc. You can't tell from a map if there's a buggy friendly footpath, what the traffic is like.

Tip 2: Take pleasure in the journey.

We were reminded this weekend that it’s often better to not put pressure on yourself to get to ‘somewhere’ if you’re walking or cycling with children.  Distances completely warp when small people are involved!  You may think your legs are up to pulling that bike trailer for 10km but the kids may have other ideas - rumbling tummies, toilet and nappy-change stops, shrieking for playgrounds, sheep viewings and all manner of (mostly great) things to spend your time doing, that aren’t going from A to B.  Packing a good picnic is essential. We had a sunny picnic lunch with extra crisps and shandy outside a pub whilst out on our bikes as the weather surpassed even our optimistic expectations.  

On the Sunday our plans to walk the 2-3km to a nearby animal park almost unravelled because the weather turned much colder. Faced with a 1.5km walk home, a 3 yr old shouting "I want to watch telly!", and a baby threatening to wake up from a well-timed nap and demand to escape from the warmth of her pushchair full of blankets we almost bolted into a nearby supermarket to buy a joint of meat to roast and call a taxi home. We didn't (although we did stop to shop to break the journey home!).  I walked VERY briskley onwards to the animal park, big-upping the prospects of hot chocolate and meerkats all the way there and frantically pointing out anything interesting  to distract little M.  Later, little M said the hot chocolate and animal park was a highlight of her holiday, so I reckon we made the right call to push ahead.  We'd plan a shorter route, or one with more bolt holes on a cold day in future, and perhaps be able to enjoy the journey more!

Tip 3:  Do your research. 

A bit of planning can help you make the most of any holiday...when you have no car, and small children, it's essential!  Pick accommodation that has all the kit you want - cot, high-chair, stair gates, toys...so you can travel light.  Check what your transport options are - in rural locations it could be a reliable hourly service to connect you to all manner of interesting activities...or a weekly bus on market days, leaving you immobile for the rest of the week.  This might be fine if your cupboards and creativity are well stocked!  Find out things like...can you access nice walking paths and countryside straight from your accomodation?  Is there some ‘entertainment’ or a beach within walking distance? Can you actually hire a bike for a day if you want to?  How will you get provisions?  We bought provisions at a supermarket near the train station before being taken by taxi with our shopping and luggage to our cottage.  Other times we've had groceries delivered.  Given unpredictability of the British weather, planning everything in advance will be a frustrating business.  I prefer to do some research before hand to know that we have enough options to make for a good holiday.  I then rely on wifi, smart-phones or good old maps (and talking to people) for final decisions once we're there. 

Planning resources that are worth a look...

Sustrans interactive map of UK cycle routes - all the existing and planned route in the National Cycle Network.  Worth checking with locals for the latest info - a new off-road section of a proposed route had opened across the road from our cottage only a few weeks before we arrived.

Car-free walking routes Loads of walking routes - anything from a post sunday lunch stroll to a week long expedition - all accessible by public transport.  Includes descriptions, maps, accomodation and food along the route and a search option for pushchair / family friendly routes (although this doesn't always bring up appropriate routes).  A good place to get some inspiration.

Cycle Hire in the UK  A easy way to search for cycle-hire in your chosen holiday spot.  The search options for trailers and child-seats aren't 100% accurate on here either but it's great place to start.

And the tourist info websites for most regions have helpful info on getting around - I found the interactive bus map that I discovered via the Visit Devon website was really helpful.

Tip 4: Take time to smell the roses...and pig shit. 

Rethinking what ‘activities’ make a great holiday pay's off.  But it can be a tricky skill to learn.  I find it's so easy to get lost in the mass of information about childrens' 'attractions'.  Pick any three of...animals, miniature railways, face-painting, story-telling, playgrounds, rocks, olden days anything, TV characters, and sandpits...and you've got yourself a sell-out holiday attraction!  The kids will love them...for a while.  And you'll enjoy seeing them enjoying them...for while.  At just 3 I'm pretty sure little M's interest in randomly themed attractions with a few animals thrown in is waning a bit. Mine too!  The bike ride was actually her favourite part of this holiday despite getting soaked when a downpour leaked through the bike trailer roof just before we arrived home (Richard's on the case waterproofing it for next time!).  That and spotting snowdrops.  I think little L's favourite things were the cafe breakfast and crawling around the cottage with no stair gates to interupt her (we have a LOT of stairs throughout our flat on London).  

I'm still learning how to 'plan' to make the most of our precious holiday time and resisting the urge to go to a different attraction each day.   The thing is, picnic sites aren't usually for profit and woodland walks don't make much wonga.  And so you don't find so many leaflets about them (although I did once find a great picnic site leaflet sponsored by a biscuit company!) or about having time to talk, time to notice things that are different to home - "what's that smell" - and to take in the views.  But the more I look the more inspiration I find.  There's a great list of organisations and websites here to help people get outdoors and some top tips for fun activities here that I'm looking forward to exploring more as the weather warms up.

One thing I'm sure of - taking time to choose your holiday location with care, and once you're there, pausing to smell the roses and create fun on your doorstep, means that you don't miss having a car at your disposal.  It's often the adventures we get up to when we take a break from the 'attractions' that we remember most fondly.

Slow down, enjoy the ride and you'll probably find your kids do too!

 

Feeling lighter on our feet (and wheels)

Spring is in the air, little M has a spring in her step and we've got new wheels.  Suddenly, getting out and about with the family seems a whole lot easier.  It feels like the city is our oyster and bigger adventures are around the corner.  

Me and the girls had a great trip to the Natural History Museum on Friday to see the obligatory dinosaurs and catch the amazing Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition before it finished.  With just a sling for little L and a small bag of essentials we hopped on the bus, skipped down to the tube and whizzed across town in what seemed like a strangley simple journey.  It's the first time I've braved a day trip into town with two children and no wheels!  Little M - who is almost 3 and a half - has always been reluctant to walk far unless there's something really exciting happening to keep her interest.  And even then she's prone to stopping and moaning that she's tired.  The stalemate that is a small person refusing to walk but unwilling to be carried can be funny...but mostly it's not so we've rarely gone far without our trusty buggy and buggy board-seat combo.  Until the last few weeks!

I had tried a few tactics to get little M walking more.  Like occasionally "forgetting" to take the buggy board-seat when I collected her from nursery.  A cunning ploy that did backfire spectacularly on the odd occasion - it once took me 45 minutes to cajol and carry her (kicking and screaming) the 10 minute walk home.  I  also suggested walking to nursery on mornings when the mood was good hoping that fresh legs would increase our odds of a stress-free journey (that and bribery).  And we did a few times.  We even popped to a playground on the way there one sunny morning.  And did an impromptu alphabet scavenger hunt another.  But leaving the house without wheels for little M still mostly felt like a big gamble.  Then this week, sensing she was on good form and full of energy, I didn't ask whether she wanted to walk.  I just put the buggy board-seat away.  I didn't mention it.  And we left without it for nursery everyday.  Not a stale-mate in sight!  And even more amazingly, when I pushed my luck with our museum trip, we made it all the way to the museum, around it, and home with only one or two minor wobbles.  Woohoo!

It feels so good to finally be able to go out walking with little M by my side. On Sunday she came trotting along to the local park, sneakily grabbing a handful of rosemary from a neighbour's garden and sprinkling it as fairy dust all the way to the park. "Is this a daffodil" she kept asking, helpfully spotting signs of spring to make me feel even more happy that winter seems to be finally waning.  And little L is enjoying being snug in her new sling and part of the action.  She looks out the bus window with amazement and does a cute little wriggle-jig to show how pleased she is with her new improved view - much better than being stuck in the pushchair looking at the backs of people's legs.

I'd like to think it was my cunning tactics that made the difference to get little M walking. Actually, she's growing, she's getting bigger and stronger and she's in better health than she has been for ages.  Looking back, I think we perhaps underestimated how much impact repeated bouts of wheezing illness, since just before little L was born, had on her energy levels.  I had often been too tired to relish the prospect of carrying little L in a sling too.  Fingers crossed things will keep looking rosy.  

Our other good news is that we got a bike trailer that can carry both girls this week.  Getting set up for our first trip with it was a bit of a faff and, unless it gets a lots quicker to set up, it's probably not going to be the nursery run solution we need.  I'm really excited about the prospect of peddaling around the backstreets and parks of London this summer with the girls and a picnic towing behind me.  I've already discovered a new partly off-road cycle route. 

And little L is becoming a bit more independent.  It seems like a small thing, but being more confident in leaving her with Martin, has made it possible to have some rare one on one time with little M.  The two of us nipped up to the indoor adventure playground and to check the state of our slightly neglected mini-allotment on Sunday morning.  We went by bike, with our trusty old bike seat (not the new trailer) that has barely been used since little L arrived on the scene.  Wow!  I'd forgotten how quick that journey can be when you're not pushing two children up hill!  Perhaps the veggies will get a bit more attention this year.

This week it feels like lots of options have opened up.  There will always be some faffing, and some paraphernalia that goes with little children.  But I feel like we've taken a step forwards and am hoping we'll keep a spring our steps right through the summer and beyond.  

Cycle commuting with a tot

Cycling has been relatively high profile in the media of late, and not for all the right reasons.  The Cities fit for Cycling campaign (run by The Times newspaper) and the unfortunate injuries of both Bradley Wiggins (the winner of this year's Tour de France and more) and his coach, Shane Sutton, in separate collisions with motor vehicles whilst cycling this week both remind us of the dangers of cycling.  Queue reports of cycle campaigners worrying this will cause strife for the nation's love affair with cycling, before it has chance to start going steady. 

It seemed like a good time to share my experiences of cycling with a toddler in tow, in particular our regular commute.  I also managed a short ride with little M today for the first time in ages (whilst Martin babysat during the biggest nap little L has had for months - jammy or what!) which reminded me of how much I love cycling, especially nipping about the city.  Given the title of my blog there has been a bit of a dearth of cycling posts!

We bought our bike seat when little M was ten or eleven months old, in time for us to have a bit of practice before I went back to work after maternity leave and we started to rely on using it as part of our commute.  We use a Hamax bike seat that goes on the back of our bikes (ours is in the far left in the picture above).  We chose a rear mounted seat because, knowing her temperament, I had a feeling little M would be too distracting sitting in front of me.  Your child may be less likely to stick her fingers up your nose, fiddle with your hair, chat incessently and demand you look at everything she does.  Plenty of people get on well with a seat mounted in front of the adult rider but it wasn't for us. Even on quiet roads, which we generally use, it's best to have all your whits about you when cycling in London.  

We chose this particular seat mainly because of Martin's peculiar aversion to pannier racks (and mud guards for that matter?!?) - it fits on a small bracket that fixes onto the pole below the seat post (sorry bike-geeks - don't know the proper name for it!) so no need for a rack.  To be fair it's quick release mechanism has worked a treat for us.  We each have a bracket on our bikes and we swap the seat easilly between the two bikes as needed. Generally one of us would drop little M off at her nursery, which is quite near to our home, and then cycle onto work leaving the bike seat in the nursery's buggy store.  Then the other one of us would pick her up in the evening, pop the seat into its bracket and carry on home. It works a treat. And little M always loved it.

And where did you put your stuff...what did you do when it rained...and didn't you stink when you got to work?  I hear you say.  Well I'm getting to that!  I often carry a laptop for working at home or meetings.  I have a basket on the front of my bike for this and whatever else I need.  I don't generally carry lots of other stuff, just a waterproof and some lunch.  My commute is only about 20mins and mostly downhill so, at my pace, I don't get into much of a lather on my way to work (although there are showers there should I feel the need).  Martin always used a small rucksack for his gear (usually just a change of clothes), which little M never seemed to have a problem with.  When it rains, unless it's reeeally bad we kept on cycling.  The rain cover we bought that was specially designed for the bike seat was rubbish. An all-in-one waterproof for little M worked much better - she stayed dry whilst we faffed with the bike seat straps which we always had to do outside because taking a bike loaden with a toddler up or down the steps into our flats just isn't possible.  

I think commuting by bike is the brilliant.  And being able to carrying on doing so when little M arrived made our lives so much easier.  When I felt it was time to stop cycling a few months before I had little L, our commute and nursery run seemed to turn into one endless kerfuffle. I had to make arrangements to leave work much earlier as the bus journey took longer and, more significantly, was much less reliable.  Nursery pick-up time is not negotiable!  With me using a pushchair to transport little M and Martin using a bike things got very complicated.  We had to switch to a system where one of us did both pick-up and drop-off on the same day, alternating the days we were on nursery duty.  Which was fine until one of us needed to work late, or get to work for an early meeting on a day when we were due to do the drop-off.  We really missed our stress free, flexible system! 

No matter how much I love cycling, I would never say that safety isn't an issue.  Some of the publicity in recent days has highlighted accident rates.  A really signficant insight for anyone considering cycling in cities (with or without children) is that far, far fewer cyclists die in collisions with vehicles on minor urban roads than die on major rural ones.  Good news for urban cycling commuters who know their backstreets well.  And how do you find yourself a quiet commute?  Get yourself some of the brilliant, free, cycling maps produced by Transport for London (and many other councils outside of London too).  These maps show official cycle routes AND routes through less busy streets and greenspaces.  They help you avoid emerging, unexpectedly onto a snarled up nightmare, make it easier to side-step nasty junctions, and generally introduce you to the nicer side of London - I've found some beautiful backstreets following these maps.  In my view these types of maps are essential, and given the accident statistics probably save lives. It would be nice if cyclists could safely cycle on every road but we're definitely not at that point yet!

What works for us might not be the best set up for you. There are all sorts of options available now for getting your family and stuff around by bike and more appearing all the time.  The Donkey Bike, a British designed load carrying bike came to my attention this week.  It's designed for carrying stuff, rather than kids, in urban areas.  Looks great and has a sensible price tag!  I'm sure it can't be long before it gets adapted to carry children too.

I need to start doing some proper research about what set up would work for our family now that we are four.  I've spotted a couple of options already whilst out and about (see the pictures below). One of the main challenges we face is lack of storage space.  We're bursting at the seams with 7 bikes stored in our shared hallway already.  Wouldn't it be great if there were secure on street parking facilities for bikes?  I reckon you'd get about half a dozen bikes (if not more) in your average car parking space - to me that means the maths work! 

 

Book of the moment: An Outback Odyssey

Little M usually has a book (or a few) that is flavour of the moment, read most bedtimes for a few weeks until another jossles into pole position.  The Dog Detectives: An Outback Odyssey has had a bit of a revival in our house recently - definitely one of our books of the moment.  

This book was a gift from Aunty Helen when she returned from a trans Canada cycling adventure.  The authors are fellow cycling ethusiasts who have been travelling the world by bike with their two rescue dogs. Little M was only about 15 months old when we got this book so we expected the book would take her a while to grow into.  Katie the Kookaburra charmed her though with her "Koo-ka-ka-ka-kaa-kaaa-kaaaaa-kaaaaaa-ka" and comical stuttering over strategically placed words - like "loo-loo-loo-loo-look" - throughout the book.  It was an instant hit and we've kept returning to it ever since.  

Detective Jack and Deputy Poco Loco are the Dog Detectives, cycling around different countries - Australia in this case - solving mysteries as they go.  In 'An Outback Odyssey' they bravely rescue a didgeridoo from some sleepless dingos aided by William K. Wombat and of course the imfamous Katie the Kookaburra.  

Each time this book comes out little M starts to understand a bit more of the book and spots more details.  I was reminded when Martin read it 'properly' for her recently (a rare privelege for him - we're having a few "mummy do it" issues right now!) how I edit books as I read them, swapping just enough words for familiar ones to keep the story understandable and reintroducing words bit by bit as little M's language skills develop.  Apologies to the authors but it seems to work for us! 

This book has lots of rhyming and alliteration so it sounds great when you read it - I never change those bits even if I think they won't be fully understood!  Little M's really into rhyming right now thanks the the Rhyme Rocket, which could explain the book's current appeal.    It's one of those programmes that is so irritating for you as an adult that you know it has been carefully designed to be like cat-nip for kids - she loves it.  Strangely, after you've watched it 20 million times its annoyed edge disappears a little. I almost found myself bopping a long the the rhyme-hole rap "...a toe and a great big hoe" the other day. Lots of comedy moments to be had from small children repeating that rhyme in polite company!

 Tempted to to head off into the sunset on your bikes with kids in tow?  Check out these.

 

 

Bike lights in the fruit bowl

I love cycling. It gives me a sense of freedom, lightness and independence that I've been addicted to for many years. But this isn't a cycling blog.  I've started this blog to share my experiences of living life with two young children (and their dad!).   

Our family life doesn't feel like the well oiled (two wheeled) machine I'd like it to be right now.  Bike lights languish in the fruit bowl waiting for that last minute panic when you-know-you've-seen-them-somewhere-but-you-just-can't-think-where.  A bit of a kerfuddle ensues to spoil my mood / to make me late / get me all stressed before that oh so rare hour of 'me time' I've managed to eake out of my busy life / give a little M enough time to remove the coat and shoes it took me 10 whole minutes to get onto her.

Right now in the fruit bowl, as well as a bike light (not even a full set!) there are a dog-eared Marine Conservation Society Good Fish Guide that should be in my wallet for speedy reference when shopping, one of little M's felt tips, a reminder letter about my contact lens check-up, something I've been ignoring because, in the morning whirl, I very rarely get around to putting in my lenses and half of a phone charger.  And some fruit too.  It's like a microcosm of my life - kids paraphernalia scattered through the house, lapsed green shopping habits, ambitions to create a more stylish me that have fallen by the wayside and useful objects not quite where you expect them to be.  I'm not quite sure why so many things perch in our fruit bowl. I remember my parents tucking cheques that needed banking between the bananas when I was a kid but I've taken things to a whole new level!

We often lose things in our house.  I lost a carton of milk for a while this morning.  I found it in a cupboard rather than the fridge.  I had wanted the milk to put in my coffee which might explain why I was dozy enough to lose it. On my list of things to do this year is make family life work a bit better.  I want to spend less time trying to find lost things and more time having fun.  I'm currently on a decluttering mission in preparation for building works later in the summer to rearrange the layout of our flat into a more family friendly set up. Once this is done I'll be on a mission to find better ways to organise the stuff we have left.  We will have no more bike lights hiding in the fruit bowl.  They'll be at somewhere at the ready for an adventure close to home or further afield, or ready for a super speedy commute, zooming past the London traffic jams to do the nursery pick-up on time.  And life will be rosy...maybe!

I don't do a lot of cycling right now - it doesn't work well with a three month old baby and a toddler in tow. But I will.  When I get chance to go out for a bit of me time - I particularly enjoy cycling back from a evening out through streets strewn with people meandering their way home - and when little L is a bit older. 

This blog won't all be about cycling or organising clutter.  I'll share how I'm clinging on to things I liked before I had children, how I'm learning to enjoy new things and how I'm trying to make a greener family life work whilst having some fun along the way.