Wednesday 8 May 2013

I like to ride my bicycle


Firstly, thank you for all your lovely comments about my Spring patchwork duvet cover for Alice,she really loves it and I'll post a picture at the end of this post of it finished and on her bed for you to see it completed and in it's rightful place.


I just wanted to talk a little about my joy of cycling so far this Spring. With the longer lighter evenings I've been able to get out and about for an hour or so on my bicycle. I love the freedom of this along the south coast and being able to listen to the birds singing in the trees and cycling along countryside lanes to see all the farmyard animals and country smells! This is such a therapeutic thing for me at the end of a long day of work and just being able to switch off, reflect and relax.



I tend to cycle at a pace for my health BUT I also 'ride' my bicycle too. In my head the difference is cycling gets my heart rate up and I perspire, riding is just like strolling instead of jogging, where I stop and start and give in to some flower picking. Last year I wrote about my idea on the Politics of Flower Picking and I still continue to stick to my "rules" regarding this if you like. This week I have come home with the above two posies with some of the flowers from my own pot plants.


I have even started to enjoy pressing and drying out some little flowers for my book of lists. I used to love pressing flowers, forgetting about them when I was a kid and then re-finding them and making little pictures with them.


Little posies for around the house are so necessary, I cannot imagine life without my old bottles filled with blossoms to make our hearts sing.

So, spill the beans do you pick flowers for free? Do you ride or cycle on your bicycle? Do tell :o)

Oh and I almost forgot, here is Alice's duvet cover on her bed after sewing on the back and washing it.




This peachy orange floral sheet fabric was used from a vintage duvet I found for £1.50 in a local charity shop. I'm rather pleased with how it turned out and really enjoyed using up lots of bits and bobs from our fabric stash.

Cheerio for now
xox
Penny

14 comments:

  1. Eeeek, firstly, your duvet cover looks wonderful Penny and the backing sheet is so pretty too.
    I hadn't thought about the difference between riding and cycling before.
    I ride my bike...will it's that sort of bike...heavy with not many gears and poor brakes :0)
    But I guess because it's fairly hilly here I still get a work out.
    Love the flower posies.
    Jacquie x

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  2. ooops, that should be well not will :0)

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  3. Penny, I'd love a bike with a basket on the front but I'm so badly coordinated I'd be falling of it in no time....perhaps I need a tricycle! The quilt you made is wonderful, pretty flowers too! Enjoy your bike rides! :) x

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  4. Oh those were the days, when I had a bike to ride. Mine was stolen years ago and not replaced, and now I fear I really have forgotten how, despite the fact one's not supposed to be able to!

    That duvet cover really is the bees knees!

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  5. Beautiful photos. You little poises are very pretty. You've even made the dreaded dandelion look lovely I must go out and pick mine :) that bed would be my daughters dream bed lots of pretty fabrics and cushions :)

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  6. What beautiful flowers and the quilt is adorable ... I have a stash of vintage sheets I want to turn into a quilt ... one of these days ... Sarah x

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  7. Oh Penny you've made me want to dust my poor old bike off and go for a glorious ride - but that would mean clearing out the shed to get to it first (it's on my 'to do' list)! I'm completely with you on the posy front - in fact I've just been dotting some little shot glasses around the house with sweet little primula heads and forget me nots in - it always makes me smile. I read your post on flower picking rules and again I think I agree - if the flowers are plentiful I don't see a problem with taking one or two but what really gets to is seeing young children picking daffodils from grass verges whilst their mothers are chatting (grrrrrrr - this happened last week -can you tell I was a bit angry???) I think it's a lovely thing to be able to appreciate the flowers and seeing a buttercup in a buttonhole would certainly brighten up my day x Jane

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  8. What a lovely Springtime post! I really must get my bike out again, I wonder if Higgins would ride in the basket?! Alice's duvet cover is beautiful. When Open Studios is over I'm determined to get my sewing machine out as well as the bike!

    Penny x

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  9. Love the goofy hippo! I would love to ride a bike, never learnt and now have balance problems so not a good idea! I never pick flowers from the roadside or anywhere else that I feel I shouldn't. But like you, love little posies around the house.

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  10. I'm not a huge fan of cycling (it's awfully hilly round here!) but I would love to own a pashley or a bobbin, they are such beautiful designs. The quilt looks fabulous in position on Alice's bed. Love the appliqued cushion with her name on it. x

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  11. I really need to dust my bike off. I love to cycle, but my legs hate it!

    Nina x

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  12. Little Musings postcard ... she is a friend of my friend Rach!
    I love Alice's duvet cover, it's so pretty. xxx

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  13. What a happy duvet cover!

    As you know I both "cycle" and "ride" - and lately I'm having trouble just "riding" because that darn 143-mile bike ride is looming ever larger in my mind (it's only 7 weeks away). I try to keep my Sunday rides as "rides" but the pressure to train is ever with me right now. I do however have another bike, an ancient cruiser (with basket) that I use for around-town errands - it's great fun.

    I never pick flowers when out - can't quite bear to. I shall read your Politics of Flower Picking post with interest. :)

    P.S. Is that phlox or Dame's Rocket in the last flower photo? What a lovely colour.

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  14. Beautiful quilt :) It looks lovely on Alice's colourful bed

    Cycling is great isn't it? I ride/cycle to work (depends how I feel!) and I see so much more around me than when I used to drive, it's wonderful x

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