Bicycle bicycle bicycle

2 minute read time.

"I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like"

But I can't.

1 - It's upstairs in the attic bedroom.

2 - It's broken and needs a good seeing too.

3 - Oh yeh, I have cancer in my bones and hlding myself upright for too long gives me lots of pain.

Darn it!

It has been SUCH nice weather these past few days, and all I wanted to do was get out in it. A friend invited me over to sit in her garden on one day, but I had a delivery coming so couldn't go. (New phone! Yay!) I managed to get out into my little patch to water it and hang some clothes, but when I say little patch it really is a little patch. It's a small square maybe.... 10' by 10'? Max. That goes straight onto the pavement and has nothing hiding you from the folks there. Also, tothe right as you come out of the house, there's no hedge or fence there - soanyone coming down the street can see you in full view. And with terraces on both sides of the street, you're overlooked the entire time. In fact, I'm sitting on my sofa at the other end of my sitting room, and if I waved right now the man hanging out of the window across the road would probably wave back. He's staring. It's creepy.

If I was in Scotland still, in Dunblane, I would have had a garden to sit in, and hills to disappear into no more than a 5 min walk away. Even less than that, I could have managed the 2 minute walk down to the river where there was a bench to sit on and watch the fish, while a massive bank of flowers rose up behind me with all sorts of bugs to watch. No noise of cars, no noise of accordian music - seriously, this stuff is 'special' - and a nicer group of kids, but ones who would pass by rather than lingering in front of you.

That's what I miss the most, getting away from the noise of the cars and the people. There are so many people here! Were I fitter, and more healthy, I could jump on a bus to a small town outside of Leeds and then just walk out from there and explore the countryside. I'd also still be working, so I could hire a little cottage somewhere in a small village, and then spend a week or a long weekend away with just my camera and the hills, and nature, all day.

Instead, I'm in Leeds, in a crummy area, with no garden, with bones that ache constantly, and a body that refuses to do what I want it to. So on beautiful days like these, I'm stuck in my house looking out and dealing with noise. Constant bloomin' noise.

Stinkbug and I are off to a friend's house tomorrow, see what he thinks of a big garden and dogs. He'd better like them all - because I need some quiet outdoor time, and I'd love to be able to go places with him in tow. Fingers crossed he's as brave as he tells me he is!! I'll let you know how it goes...... if it's anything like when I took Snugglebug and Ladybug out - it'll be hilarious. But that tale will come with his. So watch this space!

Anonymous
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    I live near Dunblane, it's a lovely place. Any chance you could ask someone to put some screening around your wee plot- split bamboo roll or similar? Not hugely spendy, even including posts and a wooden frame.

    Or cheaper and easier- use bamboo canes and pea netting to grow sweet peas up, maybe with runner beans too. They both climb to about 6' and are easy going so long as they have some sun, you'd just need to give them some tomato feed every so often. Would screen off a sitting area and look pretty too.

  • I used to live right on the edge of the Laighills. Ran my own pet services business that included do walking, so most of my days were spent wandering the hills.

    I've thought about the bamboo, but everything I've found is out of my price range. What I have got though are some Lily trees. Once mature, they should reach 6' tall. Last year they hit 4', and with loads of highly scented blooms. So hoping they get taller and bushier this year. But they are just babies at the moment.

    But I love plants. I have LOADS out there that I've worked hard on. I'll maybe try and get a pic of them up next time I'm out. XD