Holiday fun, biking with the Brutons....

Today Molly and I went for our first proper bike ride together. She's on the big bike now and is so very proud of herself and she and I cycle our way around Pocklington on our new bikes. We didn't venture that far, just a mile or so there and back, but it was great being able to see the place you live from a different perspective.

I've walked most of it at some point or other in the two and a half years but having the freedom of being on a bike means you can go exploring that little bit more, something Molly and I are determined to do over the coming months.

At one point today I even found myself making the altogether rash and stupid promise (just to myself) that I really have to look at cycling the five or so miles to work. Maybe one day.

Tomorrow it's back in the car for an early start and a trip to Hull for a not too pleasant meeting. More on that tomorrow later in the week.

Bike. I has a bike.

I've bought myself a bike. A rather nice looking Apollo mountain bike. No idea whether it's any good or not, because I know just slightly less about bikes than I do about D.I.Y. or space travel. But it looks good and rides well. And seeing as it's fairly new and cost £45 and seems to have all the essential things in the right place (2 wheels, frame, brakes, seat) I think it was a pretty good deal.

Molly and I went out on the bikes earlier as we dropped her down to her friend's house for an afternoon. Then I went off on a little round Pocklington tour. About 2 miles of country roads resulting in leg muscles that wouldn't stop twanging for a little while afterwards. But it was fantastic. Haven't been on a bike properly since I was mid teens and fell off one rather spectacularly, but riding around the country roads was just great. Can see myself really enjoying this new hobby rather a lot. If only so that I can keep up with Molly on her bike now.

Molly loves the bike thing....

After taking forever to get her onto a bike (see here), it now seems that we can't get her off one. Everywhere we go she insists upon taking the bike along and is getting to be quite the little speed demon on it. We knew that she'd love riding but even we weren't quite ready for how much.

Next week we may well take back the small bike we borrowed and try out the big bike that someone at school very kindly gave us ages ago. And here, partly as proof and partly through pride, is Molly.......







And later today, because I'm getting fed up with walking everywhere with her, I'm off to look at a second hand bike. The last time I seriously had a bike was over 20 years ago. I might be a little rusty.

Bicycle Girl at last!

Okay, on Wednesday we had a nightmare with the bike.

But we didn't give up. Instead, we headed off to a friends house and borrowed her bike, which has smaller wheels and she can put her feet flat on the floor. We got it yesterday and even on the way back, with Louise and I holding the handlebars either side, we could tell we were onto a winner.

So Sunday we head out to the car park of Burnby Hall & Gardens which has a long stretch of empty tarmac that should be enough to run up and down hanging onto the handlebars.

Brilliantly, just on the way down to the car park Louise lets go of her side of the handlebars and Molly stays on. I'm still holding on, but only just. By the time we made it to the car park she was doing so well. And after just a couple of runs she suddenly realises I haven't been holding on for a little while yet am still running alongside. (At this point, the comedy thing to do would be to fall off with the surprise. But thankfully she resisted going for the cheap laugh and just stopped).

It took another couple of runs and then she was off on her own, happily cycling up and down all afternoon. We even went as far as riding down to grandma & grandpa's house to show off to them.

Okay, it was criminally overdue and definitely something we should have done 4 years ago, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful. Another parenting milestone reached. We've now done that classic parent thing of holding onto the bike, running along with her and then just letting go. Such a metaphor for parenting in general. Have to go and dab my eyes. They appear to be watering

Of bicycles and city girls....

Molly never learnt to ride a bike properly. Where we used to live in Birmingham learning to ride meant loading the bike with stabilisers into the car, driving a few miles to a park and having a ride. So she could ride, but not without stabilisers.

And when we moved house up here to Yorkshire the bike was too small so we passed it on to someone smaller and pledged to get a bike when we got sorted. Time passes and we manage to get a bike through a friend and then found no bloody time to get out and use it. To be fair the first six months we were busy. The first summer most of Pocklington was underwater and the rain never seemed to stop. But we are completely to blame since then. Sometimes the important things get left behind.

Fast forward to now and we've decided to teach her to ride a bike. So far not so good. Did the parenting thing and went to local empty car park and we tried, we really did. But 9 is just not the best age to do it. When they're young there's none of the same fears, stroppiness and general stubbornness we managed to get yesterday. Big, big falling out.

We try again tomorrow. Something to look forward to for the weekend.

Lesson to parents - get that 5 year old out to the park, take the training wheels off and when they fall off and bounce, think yourself lucky that they don't start screaming and shouting and threaten to walk off and call child line.

Okay, I exaggerated about threatening to call child line.