Tandem Reveal ........

Thanks for all your lovely comments regarding little Sweetpeas skirt, if any of you have any good book or website recommendations for learning to sew I would greatly appreciate them.  Oh and also any recommendations for equipment like scissors etc (I used kitchen scissors for the skirt, not the best for cutting).  We have one problem with it however, it is now day 4 of the new skirt and she won't take it off!  I think I will have to make another just so I can wash that one lol.

Now back to this post's title, some time ago some of you may remember that I was given a lovely 1964 Hercules tandem by my Nan and Grandad.  When we got it it looked like this, not the cleanest of bikes but in great working order.

Well we sent it over to a lovely chap across the road who loves restoring and doing up bikes.  Whilst it was there I rummaged about on the internet to find its original colour and I also looked in family albums for the photo of my parents sitting on the bike on their wedding day, my Mum was only 18 in this photo :-)  I am loving the fact that their wedding reception was in my Nan & Grandads garden along with tents put up for the party and guests to stay in afterwards.

Well a few weeks later here is my gorgeous grandparents with their done up bike!  My Grandad was particularly chuffed, he was like a kid at Christmas, his face just lite up and he couldn't stop looking at it.  I was a bit worried that they may be upset that I took it to do it up as it has been used a lot by them and all of us in the past so they have many happy memories of it.   As I walking them over to see it I found out that they didn't have it from new but had swapped it many years ago for a record player :-)  They then used it to cycle to France with all their camping gear on the back and all our Aunties and cousins also remember the bike very fondly.

This photo was taken in our neighbours garden (the chap who did the bike up for us) - what a fab garden and just look at those smiles!

There is a little speedo on it but it gets stuck at 7mph - I am sure we go faster than that lol.

These photos are back in our garden again,  the bike looks great now and certainly makes people smile as we bike past them.  Mind you they may be smiling as my socks are tucked into my trousers and Mr Sweetpea and I are giggling away whilst peddling around the village on it - this bike just makes you have a huge grin on your face :-)  I still have to master starting off without wobbling around on the back for a few seconds and Mr Sweetpea telling me to stay still but I am sure that will come with time.

We have only managed two bike rides on it so far as obviously we can't leave little Sweetpea on her own (or the other two as they may kill each other lol) but here is to many more years on this fab bike :-) x

Chickens and Tandems ....

Well two of the girls got re-homed recently.  These cute little chicks are now growing into lovely little ladies so we took 2 to our grandparents the other week.

My gorgeous Grandad Pete (the Sweetpeas Smashing Super Great Grandad) has recently had a hip op.  It hasn't been easy for him getting used to the fact that he can't go skiing down the black runs any more so I thought the chickens would be a great distraction.  My Nan Glynn has always been maternal so she can mother them whilst Grandad looks after them :-)

Daisy and Gert as they are now called settled in really well and had a potter around the garden ....

They said hello to the gnomes and pecked around the apple trees ......

Before snuggling up in their new home, grandad even cut some lino for their bedding area, what posh chickens they are lol (it was really to make it easier for him to clean them out but I have never heard of chickens having  a nice kitchen floor before :-)).  As I left them Grandad had popped out to check them several times and Nan was cutting up little bits of food for them, I think these chickens are going to have a very happy life :-)  We are all hoping that Gert doesn't turn into Bert as it is rather hard to tell at this age but we have another girl at home if that happens

We have also recently been to my Nan & Grandads to pick up their old tandem.  oohh this has some very happy memories attached to it, we have photos of my parents biking off on this on their wedding day in full wedding gear and I fondly remember my aunties sitting on the front and back seats whilst me and my sister sat on pillows which were tied to the cross bars :-)

 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and thanks for all your lovely comments which always make me smile :-) xxxx