Bike

A quick picture of some recent allotment product - about half the onion crop and the first 6 feet or so of spud row. This is probably the end of allotmenting here what with Project Erroll an' all. We will clear the ground and hand the plot back to the committee for re-letting. There's plenty of demand, with a waiting list of 45 people at present (about 2 years).

Today Dad digs the old mountain bike out of the shed. It's not a bad one and it's in reasonable condition (certainly hasn't been worn out by Dad since we've lived here anyway!) but 10 years languishing in the shed has it very dirty and with 2 flat tyres; in need of a good old service and some TLC. Mum has given Dad the name of a firm that sounds just the job. Mum's place have linked up with a volunteer outfit designed to give some of their former 'service users' a foothold on the climb back into paid employment. They refettle and recycle bikes and sell them on to generate a bit of money.

You can buy done-up bikes from them or use them as a repair service. Their mission, said one of them to Dad is that if a bike has survived 20 years, then they should get it into a state where it can survive another 20 years. Thanet Cycle Recycle is their name and they are based in a little unit in the maze of one-way backstreets of Margate. Fair play to them! Dad's bike is now in their tender loving care getting 'done up'. The plan is to use it much more both in here and in Ireland by way of being good exercise but also cheap and green as befits the new non-earning status.

Talking of Project Erroll, we progress through the legal sausage machine, occasionally getting new questions and demands fired out, to which we reply. The latest concerned the current house having been built on an extinct brickyard which means that it might just have 'environmental pollution issues' in the future which might down-value the house for the new owners. They feel the need to insure against this and, naturally, it is Mum and Dad who have to cover this. Ker-ching. That'll be £170, thank you very kindly.

However, we are hoping this is the back end of the process and that soon we may actually get some contracts to sign. Dad is chasing our own solicitor from this end. Fingers crossed everyone.

Deefs