As you may recall I’ve had my new bike for only a week but it wasn’t a brand new one; nevertheless, it isn’t old – perhaps a year or two – so it’s hardly vintage and tomorrow we will attend the Vintage & Classic Cycle Event, part of the Dawlish Heritage Day Celebrations (funny how I’ve been here all these years and never heard of this special day before!). Chris and I have to go because, owing to my brother Robert’s interest in bicycles, he was collared into organising this event and you have to support your family.

In any case I enjoy dressing up and joining in with fun things; Chris, who is more staid than me (as exemplified by his original choice for dressing as an Edwardian gentleman), was less keen about being a part of the Heritage Day entertainment for all the tourists and visitors. But to give Chris his due, when he realised that he couldn’t get out of going, he got into the spirit of it; in fact he has spent the last ten minutes affixing a wicker basket  to the carrier at the rear of my bike. (Funny how that nasty film – ‘The Wicker Man’ – came into my mind.)

“Is that too close to the saddle?” Chris asked. “Will it annoy you?”

I thought he was worried that my bottom was so big that it would hang over the end of the saddle and hit against the basket as I rode along. Unsure if indeed my bottom had such vast proportions I sat on the saddle to find out. Only when I had ascertained that my bottom didn’t stick out beyond the saddle did I dare speak up for myself.

“My bottom isn’t that huge – what a cheek!” I said in a huff, but secretly I was pleased to be able to say that for I had suspected that Chris’s query had some foundation (as did I – just not as much as I thought!).

At present Chris is putting a basket on his bike. Half and hour ago he disappeared upstairs and I heard him return with the old-fashioned horn – it has come out of seclusion, having been sentenced to a solitary life a long time ago after a stonking, honkingly noisy visit from our young nephews who loved that old horn. Perhaps we can love it again now that it is fulfilling it’s original purpose for being… on Chris’s bike.

I have a feeling that it will be a lot of fun tomorrow, provided it doesn’t rain all day (rain in the morning is forecast) and if you care to come along all the cyclists shall be forgathering at the Brunswick (not wicker – ugh!) Arms at 9.30 am. Chris said that if it’s really cold he will revert to his Edwardian costume but I’m going as a St. Trinian’s Belle no matter what!