New bike

So finally after months of laziness, I have finally ordered and picked up a new bike. It is a specialized globe sport 1997 which is a hybrid bike (mountain bike frame but thinner tires and a few other alterations which make it suitable for road, bike paths, bridal ways etc.). The photos are taken just before I took it out for its first ride, so it was as clean as it ever will be. On the first ride I went around the Epsom and Ashtead common, which was great, but unfortunately I chose a wrong path which was super muddy and so it was completely soiled. At least I won't get sentimental about it and I know that it can take pretty much everything I can throw at it.

I must say it is a super smooth ride and very fast compared to my trusty old bike. I rode to work the first couple of days this week which gave me a great sense of freedom despite the freezing weather. Not too great coming back in the dark but I will get a better forward light at some point. Lost a lot of my fitness but I am sure it will not take too long to get back on track. Unfortunately I have done my back in and so I will take the rest of the week off, probably caused by a combination of me having tweaked it at the weekend and the riding.

Newspaper pots

I decided to sow all the seeds into newspaper pots this time, to see if it made things easier to deal with later on. The idea is that the pots can be planted straight out as are, and will decompose naturally. You can buy a pot maker proper for about fifteen squid, or you can just wrap paper around the bottom of a deodorant can like I do! just wrap a strip of paper round the bottom of the can 3-5 times (however long the strip is) and then fold over the bottom. The good thing about spray cans is they have a bit of an indent at the bottom, which means when you fold over the paper you can push it slightly in on itself and it stays like that when you slide it off the can.

Sown today:
Busy Lizzie
Penstemon
Mt Cook Lily
Sweet Peas
Mesenbryanthemum
Marigold
Heliotrope

The windowsills are starting to get full!