A year of commuting by bike

And so as we reach the end of the Whitsun bank holiday week, it marks a year of my commuting by bike (as well as the 2 trains).
What a difference it had made to me, riding my trusty stead, Delphi each day!
In celebration of Delphi, here are some highlights!

Highs

• Cycling over to my Mum's by bike. After I'd been cycling for a month or so, I took the trains and cycled the 3 miles to my Mum's house by bike.  It was SO nice to be able to come to hers under my own steam without relying on CBC to have to take me over or Mum to come to me.
• The torturous walks in the rain are halved in terms of time spent in rain! Walking to the station takes about 14 minutes (at a fast pace). I can cycle in 7. At the other end, walking took 10mins; cycling takes 5mins.  Yes, that's only about 12 minutes saving but if your train journey alone (plus the minimum waiting time) is already 1 hour and 5mins, that saving of 12 minutes is a real boon!
• When the trains were suspended for 2hours on a Friday a few weeks ago, this would have usually meant a 2 hour wait. But with Delphi, I was able to cycle the 3.5miles to an alternative train station which could get me nearer to home (where CBC could pick me up) and feel like I was doing something. I felt a real sense of achievement doing this. 3.3miles is not a lot to most cyclists but to me, it was a real big achievement driving on some quite major roads. I was scared as I had forgotten my helmet but I survived.
• When I am 'late' now, it means I am less 'late' as it were.
• The fact I can fold her up means that I can take her into shops, put her in the boot of the car, it means she can come on vacations where I might need a form of my own transport.  
• She's a beautiful shade of blue! Everyone thinks she's a beauty!
• At weekends, where there have been engineering works, it means my long journey is just a little shorter. 
• Having a pannier bag means when I have to lug shopping home from Lidl opposite school- it is being largely carried by my bike rather than the arduous trudge a half mile at one end and then a mile at the other end with very heavy bags with food in.
• People talking to me!  So many people love to see Bromptons! It's always a talking point!
• Confidence in cycling!  I feel so much more confident at cycling and my sense of balance is so much better than it was. I can go on small paths and go through the posts on the way to the station, I feel more confident going fast and cycling by myself on the road.
• She's SO much easier to get onto than Celeste, my road bike.  As she has a low cross-bar, I can get on in a dignified manner instead of the awkward way I get onto Celeste!
• One Sunday, I had gone to play flute at my old church and had ridden my bike to the station to get the train. On the way back, I discovered that CBC and his brother had cycled to the marina near us and gone across the river to a town. As it turned out, the timing was perfect as I arrived at the interchange station for the trainline that led to where they were and was able to get the train there and cycle to meet them. I was then able to join then for the journey home cycling in the sunshine along to our home. In the past, I would have missed out but not this time!

Lows:

• The day I went into my music room at school to find Delphi knocked over a Tom tom drum with paint work scratched off the main frame. Horrible class had been walked through the room by one of my colleagues rather than going through the hall. Horrible class do not know to not touch something that isn't theres.  Horrible child lied about doing it despite being dobbed in my several others.  This caused an upset with the colleague who walked them through.
• Being patronised by several men on trains when I've tried to collapse my bike down in a confined space and made mistakes. Go away, I know how to put my bike down but if there's not enough space...!!
• The time the chain got stuck!!! I had no clue what to do!
• 
  

And that's about it!

It has been great to become more independent thanks to Delphi!

My sincere thanks to CBC for a much-used, much-loved present.  It took me about 6 months to learn how to put her up and down and ride her but the subsequent time has been wonderful!