Holidaying with Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest.

A few months ago Ed and I went to visit a friend in Sherwood Forest in these beautiful, modernistic log cabins. I totally fell in love with this place and it was top of my list when Ed and I decided we needed to get away from the city for a few days. The first image below is the view out of our cabin's living room, I could look at this view every morning for the rest of my life and I would never get tired of it. It is so beautiful and peaceful here that it is the perfect break to recharge our batteries before the manic Christmas season kicks off.  

We rented some mountain bikes today, this is the first time I have ever been mountain biking. The first bike I was given was a unisex one, it was huge, scary and the breaks were a long way from the handle bars! This bike hated me and I hated it, so I was very pleased to swap it for a ladies mountain bike. I had such a wicked day (once I got the right sized bike) in the gorgeous, sunny, crisp, autumnal air. Now all that is left is to have dinner and lounge in the hot tub with a beer.

Hope you are having an autumnal wonderland <3

Much Love

Kirst xXx 

Mr & Mrs Bikes.

Ed and I love our bikes! We have been biking to work the past week and it has been wonderful, I find it a nice way to wake up which has really surprised me as I don't really like exercise that much. I won my bike on eBay last year, it was about £40 and I was over the moon when I found out that it was mine. Ed gave my bike a really good going over and bought some spiffing white rimmed tyres for it. Ed's bike is really special to us because it belonged to my Grandad. He passed away a couple of years before I was born and since then his bike has been kept safe in a garage waiting to be ridden once more!

Ed had been looking everywhere for a cool, vintage bike that wasn't horrendously expensive. When mum found out she rung up and asked Ed if he would like it because she knew he would take care of it and get it back in good working order. So Ed became the owner of this beautiful Triumph, he has fixed it up, bought white tyres for it and he even cleaned the bell and got it ringing again. 

Ed and I love the fact that these bikes were both made in Nottingham. My Grandad's Triumph must have then been taken to sell in Shropshire. The sticker is still on it from the shop he bought it from in picture 3. Mum thinks that the shop was called Hannetts which I think fits with what is left of the sticker. And now it has returned to Nottingham to have lots of frolics with my sparkly blue Raleigh. 

We heart our bikes sooooo much <3 I hope you like them too.

xkx

My Embroidery Bike Ride.

It was Ed's birthday last week and whilst I was tidying up today I found some wrapping paper strewn on the table. I thought this paper was super cute and decided to have a little embroidery bike ride, which is a very good way to spend a rainy evening I think. I stuck the wrapping paper onto some good quality sketch paper, with some thin double sided tape, to give it some more stability and off I went. This was just a few hours stitching, I think next time I might use this technique to make some cards. And I am very pleased that my french knots are finally starting to look decent, it has been a difficult road mastering that stitch!

Eds Bike Ride

Let me introduce you to my vintage Triumph Roadster. It's an old bike. I couldn't tell you how old, because I just don't know. What I do know is it was handed down to me by Kirsty's mum, as it once belonged to her dad. It needed some tinkering to get it on the road. New tyres, an overhaul of the brakes and a fair amount of polish. It is now my second and above all most laid back means of transport.

Sometimes I just like to jump on and see where it takes me. With no gears and 50 something year old "rod brakes" hills are not this bikes natural environment. But there are a few places in Nottingham where I can cruise and really enjoy a slow pace. 

A little piece of English Victorian technology. Like my bike, it still does it's job. 

My cruse took me over the river Trent a couple of times. This is the view from the Wilford Suspension Bridge, a nice spot to get away from the city traffic. 

And this is my view from the saddle.

Geese a me don't mix.... This gang were ruling the Nottingham Embankment. I ended up riding around them because they wouldn't move!

Next to Trent Bridge I came across these engravings. I guessed they were showing the heights the river has risen to in the past. With all the rain we've had recently I'm glad they didn't need a new marker for 2012. It's crazy to think the river has been all the way up here though. 

The cycle path lead me onto the Nottingham Beeston canal. Kirsty and I often walk along the canal path, watching out for passing cyclists. Today however was my turn to cruse down the canal side.

The urban historian in me enjoys taking in sights like this. There is something about seeing old industrial buildings mixed into the landscape that gets my mind working. I guess a lot of the buildings in this area would have been used to make lace, something Nottingham was once famous for. 

Nearly all of the industrial buildings have a new life these days. This is the home of the Glee Club and a few other venues. 

I decided to turn off of the canal path as the sun was setting (and my bike has not got any lights, yet) but before heading back home I passed Nottingham Castle. The castle itself is perched on top of a huge cliff face. This is one of the cave entrances at the base of the cliff. 

After taking in the sites of the castle I peddled home. I'll be jumping on my bike to explore some more of Nottingham soon.