The bike was delivered yesterday evening, but I haven’t had an opportunity to use it yet as I was out all day. The weather forecast is not good. It’s cold and likely to snow next week. But I’ll see about going round the village at least, to start getting used to it. I don’t think it’ll be difficult, it’s just that it might need some practice to be second nature.
I’ve just realised that I’m looking forward, not so much to the cycling as to the ease of not having to park a car. The best part of going shopping by bike is freedom. You weave past the traffic (or get off and walk if it’s safer, I’m not proud) and chain it to something – there are lots of bike racks in the town – and just bob into a shop, pop everything into the pannier and sail on to the next shop. There’s a feeling of satisfaction. Cycling itself isn’t fun, as far as I’m concerned. A country road without blind bends on a sunny day with birds singing and a balmy breeze can give a flash of pleasure, but usually it takes some determination to get started.
We went over to Snape Maltings, the concert hall, for a backstage tour and a lunchtime concert, then on to the Red House, Britten and Pears’ home, which is owned by a charitable trust and open to the public. It was a really good day. My friend Sue kindly came in and cuddled the cat for a while and I fed the barn cats when we got home at quarter to seven. We’d had an early start this morning and I’m quite inclined to go to bed soon, though it’s only quarter past nine, but I’ve got some chickpeas cooking and I have to wait for them. I want to make hummus and it’s so much nicer with home-cooked ones than with tinned.
Which reminds me, I added some gram flour (sometimes made of all chickpea flour, but often with some dried pea flour too) to my last loaf of bread and it was a good addition. That is, it rose well and didn’t seem to alter the taste. I have no objection to wheat or gluten myself, but a lot of people can’t take it and I’m working on alternatives. I really like spelt flour – which is wheat, of course, but those who are sensitive but not actually allergic can sometimes cope with that.
i don’t like shopping 🙂 I get food delivered these days…. which is a bit lazy as I am five minutes walk from a Tesco 🙂 enjoy the bike!
It’s 2km to the independent shops, 2 miles to the Co op. Both walkable, but a slog to walk back carrying everything. Fine with a bike – but I’m lazy too. I’ve resisted supermarket deliveries because I want my money to stay local, but it’s sometimes a close-run thing.
Have you tried the British beans and pusles from Hodmedod, local to you?
The chick peas are small but very tasty. The galette flour is exceptional, best I have ever used. They also do pea flour (which I’ve previously been unable to find as a pure flour) outside South Africa.
They’re wonderful, aren’t they? Yes, I’ve got several of their beans and grains – chickpeas for lunch, as it happens – and, once I’ve used up the gram flour I bought at the Exotic in Reading, I’ll buy their flours too.
I think I’m inspired to write about local food producers, once the cat gets off my lap.
I’ve just discovered a producer of raw organic milk about 25 miles away. Not doing cheese yet (like your wonderful farmer does, I still dream of that!) but, give them time…