Spring and Fold

So you've heard that London is grey, foggy, wet? I am witnessing otherwise. Global warming or urban legend we're not sure but why second guess great weather?

As I was taking this photo of the community garden outside our flat I was lucky enough to see a woman on her folding bike. This is huge in London - the folding bike craze. I've been scoping out options which range from 150-600 ($300-$1200). The most popular being the Brompton Folding Bike which springs into fold position as soon as its lifted. What happens when you hit a bump, I keep wondering.

If I get a folding bike it will fit in our flat and I can carry it upstairs to my office at work. Riding to work would be 80% along canals which is beautiful. I tried walking to work - took two hours. Monday I tried a different route from work to home and it again took me two hours. The time isn't of concern because I love walking but arriving at work tired before you start is not an easy way to start the day.

Our Head of Finance at work was telling me that the government allows employers a tax break if they provide breakfast to their employees who ride bikes to work. I can just imagine my eating frenzy - Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, French Toast (all in caps because they are so yummy) resulting in a sugar crash. Now that does sound appealing.

Illustration from Brompton Bikes website.

Doing the Snow Dance

Snow snow snow
Yippee hi ho
Tomorrow it will glow
Snow snow snow

Oh yes, it is supposed to snow ten inches tonight and I am so excited. All day I’ve been excited ever since hearing the weather report this morning. Poor Stephen was trying to sleep but I kept doing the snow snow snow dance.

All the sidewalks are prepped with sand and salt. Now they’re doing the streets. This is one pro-active city. Not even a flake has fallen. They know it is going to be chaos tomorrow when it snow snow snows. The Tube can barely handle rain.

This morning on my walk to the Tube I encountered a photographer with two giant digital Nikon cameras slung around his neck. We smiled at each other, which is very rare in this city, and then he held up an ice scraper. Secret message?

Paparazzi: Can I take your photo scraping the ice off that car?

Amy: Why? How are you going to use it?

Paparazzi: Its for the newspaper. I need photos showing that its cold.

Amy: (bundled in warm outfit) Okay. Do you have permission to scrape the ice off that car?

Paparazzi: Oh yeah sure, I’ve been having people scrape the ice off these cars all morning.

Amy: OK.

Paparazzi: Look at me and smile at the camera while you scrape.
(takes multiple flash photos in five seconds with both cameras)

Paparazzi: Great, thanks, don’t be surprised if you see this in a national newspaper that identifies you with a made-up name.

Amy: Cheers. (is this journalism) I don’t even have a license much less a car.

Paparazzi: Grazzi as they say in Italy.

Well, I think he said the Express newspaper. I bought it after work, stood at the newsstand and flicked through every bloody page but no photos of me. Almost famous.

Tomorrow they’ll get great shots of me doing the snow snow snow dance!