Helen tackles her trailer for family shopping

Helen attached her bike trailer and headed off to get a pile of groceries yesterday. It's taken her a while to organise the locks and chains to make it securely attached, and unpinchable, and feel confident getting along with it pulling behind. But when she returned with a sack of spuds, two bags of groceries and smile on her face, it was obviously well worth it.

If you have the sound up, I can only deeply apologise for the giggling - I don't know what came over me.

Showing off the new cyclepath

Four of us went from Te Atatu on Saturday afternoon to check out the new cycleway at the bottom of Kingsland. They were suitably impressed with the wide path, fencing and nice little off ramps onto local streets. Plenty of pedestrians seem to find it a good walk, and many families were making use of it as well, with tricycles, and small pink bikes.
Now all I'd like to see is something similar continuing on into the city without going up the steep walkways further on, but I'm CERTAINLY not going to complain.

Today the Kingsland portion of the cycleway was completed.

It has finally happened - after months of cycling past the diggers and men in fluoro vests the brand new patch of cycleway from St Lukes Rd to almost Newton is finished. I rode in to work today but missed the opening by a couple of hours, however it was pristine and open when I rode home at 5pm. LOVELY.

Movie of the trip along the Northwestern cycleway in Autumn

Still going in to the city, and a trip to Howick

I'm still going 14.8kms into the city on the days I work there, along the cycleway - and it's perfect weather for cycling right now - gentle cool breezes, blue skies, not too hot. The sunstrike hits pretty much in the face for much of the trip but it's so worth it.
Very pleasing to be on the bike and not one of the rushing vehicles to my left.
And for a touch of contemplation, there's always the still blue waters of the inner harbour.
And yesterday, John Cowan and I went for a long voyage out to Howick to check it out. Didn't take the Eastern Cycle map, which was a pity. We encountered a few hills, and hardly any cycleways, to our disappointment. But the ride was a new adventure, and well worth it.

John's helmet needed major readjustment after it had been fitted to some young boy's heads the previous weekend.
Cockle Bay.