What an appropriate theme Ailsa has chosen this week as at the moment I am living in the slow lane.
The slow way to town
Life changes when you do not own a car. Everything takes longer. I am definitely more aware of the weather. Which direction and how strong the wind is blowing. Check the sky to see if any clouds are looming on the horizon. Usually the weather is consistently fine in South-East Queensland, look at that blue sky, but on the occasionally wet days plans are changed. How important was that trip? Can it be left till tomorrow?
There is always public transport, but that can be slow too. Waiting for the bus to arrive can be frustrating. Timetables are often erratic so extra time must be allowed to get to an appointment.
But there are definite advantages to going slow. There is time to look around and spot unusual things.
This smiley face had me reaching for the camera.
“Say cheese”
Time to smile at passers-by and give a nod and a wave to other cyclists, look over fences at gardens and of course no parking problems or parking fees, just tie up near where ever you go.
Then there is the money you save…
Yes living in the slow lane has many advantages.
Could you live with out your vehicle?
gypsy life 
eeks typo again, i am spelling averse apparently….
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Oops!!!!
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The less you posess, the more you have~
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Jack and I try to follow this philosophy.
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A thoughtful post. When I travel long distances, I take the public transport. but when I am within the city limits, the pollution almost makes it impossible to ride without having to cover your whole body from head to toe đŸ˜¦ But I definitely appreciate traveling slow…
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I am blessed to live in a pollution free zone and also very flat, no hills to labour up so the bike is worth it’s weight in gold.
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I envy you đŸ˜¦ Enjoy đŸ˜€
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Will do!!!!
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You are fortunate that you also have nice weather, so it must be easier to cycle around. Vienna has a very good public transport system, so it is easy for me (and several others) to live without cars. One can hire a car if one needs a car to go somewhere out of the way.
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G’day ZL yes the weather does make it easier. Even when it is very hot you seem to make your own bit of breeze as you ride along. Hire car is another option, but it is quite expensive over here. I was quoted $99 for 2 days… đŸ˜¦ It is a bit cheaper per day if you hire for longer periods.
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I love the thought of it Pauline and have cycled a bit but when I see these hardened types … all lycra, thin wheels and bulging calf muscles … I out of it đŸ˜‰ For me it has to be flat .
Well done you , it certainly is a healthy way of getting about .
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Believe me there are no bulging calf muscles here Poppy, other parts of me may bulge, but all in the wrong places!!!! And yes it is very flat around here, only one very moderate hill going south, so I always bike to a bus stop and hop on a bus when I go in that direction.
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I guess my answer is fairly obvious, Pauline đŸ™‚ But I do appreciate a car to take me to nice places.
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We have very good friends and every now and again we will team up to go on an outing in their car, we pay the petrol, it is always rather special and not taken for granted.
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Wow Pomme, more power to you my friend. It only works in a city tho I think. I’d never get off the island with no car!! Fun post.
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Thanks Tina yes it is definitely easier to bike around in the city, especially when it is very flat terrain. Don’t think I would be so keen in a hilly city.
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The slow lane would be nice sometimes.
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But only if you had time or it could get quite stressful.
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I’d love to have a bike again, but not where I currently live as it is too hilly, and there are few cycle tracks. Instead I try to walk to the shops and only use the car for heavy shopping. But I wouldn’t get far without it, public transport in country regions is pretty non-existent.
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I don’t think I would be keen to bike everywhere if it was hilly, and we are close to a good bus service, though not always too reliable.
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It’s hard to live on the farm without a vehicle so I couldn’t even imagine it! When I lived in the city i would walk everywhere and absolutely loved it.
How did you go with the storms on the weekend? We got a huge one that dumped a good deal of much needed rain, but it was pretty destructive for some people. The RUC handled it well đŸ˜‰
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Definitely need a vehicle out in the country Dianne, it would be impossible to get around. I think back to the days of horse and cart when it would take days to get to town to do the shopping.
We didn’t get the really bad weather like Brisbane, amazing only 100 kms away and it skirted right round us. Having thunder and steady rain for the past few days but just nice gentle rain, not destructive, yet, still about another 4 days to go the BoM says…
Pleased to hear the RUC is ok. You must’ve made a good job of fastening everything down well.
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Great post and good for you for trying out this car free lifestyle! We have a fairly short summer and live in what is called a ‘snow belt’ in a snowy country so bikes wouldn’t work…but we could try more next summer.
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I love my bike but definitely would miss a nice warm vehicle in your climate. Horses for courses I think…
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what a breathe of fresh air đŸ™‚
and the first two photos again had me going back and forth (like the post with the bike and the van last week) but this time the way the biker lined up with the where the bus was – I kept comparing and it was just cool.
and what a plug for a healthy lifestyle – đŸ™‚ we used to ride our bikes along the beach waterfront when we first moved here – and well, we’d pack up the 4 bikes and eagerly make the drive to do that – and well, I need to use my bike more!
oh and the happy face is great – thanks for more street photography đŸ™‚
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Thanks Y for the acute observation, I never noticed that bus and bike line up!!! I then had to have another look. It is a healthy way to go, but of course you have to have the time available. Many families with busy schedules just couldn’t do it.
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yeah I agree with that – we just couldn’t get around to where we need to go – but glad it works for you guys – also so HEART healthy!! đŸ™‚
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Having had a heart attack 6 years ago I think all exercise is good for me.
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A great way to get around and admire the scenery. I’ve also thought about getting a bike here, but haven’t got around to it yet. đŸ™‚
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We are lucky living in an area that is very flat, don’t know if I would be so keen if I had hills to slog up….
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My husband rides his bike everywhere, even to his doctor’s and hospital appointments. When he was undergoing chemo a couple of years ago he would always ride his bike to and from his chemo sessions. In the last four months he hasn’t driven his car once. In fact we’ve lent the car to our adult children who use it periodically for big shopping trips or out of town excursions. Who says that Toronto is too cold for cycling? Not us!
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The exercise probably helped your hubby’s recovery too. I’m not so sure if I would want to ride in snow and ice though. I assume you ride a bike too MC?
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I do ride but I’m still working and find I have way too much to carry to bring on a bike and we don’t have showers at work.
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Oh yes showers are very important… đŸ™‚
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I bought a bike last year after being without one for a long time. Now, I ride it everywhere I can. St. Simons, where we are staying now, has bike paths all over the island, so I hope to be using the bike more than the truck. But we cannot do without our truck!
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We are blessed with a very good bike friendly city with lots of bike paths and cycle ways along roads and we are legally allowed to ride on the footpaths. We also had the bikes with us when travelling and found them very useful.
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Another good post showing our great lifestyle.
You said the bike was the best present I ever bought you.
You must love that bike or it is not saying much for my generosity.
The bikes are something we have had a lot of enjoyment from, at little cost.
They help us keep fit and we never buy more than we need, having to carry it on the bikes.
It is easy for us we are retired with no dead lines to meet.
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I think I would miss the bike more than I miss a car.
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