As I was walking Amy along the main road this morning a man cycled past riding a unicycle. I was still feeling a little delicate after the meeting of the West Yorkshire Chapter of the International Brotherhood (Sisterhood) of Bloggers (more about that next week) and therefore my reactions were a little slow, and by the time I had set up my iPhone camera, the man had peddled off into oblivion. Therefore my memories of cycles have to come from the past, which is just as well as this is a Sepia Saturday post.
My main picture features my brother Roger on his tricycle. It was taken outside our house on Southmere Drive, Bradford which means it must have been taken in about 1950. When I first saw the photograph I felt quite jealous of my brother as I was never allowed a bike of any shape or description in case I fell off and hurt myself. But then I came across a second photograph taken at almost the same spot.
There is my brother on what is obviously the same bike and there I am. The cropping of the photograph means that it is impossible to see exactly what I am doing, but it does seem that I am riding a bike! As I was trusted to ride a bike at the tender age of two, I am left to wonder what happened : why was the lifetime ban on bike-riding imposed? Did I fall off, did I crash into the garden gate and chip the paintwork, did I get discovered with performance enhancing drugs? Whatever the reason, I didn't manage to take to two wheels again until I had left home.
I can't leave the subject of bicycles without including an obligatory picture of Auntie Miriam. Here she is - proudly posing on a bike with not only multiple wheels but also multiple handle-bars. What would happen with such a machine if Miriam had decided to turn left whilst Frank had chosen to turn right, I can't imagine. It is a dilemma that my unicycling friend of this morning will never have to face.
Take a ride over to the Sepia Saturday Blog and follow the links to see where other Sepians are off to with this weeks theme prompt.
I remember those two seater bikes from holidays. Absolute b**gger to pedal and weighed a ton! Good for the thighs though!
ReplyDeleteYou probably started heading toward the pub and they decided to cut you off forthwith! It is a mystery, why you were banned, when your older brother and aunt obviously had such good times on their bikes. Auntie Miriam apparently moved around pretty quickly as she is always just a tad out of focus in the pictures. Something endearing about that.
ReplyDeleteMy dad always forbade me from having a motorbike. I suppose, looking back, he couldn't have stopped me, but he was very emphatic about it and I went along with him.
ReplyDeleteYears before he'd come across an accident and had to drag a dead motorcyclist out from under a van. Perhaps a similar story lies behind your lack of a bicycle? It would explain why you had one when very small only for the bicycle to become machina non grata (is there such a term? There is now) later on.
Alan, you say that you don't know what you are doing in the second picture. Could it be that you are holding a beer glass?
ReplyDeleteAnd it's so good to see Auntie Miriam again. But you say you see two handle bars. I just see one...
I thought Roger's bike had a sidecar.
ReplyDeleteAunt Miriam would have been right at home in Virginia Beach where tourists love to rent a "surry" - judging by the huffing and puffing, I wonder how much repeat business the proprietor gets.
I thought he was in a sidecar too. And I'm not convinced he is riding a bike of his own.
DeleteI don't think they make tricycles that size anymore. Children seem to migrate to 2-wheelers before they grow into that size, even if they still need "training wheels" to support them. Then they jump to adult-size trikes for us geezers who have lost our sense of balance, or have simply had one too many before starting home.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the children's tricycles in countries other than U.S. are different than the ones in the U.s. That's the second one I have seen on this week's Sepia Saturday with large back wheels.
ReplyDeleteThat is a first class tricycle that your brother had...caliper brakes, chain drive. I've only seen those in the last twenty years and they are used by handicapped people.
ReplyDeleteAs always ,interesting photos.
I'm sure Roger, if he's reading this, will come up with a very good reason why younger brother shouldn't and didn't get the privilege. I also mentioned the fact that I was rather desrious of one of these large-wheeled tricycles. They had something that the smaller wheeled ones just couldn't match ... speed probably.
ReplyDeleteAuntie Mirian must have been at the seaside as I have seen those two riders vehicles at places like Great Yarmouth years ago. The old three wheelers like Rogers were great fun; we dug a pit in our garden, filled it with water and tried to ride through it without getting stuck.
ReplyDeleteNow Alan,the next International Brotherhood (Sisterhood) meeting (a tour of Old Halifax pubs i believe?) could be done via unicycles ???(Think Of The Photos!)
ReplyDeleteYour 2nd photo shows you had a stricking resemblence to the young Bradley Wiggins.
Odd how memory can deceive us (?) sometimes. And isn't infuriating with all those questions popping up that we'll never know the answer to... Funny, I found a photo of my dad on a tricycle too.
ReplyDeleteFantastic shots!!
ReplyDeleteDid Bradford become part of Milton Keynes? I am thinking back to my uncle's old address in England and a picture he gave me of a windmill.
Wonder what happened to your brother's bike when he outgrew it? Maybe you rode out into the street and almost got hit?
ReplyDeleteI'm really liking your Aunt Miriam -- seems like a fun loving lady.
ReplyDeleteMy son at age 14 decided he wanted to ride a unicycle and quickly mastered it becoming quite adept. Just two years ago my mother at age 81 decided she wanted to ride a tricycle and she soon mastered it! Aunt Miriam and your brother had the same smiles I saw on their faces.
ReplyDeleteThose are the cutest little boy curls ever! I think leaving whatever you are doing as a mystery will prove much more fun than really knowing! Great family photos, they are always a treat! You are so lucky to have them!
ReplyDeleteAll the bikes have bells too. We used to have bells too, often rusty though because we never maintained them. Now that's something you don't see now.
ReplyDelete"News From Nowhere" has been included in the A Sunday Drive for this week. Be assured that I hope this helps to point even more new visitors in your direction.
ReplyDeletehttp://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-sunday-drive.html
I have never seen that sort of "Bicycle Built for Two", only the tandem cycles that go lengthwise. Aunt Miriam looks sweet on hers. I love the pics of you boys! Does Roger remember the reason why you were not allowed to ride bikes later on?
ReplyDeleteJerry, I'm off to visit your link.
Kathy M.
My, those ARE big rear wheels! I fondlt remember my own trike, small as it was in comparison.
ReplyDeleteBicycle ban. Odd what we carry with us through the years.
ReplyDeleteAlan, your childhood photos are tender. I wish I had more of my own. 1950 on a bike. You folks across the pond have different bikes for the wee ones. We learned on tricycles. Looks like you had four wheels. Quadricycles? Is that a word?
ReplyDeleteWhat great pictures! Roger looks so happy!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. Roger looks like he's training to be the next telegram messenger!
ReplyDeleteThat outfit and his hat are kind of similar to the prompt photo messenger.
Nancy
Maybe because they only wanted to keep you from having cuts or breaking something. Sometimes Moms and Dads are like that - very protective.
ReplyDelete"peddled off in into oblivion" there's something charming in the words that made me smile.
Ah! there's Auntie Miriam! I'd love to have a ride with her :)
"A little delicate"...
ReplyDeleteI'll have to remember that one,
next time I find myself in THAT position.
But as luck would have it,
should I find myself in said position,
I would remember not...
;)~
Great post!!
Me thinks you were a daredevil
and it was decided to keep you out of circulation,
for everyone's safety!!
Don't drink and drive!!!
:D~
HUGZ
It took me a while to cycle through to this post, but I'm glad I arrived in the end!
ReplyDelete