Is it just me, or is there something wonderfully reassuring about being able to mend a puncture on a bike, (even when it’s the back wheel of a geared bike!)
I love the fact that puncture repair kits worldwide contain exactly what you need to get the job done, in the tiniest of boxes, in exactly the right quantities.
- A crayon, to mark the hole
- Some sandpaper, to sand down the area around the hole so the patch sticks better
- Glue
- A variety of different sized patches
- A tiny piece of chalk to grate over the patch once placed to stop the glue sticking the patch to the tyre
- And the piéce de résistance… a tiny grater to grate the chalk over the repair
(Can anyone tell me how to do a ‘grave’ accent over the e?)
And there is sufficient in the box to fix at least 3 punctures!
I tried to get my daughter to come and watch me repair the puncture this morning so i could pass on this long lost art from mother to daughter just as my dad taught me, but she ‘couldn’t be bothered’. That makes me sad. Being able to repair a puncture is a really rewarding skill. I remember repairing one once on the side of the road on the way into town (Dublin) I could never have afforded to pay someone to do it for me! I still can’t, and neither can she.
Day One 
On the page where you are writing a post go to the line above the text box, move right from the word paragraph to the sign for omega and click on it. the drop down box holds many treasures.
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Aha!
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Your dad must have learned that skill in the Scouts, since we were not allowed have bikes when we were young (cue violins)! Dan thought the traffic was too dangerous…… 50 years ago!!
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More than 50 years ago I think? I vaguely remember that Dan banned bikes when he saw Nana cycling with dad through a red traffic light. I think his son and heir was probably 2. So it was all Nana’s fault (?), and 67 years ago!!
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Your memory is better than mine, but then you are only a youngster compared to me! 😥
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I could well be wrong…. I wasn’t there at the time! The lack of bikes was a well nurtured joint family resentment though!
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“Couldn’t be bothered” could also be “couldn’t be feathered”, n’est ce pas? I’ve started a “Brit usage” dictionary of all the quaint terms I am learning from my many English followers.
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Lol, couldn’t be feathered isn’t an expression, just a play on words cos Patty’s turkeys had such great feathers
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