A Bike Ride, a Bad Shopping Day and New Projects

Yesterday, my husband and I went out for an e-bike ride, and this time we chose an old familiar road that felt almost new again. After only five minutes, we were cycling through the countryside. We have cycled there before, but it must have been at least 15 years ago.

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An E-Bike Ride Along Old Roads

My husband, of course, had his camera with him on our bike ride. We stopped a few times along the way, and he took quite a few photos, including some at Edstena waterfall and of a few lambs enjoying the fresh air.

Edstena waterfall during our bike ride through the countryside

Black-and-white lamb in a green field along our cycling route

Of course, my husband had his camera with him.

That is also one of the things I enjoy about our bike rides. We don’t have to be in a hurry to get anywhere. If we see something along the way, we can stop, take a look and let the camera come out before we continue cycling.

Some of those we met along the way.

It was also an e-bike ride that taught me something new about how I use the bike itself.

My brother had given me a tip: turn off the electric assistance when the road is easy to cycle on and use it when you actually need it.

So that’s what I did.

And what a difference it made.

When I looked at the results in my Garmin app afterwards, it told me something I perhaps already knew but still needed to have confirmed:

Yes, you can cycle. You have the strength to keep going.

At the same time, it shows me that I’m still learning how to use my e-bike. I’m beginning to understand better when I need help from the motor and when I can actually manage perfectly well without it.

Today My Husband’s E-Bike Arrives

Last week, my husband ordered an e-bike of his own after a little persuasion from me.

Although I’m not really sure how much persuasion was actually needed.

Perhaps he had simply started to realise that an e-bike could be both easier and more comfortable than an electric scooter.

Anyway, it arrives today. The battery needs to be charged, and then I expect we’ll be heading out again.

And just like so many other things we start doing together, we gradually discover all the things we apparently also ”need”.

Rain gear might be useful.

Gloves too, because your hands actually get quite cold when you’re out cycling for longer periods.

So it starts with two bikes and will probably end with us having a small cycling equipment department at home.

What I take with me from yesterday’s e-bike ride is how much fun it can be to rediscover old roads. We had cycled there before, but not for perhaps 15 years, and suddenly the road felt almost new again.

A Much Less Successful Shopping Trip

After cycling, we went into town.

One of the things I wanted was a string of lights that you can put inside bottles. After visiting three shops, I still hadn’t found any.

In the end, I sat down in the car and ordered them online instead.

They’ll arrive sometime this week.

I was also looking for shelves because I’ve decided I want to reorganise my wardrobe.

After folding clothes using the KonMari method in our drawers, I’ve become really pleased with how easy everything is to see. Now I want to do the same with my wardrobe: fewer clothes on hangers and more folded on shelves.

So there will be sorting, decluttering and folding.

There’s just one problem.

The wardrobe.

I went to Rusta, Bauhaus and Jula looking for shelves or drawers that might fit. It turns out that my wardrobe seems to have dimensions that don’t fit anything.

Not shelves.

Not drawers.

Not any of the clever solutions I had imagined.

Somewhere around that point, I had to accept that yesterday simply wasn’t my day for shopping.

Although perhaps it was quite a good day for my wallet.

Or Maybe It Will Be Kallax…

Now I’m wondering whether I should simply buy a Kallax shelving unit from IKEA and put it inside the wardrobe.

And while I’m at it, I’ve started thinking about putting small motion-sensor lights inside the shelves so there will be more light in there.

Going a bit too far?

Maybe.

But if so, so be it.

Because that’s often how my projects work. I start with the idea of folding a few clothes, and suddenly I’m standing there planning shelving systems and motion-sensor lighting.

A little like the cycling.

It started with me buying an e-bike.

Now we’re waiting for my husband’s, thinking about rain gear and gloves, and finding old roads we haven’t cycled along for 15 years.

And perhaps that’s exactly what I enjoy about cycling. We don’t always have to know where we’re going or look for something new. Sometimes it’s enough to turn onto a road we haven’t taken for a long time and see where it leads.

How About You?

Is there an old road or a place near where you live that you haven’t visited for years but might be worth rediscovering?

And if you ride an e-bike, do you turn off the electric assistance when cycling is easy and save it for when you actually need it?

Or perhaps you recognise yourself more in my wardrobe project? Do you also start with a fairly simple idea only to discover that it has suddenly grown into shelves, lighting and an entirely new project?

I’d love to hear how you do things. Feel free to leave a comment.

You May Also Like

Is E-Biking a Hobby? – about how e-biking has become more than simply a way of getting from one place to another.

One Thing at a Time – When Everything Feels Like Too Much – about finding ways to do things in smaller steps when everything otherwise easily becomes too much.

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Yesterday has already settled into history. Tomorrow is waiting further ahead. But right now – this is where life happens. ❤️
Malix/Carina Ikonen Nilsson