Stolen bicycles and homeliness

My few ‘regular’ readers might have noticed that I have not posted anything on here for a long time (if indeed they have not completely lost interest!). The Autumn of 2013 produced two unexpected challenges to my new found love of cycling, the subject of my previous posts (on commuting and on bike personalities). The first challenge was my partner’s cycling accident on the way home from work; the second was the theft of our bicycles.

It was a Friday the 13^th when I woke up and peered out between the blinds to see whether the garbage collectors had been. I had just passed only the second night in the house on my own and it was the day my husband was due out of hospital following his cycling accident. I had slept a little later than usual, to catch up on some much-needed rest. Looking out, I saw the shed doors gaping open onto the garden and my heart sank. Numbly, I pulled on some boots and went out into the damp morning to confirm my fears.

Of course it could have been much worse. The target had not been the house itself, I had never been in any danger, minimal damage had been done to the property and only two items had been taken. I was just beginning to find my road cycling legs and confidence on ‘Belle’ so the loss of the bike was a set-back but a new Belle could help with that, thanks to the insurance.

The longer-term impact, though, was not what was taken. Recent advertising campaigns in the UK, produced by a major security firm, have played off the fact that when it comes to domestic burglary, the problem is what is left behind: a nagging worry that the thieves might come back, constant doubts about whether you have locked the door, the fear that someone has been watching you (despite police reassurance otherwise) and nights’ sleep interrupted by the slightest noise. If the bikes had been stolen away from the house, the impact would have been very different.

With time, this injury heals, as do my husband’s physical ones. When it comes to the former, the new burglar alarm helps too!