Dublin Food Cycle Saturday 22nd May 2010, Four Cycle Groups Converge in Iveagh Gdns.

On Saturday we went on the Dublin Food Cycle.Organised by Dublin Cycling Campaign and the Dublin Community Growers. If you scratch an Irish Person deeply enough no matter if they are a City Slicker they will show a great Yearning to own a bit of Land to grow Food in,it seems to be embedded in the Psychic and sooner or later it was natural to hold something like this to do with Food and Hobby Farming on Allotments.

It is four Groups of Cyclists setting out from different parts of the Suburbs of Dublin Visiting the different Community Growers in various Gdns ,some very large and some quiet small. Our Group set out from Saint Annes Estate Parkland Allotments. These are only new and there are 80 Plots of Land and because there is so much interest a lottery is getting held to get a Plot of 6+6metres 20+20feet. The Park Ranger gave us a Talk about the History of the Great House that once stood in the Grounds but Burned down in the 1940ties and about the new Allotments.

I am in the Fourth Picture in Olive Green Tee Shirt. The next Picture Cycling along the Clontarf Road.Next 6 Pictures in the Community Gdns in Nth Summer Street. Next 3 in De Coursey Square Community Gdns in Glasnevin. Two Pictures of one of the two Members of the Irish Police Bicycle Unit that accompanied us as far as Great Western Square in his Judge Dredd Uniform( an Garda Siochana)The Civic Guards They were two very friendly Chaps who loved Talking about Cycling as we went along the Road. Next two Pictures en route to Great Western Square in Phibsborough. Next three Pictures in the Community Gdns in Great Western Square.

Last Pictures in the Iveagh Gardens off Harcourt Street and Earlsfort Terrace and behind St Stephens Green South,It is Dublins Secret Garden hidden away that not many People realise Exists. The last Picture is the Park Keepers House.

At every Garden we went to we were treated like Royalty with the Members giving us loads of Fruit Drinks Tea and Biscuits and Cake. We Ended up in the Iveagh Gardens with the other three Cycling Groups who all converged together and we had a Great Picnic and a Chat in the Blazing Hot Sun. It was an amazing Day out for all the Cyclists.

Dublin Cycling Campaign Annual Lecture.20th May Trinity College 7.30 pm

The Dublin Cycling Campaign Annual Lecture ,to be held in the Edmund Burke Theatre,Arts Building ,Trinity College Dublin on Thursday 20th May at 7.30 pm just off Nassau Street.

To be Presented by Dr Dave Horton Lancaster University.

Visit dublincycling.ie for Details.

This should be very Exciting if you are in Dublin then this is a must see Entree Gratuit free of charge. It presents the need of a Bicycle Culture in Dublin and what needs to be done. An Opening Address will be given by Mr Noel Dempsey Minister of Transport who has been very well Disposed to Cycling in Ireland and then followed by the Lecture by Dr Dave Horton.

Dublin Cycling Campaign Representatives will be there and if you want to Join the Cycling Campaign they will gladly Accept your Membership. I also believe they will be Selling their Wonderful Cycling Campaign Tee Shirts as well. It should be a great Night

Getting Garden Accoutrements,Plants ,Top Soil etc by Bicycle.

I was in the City of Dublin on Friday getting Vegetable Plants for my Garden,Tomato and Pepper Plants and some Pea Plants.I was coming down Abby Street from the Junction with O'Connell Street and seen this Girl on her Bike and She was done up like a Trout in Tinfoil ready to be Cooked all covered up with a Scarf wrapped around her Mouth and a Helmet together with what looked like a Flag on the back of the Bike,this is Overkill. She stopped behind a Tram at the Lights instead of going alongside to the left. I would not stop behind a Tram myself it would just bore me. A lot of Potholes in the Roads now because of the Harsh Winter and nobody filling them in.Lethal if your Bike has narrow Wheels it can get caught in them.

I was in Woodies DIY and Hardware on the Malahide Road Coolock on Saturday and Sunday getting a Vegetable Grow Bag for the Tomatoes and some Rockery Plants and Top Soil on Sunday . In all the Years of coming to Woodies they never Bothered to put in any Cycling Parking Stands. It is Geared to Cars with a huge Carpark and you have to go down the other End of the Complex to where Halfords Bicycle Store and Lidl the Supermmarket is to find a few Parking Stands. I mentioned this to the Sales Girl at the Check out and she said she would mention it to someone about Cycling Parking. I also got a Steel Magnetic Saucer for Holding Screws and Nuts,very Handy when changing your Wheel when fixing a Puncture or doing Repairs. I always drop Nuts and bits of Metallic Parts behind the Couch and it is annoying when hard to find them.
I had a small Pool and the Black Plastic Liner sprung a Leak so I eventually just filled it in and got Top Soil at the Weekend to top it off and Planted it with Sprouts Leeks and Cabbage the Previous Week and already the Slugs have been at a couple of the Cabbages. This is the Bike Heading Home with the Top Soil in the second last Picture.

So the last Picture is of the former Pool and the New Rockery with some Alpine Plants at the front of the Rear Garden Patio.

Dublin Critical Mass St Stephen's Green Friday 30th April 2010

I went on the Critical Mass as usual in Dublin Assembling at the Front Gates The Memorial Arch Dedicated to the Dublin Fusiliers who took part in the Boer War.This is around the Fourth or Fifth New Dublin Critical Mass ,The last ones were around 10 Years ago and we are only starting up again and things are a little disorganised. Around 30 Cyclists took part as usual ,it is a pity not more turns up for it as it is great fun and shows Cycling has arrived in Dublin. We started off a bit later than usual at 6.15pm instead of 6.00pm as we were waiting for the Music Boom Box to arrive. It is the first time to have a bit of Music and it was just Great listening to it as we Cycled along.

By the time we Reached the Bank of Ireland in Westmoreland Street the Rain came down in Buckets,I was alright as I had put my Overtrousers on at Stephens Green because it was started to Drip a bit. But many of the others were not prepared and while they were waiting for the rest to catch up they Sheltered under the Overhang of the Large Portico of the Bank. In spite of this we enjoyed ourselves and eventually Ended up in 10 Belvedere Court Shomra Spraoi and Had Tea and Watched part of the Pedal Project Bicycle Film by DCTV about the Three Cities Dublin, Amsterdam, and London ,about Cycling Advocacy. First Picture shows myself and my Trek Bike, The other Pictures are of the Intrepid Warriors who took Part, The Logo on the Boom Box Bike Crossbar in Gaelic means Up Bikes out with Cars or make Bike not Car.