My last post was about the large role my bicycle played in how I get around. Doing everyday things by bike gives me what I call, free exercise. Riding a stationary bike at a gym has always seemed crazy to me when you could be enjoying a bike ride outdoors. But I digress. The reason I mention my bike again is that going at a slower pace and closer to what’s on the ground, I find an extraordinary array of things on footpaths and streets as I cycle along. My curiosity gets the better of me. What did I just see? On a bike it’s easy to stop, turn around and have a better look. This is how l found my Peruvian alpaca wool scarf. In amongst the weeds, wet, and covered in sand, gravel and burrs, I almost kept going as initially I thought it was only a rag. But having seen what I thought was a bit of fringe I stopped to investigate. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be an alpaca wool scarf. The scarf needed a good cleanup; in fact as I was on my way for a swim, I took it into the sea with me. The alpaca wool didn’t seem to suffer from this unorthodox treatment. Only last weekend as I was crossing a busy road I spotted a jumper lying against the centre traffic island. In one swoop I scooped it up before oncoming traffic arrived. Once across the busy road I had a closer look and discovered I had picked up a merino wool cashmere jumper. What a find! Two lovely good quality items added to my winter wardrobe just by keeping my eyes open and being curious enough to take a closer look.
Living well on a shoestring 