Old bikes and flowers

When the Stirling Smith announced that they were going to unveil their restored, 1930s ice cream bicycle, I marked my calendar and prayed for nice weather. I really wanted to see this groovy old ice cream cart up-close and in person, and the lure of free ice cream made it all that much better.

The bicycle was originally built for Carmen Giannandrea of the Cosy End Café on Upper Bridge Street, Stirling. In the summer, the family sold ice cream and (apparently) fish and chips from the bike as they rode around the streets. I was intrigued to see this fantastic contraption, so I made myself go out for a run as soon as I woke up so that I would be showered and ready to go by 11 this morning – and so that I would feel all smug in knowing that my ice cream was well-earned.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived and was wary of crowds filled with ice-screaming children, but it wasn’t too bad at all. And Ailie’s Garden behind the museum seemed quiet, so I had to check that out, too.

Oh! And when I went back to the gardens, I saw a young girl playing at the birdbath, near where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to get too near her, as I was snapping photos, so I veered off the other way. But then, the girl’s mum called out to her to “look who it is!” and – all of the sudden – she called my name and ran over to hug me. Yes! It was my little friend from last weekend’s trip to the Lake of Menteith!

So I got to explore the garden with my little friends for a bit before their mum took them home for lunch. What a wonderful surprise, and what a wonderful way to make my day happy!

Anyhow, there’s no real reason for this post other than I thought my Daddy might like to see pictures of the bike and my Mummy might like to see pictures of the pretty flowers. So, without any further ado: Here are some pictures of my day!