This is my bike, or velo – a Peugeot Velo Comfort to be exact – and I have become extremely attached to it. It is not like my normal urban ride, with a different frame set up forcing you to sit more upright with the weight on your bum – hence comfort. This is a slight misnomer, as your bum ends up taking the strain, as opposed to your legs, altering your gait at the days end! I rode this bicycle the length and breadth of the Ile de Re this summer. My favourite journey was the one to the bakery each morning to buy the daily bread. I would set off early, winding my way along the rural paths, through the fields past the horses, adjusting my cornering when startled by the cock crows. Stopping at the small village of **** next to the church, I would make my way past the market traders setting up their stalls, to the boulangerie to marvel at the bewildering array of baguettes and patisseries and order my selections in my increasingly confident new language. A rare sneaky gitane in the square near the church fortified me for the return journey, where I was greeted with the happy smiling faces of my wife and children. The smiles were for the pastries but one can dream!