It was ( as you know) Matilda's 8th birthday on Sunday, and she had a fantastic day. Having had virtually no sleep she still managed to carry herself with dignity for the whole day. Thank you all for the gifts, she really did appreciate them all. Can't believe she's 8.
The day before, feeling sorry for her making do on the tiny little bike that she fits... I set about trying to make her new bike usable. Both of them got new bikes at Christmas, and neither of them use them because we bought bikes that were too big. We thought, in our defence, that they (the bikes) were the next size up, and we did buy them without the kids in tow, but Matilda couldn't even touch the floor. She really isn't all that big... Luis, her cousin is also 8, and is big enough to ride a quad bike! I tried to offset the seat back over the wheel and angle the handlebars back, but it still wasn't low enough. So I got a bit more radical and cut the bike in half, took out 90mm of the cross bar, and welded it back together, effectively lowering the centre of the bike by 75mm. (Leaving 75mm pedal clearance.... just enough). This threw the steering column back at another 15 degrees, so I had to set the seat back too, and it now fits between the seat column and the wheel. She was chuffed to bits... and has been on it non stop. (Apart from when she's been playing with all the stuff you guys got her of course!) Here they are squeezing in a quick play before school:
The tube has a funny angle in it.... but hey!
Phoebe is still working on the balance thing... and then she'll progress to the little bike... and then we may have to do it again. Note the cat is out there playing with them too....
... and he seems to always be wherever you want to be.... Look carefully at this picture!
Finally, here's a sketch of Phoebe... I started it from life, but she couldn't sit still, so I took a picture and finished it after.
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