BMX Bandits: the sequel

A fellow wino

Who doesn't love Amy Winehouse?

I am in love with Amy Winehouse. I love her hair, her dress, Kelly Osbourne's stilletoes and her little ballet slippers. I don't mind that she flashes her knickers and sometimes falls off the stage. I can understand that she forgets to go to her gigs occasionally. I mean, she's only a fellow human wino, isn't she?

Gives me hope. Not just for my singing career, but for life.

Cheers Amy. Somerset House was amazing.

Biking babes

They're here, they're everywhere. I'm one of them. So is Bindi. We're biker babes. (Of the push variety.)

Riding bikes used to be for people who were prepared to wear lycra, in fact, were serious about lycra and the pursuit of cycling as a world sport. That was when the Tour de France was fielded by sportsmen instead of junkies. When you could get a seat on the Tube. It was a time when you grew out of your BMX you got a car and drove everywhere. When talking about global warming branded you as a tree-hugging hippy.

It's all changed. And it's great! We're keeping trim by seeing more of London and avoiding the Tube.

In Barcelona, you can see smart women gliding along the Boulevard bike lanes with handbags on shoulders, pretty skirts and high heels. In London, mothers riding along the backstreets of Battersea with babies on back and a basket full of bread are commonplace. Bike riding is old hat to many European cities, but in these two cities it’s a new deal.

Devoted la reina del drama readers will know I initially had some trouble adapting my wardrobe to my biking ambitions. Thanks to John, I've been able to apply some handy tips to allow me to wear whatever I want on my bike. Fellow biker babes should read The Diva's Guide to Biking.

Now I'm taking my bike riding to a new level. In October I'm riding to France with Bindi, Fran and Ross. Possibly Darren and Julian as well, who are as yet uncommitted. Can't understand why, but give me time. This is a training trip for the spring excursion along the Danube, where we'll ride through the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, stopping where we please and embarking on adventures galore over a two-week period.

I'm still trying to figure out where I'll fit my hairdryer because space in those paniers is pretty tight as far as I can tell. Luckily Bindi and I can share clothes, which saves on space. And after Granada and Morocco we're well versed in travelling light. If anyone has any tips on carrying hairdryers on biking trips, I'll credit you with the advice on this blog. Please write, call, email or Facebook. I need to plan.