Rambling #1

Struggling with direction this morning, let me explain.
When I first retired I bought an e-bike for fun. I have a severe scoliosis, a spinal issue from adolescence which is beginning to make its presence felt, however the bike also means I can pop to the shops and bring the shopping home quickly. If I want a walk, I can do so without the pain and discomfort of carrying stuff - I have had to ditch the heavy camera on walks and invest in a much lighter one for the same reason.

The night before last I met up with a group of friends at a restaurant in town, locked the bike up in the market place as usual and had a lovely evening, the kind that makes a warm glow. When I came back, the bike lock had been forced and the bike was gone, along with my warm glow.
This is not a plea for sympathy or a comment on the current state of society - I’m a realist, the bike was insured and the insurance company and the police are on the case.
It's partly the inconvenience - my plans for the next few weeks are having to be rewritten. The element of spontaneity needs to be shelved - the idea that I’ll just get some exercise by popping to the supermarket /the garden centre /twice round the country park.
There is also an element of victim blaming in some quarters though, why didn't I have the latest industry theft proof lock? As if this is somehow my fault and I bear some responsibility! Just no - that’s the thin end of the wedge that goes all the way to what a rape victim was or wasn’t wearing. The resposibility lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the person who decided to force the lock and took my bike away.