Image: Su Leslie 2018
Definitely a wordy Wednesday today. But as I was editing the shot, I learned that New Zealand’s Minister for Women and Associate Minister for Transport, Julie Anne Genter, gave birth to a son this morning. She is a Green Party MP and has always advocated strongly for women.
And … she rode to hospital to deliver her child on a bicycle. So the Anthony quote seems particularly apt today.
Zimmerbitch 
Blooming brilliant – Sue – the photo, the quote and the occasion.
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Thanks so much Tish. 😀
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I read about that and was so jealous of your government. Mind you, it currently wouldn’t be hard to have a better government than ours. 🙄
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I wonder if ours is much better, except that we do seem to be breaking new ground for women to be in power and be mothers. Doubt “the Jacinda-effect”would have worked if she’d already been pregnant though!!
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Wow – I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to ride a bike anywhere when I was in labour!!
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Me neither! Took me a lot of effort to walk a mile (and back) to a phone box when I was in labour with my firstborn. Had to keep stopping for the contractions.
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Whaaaat?!!! Are you kidding me?!!!
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Unfortunately not. No phone in the flat we were renting so I had to walk to the nearest shop. Those were the days!
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Yikes. You are made of strong stuff!
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No choice! I remember being a little panicky 🙂
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Who wouldn’t?!!
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What Joanne said!!
But I hadn’t really thought about how much widespread personal telecoms have changed our lives. My mum and her sisters all had their first kids before they had home phones.
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Me neither 😀
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Love the quote and love that woman for cycling to the hospital to give birth. However I agree with Joanne, I couldn’t have done it either. My labours could have been described by the movie franchise “Fast and Furious”…LOL!
Deb
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Ha! I had one like that and one long and drawn out. I prefer the former! (But at my age now, I prefer no more children!!)
janet
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Thanks Deb. Mine was so slow and intermittent, I was going crazy with boredom and low-level pain before I got a bit of chemical help. Then it was all over in 16 minutes — exactly.
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How amazing is she?? Love the photo and quote 🙂
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Lovely, lovely shot/quote combination, Su. My husband’s an avid cyclist and we’ve done a couple of good rides that last few Sunday afternoons that I’ve actually had off work.
janet
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Thank you Janet. The Big T is a mountain biker, so rides without me 😀 Road cycling is a dangerous pastime here, and we’re only just beginning to develop proper cycleways.
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great edit and quote and nice bicycle too but surely one for men with the crossbar? Or are all bikes the same nowadays.
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Well-spotted. I must admit, I’ve always had “men’s” bikes, so I don’t really think about the cross-bar. But then I’ve never tried to ride a bike while pregnant!!
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Though the flowers might be considered feminine? Like Su I always had a crossbar, it makes the bike more stable, especially if loaded with panniers. Though I suppose if wearing a skirt it might be awkward!
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This thread has really got me thinking about my bike-riding. I think I had one girl’s bike as a kid, but most of my cycling memories involve having to swing my leg over a crossbar. Since I’ve never been much of a skirt-wearer, it’s probably just never seemed like an issue 😀
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Wow!!
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Riding a bicycle to the hospital to deliver a child is truly amazing, Su! I am impressed.
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😀 Apparently she made the news in quite a few countries around the world Peter.
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Never thought of the bicycle that way but there’s probably a lot of truth to that. Don’t think I’d venture to the hospital on a bike while in labour.
Leslie
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Nor would I!! Apparently she was overdue and going to be induced, so probably not actually in Labour. But I wouldn’t have got on a bike during the last part of my pregnancy — labour pains or not.
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me neither….
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Beautiful photo and quote! She is incredible!
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She certainly was. 🙂
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It seems a little odd that traditional ‘Ladies’ bicycles’ don’t have a crossbar whereas bikes for us Laddies do 😉 Slipping off the pedals can be an eye-watering experience for a guy on a men’s bike whereas the same experience for a young lady is probably more a matter of clothing distress! You can probably tell me different Su 😉 Nice not-so-Wordless 🙂
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Hitting the cross-bar is not pleasant for we women either (though I’m wincing at the effect on you chaps). A friend’s mother apparently broke her pelvis when the front wheel of her bike got caught in something and she fell onto the cross-bar. I guess “ladies bikes” were designed to accommodate skirts, but they do seem like a good idea for pelvic protection of both sexes. 🙂
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Yes – they were about accommodating the skirts of the Victorian era when Ladies were encouraged to ride bicycles 🙂 I agree – we both need a lower crossbar. Mountain bikes have had them for a long time because it makes it easier to vacate the saddle when it all goes downhill – there’s no such thing as a gender specific mountain bike 🙂
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Ah, I wondered why mountain bikes are different! 😀
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I read that in Australia too! Loved it! The photo and quote are perfect 👌
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Thanks Aggie. 😀
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I love the quote (and love biking). And your PM is awesome!
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She’s certainly changing the stereotype of political leaders.
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Great photo and quote. I tried to learn to ride using my brother’s bike. I had so many painful falls onto the crossbar that I gave up my attempt to learn. To this day I am a very poor bike rider. My mother loved her bike when she was a teenager and young adult. It gave her a lot of freedom.
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Ouch. I remember one such fall, and it does still make me wince. I’m not a confident rider either, and would never venture out onto Auckland’s roads. There must be lots of people who feel the same way, and it is a huge curb on freedom. 🙁
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Strangely, I think I exercise my freedom on the computer. 🙂
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I get that. I think I do too.
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Wow! What a tough woman! I doubt many women nowadays would do the same, she’s a real role model for her party!
I love my bike and can totally identify with that wonderful quote you chose. Also I have a mountain bike (lower crossbar 😉) because I love the sturdier wheels which have a nice grip even in sandy ground. 😊 xxxxxxx
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I think if I got a bike again it would be a mountain bike — even if I only ever rode it on cycle paths!! The Big T has a fat bike with huge tyres that he rides on the beach. They look a bit weird but seem like lots of fun. xxxxx 😀
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I can definitely recommend having a mountain bike, I even added a carrier rack at the back and use it to do my shoppings. I´ve seen those fat bikes, they look so funny!! 😀 xxxxxx
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I will need to live somewhere with good cycleways first. Riding on the road here is way too dangerous. xxxxxx
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