Flashback Friday - T-shirt theme

I nearly didn't make it for Flashback Friday today... I have been busy hand stitching around the applique for Elizabeth's quilt tonight after finishing the quilt top for the EB quilters 9 patch swap/sew-along.

But here is my photo, almost too late. I know the theme is t-shirts this week, so this pic is me wearing one, but the story is more about the bike.

This photo was taken on Christmas Day 1982. I had caught Dad in the shed with this bike in pieces on the workbench one day along with the blue one he had just put back together after re-spraying. I asked alot of questions about what he was doing and how he was fixing them, but still had no idea they were Christmas presents for us. Dad gave me some story about them being for kids down the road and that they'd had a bingle so he was fixing them. But in actual fact he was making them look brand new again for my big brother and I and adding the little accessories that made me love my first real bike so much. Can you even believe it was second hand? Everything's so sparkly in the pic - he did replace a few bits but whatever he did, he did a fantastic job!

I never saw him doing the one for my little sister, but on Christmas day, I remember having a falling out with my new bike because I couldn't ride without training wheels and told her to get off my old bike and give it back. She was in tears, and Dad distinctly told me that no, it wasn't my bike, my old bike was red (my favourite colour at the time), and this little one of hers was yellow, but I'd worked it all out by then - he had resprayed my bike and given it to her!!! How dare he!!! Of course, I had a better, bigger new bike, but I wanted my bike - the one I could ride! The first day that the shops re-opened Dad rushed out and got my new bike some training wheels and peace restored to our home (until the next sibling arguement!).