My super duper Italwin Cruiser electric bike!

Last summer I had rather a big birthday! For my present my lovely husband bought me an Italwin Cruiser electric bike so that I could get to work in style! I just want to say I LOVE IT!!

It was a bit of a lifestyle choice: dragging my bum up the steep hill at Arabona (just outside Sulmona) every night on the way home from work didn't seem to be getting any easier despite the number of times I had done it and some days when I really didn't feel like I could face the hill, I sometimes found myself taking the easy option of taking the car instead, even though it went against my ideals of sustainable travel...funny how quickly ideals can get replaced by comfort.

So, the cruiser arrived and my mother in law bought me the ultimate girlie accessory in the Basil Purple Blossom bike panniers, so I no longer have to squash all my teaching material into a rucksack.

No petrol and no tax, this is our family's eco friendly, cost effective alternative to a second car. I absolutely love getting on it and whizzing to work - so much so I'm sure I look like a grinning maniac as I pass people in town. They always looked petrified as I zoom up behind them and they haven't heard me which gives me an extra chuckle! Now I just have to get my PV solar panels in place to recharge the battery and this will be the ultimate stylish eco commuting-machine. And here it is at the comune...