One For the Good Guys

Regular readers will know that the Holt Press Home has been the target of repeated bike thefts over recent months. First the 3 wheeler I bought at the garage sale disappeared and despite vigilant searches has never been seen again.

Then when we came home from the church camp a few weeks ago we were greeted with empty spaces where my racing bike and Mrs Holt-Press' mountain bike had formerly been.

Most recently Sport Boy suffered the agonizing theft of his new BMX bike the day after his birthday, this time from outside the rec centre while he was playing basketball.

All were reported to the police but despite phone calls seeking further info, nothing came of their investigations.

The final straw came this weekend when my mountain bike also disappeared. It is a big bike with front and rear carrying racks and a very high seat to accommodate my long legs. I use it to deliver the junk mail and get to work. Having no bikes left except Sport Boy's original bike, Favourite Daughter and I set out to investigate a lead of our own.

I had seen a couple of notorious kids hanging around the front of our place acting suspiciously around the time of the church camp and although I had given their names to the police, had heard nothing more. So I found out their address and FD and I drove round to their street and past the house a couple of times. Sure enough there was a bike that resembled mine laying in the caport, partially obscured by a car. FD got out and walked past the house for a closer look, which was made harder by the woman in the house coming out to the car-port while we were going past. FD confirmed she thought it was my bike so we drove around to the police station to report what we had found.
The officer took down the details and despatched a patrol car to go and check it out, promising to ring straight away if they found it.

While we were there I asked if we could have a look through the bike shed, which contains about 30 bikes that have been found or recovered but remain unclaimed by their owners.

To my surprise, hanging right inside the door was my racing bike, which had been found in late October. Even though I'd given them a detailed description of it at the time they hadn't matched it to my report. Never-the-less they were happy to return it to me then and there.

Score one for the good guys.


Then, further good news an hour later. The police called to say they had indeed located my bike at the address we'd given them and it was now at the station ready for me to collect!


Score two for the good guys!

Sadly there is still no sign of Sport Boy's bike but we keenly scan every bike we see a kid riding wherever we go. In fact, one such "investigation" ended in what could have been a very unfortunate incident.
A couple of weeks ago Mrs HP rang to say a kid riding a bike fitting the description of Sport Boy's was riding along our street and suggested I go and check it out.
Sure enough, I spotted a boy was riding a Khaki BMX very similar to the one we had stolen. I turned around in the school car park up the street and went back for another look however close inspection showed that the pedals were a different colour and the braking system was not the same, it wasn't Sport Boy's bike.
I pulled into our driveway and took one last look down the street, to see the kid facing me from the corner. He then yelled out "Get Lost!" and rode away!

Whoops!

I think he had mistaken me for someone with much more sinister motives!
I can just imagine him racing home and telling his Mum about the man in the blue car following him, and being able to point out where he lived!
A little misunderstanding can go a long way!
I can just see the story in the paper, "School Chaplain stalks boy on bike"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankfully we haven't had a visit from an angry parent, or the police!

Terrible News for Sport Boy

One day after celebrating his 10th birthday, Sport Boy's day ended terribly. He came out of the rec centre after his basketball game to find that his new bike had been stolen!!!

He was understandably distraught and heart-broken, not to mention "furious".

We all went out in two cars and spent the next 2 hours scouring the neighbourhood and surrounding areas looking for it but sadly didn't find any sign of it.

We'll check out the local school bike racks tomorrow and report it to the police.
Hopefully with a letterbox drop and letters to the papers someone may be able to tell us where it is.
Sport Boy has offered all of his savings as a reward!

Disturbing the Peace

Dragged myself out of bed and made it to church this morning and was glad I did. The preacher was 79 years old and full of the joy and love of God. BB and Aimee came too which was nice.

I had a frustrating afternoon. I'd loaded up the bike to begin the junk mail round then discovered I had a flat rear tyre. The rear wheel with it's deraullier gears and bike rack is considerably harder to remove. I found the puncture but without an adequate repair kit had to get a lift down to Bunnings to buy one. I repaired the puncture and refitted the wheel with Fashion Boy's assistance only to find we'd somehow managed to break the valve stem and the tube was rendered useless!
There ensued a fruitless search around the shops of Busselton, those that were open, looking for bike tubes. No go! None were to be found! Giving up I returned home and in desperation pulled an old tube out of a wreck of a bike behind the shed that hasn't been functional for years. To my utter surprise, it was intact and stayed inflated, passing the bucket test with flying colours.
With "new" tube fitted and the wheel back in place I set off to deliver the consumer's companions. I needed to get it done because Fashion Boy needed the bike after me to go and do his new round in Peppermint Park. The lack of money has prompted desperate measures in the Fashion Boy economy, thus he has re-embraced the joys of junk mail.

Tonight I went to a commissioning service for two new chaplains in the local primary schools. At one stage there was some lovely orchestral music playing, accompanied by pictures of sunsets and trees. The presentation was chosen by one of the new chaplains and entitled "Deep Peace". I had to laugh when half way though the reflection the sound of the churches answering machine could be distinctly heard throughout the auditorium. Not to be outdone, a banner in the foyer then blew over, the wooden pole crashing noisily onto the slate tiled floor! It seemed an apt metaphor, a school chaplain's peace being noisily interrupted by a telephone and a jarring unexpected crash!

After the service I got a lift home with an old couple, Len and Eunice who were our neighbours at Harvest Rd when we first moved to Busselton. They are a lovely old couple, full of stories and fun and the kids and Carolyn were all pleased to see them. Eunice stayed for a visit on the proviso that I recorded the final episode of Rain Shadow and gave it to them on a DVD!

I have a meeting at school in the morning to discuss the possible impact of the weekend's car crash and double fatality on the school. In light of the ages of those involved we don't expect a huge impact but no doubt there will be some.