This Thorn was on the pavement in front of a pub. I'd never seen one in the flesh, though a Thorn had been on my shortlist for years. As you can imagine, I was very keen to inspect this apparently well-used, hard-travelled bike. I was standing right close up to the bike, bent over inspecting the panniers, wondering how many miles had turned the canvas that grey, when the owner came out of the pub after his lunch. He must have thought I was the local bike thief... It wouldn't have been so bad if I was there with my bike, another cyclist, but I was out walking with my wife. Not knowing what to do, I stuck out my hand and said, "I'm Andre Jute. I was just admiring your Thorn. Not many people here would know what it is." Fortunately, it was another forum member, who recognized me from here.
Considering how many Thorns there are, and where I live on the edge of rural Ireland, that must be a statistical anomaly, running not only into a Thorn, but into an owner who knew me.
