howies®

I wrote this blog a few years ago now. It was a day when we were trying to recruit for our brand new Bristol shop. I remember the day very well. Nerves, but very exciting times. And we found our team!

‘This weekend I am going to get some rest, before we head to Bristol in search of the perfect team for the shop.
I remember my interview for howies. I drove from Devon to Wales so early in the morning, the dog in the back and the boyfriend driving.
I talked all the way because I was so nervous. I then got the call from Scania as David and Chris were running early!! So i rushed in. I was so nervous.
I took a sneaky call at my last work place and did a silent scream in the staff room when David rang me from what sounded like the windiest place in the Wales to say i had the job.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that if you have an interview for the Bristol shop on Monday, don’t be scared, come as yourself, and tell us some fun stuff.’

I came to work for howies because it is a company that is full of ideas, creative people, a place full of dreams and hard workers making stuff happen. I took the job like an excited child because I believed in everything that David and Clare had started.

Today is my last day at howies. It has been amazing and lots and lots of fun…. oh and of course tea drinking!

Thanks to a grand old team of super hard working people.

A couple of things i will never forget are team RAD, Ruben turning up to work as some sort of running machine, Mark from the london shop on model searching days, the shoots and long drives, amazing team riders, the print shop and the dancing, the day Jon broke my bike, then the day we found my new bike…. there are many more I am sure.

So, good luck team, ride fast, run like Ruben but just don’t cut your hair like Ade! ( haha!)

Freshly pressed.

The Bourgeois Bicycle Caravan has landed!

In the Autumn of 2009, the trio of Jimmy Bodean, Harold Hobart Hellybutt & Del Da-Foster embarked on an expedition, along the western seaboard of france, by bicycle. With trailers brimming with the necessities (surfyboards, box cameras, pencils and books of russian beat poetry) the trio went in search of the image perfect and the ultimate rambling tale.

This is the outcome, and very nice too.

Read more here… or pop into the Bristol shop and pick one up.

James Bowden is the guy who does lots of our catalogue shoots.

Enjoy.

James McKnight one of our team riders has set this ace little blog up.

Really is worth a look, Mc Blog Part 1.

‘James Mcknight starts a summer series of updates and rants about anything and everything from the saddle of his Euro ‘access all areas’ Vendetta. Don’t expect to find gear ratios, sprockets and spoke tension here, this is a glimpse into the life of the professional bike bum, pump tracks, brioche and beer.’

This guy is always on his bike. A total nightmare to get hold of him! haha!

Right now he is somewhere bike testing in the sun! What a life!

Thanks McKnighty…

Well more lovely weather is headed our way this weekend.

Mel and I are super happy with waves we had this week too.

All in all a good one.

So with more sunny days ahead I am sure more nice pictures will be taken.

I am going for the sunshine look on the howies look blog to keep the glow alive!

Send me some happy sunny day shots of what you have been up to on this 4 day week… evening bike rides, early morning sunrise runs or good old evenings at the beach.

Email them to me : anna@howies.co.uk

howies is nice and relaxed today with a nice group dinner at the river, planning canoeing trips and genreal tom foolery!

Have a splendid weekend.

The sun is out here today in Cardigan Bay and the tea is in the pot, a busy day ahead of sorting out samples from the Autumn shoot.

We always seem to get very muddy on these shoots!

When we are away we take so many photos, so many it’s hard to pick the best for the catalogues. Pete and Aron have a hard task on their hands.

So when you have your tea break today have a little look at howies look, it’s were you can see more imgaes from shoots and the goings on behind the scenes.

Have a grand old day in the sun.

We are back in one piece from the Autumn/ Winter 2010 shoot.

We drove to Ireland and it was pretty magical.

A perfect setting for the shoot.

A massive thanks to all that made it happen, the grand oraganisation, models, teamriders, photographers, writers and illustrators  and to all the people we asked for directions!

‘Ahhh, to be sure….’ ( Irish accent!)

This is worthy of a tea break i am sure… howies look.

A lovely tumblr that is just full of howies photo shoot photos.

A sneaky look at images that maybe we don’t use just down to the fact we have so many!

check it out here

Pop the kettle on and have a little look.

We are just planning our next shoot and Millie and Paul have been looking for locations ( secret for a bit a longer!) but it will be great for sure.

Very exciting

Have a lovely Wednesday.

Today the man they call ‘Super Ted’ turned up at howies. While Poppy and I from Cooler Magazine went through the new range of Autumn/ Winter 2010 to do some shoots, the bike crew here were in awe of Ted.

He is know for his fixed skills and biking style and it was grand to have a catch up with the lovely couple.

Thanks so much for popping in and do let us know when you are back this way for more tea and bike rides.

Check out Ted’s movies here.

A pretty ace USB stick arrived today on Ade’s desk here at howies holding all the images from MCR Bike Polo, who presented this year the first annual UK Bike Polo Championships.

It was held a few weeks ago and by the looks of things it was a pretty great day!

It was held at Arcadia Sports Centre on what looks like super sunny day and it was teamed not only with great polo matches but also a BBQ. The round robin phases of qualification were teamed with music blasting from the speakers!

The Sunday held the final that was between the Rotten Apples and Cosmic 3 and taking the trophy was the Cosmic 3, nice one guys.

All in all a great event, great images and great idea. We should enter a team next year for sure. May need to get some training in though!

Thanks Neil for the grand photos.

On Friday we had some great visiters who popped in for a cup of tea.

The guys from www.gonepaddling.co.uk they were on the Welsh leg of their paddle and on the way up!

Joe Andrews and James Bonell,  have been embarking on a 3000-mile sea kayak adventure around the coast of mainland UK, raising money for two charities.

They launched from the  National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth, and hope to make it all the way around our stunning coastline and back to Falmouth by mid-September.

The findrasiers target  is a pretty daunting £20,000, to be split equally between WaterAid and the NACC (National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease). I am sure these guys can do it!

Their ambition and outlook was super inspiring.

After a little look at the van which has been kitted out to sleep paddlers and drivers we had a chat and cupa and handed over some nice merino to keep them warm on the breezey paddles they have ahead.

We took loads of photos and will add these very soon, Ruben is getting his camera at lunch!

We hope Joe’s arm gets better soon too!

You can keep up to date with all there travels at here and also if you want give some money to these guys to help them on their charity target then you can here.

You can track the guys on via their GPS signals from their boats and then this will be added to their Tracker section of the blog.

For details of NACC and WaterAid, what they do and how your money will help their vital work, check out the details on the Charities page.

Nice one guys, a true inspiration.