Woman rescues folding Peugoet from hard rubbish

What is it about a Peugeot folder that makes me all goose bumpy, like I have found the holy grail?

They are not as stylish as the Raliegh Twenty Stowaway (eyes right):

Nor, in my humble opinion, are they as handsome as their French cousins, the folding Gitane, (here’s one I was riding earlier today):

And yet , like all vintage Peugeots, they have that certain je ne sais quoi (is that how you spell it?). So I was very happy when my Number One Little Bike Scout  sent me this snap of a near mint-condition Peugeot she spotted in the city, (I am particularly impressed that both front and rear elastic luggage straps seem to be original, intact and still stretchy.)

And I was chuffed again the very next day, which started out as a sparkling spring morning just perfect for a swim, when I came  across this little blue beauty waiting patiently outside the Fitzroy Pool.

Note the safety features:

1. Bell with what looks like the Peugeot lion stamped on it:

2. Very fetching built-in dynamo lights (rear view only):

3. Suspiciously non-standard- looking reflectors.

( The sticky tape gives it away):

I later met the rider who told me she found the bike in hard rubbish in Camberwell (I am shocked – what more can I say), and that her parents did the safety customising, (bless).

I decided to do some ‘research’ (euphemism for googling) on the Peugeot folding bike, but didn’t come up with much except that they were used by the French army. Is that a useful thing to know I wonder, has that factoid replaced something other tid-bit of information in my brain, like the periodic table symbol for copper for example? These are the questions that keep me awake at night.