Even with a 4:30 a.m. start aimed at avoiding meddlesome obstructionists, I still didn’t get up early enough to escape the scrutiny of the local jobsworth.
Riding my bike into Yakushiike Park just as the dawn broke, and entering down a ramp well past the park office, I thought I had escaped any possible officiousness.
This park is a delightful oasis alongside a heavily trafficked road, and is surrounded by densely packed suburban housing.
Yet, regardless of the time I get there, I have customarily found it to be staffed by jobsworths, who prove time and again that sometimes the worst thing you can do to a person is give them a little authority.
And, in spite of my initial belief that I had gotten away with the ban on bicyling in the park, it was not to be.
“Please do not ride bicycles in the park. Cycling is banned,” came an announcement blasted over the park’s loudspeakers with sufficient volume to probably wake local residents, too, just in case the message wasn’t getting across.
Fortunately, by the time the announcement was made, I was already off my bike and furiously snapping photos before I got kicked out.
This triggered the emergence of another scourge: like-minded photographers who had also woken early and rushed to the park to capture the glorious wisteria in full bloom amid the stunning greenery of the early spring.
A few stood by, mumbling under their breath and probably cursing me for spoiling their shots.
Then, the jobsworth guard came out of the park office and watched my every move from a distance, only slinking back inside when he noticed that I was pushing the bike around and taking photos and showing no inclination to ride.
In the end, neither the guard, the photographers, or a number of walkers were concerned and let me go about my business while I took as many photos as I could to capture the moment before heading home. It was nice to be out on the bike as I have an infected hand that is stopping me from riding, but that’s a story for a different day.
