Zen, And The Art Of the Brompton Community…

Or, Fold-ups, Fears, Foul-ups, Fuss, Faffing And Fun…

After weeks of sunny weather (and heat), rain and drizzle came as a bit of a shock, but with a packed schedule there was little time to mess around.

I slept later than usual and woke to rain, which made me suspect there would be no Brompton meeting at Tachikawa event today.

But I checked the Instagram account of the event organiser, and she was keen for it to go ahead.

Having yet to visit under her auspices and after pledging to myself that I would make every effort to do so this month, I prepared my Brompton bicycle to take me to the hospital and then on to the gathering.

But the rain grew increasingly strong and I knew I would be pressed for time. I folded Brommie up, dragged out the Big Red and then set about my chores.

And then I saw on Instagram that the event would be held. I was committed, so out came Brommie again.

I’ve not ridden Brommie for a while, and not in the dark and wet that greeted me this morning. Having become accustomed to the 40-mm tires on Big Red (twice the width of the wheels on the fold-up) and its disc brakes receptive to my arthritis-weakened braking power, getting on my oldest bike was a shock. I rode tentatively and filled with fear. It would not change throughout the day.

Despite my trepidation, it was still a joy to ride Brommie, and I raced her to the hospital where I underwent a routine check-up.

Thanks to the lousy weather, we had the Takao Komagino Garden to ourselves and I took the opportunity to take as many photos of my beautiful bike as I could, some of which turned out to be very Zen-like.

Having been here too long to get caught up in Eastern philosophizing and knowing what scoundrels the organized religions are here, I didn’t want to fall into too contemplative a mood, but I had to admit that the Brommie looked bloody spectacular in the surroundings.

From the garden it was a trip to the Tachikawa Culture Factory. I ride past it pretty much daily yet had no idea it was so close to a place where I lived briefly more than three decades ago. The Brompton meeting at Tachikawa was a fabulous time with a very warm and friendly community comprised of Brompton owners. I stayed only long enough for my bike to take part in the customary group shot.

I had more faffing around with yet another hospital to visit to clear up an administrative foul-up, then raced home for a quick lunch.

I collected Dino for a trip to the Yokohama Bird Clinic so that she could have her check-up. Our rosy faced lovebird is showing signs of getting back to her best. She has a healthy appetite and her infection appears to be clearing up. She occasionally poops by herself, which is crucial for her survival. Though still wearing a ruffle, there seems a possibility of Dino getting well enough to enable us to remove it sometime, which is remarkable progress from a few weeks ago when it appeared the end was nigh. Still touch and go, though, so fingers crossed.