Britain dominated my day unexpectedly today, thanks to my Brompton bike, a plateful of biscuits, books, and a bashful barker.
Though a fervent fan of decolonization, I’ve got a powerful penchant for Pommies.
Australian culture was heavily influenced by Britain when I was growing up, I was partially educated in England, and I work with a couple of English lads who are top notch blokes.
So I have a soft spot for Britain for all sorts of reasons, and I think there’s an element to that with Japan, too, which chose Britain as the first-ever foreign country it formally allied with back in 1902.
Anyway, enough of the waffle, and on to today’s Britain, which started with the Brompton Meeting at Tachikawa Sozokan.
This bi-monthly meeting is a gathering of Brompton aficionados, and I love it for the bike-centered sense of community spirit that it provides. Today marked the first anniversary of the gathering’s current incarnation, though the event itself has roots dating back to the early 2010.
After the event, I got an unexpected double dose of Old Dart through Puddleby.
This delightful cafe was absolutely exquisite, and I will write more about it later.
We had little time today and stopped by for a quick pint, some biscuits, and tea and scones.
It will not be the last time we go to this special little place in a hidden nook.
Mind you, Puddleby’s bashful poodle, Hana-chan, dented my ego a bit and put paid to my self-appointed monicker as a bit of a dog-whisperer by refusing to come anywhere near me while I tried to pat her in the cafe. Yet another reason to head back there as soon as we can.
The quaint cafe beautifully decorated around a theme of books topped off a day that had a fabulous start, thanks to a very spectacular sunrise, which was a joy and ended up heralding a bright day all around in so many ways.
