Football, Meat Pies, Samurais, And…Penny Farthings?

After a fairly busy weekend in which I was constantly busy, but never really got much of note done. I could, however, look back and say that at least I had encountered football, meat pies, Samurais and….well, not the Chevorlet or Holden cars the old ads talked about, but, um, penny farthings.

Rides on Friday and Saturday traversed the Sekiya no Kiridoshi, a samurai road connecting Onojijuku, an inn from the Edo period (1603-1868), and the road into Edo, the predecessor of Tokyo. It’s a delightful, bucolic setting and photogenic.

Saturday afternoon was devoted to study, then calling family and catching up on the latest news, which was unfortunately that my long ailing cousin had decided to undergo voluntary assisted death. It was a relief as he had been cruelly ravaged by illness for many years, but also a reminder of mortality.

That somber note remained on Sunday as poor Dino was still crook.

She was clearly uncomfortable around me, so despite the heat in the mid-30s, I decided to follow my morning jaunt with a longer ride that I promised myself I would take leisurely. I got to see the AFL Japan Samurais training on the riverbank fields.

I headed off down the Tama to Futago Tamagawa, where the Takashimaya Department Store was holding the Tamagawa Cycle Festa, a mini-festival. The event had some fascinating cycle-related goods, but most interestingly was the wide array of penny farthings, though gaudy, kitschy cycler wear ran a close second.

Realizing I was close, I headed to Punk Doily, an Aussie cafe and purveyor of what I reckon are the world’s tastiest meat pies. They are densely packed with top quality ingredients and simply scrumptious.

If I have a complaint it would be that the pies are so filling even with my ravenous appetite I can’t tuck into a sausage roll or cake as well. These can all be taken away, too, but in the heat on the bike, it wasn’t really an option today.

I did pick up some Punk Doily merch, though. I was shocked to learn that Punk Doily has already been in business for eight years! I thought it was only yesterday that it opened.

Weather was stupendously delightful on my return, albeit excruciatingly hot. I took it slowly and gently and loved listening to my rock box along the way.

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

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