Kangaeroo is easy to be critical and cynical, less so to be thankful.
Today, he is taking a moment to be thankful for life.
Kangaeroo loves life, even though he has largely made a mess of his own until recent years.
Life interrupted this week, preventing any significant entry here, but not stopping time on the bike.
Continuing on from yesterday, today was another day of climbing through the mountains on the beautiful Belladonna (a Cervelo R5 road bike).
Kangaeroo is too exhausted from the energy-sapping ride and a rush to get out to go into much detail.
But he is eternally grateful to cycling for giving these opportunities that have been unimaginable for most of his life, and to his wife for allowing him to pursue these dreams.
And, of course, to his bikes for carrying him there, and the cycling mates who help and encourage him.
Kangaeroo loves cycling.
He cycles a lot. And I mean a lot.
The line between a moderately good rider and a strong rider can largely be drawn at climbing; specifically, how fast a cyclist can make it up the hills.
The best cyclists are all good hill climbers.
The key to strong climbing is having a good power to weight ratio, which basically means weighing little but still having lots of power.
Look at most pro cyclists and they all look like skeletons with disproportionately huge legs.
Unfortunately, the only thing disproportionally huge about Kanageroo is his belly.
He has practised hard at becoming a better climber, but the results haven’t arisen.
Now, he is old and climbing is hard. It won’t be possible soon.
So he is doing it while he can.
And the courtesy of some time off work and glorious weather meant exploring the exquisite mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo and into its neighboring Kanagawa and Yamanashi prefectures.
Today is bleak.
Weather is debilitating.
It’s drizzling, bleak, wet and cold.
Perfect for work … if you have to work indoors. (Not too good for those who earn a living outside, though)
It’s too wet to ride, to do much outside to be honest, but not wet enough to fully rule out any activities under the skies.
This kind of weather does my head in.
Kangaeroo has also just switched employers, so there is a massive amount of stress and the fear of the unknown.
Transition is not moving altogether smoothly, either.
One bonus of not being able to ride was getting to take a walk.
And Kangaeroo is fortunate enough to be able to live in a neighborhood.
The area is remarkably beautiful and relatively untouched considering its proximity to central Tokyo and the suburban sprawl of the world’s largest city.
Add to that the new greenery and the rain, and it made for an outstanding stroll.
It won’t last much longer, but it is certainly enjoyable while it lasts.
Spring is such a delight in Japan. One reason for that is the blooming of cherry blossoms.
For a week or so, much of the company is given a glorious pink carpet as the national flower blooms, transforming often bleak landscapes into spectacular vistas.
Kangaeroo spent the weekend cycling Tokyo’s central districts and suburbs, taking as many photos of the blossoms as possible.
This has been a strange kind of week.
Meetings kicked off the week, continued throughout and were punctuated by work and lots of cycling and photography.
Oh, yeah. And looking after the pet dinosaur.
Amid that, feelings went up and down. Mostly down.
Now, as the working week draws to a close, it feels like things are getting better.
The next couple of weeks are going to be demanding. The next few months even more so, actually.
But for today, things are comparatively calm. And that contentment has put a spring in the step, appropriate considering the season.
Waking early is never easy, especially as the nights get longer and the temperature cools.
But nature sometimes does its best to reward those who drag themselves out from under the covers as the birds begin to sing.
The photos here come from one of those times.
