Our dearest–in terms of both emotion and bloody expense–little mate gave us a bit of a shock the past few days as Dino, our rosy faced lovebird, appeared to be petering (ptering?) toward the brink only to slowly move toward recovery. I’m guilty as I’ve been sharing meals (and snacks) with Dino for years now, and she also shares my love for carbs and cheese, making her as fat and unhealthy as I am. You’d never know it, though, as she is vigorous and active, spending nearly all day out of her cage and flying freely throughout our home. But…
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Much as I would love to have been tiptoeing, I’m way too fat to do that, so when Mrs. Kangaeroo and I headed off to the Hamura Tulip Festival, it was stomping heavily through the gorgeous flowers. Mrs. Kangaeroo and I had done some cycling tours together in the past, but not since before the COVID-19 pandemic. I’d been pushing all week to go as the return trip is largely flat and a distance I thought Mrs. Kangaeroo would be able to handle despite not having cycled for many years. But the visit seemed unlikely yesterday as our dinosaur fell…
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Arthritis is taking over my body, seemingly joint by joint, with my left foot in particular so painful it’s becoming a struggle to walk, even as the spring makes the prospect of doing so ever more appealing. Arthritis runs in my family and I often teased my mother over her crooked fingers which had been warped badly by the affliction. I’m laughing from the other side of my face now as my digits are pained and twisted. It’s creating something of a dilemma because it has severely hampered my cycling, which had been instrumental in maintaining a semblance of good…
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Despite a short work week, life was busy and the cycling gods dealt another blow that made it hard to stay on the bike. After riding more than 30,000 kilometers in 2021, the fates have combined to drastically curtail my riding as I’ve been affected by work, play, family, health, commitments and theft have intervened. This week, I worked on site every day and left my PC in the office, which enabled me to commute by bicycle two days in a row. By the time I went to a colleague’s band play on Friday night at the Ruby Room in…
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It’s been a whirlwind week, not because of the speed that it has passed, but the tumultuous time it has been. That’s not to suggest it was a torrid affair. In fact, it was anything but. Work was a generally great time. Monday I had been expecting to receive notice that my trial period was over. It didn’t happen. But I was informed on Tuesday! I’d forgotten that Monday was a holiday in Australia for Australia Day. My boss is based in Melbourne. Moreover, my employer bent the employment rules. Instead of giving me a contract to the end of…
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Plans to write a blog post today turned out to be a bird-brained idea. Our rosy faced lovebird hijacked our computer keyboard because it’s the warmest place in the house. There wasn’t a great deal to write about anyway. So all I’ll be skipping on is the minituae and other space-filling fodder. Work is becoming a little more intense, but also more enjoyable, and each day is a new reminder of how fortunate I am to be there, and to be surrounded with such wonderful and supportive teammates. A downside is that my cycling has been drastically curtailed, but I…
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The 2025 new year has kicked off in a maginificent manner. We have had unseasonable warmth and the return of once customary brilliant winter sunshine. I started off with a flurry of enthusiasm, too. My year started with an extremely early rise not long after 4 a.m. I quickly showered and got on my bike. Even though I weighed myself for the first time in many months, and didn’t like what I saw, I was still feeling keen. Once my mind started turning over, it was already too late to turn my back, and I was on my way to…
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Continuing a run of at least four new year seasons, I’m ailing yet again. After a cold, covid, the flu and another cold, this new year I’ll be welcoming in with a case of lumbago. Worse still, I owe it to a case of hubris, having twinged my back by bending too quickly to pet a neighbor’s dog because I fancied myself as having something of a magic touch with pooches. The immobilizing pain over the past few days has become a constant reminder to be a bit more thoughtful in my actions. One benefit has been slowing me down…
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On Christmas Eve, I thought any wrapping I’d be doing would be presents, not bloody jacarandas, but between a hectic time at work that was exactly what I found myself doing. Amazing (and incredibly patient) Alex Endo, who created our Aussie garden at Kangaeroo Corner, wanted to protect the tips of the tree’s branches so they could be protected from the frost and increase the likelihood of flowering. Our jacaranda hasn’t flowered for three years now, and we hope that next year will see it flourish florally. Alex also let me know that I am wasting my time waiting for…
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This weekend was probably the last until the very end of the year where I would be able to do a decent amount of cycling, and timing presented the opportunity to return to mountain riding for the first time in over three years. I got to ride through Takao first and see my physician for a regular check up. This allowed me to grab some time in Takao Komagino Teien, the gorgeous Japanese garden adjacent to my hospital. I enjoyed a leisurely ride over Otarumi Pass, a popular ride for many cyclists in Tokyo, and was pleasantly surprised that the…