Yokohama Bird Clinic

  • So Cursed Even Its Thief Brought It Back

    In a week where a kleptocrat despot and Dicktator made for one of the most bizarre geopolitical times of my existence, Mrs. Kangaeroo reminded me of a thief much closer to home as I finally got my Astuto bike back home. Mrs. Kangaeroo calls the bike cursed. She might have a bit of evidence to back up her claim, as she pointed out that even when a thief stole the bike in February last year, they brought it back to us again four months later. The bike has certainly had a bit of misfortune since making my acquaintance when I began trying to build it after my old Trek literally…

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    Batch Of Brommies Bring A Little Bit Of Magic

    Maybe it’s the residue of all the macabre atmosphere of Halloween or some other mystique, but the past couple of days have been a bit enchanting. Rather than fall for all the made-up poppycock, I reckon the magical feeling probably stems from my Brompton bike. The bicycle that really got me into cycling has sent most of he past few years gathering dust, but when it gets rolled out, there’s something truly special. Yesterday, I got our and headed down on my Brommie to Tokyo Tower for a morning meeting. It was a great ride, if a little chilly, as well as somewhat chilling with drivers on the busy road…

  • The Lady In The Lake

    Not much has been going on recently, but just living life has kept us busy. During a quick lunchtime ride yesterday, the skies and setting gave me a ripper chance to take photos of La Cangura in the shallow waters of a wading pool in a park beside the Tama River. I’ve been cycling a little bit every day, but not as much as I would have wanted, and certainly not with the types of elevations I should be aiming for. But you deal with your hand, and the clouds made for a moody atmosphere that I appreciated. I’d been lucky to get some dynamic skies during rides over the…

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    Wonderful Weekend Of Superb Cycling

    Blessed with outstanding weather and lucky schedule breaks, I’ve just finished an amazing three-day weekend of cycling. I got to get on the bike as part of a cycling club’s call for riders to share their cycling experiences. My duties to the local estate threatened to put paid to my riding over the weekend, but things worked out and I could ride on all three days of the event. Today was the highlight, and I was supposed to lead a ride from Tokyo Station to Inokashira Park in Kichijoji. We were to follow the delightful Kanda River cycling course, which weaves through the central city, through the leafy suburbs and…

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    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…

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 10: Washout!

    Raindrops and more kept falling on my head and everywhere else today, putting paid to Stage 10 of the Big Red Bike Tour, which became a washout. Admittedly, I didn’t have anything planned and was just going to let things go as they flowed. And flow they did, thanks to the long-awaited rains. But heavy rains from Tropical Storm Peipah gifted me with a day of rest and slow time to spend with Dino, our rosy faced lovebird. And that wasn’t the only gift the precipitation presented as the garden delighted in being drenched following weeks of searing temperatures and virtually no rainfall. The plants and soil were basking in…

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 6: Dino In Distress

    After a brief glimmer of hope, what should have turned into a routine check-up turned out to be a bit of a dire day on the Big Red Bike Tour with Dino taking a turn for the worse. Our rosy faced lovebird had seemed to be picking up last night when she showed signs of once again being able to poop without assistance, a crucial development if she is to survive. She was straining to excrete and tiny amounts were leaving. This was something we had been waiting weeks for, and were delighted. Doubly so as she appeared lively and healthy. And then I may have made a fatal mistake….

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    Big Red Bike Tour Stage 4: Costcollosal

    Following the previous day’s exertions, Stage 4 of the Big Red Bike Tour was closer to a rest day, albeit with little breathing space as I headed off to spend a collosal amount of money at the nearby Costco. Inflation is hitting Japan after more than three decades of price stability and its effects are compounded by a weaker yen in a country that imports most of its food. Therefore, our regular order from the supermarket now costs almost double what it used to (except Australian-made Four ‘N Twenty pies, which cost 1,248 yen for a six pack, which makes them considerably cheaper than what you’d pay for where they’re…

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 3: Dino’s Fabulous Flight

    Dino, our ailing rosy faced lovebird, went on the most fantastic flight of her life today, albeit courtesy of Kangaeroo pedal power rather than using her own wings. Dino traveled about 60 kilometers from home as the bird flies — or didn’t, in this case. I packed her in a cage covered in an insulated bag and stored in a pannier on the side of the Big Red bike. Then, on Stage 3 of the Big Red Bike Tour, we headed down to the Yokohama Bird Clinic for her checkup. All things considered, Dino is doing OK, and her bum is showing signs of healing even though she fiercely avoids…

  • Nostos Naughtiness Proves There’s No Place Like Home

    Dino, our ailing rosy faced lovebird, has returned from the better part of a month in the hospital, and instead of it being a hospice-like homecoming, she’s immediately gotten back into her typically mischievous mode. Dino loves the warmth of my keyboards and has hung out near my computers since returning home on the weekend. She also chewed the rubber off my glasses while I wasn’t looking, showing that she’s lost little of her trademark cheekiness despite still not being in the best of states. Dino can’t poop, which is a critical condition for birds, and only the care of the Yokohama Bird Clinic and now Mrs. Kangaeroo in extracting…