Tanka challenge 4/21/12

Dust off the cobwebs,
Wobble down the driveway
Then pedal away.
I had not realized how
Many months I'd been off my bike.

Where the hell is my floor pump?

Someone swiped THAT out of the alley too, though at least the new bike cover has stayed on the bike.

I hadn't quite realized how long it's been since I took Mimi out, but it had to be last fall. Anyway, I brushed off the inevitable cobwebs and cussed out the landscaper asshole who'd managed to blow a crapton of dirt up under the bike cover with the leaf blower they'd taken to the alley the last time they filled up the compost bin. I rode over to the 76 station over on Webster street and topped up the tire pressure, then went over to check out the new-ish West End Flea (market) over at the college.

It's much smaller and more flea-markety than the monthly antiques show out on the old Naval Station, but it was still fun walking around. My haul included a 100% linen men's shirt with a Colonial Williamsburg label - it buttons all the way down the front,but has some 18th century-ish details that are nice and it's sooooo soft. $10 couldn't buy the linen for it.  Also an indigo shibori furoshiki (or possibly a place mat) for $1. And some carrot bread from a lady selling baked goods.

Was home by lunch time, power washed the bike with the hose to get all that dirt off, and grabbed a shower.

While checking email I discovered that Mistress Geraldine has decided to host a make-and-fly-a-kite competition at Beltane. The only problem I see with it is that the event site is in a valley surrounded by hills and I've never been able to get a kite in the air there. Nonetheless, I went looking for the website for the place that sells bamboo kite spars, posted the link to SCA-West - and ordered some bamboo because I'd probably slice off a body part trying to split my own bamboo.

Met layla_lilah for a matinee of Hunger Games which I liked more than I thought I would. We tried a new Vietnamese restaurant down the street from the theater in El Cerrito called Nong Thon, which was very good.