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MetalMelly
This morning's commute
Chapter 1: Hackney
Arriving at the Lock 7 traffic lights a pedestrian stopped in the road and asked the rider in front could she take a photo of his bike.
"Sure," he said as he leant back with his loose, leather bag draped stylishly over one shoulder "it's a Danish bike, a Pedersen, designed in eighteen ninety something".
She took the photo then commented on his leather bag. "It's a goat, from Mali."
Chapter 2: Tower Hamlets
Cutting down a side street towards Weaver's fields a small car rushed out from a street on the left. Emergency stop, a string of expletives from me, we just avoided running into each other. The driver stepped out the car saying, "Do you want to repeat what you said?".
Remembering Anna G's calming advice I took a deep breath and replied "I'm sorry for swearing at you but the way you came out scared the shit out of me".
That made him think for a second and start a 'discussion' about rights of way at un-marked junctions and what you might learn for a driver's theory test. (He was a young driver and there was a very new dent on the front right corner of his car.)
A bit later he put out his hand to shake, which I accepted. As I pulled away he noticed my cap, labelled 'London Cycling Campaign'.
"Ah", he said as he sat back in his car, "London . . . . lorries . . . "