Photo by Darren Pateman pinched from http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/policemen-of-the-bush-take-their-lives-in-their-claws-20110923-1kocz.html

Yesterday morning I was approaching the entrance to the park at Tarragindi (where a magpie terrorised me incessantly last season) to discover a magpie having a go at a little girl aged about 3. He wasn’t dive bombing viciously (yet), but was flying over from about a metre away and then flying (quite gently) toward her to try to peck her.

The little girl was super cute, just kind of smiling and flicking her hand kind of shoo-ing the mapgie away. This happened about 4 or 5 times. Mum, who was following with pram, was more anxious (as you would be) so I said to Mum “As soon as I pass, the magpie will come after me so it’s all good”.

Ha! All good? All good if I had the same fear as a 3 year old!! As opposed to my irrational fear whereby I visualise a bleeding earlobe or a poked out eye!

This morning when I cycled the same route towards and through the park, I was so super anxious, looking for the magpie everywhere – all set to do a mad sprint along the bike path.

Fortunately the magpie was nowhere to be seen. However, unfortunately for my 36 year old fear, there were about 15 or so yummy mummies exercising. They overflowed from the grass and onto the shared walkway/bikeway.

I dinged my bell about 4 or so times, but they didn’t move. It’s happened before. They only tend to move if their instructor yells out ‘Cyclist!’ This strikes me as odd given my request should count. Perhaps I’m not scary boot-camp enough.

Anyway, I ended up having to yell out and say ‘Hello! Coming through!’ and the group very slowly (seriously snail’s pace) moved away while I not only was forced to slowly manoeuvre around them (almost having to stop), but also had to manoeuvre around the various children’s tricycles and scooters lying abandoned on the path. Not to mention an actual baby who was lying unsupervised right beside the footpath.

This is going to be a huge problem come full blown mapgie season. If I can’t sprint along the bike path to escape the wrath of an angry mapgie, I’m buggered.

For 9 months of the year, I’m quite happy to slow down for the yummy mummies. For 3 months of the year, I really need them to know that, as much as I’d like to embrace the fear (or lack thereof) of a 3 year old, there’s an accident waiting to happen if I’m not free to cycle fast and freely along the shared walkway/bikeway.

Don’t get me wrong! I want the human mummies in the park! Just off the path! The morning there’s only me in the park up against one mean magpie daddy is the morning I start sobbing … like a 3 year old.