The Wedding

My brother-in-law got married on October 24th, which is surprising only in that I have thought for 6 months that he was getting married on October 25th, and only found out just in time to change all the hairdressing appointments!
It was very bizarrely Japanese, but in a lovely place, with really lovely food.

Good luck for the future, Uncle Y and new Auntie M!


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Catch Up Halloween 09

Just call me Jackie-o-Lantern....


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Scotland Summer -09

And here are the few shots from Scotland which I managed to take after Yasu brought my other camera. Still can't believe my record of my entire summer was fried after the great camera washing incident... Once again:oh well....


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Bye bye Dr Ed!

Said goodbye to another friend today. Hazards of the job of being a long term gaijin. They all leave eventually. Boohoo.
Anyway, Shez, here's the proof that I put him on the plane and made him leave the country.

After check-in there was a bit of an absence. Apparently there was no English on the instructions in the gents. I suspect it might have had more to do with the 8 pints of Guinness the night before at Molly's, but then I'm never right....

We waved good bye from the newly revamped observation deck.

Proof that the last grain of rice has really left the country.

We miss you all.

Come back soon.

Dr Fish

Dr Y and Weechan tried this last week.

These fish apparently like nothing more than to feast on the dead skin on your feet. Your feet come out after 15 minutes feeling refreshed and clean.
Apparently.
Just the thought of it was too much for me.
Yuck.

Fred

Before

1 week later

Barber shop

Skinhead Fred

Thank you.

Scottish Visitors bring the Rain

It really has been a real Rainy Season this year.

Don't know if they brought the British weather with them, but we were glad to see our good friends from Scotland the other week.

New addition since we last met, C is definitely a "braw bairn".

"Baby" S wasn't playing when it came to getting her photo taken this time, but she's definitely no baby any more!

And another one of Prince C with his two slaves. Haha!
Great to see you guys. Will phone when we reach sunny Scotland.

A Brief Pause in the Rains

It has really been a rainy rainy season, but on the one Saturday where the sun shone, we made full use of it by getting the paddling pool out when the K kids and the F kids came over for lunch.

T was on fine form. I'll keep the other nude shots for private viewing!

Can't believe these 2 are so huge now. S, 9,

I, just turned 7. Happy birthday I. What happened to your chin???

Sparkly Sayonara

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The last supper with the R family. FAR too much champagne.Far too many sparklers. Far too much noise. Sorry neighbours.

There are some quite cool Harry Potter-esque shots here tho.

Summer Holidays

How can I pay so much to a school for tuition and they are on holiday already??!!
There should be no bloody holidays for anyone at that price, that's what I say.
But as with most things, no-one ever listens to what I say.
And so it was, that we found ourselves having a picnic and staring at horror film inspiring insects at Hiroshima City Forest Park last Friday after half day closing of school for the start of the summer holidays.

Sigh.

Kids are happy though.

One for E's scrap book (teehee).

Fun and Drama with the R Team in Kyushu

We enjoyed a great time the other weekend on our last road trip with the R Team, who finally left us this morning to go back to Blighty.

We started off en famille.
Weechan, photographer in chief.

Then met the R Team en route.
The highlight of the trip was the day at Kijima.

N and E headed off to Poseidon and other death defying rides first,

while the junior team headed off to driving school.

G started off with help from super driver Dr Dad.
While A had help from Mum.

Oops!

G was soon independent.

And A continued to look the other way.

Amazingly (!) both of their numbers were on the pass board.

Licenses obtained!Congratulations!


Then on to more group nonsense.

Wimps!

Finally getting her tornado potato!

Made Mummy think she had the stomach for Poseidon. Wrong!

But of course it doesn't even come close to the lunacy that was Birdman (see video in previous post)

Dippin Dots are always a good thing.

And then there was the nail biting drama to end the day.
Superdad E daringly managed to drop the one and only electronic card key for the family car out of his shirt pocket, right in the middle of a roller coaster ride.

Could have been anywhere. Those things go rather fast. And cover a large area.
This left 9 people to get home in one Prius.

Spare key?
Yes.
In Hiroshima.
5 hours drive away.
oops!

Chances of employees finding said key?
While higher than in some countries, where they wouldn't even have bothered trying, it has to be said:slim.

Mazda?
"We can get into the car, sir, but we cannot get you another key to drive home with."
Oh, for the days of real keys and actual mechanically operated vehicles.

Options:
1)try to persuade someone to get into house and express the key to Kyushu, then come back and get the car the next day.
2) E gets the train home for 5 hours, gets the spare key, gets another 5 hour train back, then drives straight back to Hiroshima again, with multiple trips to Yufuin from Beppu to ferry all the bodies home.
3) breakdown and cry, then live in the theme park as the newest attraction: the Glorious Glaring Gaijin.

High tension in the park. Which is now closed for the day.

Then Japan (the great side) kicks into action.
All spare staff are called in to help, and E and Mummy are allowed inside the now closed roller coaster enclosure to do a sweep search.

We have never been inside a roller coaster outside the carriage so this is kind of cool.

After about half an hour of everyone's pessimistic scanning of the grounds and fake rocks which I almost fell though....

TADA! The offending article was discovered by an eagle eyed employee. IN the tunnel of the ride!
Amazing!

I often say "only in Japan!" and it doesn't usually imply respect for my host culture.
This time it is said with awe and gratitude.

Thanks Kijima Korakuen staff! A case of beer will find its way to you soon!

And E, keep your keys in your wallet!