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.

Scary US Democracy

Long time no blog, y'all.
There are many excuses: summer away, jetlag, general hectic bedlam after going back to work, school, and the whole PTA thing, to name but a few, but the main two are that I poured a bottle of mineral water all over my new camera, thus destroying all my photographic evidence of my summer in the UK (AND I couldn't blame anyone else to make myself feel better), and that we have hardly done anything worth commenting on since we came back, because every free weekend is taken up with ballet rehearsals. The joys of being a primary school parent!

Anyway, to be going on with, here are a few priceless shots which show why it is questionable that the choice of the leader of the free world rests in the hands of so-called "normal" US citizens. Now "some of my best friends " are American, but I did love these.

My personal fave. I bet Obama has this framed on his wall!

Got these from my friend. Have no knowledge of the original source, sorry.

Happy Birthday Shez

Far be it from me to reveal the age of a lady, but then, a picture speaks a thousand words, doesn't it.

On the occasion of their mother's birthday, the Rice girls and we Ikegamis indluged in some trickery and skullduggery, to the end of making her a cake.
In the interests of time, I had the actual sponge ready, but the rest, they designed and made by themselves.
Et voila!

Quite effective really, but we didn't go for the full complement of candles in the interests of fire safety.

May you have many more, S!

傘ポン! Kasa-pon!

Only the Japanese could come up with a machine specifically for this.
これだけのために機械をわざわざ発明するのは日本人ぐらいね！

Rainy day? Would be travesty if some rain dripped on the shop floor right? So you pop your umbrella into the slot and....
傘をいれて。。。


Tada! Sealed into it's own perfect fitting poly bag to stop the drips!

ポン！

Wordle

Thought I'd jump on the wordle bandwagon... SO here is your On the Pond wordle...
Click on the image to see it in its full glory!

Peace Park Ponderings

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, I sometimes forget the significance of my adopted hometown. Making the bus on time, grading papers, and what to have for dinner- these things are nearer the surface of my conscience than the fact that my daughter was born across the road from the scene of one of the most devastating events of the 20th century.
These days, my head is in even more turmoil than usual, as we are trying to decide whether or not to build a house, with all that entails, and I have a lot of work related running about to do, what with the end of the school year and all, not to mention challenges for the new one. The other night, Weechan safely ensconced at a friend's house for the night, I headed off to a farewell party for departing colleagues, uncharacteristically by public transport (yes, for alcoholic purposes!), so I was able to have a quick wander through the Peace Park at dusk on the way.
I won't wax on the usual subjects that I have already covered, as do most, when they pass by the A-Bomb Dome, but let's just say that a walk through that special place always helps to put things into perspective. Whatever your current issue is, generally it really is not the end of the world - as it once was here.
Spring is finally arriving in Hiroshima, with all the blooming treats it always brings. The cherry blossoms are not quite here yet, but I especially love all the flowering trees that we just don't have in Fife!
This gorgeous tree (I think it is a kind of magnolia?), blooming gracefully beside a river at twilight, in a place where it was said that no plants would thrive for 70 years, gave me a moment of calm in my stormy mind. Good things happen and beauty can be found, even when the present situation makes it seem impossible. Aaaah! I'm getting all philosophical again, so I'll quit while I'm ahead...

What animal were you?

Happy Year of the Rat!

日本語版は下！

Conversation in the car a couple of weeks ago. Out of the blue:

Weechan: "Mummy, what animal did Nia used to be?"

Mummy: " ???????? What do you mean?"

Weechan: " Now she's a baby but she used to be an animal right? Which one?"

Mummy: "?????? No, I think she's always been human. "

Weechan: " Yes, now she is a human, but when she came out she was an animal right, and then she changed into a baby right?"

Mummy: "????????"

Weechan:(getting irritated): " Well you said I was a sheep when I came out. That's why Uncle Yoshihiko gave me the toy sheep. And you were a monkey right?"

Mummy: (trying not to laugh raucously) " Oh right! No we didn't used to BE those animals, that was just the name of the year we were born in. It's like your lucky animal! I think Nia was born in the year of the dog"

How do you explain this to a 4 year old??? I love her logic though!

You may know that Japan, while celebrating New Year on January 1st, follows the Chinese Zodiac system, assigning one of 12 Animals to each year. If you want the Wikipedia Explanation, check it out here. I particularly like the list of characteristics given to each people born in each year. You can check which year you were born in on the linked page, then scroll down to see if you are typical or not! Seems to be about right for my family. Many superstitions abound, and you'll find people trying to get their labour induced to avoid their child being born in an unlucky year. Apparently being born in the year of the sheep is bad karma for girls in China, so there was a rush of December births the year before Weechan was born.
日本語版

この間の車に乗っているときの会話です　（いきなり）：

Weechan: Mummy,　Nちゃんは昔何の動物だったの？

Mummy: ???????どういう意味？

Weechan: 今は赤ちゃんだけど、前は動物だったでしょう？どれ？

Mummy: えええっ？いや、生まれてから人間でしょうね。

Weechan: うん、今は人間だけど、生まれたときは動物だったでしょうね、そして出てきてから、赤ちゃんに変わったよね。

Mummy: ？？？？？？

Weechan (いらいらし出した）: だから。。。。私が出てきた時羊だったでしょう？そして赤ちゃんに変わったよね。だからYおじちゃんが羊さんのぬいぐるみをくれたでしょう？そしてお母さんはサルだったでしょう？言ったよ！！！

（すごく笑いたかったけど我慢した)Mummy: ああ、そうか！その動物たちから人間に変身したわけじゃないよ！毎年その年の動物が決まっているよ。だからそれがあなたのラッキーな動物かもしれない。茉利は未年にうまれたけど、羊だったわけじゃないよ。Nちゃんは多分戌年にうまれたけど犬だったと言うことじゃないよ。

Weechan: そっか？！

（多分まだ分かっていないでしょう）。

どうやって４歳さんに説明するのかね？Mummyが困っています。。。

Christmas Roses

Grumpy Neighbour 隣さん