lovely day...

the sun shines today...hooray!!....I also went for a swim, an exercise kind of swim, not just a paddle...I thinks its my new hobby. I have wanted to pick up a regular exercise for a while even though a I walk a LOT its usually with mooey, so not really classed as exercise.....well you cant get a good heart rate anyway :)...all that stopping and starting....and since I ride my bike past the door of a small local pool when dropping him off for the morning, I can swim, uninterrupted. It is a kind of meditation and relaxation. And also, since I just hurt my back lifting him into bed, (ironic as I was sure this would happen lifting him in and out of his cot).... I need to do something to help heal and strengthen it.

I'm looking forward to a skype chat later on with my Nana and Great Aunt who are in their 80's and cannot quite get their head around such a thing! Wonderful!!

Long Long is much better now but I am still keeping an arsenal of goodies for our walks, newspaper to stick under the offending bottom just before the delivery (sometimes hard to co -ordinate, especially when windy), tissues, water bottle, lots of plastic bags.............but its good to see him all waggy tailed and talking and eating again...poor Long Long :)

silly season is here....

well, not everyone is silly, but a lot of people are!!! I think mostly people are just so happy to see the sun and the cherry blossoms, although the full peak if not until next weekend. But a sunny day and a few trees blooming bring out the spring thrill seekers.....

...and the millions of drinkers.....this is fairly early in the morning, it must be an orgy of drunkeness by 10pm when they send you home......

...people 'save' their spot by putting down a tarp and the amazing thing is, others honour it and dont squeeze into another persons space!.....................there is so much alcohol consumed at this time of year, it is such a huge binge for so many people. Last year, early one morning, we went for a walk in one of the popular parks and it smelled like beer and wee.....it was full of vomit, used loo paper under trees and used condoms and rubbish everywhere...it kind of detracts from the niceness of the trees blossoms...lucky it lasts a fairly short time, we wont go back to that park until this silly season is over.........when I lived in the west of Japan I never saw this side of 'hanami', the huge and gross parties and just drinking to such a huge excess by such a huge volume of people.......in the countryside, people got drunk, sure, of course, what else is there to do.....but I guess with just so few people, you kind of don't notice it as much....luckily for us, there is a small park nearby our house, for some reason is very empty of people most of the time and has a huge cherry blossom tree in it......so we can have some nice 'hanami' parties without all the human waste.....for the declining population in Japan, this season isn't too bad as I'm sure a lot of couples get together around this time of year!!!

....speaking of waste...................a very sick dog who has been pooing non stop for days, inside, outside, on the carpet...totally gross..........so many tablets and treatments will hopefully get him back into good health....he didn't eat poison, so whatever has made him sick is a mystery...but I'm still recovering from the cost of the vet visit.....

so, with so much whinging, I did make a nice scarf using some things I have had hanging around. I love the bobbles and even though Im not good at sewing, I really love this scarf, even the wobbly bits!

illustration friday - subtract

a little find...

Since my life revolves around play parks and doing things with my kiddo, I am always looking for a new place to go...it can be daunting in a very big city as there is often so many choices.....also, being unfamiliar with most places, things that look good on the internet in reality are sometimes very far away! I am also always looking for a playpark that might have some equipment that was installed after 1950's...a tough ask....playparks are generally very depressing, run down, poorly maintained, unsafe (metal/broken/old/hard ground/sandpits used as dog/cats toilets and cigarette butts bin) and usually no fences even when close to interstate highways.......and usually, as they are one of the few public places that has seats and bins, it attracts the millions of chain smoking office workers on breaks, hundreds of homeless dudes who set up their homes as they have no where else to go, lots and lots of filthy ferel cats etc etc....so its always a competition between kids having some where to play, even if it is often unsafe and unclean and the rest of society.......after all that complaining......, this place was a winner, and you know why, coz you have to pay to use it!! It is part of a small urban zoo and it was the best!! It wasnt so new either but it had a lot of soft stuff on the ground from the big trees above and it was pretty clean. After looking for a zoo on the internet I found 5 in the Tokyo areas....this one was in Kichioji, a place I know because of the excellent craft shop Yuzawaya. This zoo is also part of a huge gardens and I cannot believe it has taken me a year to find it! This zoo has only small animals and one elephant, really just for kids. It costs about $5 AU for me to get in and mooch was free. I took a picnic and we had such a nice time. The cherry blossoms are starting to come out and the trees spotted throughout the zoo are just so pretty. There was a lot of kids there as it is spring break, so there was a lot of energy about and it was just really, really nice. Oh, I forgot to mention, its about 30 mins drive from my door...or just a short train trip so extra bonus points for that....
There was a lot of guinea pigs and goats you can pat....
the most lovely owls to look at.....
and one elephant who looked quite happy..........even though she has been there since the 70's......

checking out of the zoo and wandering in the gardens nearby is a lovely temple.....

surrounded by a lake, with magnolia and cherry blossoms all around.....and a lot of big, fat and happy looking carp in the water...Mooey said "dolphin" when he saw one! I couldnt have agreed more, they were huge.............this is a place I hope to come back and explore further, lovely :)

my night

I've often kept a record of my day but what about my night?.....this isn't typical but something for me to remember when we pass these days...
11pm go to bed (after wasting 2 hours watching Chaser and We Can Be Heros on You Tube)
11.01pm Mooch is very restless and I can hear him bumping his head on the wall.....eventually I hear him get up and out of the bed (which took him 3 seconds to figure out) and come into bed with me
12.47am Mooch still restless and neither of us alseep
1.34am Mooch is back in his own bed, whining and eventually comes back into bed with me around 3am....
4.47am mooch wakes up and tells me "Mummy get up too?"....yeh right!! I hiss at him that its too early for an old bag like me and a young mooch like him to be getting up and he lays down quietly next to me for about 30 mins then softly chats about what he can hear outside and other random words from the day before.....
5.56am get up......immediately drink 2 espresso coffees

oh tokyo....

I'd have to say, I am far more critical of Tokyo as my home away from home, than I am of my home town, Melbourne. In saying that, the longer I am here, I become more fond of the things I like and begin to ignore the things that I ignore at home....or maybe I'm just becoming desensitised to those things.....but, I will never stop being disgusted/amazed at the amount/location of vomit I see everyday....ok, that's another post, another day.....

Today Tokyo rocked, or should I say, on cue according to the weather report (something I read every day and IS accurate to the hour)....this arvo, the clouds parted and the most beautiful warm sunshine came down on all us tired of winter Tokyoites.....man, what a powerful mood changer.................
I got mooch and pooch and trike in the car and headed to the huge park in town (but I didnt know every other man, woman, child and dog had also planned this).................I think I posted about this tree above last year, a most beautiful white magnolia tree, it is the most incredible spectacle, it was illuminated against the sky and the way the sun was shining was just so pretty, almost magical. When a gust of wind blew, the petals fell down like snow...it was breathtaking for just that moment....then I had to chase after mooch who had decided to chase after 2 kids on bikes.....poor Long Long just got dragged along but he was happy to be outside. The sequence of flowers here is beautiful. First ume, then magnolia and then the cherry blossom...and lots of other little guys in between and after but almost everytime you go to the park there are new flowers to see. No wonder everyone wants to get outside and sit under the flowers and get drunk, so damn happy winter is over!
...just like this guy...................theres so much water everywhere, so I let him play with the drinking fountain, in fact, I think the only tantrum, we had today was when it was time to leave, I tried to tell him, I too would rather stay and play instead of go home and cook dinner and do the dishes/washing/ironing........the people out today had such a good mood, a lot of picnics and drinking parties, lots of people busking but not asking for money, so maybe they just practise, even a digeridoo player! Lots of kids out running with muddy knees and shoes, people in t shirts, joggers, cyclists, parents and little babies, people laughing and eating and drinking starbucks, taking photos, juggling, dogs walking with tails in the air and sniffing a lot of other dogs wees, couples on dates, homeless dudes asleep without any covers, shrieks, laughs, clapping, singing, talking, playing badminton....a huge pool of positive energy. I usually hate going to the park and having to share it (what an Aussie) but today it was a pleasure. People smiled at each other and were just happy to be in the sunshine.
..........c'mon weather, just a few more weeks of this beauty and people energy to soak up and save before the suffocating weeks upon weeks of summer sweat, but not before the weeks of soggy, sweaty, stinky, moist, mouldy rainy season......oh Tokyo...................

sushi chef

I have been doing some fun drawings lately........and outside a lot, hip, hip hooray, I'm pretty sure Spring is here now...no jacket today...amazing!!......

illustration friday - legendary

Toddler tantrums are legendary!.........

ikea in tokyo...

.....as you would imagine is as huge as anything you could ever see.....overwhelming in a most organised way and I think there are 3 or 4 stores in Tokyo suburbs.... Ikea has such a great way of keeping so many things organised and every store is pretty much the same, only scaled to fit the location. Being on an Ikea mission makes shopping there a little easier as a few less extras go in the bag. Our mission was a human sized bed/matress/bedding for the mooch as opposed to his baby cot which he is still sleeping in....so, after a very busy and full shopping morning and lunch at the restaurant, Swedish meatballs....(which is also huge) we got all we set out for and no extras.....now we just have to trial the transition, which maybe Im more excited about because now when he wakes up at night I can just cuddle up with him rather than getting him over and out of the cot and sitting in the rocking chair.....and maybe, just maybe, he might sleep a little later in the mornings.....4.30am is no time to be getting up as far as I'm concered.....

snow...still

We have a big window inside the living area which I have been decorating each season with the mooch. We usually paint or print on a big peice of paper then I make a word relating to what we can see outside....and then we play around with the word etc etc.....
....seeings its still winter, despite some blossoms warnings of spring....we thought we better get another ski in before the snow is gone.....we returned to the same place we went earlier this season...a weekday is the best...no peoples......beautiful scenery.....no waiting for lifts.....
...this is one of the runs.....just two people on the left collecting something they dropped from the lift......such a great chance to practice....and generally, not too many fallen snowboarders to dodge....coz I'm not a great skiier.....but I love to do it....and I also love to watch good skiiers, who make it look so easy....
of course we take it in turns, while one has a ski/board (me ski, loved one board)...we play with the mooch in the excellent play area and also with sled...such cool fun!! This time I brought some play park tools, useful not only in the sandbox....
and of course made some snow tunnels...fun! I love snow, since it is so rare for us Aussies, it is such a treat! ....and Japan has plenty of it!

illustration friday - intricate

Illustration Friday

I love to learn about the intricate details of cultures and language.

a normal day...

is just being a mama........but something I am able to truly value in this moment...and not in future look back and realise I didn't maximise every moment. I have worked hard to try and enjoy this moment (mostly) and when I'm not, to actively get back here....y'know, even mid tantrum, to just think how quickly time passes and life goes on. My loved one said the other night ' the older you get, the less time you realise you have' (this was in the context of him being a successful rockstar and that he might not have time, in this lifetime to achieve that!!)....and if you if you know him, you know how funny that is :P...but it is true. The mooch needs me less and less to and to allow him to grow I also have to grow up too. Of course, he is only two so he does need me for many things but when I see teenage boys, esp. in groups I often think of their Mums and how they let go and wonder if they are worrying about their boys, hanging out, getting into mischief, learning to be an adult, etc....?......and then I think how soon it will be that this kid of mine will be that snot nosed teenager and then I can no longer call him the mooch......until that time I am focused doing all the things I hoped to do with him and let him know Im always here, then when the time is right, I will get back to doing more things for me.

beautiful..

So it wasn't only me that was so happy the sun decided to shine, hooray!!..and big rolls down the hill....we visited a beautiful gallery and gardens called the Kawamura Museum which happened to be showing a huge Mark Rothko exhibition. I saw the poster at Shinjuku station a while back and noted it but didnt really think much more about it. Later, I looked at where the gallery was and the surrounding grounds and I realised what a perfect place for a family...um, I mean two year old that has parents that wanted to see an exhibition.....but, kid/enclosed space AND have to be quiet...not a good combination for a kid....so check out the beautiful and huge gardens....
so pretty, and there were huge duck/swans in the lake...
a lovely and huge space of grass surrounded by yellow flowers.....could have been something designed by Andy Goldsworthy....
....this tree is a cherry blossom and heavy with buds about ther burst. The amazing thing is, if you dont want to go to the gallery this park is free (and so is the car parking). A wonderful find and just one hour from Tokyo. Given the famousness of Mark Rothko I expected this place to be more Louvre-like, ie: crawling crowds..but it was simply empty (it is in the boonies but y'know, still....)! So, in looking at the exhibition, we basically had it to ourselves. And it was such a great show, huge works hung in an equally huge and complimentary space..and the paintings were mostly my favourite colours of reds, lucky me. So we couldnt stand around and really soak it up and have all kinds of philosophical thoughts as the attendents peoples were getting very tense about the mooch being in any kind of proximity to the paintings.....but the time we had was enough....they also have an impressive collection of all the real old guys...awesome to see these things in the flesh! We spent the rest of the time in the gardens walking, rolling, taking photos, looking at the insects waking up, gardeners gardening, fungus growing and just enjoying the place, so close to nature and so close to Tokyo.......

mix and match

I have been enjoying mixing up things on the drawing front. In fact I just started a new sketch book called 'the loose book', meaning the goal of every image on every page is to move away from the usual clean and straight lines I usually use and use different media, inks, pencils and watercolours etc...its fun!!........
...again the weather has turned foul after just one day of sunshine.......rain all day long is just so depressing!....one of funniest blog posts I have read in a while is here, and makes me feel a little less depressed 'coz my day could be worse! Anyone who has been to or lived in Japan can totally relate to this :)

illustration friday-breezy

In my hometown there are some odd people around, one of them we call breezy boobs. You can often see her standing on the edge of the water facing the sea with the breeze blowing onto her face and body. The thing that stands out the most and hence her nick name, is the size of the boobs....huge!

snow...

I fear this blog may become a Tokyo weather report.....snow is exciting in this city and always so pretty in its soundlessness. It has all melted now..... it was just a sprinkle.....still cold days and nights...spring just isn't ready yet..I am!!

...just this dusting covered the car and a bit on the ground....last night, while I watched it fall down, I was planning today' s fun, snowball fights and maybe some creative use of those large plastic ikea bags.....you know, sit in it and go sliding on the snow....
but......all that is left is just dripping roof tops and puddles......

a little ray of sunshine...

bounced off this little dogs tag...I didn't know I caught this but I think it reflects how we all feel. In addition, I got a very nice package from the lovely Miss H which included a copy of Frankie and then my sister told me she had a package in the mail for me as well....ohh soo happy! Love you girls! Of course, my loved one is back in OZ so I always feel so homesick around those times :(

I think we (me, mooch and pooch) spent a total of 4 hours walking around in the neighbourhoods and finding new places to explore. It was very, very cold but very sunny. I found another great surprise waiting for me in someones gomi dump. Two huge rectangle woven baskets. I think they are related to storing kimono but I cant find any info on them as yet. They are in perfect order and when I flipped them over, the mooch jumped right in them and started playing. If I discover they are for storing or carrying offal I might have to return them where I found them. My delimma was the size and how I could get them home, given we were pretty far from home....well, like the table I lugged home in the typhoon, I just strapped those puppies onto the pram and pushed them home! Later in the night, I heard a bump outside and immediately thought I was being visited by the people who make a living from recycling the gomi and maybe I was cutting in on their sales...after investigation it was just my paranoia! I figure if the goods are still there after 8.30 or 9 am then they are not what those guys want.....
and another discovery.....scones. I would have thought they were easy to make but after several successful batches of cement stones I bought a packet mix. These would have to be the best scones Ive ever eaten. I'm thinking of cutting in on Miss Maples business they are that good! After a nice devonshire tea (what else can you do on a rainy afternoon) I thought I better get the brand of this mix so I didnt forget it. To my surprise, the above tag is actually the brand...so Japanese....

grey, grey and more grey.....

Honestly...rain is good...but after a week of rain.....every day and every night....and then some snow...I've about had enough of it.......finally this morning, some blue sky and a little sunshine....the weather really directs my moods and actions, esp with a li' one.....we did spend many days last week out in the puddles, dripping, splashing and floating leaves...which made me think, for me, I don't enjoy standing in the rain but for the mooch it is the most fun and the best learning experience....boots full of water, rain falling from eaves, leaves and papers rushing in the gutters, the complexities of umbrella use.....up, down, up, down...... and the since the streets were deserted, it was a chance to have the place to ourselves.....so, today, looking sunny, at least for now, we can take the dog out too, who is just about to bust out of the place without a walk for several days now.......the rain has helped to keep my grassy garden grassy and my flowers, gum tree, olive tree and herbs from dying so I really should be grateful when I know how many people at home only dream of rain and green grass.