connecting with the outside world...

...with a moment to read the news.....when my loved one is away, as he is now (yes, I know we just got back from a trip)...thats the good thing about being in Asia, the rest of Asia is very close....:)....anyway, I live in a bit of a bubble when he is away 'coz sometimes I only talk to the mooch, so reading the newspaper and blogs helps me feel a little less bubble zone...and eating this pasty called, warning, Japanafied Fench...'queenie amane'.....sorry to French speakers....helps me feel connected to France...and the coffee Italy (and Melbourne).....the whole world, right here!! yay :)

at the check in..

I dont think working as an airline check in person, especially in economy, would be that fun.....maybe even worse for the folks on the other end...customs etc......people are not their best.....stressed, tired, irritable, emotional.....

the most beautiful day all year....

sun shines from the first light of day....after some early morning hunting for long long.........

time to relax in the grassy garden!!...after all, it is golden week here and people are on holidays...its quiet, quiet, no helicopters, cars and trucks zooming by........the grass is so soft and lovely.....sunshine and very light breeze...we are soaking it up before rainy season arrives.....

....and a nice place for some creative projects...nothing with an outcome today (or open ended art), just drawing and painting for the experience of working with different medias and mixing colours and just having fun!...and in the sunshine, working with glitter, how sparkly and irresistable :)

just a minute...literally

.....I am forever saying, just a minute or just a second but not really meaning the full intention of what I say....simply just a figure of speech to hang on or wait. At the pool today, I was told I had to wait one minute, exactly 60 seconds, before I could enter the pool...it was 8.59am after all and the pool doesn't open until 9.00am......I have found many literal translations to these kinds of everyday sayings I use. Often the literal translation is very frustrating as I feel I use these kinds of things without a real or concrete meaning implying only a general meaning and nothing too specific......I feel a bit suffocated when there is a boundary.....but, Japan is a defined, bounded and very precise society so one minute is one minute, two is two and so on.....these things used to drive me totally nuts but getting over these things is part of the knack of living in a different society to the one you call your own..............the pool rules also makes you get out at 10 to every hour to 'test the water' so I had only 50 mins to swim....exactly.....

...my absence

has been due to a quick, stealth trip to my hometown, Melbourne........I really love Melbourne.....

for its cafe and coffee culture....I really thought about this. Tokyo is not a cafe and coffee culture place and I realised that...but thats OK and nice to have something to compare my 'other' life to :).....I do love going to a cafe, in fact, I would say it is one of my favourite things to do.....babychino would be up there for the mooch....he is very good at saying it......followed by a please.....usually....

...nice to watch the barista make the coffee, especially if he is she is very friendly and has a chat (this guy was not one of those types but did make an excellent coffee)......

visiting the beach, with clean and clear water and white sand....just a short drive from the city.....and parking is plentiful and so is the space...for both body and mind....

walking on the pier, alone, in the sun and fresh smells of the sea...just one week and unexpected for my family (but one..thanks partner in crime Roy!!)....my Mum just about had a heart attack...maybe best to do this only once in a persons lifetime :)......but now back in Tokyo where the sun is shining and a gentle brezze in our small grassy garden. I am so lucky to have two homes. I missed my lovely Long Long...he was happy to see me too, an extra special nuzzle from him from his pointed nose showed me how much he loves me :)....life is just normal now, no adjustment, just slip from one world to the other...its just how things are these days, and we are lucky to benefit from it....I will miss tokyo when we leave because it is also a great place...important to live here and now....:)

silver lining

After a week of battles and battles and tantrums and fighting.......a little silver lining of happiness has arrived! ......this week has been soooo much easier for me and my little person!...lovely and sweet and sunny days ahead, until the next time of course!

easter smeashter....

...these days I feel very uninspired about Easter.....I'm not religious and being here in Japan the time comes and goes unnoticed...there are also very few signs in the shops or eggs, bunnies etc...unlike the Christmas fanfare. I remember as a kid, I LOVED Easter Sunday and the egg hunt. It was the same excited feeling as Christmas morning. My sister and I would bust out of bed in search of the bunny.......I LOVE and celebrate Christmas as a family get together and time to relax after everyone's busy year, but Easter...hmm......I cannot get excited about it. A very large parcel arrived for mooch from his Nanny (thanks Nanny).......and needless to say, my lack of enthusiasm was counterbalanced by his excitement. It made me think that maybe I was a bit mean to not do the egg hunt and some Easter activities......I guess he is two, so maybe I have a few years to decide what is right for our family :) I am happy to share his egg loot though.....

little things and tshirt days

I have made a bunch of letter sets from paper shopping bags. The shopping bags are usually lovely quality with interesting designs so I just made them into an envelope shape and folded and lined the envelope with some nice origami paper....I also made some notepapers to write on. I would love to receive this kind of letter...in amongst the bills and boring envelopes in my letter box, this would brighten my day......they are some of my little Easter pressies...not that we celebrate Easter...but happy to appropriate the Good Friday holiday into our Tokyo week :).....oh, and eat the chocky, of course!!.....and swap some pressies.....

and on a holiday day......eat the most pretty and tasty strawberries...you can gauge the size by the mooch's hand......he is very carefully counting...1,2,3,9,5,7,10!!........

...and celebrate the first tshirt day of the year, hip, hip, hooray!!...this 'scooter bike' is now the best toy in the house and it is c/o the local gomi pile...someone had put it in the rubbish ready for me to take home....it is the best find all year :)

..but for speed, you cant beat a bit of help from Daddy........

5 minutes of goodness

This is an empty cup.....but it was full of tiramasu and it is so good and so easy, literally 5 mins to make. Sorry, I ate it and forgot to photograph it but you get the idea, layer of cake and cream, kind of hard to make look good in a photo...if you are ever stuck for a fast and easy dessert, try this out:

5 min Tiramasu

• 175gm cream cheese
• 100ml fresh cream
• 30gm caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp rum (...or more....I didnt use any alcohol but you can use anything really...)
• 4 slices castella cake or one layer of plain sponge cake (slice them in half if you want to layer)
• 4 tbs espresso coffee (or instant dissolved in water)
• cocoa power to dust the top

1. Select your vessel for the cake, I used these tiny coffee cups above and cut the cake using a scone cutter. I had enough cake to make 2 layers of cake for 3 cups (and a little gratin dish). But a single layer in a tray is just as good (and less washing up)....Once you have arranged the cake, using a pastry brush, paint the coffee onto the cake and let it soak. If you are doing layers, set aside the cake and paint the coffee on as you layer otherwise it will be a bit soggy.

2. In a bowl mix the cream cheese so it is warmed and smooth, add the fresh cream
and sugar (and alcohol) and whisk (or use beaters) until it thickens.

3. Layer the cream mix on top of the coffee soaked cake and smooth with a spatula or knife. Add the next layer of sponge and coffee and cream if you desire.

4. Dust the top with cocoa and eat immediately (or you can put it in the fridge for extra soaking goodness).

I did not know it was this easy and not being a huge desserts person I never investigated... I found a 'handmade 5 mins snack' book in a sale bin at a bookshop and saw this recipe, I altered it a little and it works well.

Verdit....well, one of the three people in this house gave 100% approval...I loved it, the mooch refused to even look at it, and after eating both his own and the mooch's, my loved one said 'I really prefer the orange cake or the cheesecake'........one look was enough....the dagger one, you know?! :)...so you might need to make it yourself to see!

one of those days....

.....that was just so ferel....and as long as he wasn't hurting himself or anything else, a bit of time with the dog food wasn't going to hurt anyone........

happy monday.....

...I thought this was so cute and worth sharing...some smiles....not too many at the moment with this little one a bit sick and grumpy.....disagreeable....but moments of brightness here and there and how can you not be happy when standing under a cherry blossom tree, the wind blows and a lovely snowstorm of pink petals fall down......

ok...I admit it....

.....I've gone crazy for cherry blossoms...like the rest of Japan.....I just couldnt help it! But our 'hanami' picnic didnt start off too well..................biggest tantrum I've ever seen!!...a whopper......

....these tiny flowers have an amazing effect on everyone...and truly, when they are seen together, they are an amazing sight. This is another park which is seldom visited (except for this time of year) and is very family friendly and surrounded by cherry blossom trees.....

...these two spend a fair bit of time together, its nice for moochy to have his own buddies.....

.....this guy is walking into the area of cherry blossom tress, it is kind of illuminated...in the back ground...thats all the trees.....breathtaking....

...and here is everyone....enjoying the lovely day!...and in true Tokyo style, the peak viewing day (Sunday) is going to rain....so many, many people are out enjoying the moment when they can :)....

...we joined a small party where everyone brought some homemade goodies......I love these kinds of picnics...

...after a few too many rice balls, we just sat and enjoyed making new buddies, well, I did while loved one and mooch were off exploring in the leaves and trees, with the other Dad's...............so, so pretty and lovely and Japanese.

free fun

I've been working on a small project involving kids and drawings and today I got to try it out on real kids!! It was great fun! I think you can get the most honest feedback from little ones :)

Now I can do some reworkings and add the info I got today and make it to the next level.....

I have some repairs, uhum, I mean surgery, to do, on a small bunny's hands and feet after they suffered severe lacerations from a scissors attack. Sometimes, it is through experience that you learn the lessons about your kids....and learn to know the cue, when there is extreme silence, there is surely something happening that is not what you want to happen!!...unless you hear a lot of water spilling in the next room.....followed by 'oh oh mummy'.............