happy halloween

I'm taking a road trip, with my peoples, across the middle parts of Japan to the countryside to see some old and lovely peoples, some red coloured leaves and green and unpopulated places. We have decided when we will leave this beautiful, contradictory country....It is much harder to leave a place you know you will not return to, at least to live, at least not for some time, than it is to leave a place you know will always be your home......Japan makes up half my heart, so these days now will be savoured to be remembered later on.

Beautiful days, no more complaining by me, its just normal kids stuff! Gotta accept that! Japan has been wonderful these days, cooler weather, sunny days and happy Mama :)

sunny days, cloudy mind...

These days when I take the mooch to the park, I throw a couple of extra things in the pram, usually familiar and ordinary things. My hope is that, just by leaving them lying around, he can make new things from old things, try out creative thoughts and problem solving. It has been pretty successful so far and extends and adds another layer to our playpark time (which is any where up to 2 hours)....I'm getting sick of it by then.........but as have complained this week, the easy going previous weeks have been interrupted by a mooch that likes to argue, yell and bash, hit, kick and just be disagreeable.....man, its hard work being firm ALL THE TIME.....but, I know in the long run he will better understand what is expected of him and the boundaries he is allowed....I just take solace that even in the tough times, it is still mostly me who is shaping his early years (what an amazing job) and my main goal for him is that he is a happy and successful (in his measure) person during his life and I hope the things I have to keep him from doing, and rules he needs to know, helps him on his way.....

so far this week...

I am the tantrum master.....there has been a lot the past few days, every point to argue, every choice for food, directions, what and where to play ends up in a screaming session...I hope this ends soon...but, surprisingly, we began on toilet training #3, no pressure or rewards system this time, just keep his pants off and when he needs to go, he just goes.....and he seems so much happier and more successful than me asking him every 5 mins if he wants to go......
maybe an pan man helps?...........little steps.

blueberries and cream

simple, healthy and fun, despite a very swollen top lip after a crash into a brick wall on the scooter bike...ouch...teeth still intact...thank goodness!.....

sports day

...was an excellent day....I worry sometimes we may be isolated...but not so much worry now I can see this little mooch having a ball....and me too!!....

and the other parents too!!.............

this is a donut eating game..no hands...
can you keep a straight face?...(sorry Kaori chan..but it is funny and so cute)!
so many games and so much preparation by the teachers.....
and lunches to be inspected by little friends....
and HUGE thanks to such beautiful and dedicated teachers, what a great fun, incredibly organised and enjoyable sports day!

our new window mural

It's time to change our window mural inside. Inside, we have a large plate glass window which serves as a place to hang our seasonal murals, not just to let light in!.......I try to incorporate both of our skills without being too heavy on directions from me, at least for the painting part......and of course Autumn features my favourite colours.......
and of course, lallow.....
my little Jackson Pollock hard at work......
and a crafty session cannot be complete without some scissor time.......

The leaves are falling, rain is falling and this week is the first to be wearing slippers!....but I'm (we) are trying to extract as much out of the days as possible before hibernation...lots of scooter bike riding, bike riding, playing with chestnuts and crushing piles of fallen leaves, kicking mounds of dirt dug by moles, chasing large, scary and noisy black crows, drawing, painting, experimenting, making banana and choc chip muffins........catching rain in buckets.....
My loved one returned from a long trip, I'm so happy to have him home :) in his bag he was carrying a present from my sister. Two HUGE bags of violet crumbles (honeycomb chocolate) and some Europe 'health bars', you know the ones, nuts, sesame seeds, coconut, nougat, caramel.........I don't know if they are promoted as health bars these days, I'm sure a dentist wouldn't agree.....but gee I love them. These should keep me going for at least a month! Since I'm so prone to horrible mouth ulcers, triggered often by too much sugar...I better limit myself to just a few treats a day! Thanks Roy! Happy, happy, happy! A little slice of sunshine for me :)

before winter....

are the most lovely Autumn days....cooler but with enough warmth for a t-shirt. We have been out a lot, despite very rainy days, but the rain has proven to be as lovely as sunshine, you just have to be with it in the moment (and not in a rush). Watching the mooch explore wet things and dripping eaves and running water in the gutters and slippery surfaces has been a joy to watch.......
..of course rainy days are not suitable for whippets...lucky the sun was shining today.....so we could spend a few hours walking the streets, having a coffee outside, and....
revel at the sight of a fast looking racing car parked in a back street.....lovely days....

superstition

I am not superstitious. I live with a 'moderately' superstitious man so feel no need to be myself...but, just a day ago, both the clock in the kitchen and my wrist watch stopped, almost at the same time!...freaking me out a little. I only realised as I was walking along with the dog, thinking I had much more than than I did in reality. Those Seiko sponsored clocks you see everywhere on the streets of Tokyo sure was a help that day and really made me have a double take....I knew the kitchen clock had stopped but then realised my watch had stopped almost as I walked out the front door......maybe it is a message about my life in general, I have less time than I think to do what I want to do (not in a morbid way) so.... hurry up and do it!? or stop rushing and just stop or slow down and enjoy life.......so, I should either go faster or slower than I am...or simply, seek, manage and enjoy the balance.