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.

march...

I have decided for the month of March I will attempt to get no extra plastic bags. I have so many and its time to make a stand and see just how well I can go. I made this sign and stuck it above the door handle so every time I go out I remember to take my own bags. I'm a sporadic user of my own bags and need to make it a regular thing. I read a Melbourne persons blog that she never buys anything wrapped in plastic. I think this is an almost impossible task for a Tokyoite, so I'm just starting small and hope it will become my habit....maybe move onto other plastic things when I get over this hurdle. I also want March to be 'no extras' month, which means nothing extra except for food and bills. I did it a few months back and saved a lot more than I expected. Ganbarimasu :) On another note I'm sending out a prayer to all those people close to fire danger this coming weekend, may you and your families be safe.

most easy dinner...

Essentially you put all of this into one pot and boil it for about 20 mins. Serve it with rice and eat! Oh, the little tube of beans in the bottom right corner is eaten separately. Its just pickled bean shoots and is so delicious!. The bag at the back is the liquid base, a kimchi inspired flavour. In fact, when I got it all home and actually read the packaging (properly), I realised this dish, Kimchi Jigae, is one of my star dishes and I need not have bought the packet mix version!! Of course, this was very easy but the one made from scratch just tastes better, as always :) follow this Link to the best Korean recipes I have found in a long time!

illustration friday-instinct

I found it hard to connect with my instinct while pregnant and now even as a mother. Probably because I live in a modern world where I have been bombarded with so much information, rights, wrongs, alternatives, options, expenses, responsibilities, pressures, illnesses and conditions..... etc etc......I guess I rarely use any of my instinctive natures, not just the ones relating the bearing children.....I wonder if any of us modern day humans have many instincts left at all.....

my email address

I am so sorry I have not updated my email address here. I am no longer using my grassy garden address so if you would like email me please go here

tokyo dogs...........

Lena Corwin love...

My dearest bought me the lovely Lena Corwin's book "Printing by Hand" and vowed I would make something from it before the book got dusty or just dog eared from lots of leafing through and admiring the nice styling and great ideas.....so, more recycled gomi (the nice word for rubbish) and look at this.

The book comes with a pattern for all the stencils so its so easy...the old wooden boxes, I originally thought would be good for organising a small persons car collection, but I thought my sewing stuff could graduate from a cheese box to something a bit nicer...

I cut out the shapes directly from "contact", that sticky stuff you used to use to cover your school books.....(I wouldnt recommend to use it again.....tell you why later)
...looking like a pro already.....
...nice even before I pulled off the red stencils......
....the sticky contact separated when I pulled it off...maybe the pourous surface wasnt such a good combination with it...so the edges of the stencils were far from clean. I used a pencil eraser along with a stanley knife tip to scratch the excess sticky stuff off, then rub with the eraser....the whole process of cutting the stencils and painting took less time than the scraping....but, now it looks great....but...the final photo is on another camera so will post tomorrow! It was so much fun, I have been planning this design on every surface I can get my hands on....but then I thought, I can just do my own design, minus the contact.....g-e-n-i-u-s!! yay!!!

the blossom photos...

...while re-reading my last post I accidentally deleted these photos......


can you tell I like the pink ones?.........

the season for pretty things....

....not only the season when the earth starts to thaw and small secrets of nature become unearthed......

..where moles keep digging......
.....but also when the blossoms start to come out and make people feel light and happy and calm and wonder about the prettiness of such things and remember how fleeting they come and go....

...when witnessing these fluffs of colour in the distance means up close, some incredible and delicate beauty is waiting to be seen...and photographed!!



...not only a time for blossoms but also for begonia......one of my most favourite flowers.....
....time also for picnics...and appreciation for the humble egg sandwich......
.........fresh baked, soft, white bread and chopped egg with mayo......can only be beaten by butter and vegemite.....

morning snack

Here's a nice mini rice ball I made this morning.........it is made of playdough though! It is so real!

The playdough set came with this stamp which you use to make rice...it is the cutest thing I have seen for a while and maybe I bought it more for myself than the mooch?

The theme of the set was making bento lunch boxes and also came with the above moulds......and a small lunch box to put your creations in, also some mini chops sticks and some maps on how to mix colours and make the specific foods. The title of the foods are written under each mould "steak", "omurice", "hotcake" etc...it is so truly lovely, durable and cute and something I hope to keep well beyond my Japan days. Inside the blue mould above, is a circle in the bottom right hand corner, the small square you see inside the circle (a hotcake/pancake), is reserved for the 'butter' which sits on top of the hotcake.......amazing.......I also love how symbolised these moulds are. Everyone (well, almost) in Japan would instantly recognise these images as they are pretty uniform throughout the country.

delicious...

These are just the most tasty cookies given to me by a super sweet Ms S! Thanks so much! Its very cold today, spring forgot to come along today or maybe winter just bullied it out of the way! In any case, a coffee, cookie and some drawing time is just such a sweet luxury during the day. Mooch is asleep and I already completed most of my boring chores for the day so now I can do fun stuff!! Did I mention how much I love having my computer back? Well, I do! Life is so much more connected, however, since I have such precious free 'day' time I shouldn't spend all of it on the internet :)

happiness is a sunny day......

...and a good find at the local op shop....I don't get all my clothes from the garbage dump, in fact I was very surprised to find an op shop...not common here in Tokyo..........I was so happy to see these little guys not only a good, well, reasonable price, very cute style but also in my size......noice. I have been involved in a small crafty project which will culminate in a photo shoot tomorrow so I better go and finish off all my bits and bobs and clean this place up :)

a couple of bits...

Look what I can get done without any internet...it says a lot about how much time I spend sitting here!! Here are some characters I made for a 'friends tree'. I'm not sure what is happening to my English but it also happened last time I was in Japan. By the way, this year is the 10 year anniversary of my first trip here! (and the 5th year I have lived here......kanpai) So really, my Japanese should be excellent.....why isnt it?

In celebration of my proud Japanophilia, I made this book bag using the fabric designed by a very cool Japanese designer Shinji Katoh. BTW, I never use a pattern for any of these creations ( a danger where things often dont work and fabric is wasted) so, it is something I hope to learn how to do this year! Noice :)

bunny

I made a bunny a little while back. The mooch had a cute owl to take to bed and use as a pillow but I left it on the plane, accidentally....so I thought, instead of buying another one, I would attempt to make a new soft toy kind of pillow. So, this bunny has been very well received. It may be a bit of a skinny pillow but he really like it! yay!!