Koala Attack! 一日中寝ている訳でもない

コアラ、カンガルーやエミューなどが人間に対してあまり危険視されていないが、下記のビデオで見えるように、危ない場合もある。

　コアラは、一日中寝ているという印象を持っている方が多いだろう。（実際に合っているが）年間を通してコアラもさまざまな行動を行っている。Australian Geographic誌がこのビデオにあるコアラ群れを未着取材し面白いドキュメンタリーを制作された。

　普段あまり動かないコアラの活発な姿で驚ければ、この映像がなおさら怖い！今年4月、オーストラリア北部になんとヘビを食べられるクモがいった！糸で捕まったより、ヘビが偶然に糸に上の枝から落ちてクモが素早く動いて捕まって、糸で拘束して食べちゃった！

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    Boomerang Shrine And Shooting The Rapids

    Mrs. Kangaeroo and I got another wonderful experience shooting down the rapids in the delightful Saitama Prefecture town of Nagatoro, which is also home to a shrine hoping to draw people back with something of an Aussie touch. Boomerang Kaeru Shrine, just outside Nagatoro Station, is dedicated to the worship of frogs, but is actually a play on words. The Japanese for frog is kaeru (蛙), but also a homonym for returning home (帰る), hence the boomerang, which (allegedly) returns to the thrower upon being hurled. (This is a story for another day). Also got to find some Engrish that appealed to my eternal schoolboy side.

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    豪のクリスマス・ソング：Christmas on the Station

    　故スリム・ダスティ氏は恐らくオーストラリア最大なカントリー・ミュージック歌手であり、多くのオーストラリア人にとっては多くの日本人にとって美空ひばりのような存在感があった人だった。 　彼が歌ったオーストラリア風のクリスマス・ソングが以下のものだった。 　これがステーションと言うオーストラリアの巨大牧場でのクリスマスを祝う話だ。 　ちなみに、同氏が1957年に「ビールがないパブ」と言う曲によって世界中に大ヒットを出したオーストラリア人アーティストだった。同曲がページしたにあるので、お楽しみください。 CHRISTMAS ON THE STATION Oh there’s going to be dancing and singing, At the old homestead tonight, Going to be carols ringing, Through the warm Australian night, Dance on the homestead verandah To an old time fiddle tune, There’s going to be an old time party With Christmas coming soon. Oh we wont have no sleigh ride We’ll go swimming in the creek But all the kids and relations Who are staying for a week. The campfire’s blazing rightly Steak on the barbecue, Welcome all the neighbours in Were putting on a do. There’s going to be dancing and singing At the old homestead tonight Going…

  • Why Do Aussies Say “Fair Enough”?

    なぜオージーは「Fair enough」と言うの？ “Fair enough.” You’ll hear Australians say it dozens of times a day. Someone explains why they’re late. “Missed the train.” “Fair enough.” Someone says they’re too tired to go out. “Fair enough.” It isn’t enthusiastic agreement. It isn’t even saying the other person is right. It’s simply a friendly way of saying: “I understand.”“That seems reasonable.” Australians like avoiding unnecessary arguments. Rather than debating every little point, “fair enough” acknowledges the other person’s explanation and lets the conversation move on. Unlike the more Australian expression fair dinkum, which questions honesty or sincerity, fair enough simply accepts what has been said. Vocabulary ExpressionFair enough Pronunciation/feə(r) ɪˈnʌf/ MeaningI understand. That…

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    Reminiscing: The First Time Australia Mattered in Kangaeroo’s Japan

    Kangaeroo has lived in Japan since the late ’80s, just as the Showa Era (reign of Emperor Hirohito from 1926-1989) drew to a close. Japan back then had possibly an even stronger fascination with English than it does even today, especially as it was far less accessible in a slower, less connected world. But English and overseas meant America and Japan had an obsession for the United States. Occasionally, news would filter through from other powers, such as then recently reunited Germany, France, Italy, Britain and the crumbling Soviet Union and Russia. It was rare, pretty close to unheard of, really, for Australia to attract much attention in a Japan…