Wretched Resettling A Right Rack Of Rigmarole
With most of the month spent enjoying the delights of France, it was hard to settle back down to life in Tokyo.
At least it’s a little warmer here, and I will have to focus on the upcoming busy season.
Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...
Better To Be Quiet About It, But It Wasn’t All Bad
This has been a terrible year for the world, but from a personal viewpoint, it has actually been a bit OK, spending less money, riding like a madman and having a quiet life of basic solitude undisturbed by the need to accommodate others. It would be nice to have the stability we had before the pandemic, and fear has become a deeper part of my life than before. I am very grateful for Japan’s serious approach to the pandemic and the support my company has showed for us, even though we are also footing a lot of the bill and I’ve had a nominal pay cut in the form of…
Lyre, Lyre, Pants on Fire
Australia’s lyrebird got its name from the shape of its tale, which is said to resemble the lyre, an ancient Greek musical instrument mastered most notably by the god Apollo. But the lyrebird could also have been labeled the liar bird for its masterful mimicry. The lyrebird (found in the same part of Australia from which Kangaeroo hails) can copy just about any sound, including human voices, with near perfection. Lyrebirds are just one of myriad birds found in Australia. Birdlife down under is amazing! Birds come in all shapes, sizes, colors and types. Nothing can beat the amazing cacophony of bird noises that greet people as they wake in…
It’s All Happening Here!
Pushed for time and all other sorts of resources, Kangaeroo was surprised to note this morning that it had been almost 10 days since the last post on the site. So much has been going on, some of it pretty crucial, that time slipped away. To borrow a turn of phrase made popular by one-time Australian cricket captain and commentator (and fellow Victorian) Bill Lawry, it’s all happening here. I guess it’s best to go forward by category. Among Kangaeroo’s interests over the past year has been the Aussie garden. A crucial part of that garden is the lawn, traditionally an integral cog in the Australian horticulturalist’s kit (but less…
Having Faith And Hoping For The Best
Our new home is a delight and the neighbors seem nice, though it’s hard to meet many of them as we’re still in a state of emergency, but I am having growing concerns about our company operator. Our president clearly has no idea of what she’s doing and the reason for taking us on remains an utter mystery to me, but they are paying our wages as promised and I have got plenty of time to keep me distracted. Our dinosaur follows me everywhere now in our single-story home, unlike the two-story place we used to live in, where she was scared to fly downstairs. She will not leave me…
Monkeying Around With Shared Kobe Steel(e)s
Of the many commonalities shared by Australia and Japan, perhaps one of the quirkier ones is that both countries are home to a Kobe Steele known for monkeying around. Australia’s Kobe Steele founded the Orangutan Foundation International Australia (OFI Australia), and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2021 for her services to conservation and the environment. Japan’s Kobe Steel Ltd., meanwhile, monkeyed around in a far less noble way, falsifying inspection and quality data on steel, aluminium and copper products for years, affecting hundreds of customers and resulting in billions of yen in fines after causing one of Japan’s most significant industrial quality scandals in recent…
No Paws for Thought
Kangaroo paws, the big success story of my Aussie seeds saga, and the one that most mattered to me, reached a new stage in their progress from propagation. Mrs. Kangaeroo noticed that they were crowding the large pot that I had planted them in, and if they weren’t moved they could end up choking each other. Showing a turn of speed I’m not known for (unless there’s chocolate around), I was off to the local 100 yen store to fill up on pots and stones to put at the bottom of them. Along the way, I put in an order online for Aussie native plant potting mix. I spread out…
