Reflections

Today’s gonna be a demanding day, but hopefully a magical one in all sorts of ways.

I’m connecting with wizards who I am hoping will whisk me away from the uncomfortable spot my professional life has found itself in, but the imposter syndrome is already really strong.

At least I got a great ride in this morning as the last few days of the most glorious time of the year tick away.

It was wonderful to ride along the Tama River in the early hours of the morning and greet the occasional Japanese green pheasant along the way.

And then to come back home to enjoy the garden was truly a blessing, especially as the flowers are starting to flourish and add even more color to the already lush surrounds.

The long-awaited kangaroo paw can’t be too far away from full bloom now.

Expecto Patronum!

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • Let There Be Lights

    Kangaeroo Corner has got one of the greatest gardens in Tokyo, at least according to Kangaeroo, and one of its features its the extensive lighting. Alongside the mostly Aussie native plants adorning the garden are plenty of garden ornaments of Australian native animals and birds. The kangaroos, koalas and various types of avian life such as a kookaburra, cockatoo and galah, are lit up using solar-powered garden lights. Much to Mrs. Kangaeroo’s chagrin, Kangaeroo adores these garden lights. And the growing length of sunshine each day as spring approaches affords each lighter with a greater charge of its battery, which keeps the garden well-lit, well past the onset of darkness….

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    Worst Aussie Songs Ever! 豪史上最低曲ワースト10!

    オーストラリア歌謡曲ワースト10は1980年代・1990年代が中心となっており、2000年シドニー・オリンピック開会式主人公だったニッキ―・ウェブスター氏の「Strawberry Kisses」と最低となり事実上同氏のキャリアにピリオドにうった効果と言っても過言ではない。  同リストが音楽会関係者数人が匿名を条件として、今年決めたものだ。  1980年代活躍したオージーボール選手2人や一発屋などが中心となっているけど、世界的にヒットしたPseudo Echoや1970年代オージー・ロックを象徴とするSkyhooksといって素晴らしい実績を残してるバンドの曲も入っている。中には、オーストラリア史上最高売り上げ数の「Shaddap You Face」も仲間入りしている。  このバンドは日本であまり馴染みがないが日本で1970年から1989年の間に開催された世界歌謡祭記念大会でPseudo Echoが1987年と1989年唯一2回もオーストラリア代表として出演し、前方では「Take On The World」という曲で見事に同大会を優勝した。 No. 1 – Nikki Webster – Strawberry Kisses No. 2 – Mark ‘Jacko’ Jackson – I’m An Individual No. 3 – Colette– Ring My Bell No. 4 – Craig McLachlan – Mona No. 5 – Joe Dolce – Shaddap You Face No. 6 – Pseudo Echo – Funky Town No. 7 – Nolene Donaher – No Regrets No. 8 – Warwick Capper – I’ll Only Take What’s Mine No. 9 – Jason Donovan – Too Many Broken Hearts No. 10 – Skyhooks – Jukebox in Siberia 参考記事(英語) Australia’s Worst Songs Ever

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    The Lions Won’t Eat You…As Long As You Can Outrun The Gazelle

    Blessed with more time than I’d expected yesterday afternoon, I got to have some fun with the statues at the closed Yokohama Zoorasia. My Astuto bicycle got some great shots running away from wild animals, including a pack of lions chasing a gazelle. It reminded me of my schooldays, when I was the slowest runner in the entire school, and a friend joked that it wouldn’t matter if a wild animal chased our group down, as all they would need to do would be to run faster than I could. Painful, but true! I’d often toyed with a visit to Zoorasia, so was glad to finally make it, and pleased…

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 6: Dino In Distress

    After a brief glimmer of hope, what should have turned into a routine check-up turned out to be a bit of a dire day on the Big Red Bike Tour with Dino taking a turn for the worse. Our rosy faced lovebird had seemed to be picking up last night when she showed signs of once again being able to poop without assistance, a crucial development if she is to survive. She was straining to excrete and tiny amounts were leaving. This was something we had been waiting weeks for, and were delighted. Doubly so as she appeared lively and healthy. And then I may have made a fatal mistake….

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    Fabulously Fulfilling But Frenetically Flat Out

    We’ve had an amazingly busy past few weeks packing in all sorts of activities in very little time. It has been frenetic, but fun. Probably the highlight was heading into Odaiba to see a show by Damiano David, the lead singer of Maneskin on a solo tour of Japan. I wasn’t keen on going, but Mrs. Kangaeroo dragged me there and I’m glad she did. David put on a good show and I was up and dancing by the end of the night. We also got a visit from Uyu, the border collie, who stayed a few days and was her typically snarly self. She melted my heart with her…

  • Japanese Government Ministries & Agencies/政府省庁ウェブサイト

    (links open to new browser) Japanese Government Ministries/政府省庁ェブサイト Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet 首相官邸 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) 文部科学省 Cabinet Office 内閣府 National Police Agency 警察庁 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 総務省 Ministry of Defense 防衛省 Financial Services Agency 金融庁 Ministry of Justice 法務省 Ministry of Foreign Affairs 外務省 Ministry of Finance 財務省 Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare 厚生労働省 Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 農林水産省 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 経済産業省 MLIT Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 国土交通省 Ministry of the Environment 環境省