Wrapping Jacarandas

On Christmas Eve, I thought any wrapping I’d be doing would be presents, not bloody jacarandas, but between a hectic time at work that was exactly what I found myself doing.

Amazing (and incredibly patient) Alex Endo, who created our Aussie garden at Kangaeroo Corner, wanted to protect the tips of the tree’s branches so they could be protected from the frost and increase the likelihood of flowering.

Our jacaranda hasn’t flowered for three years now, and we hope that next year will see it flourish florally.

Alex also let me know that I am wasting my time waiting for two grevillea trees in our garden to flower, pointing out that they are robusta varieries, which don’t flower ever, unlike our peaches and cream grevillea tree, which has been in constant bloom since May.

The garden was readied for winter, and inside the house, Dino has discovered that my work PC has a heater that makes it delightfully warm for her to sit at my work desk.

はじめてのオージープランツ図鑑 (Alex’s book on Aussie plants <Japanese>).

Alex’s Garden Party <Alex’s blog in Japanese>.

異彩を放つオージープランツの寄せ植え講座 (Alex’s lessons on Aussie gardens <Japanese>)

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • Trying To Kid Myself On Children’s Day

    Blessed with glorious weather and little wind, it was almost appropriate I spent the first part of Children’s Day trying to kid myself that I am something of a decent cyclist. I did manage to build up an almost acceptable pace considering the countless number of traffic lights I had to deal with on a quick trip in and out of central Tokyo. Blessed with a day off as part of the Golden Week series of holidays, I headed into town to attend a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous near Tokyo Tower. The group was filled with sanctimonious, pious souls, so I left feeling like I could speak in tongues, but…

  • |

    「やばいリンガル」Knock（軽く叩く）

    　米・英語はknockするというのは、軽くドアなどを叩くという意味だけど、オージー英語になるとknockは別の意味もある。続けて読んでその意味を知ろう。 　A knock is a slight bump or tap for most of the English-speaking world, but gains additional meaning in Strine, or Australian English. Read on to find out what that is.

  • Purple Heys!

    Kangaeroo Corner is welcoming the slow onset of spring with a little shock of violet offering greetings and warmth in more ways than one. At the moment, our garden’s most prominent flowers are some hardenbergia creeping up a frame and showing off a bright shade of purple and specks of white. The tiny blossoms are adorable, but they’re also bringing me the wholehearted joy of being the first-ever flowers I have grown by myself from seed. I’m somewhat amazed by how much effect their appearance has had on me, which is perhaps a little over-exaggerated, but it is what I’m feeling anyway. It’s a mild sense of accomplishment and adds…

  • Event Approvals, Grants On Offer For 50th Anniversary Of Japan-Australia Friendship Treaty

    Japan and Australia are offering grants and approval for certain events to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Japan and Australia in 2026. The governments of both countries and the Australia-Japan Foundation are taking all sorts of steps for broad exchange between Japan and Australia, with the active participation of local governments, businesses, private organizations, and others. The countries will recognize events as 50th anniversary events if they meet all of the following criteria: Approved events may identify themselves as Anniversary Events for the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Japan and…

  • Bird Bother Has Us Flying…By The Seat Of Our Pants

    Our dearest–in terms of both emotion and bloody expense–little mate gave us a bit of a shock the past few days as Dino, our rosy faced lovebird, appeared to be petering (ptering?) toward the brink only to slowly move toward recovery. I’m guilty as I’ve been sharing meals (and snacks) with Dino for years now, and she also shares my love for carbs and cheese, making her as fat and unhealthy as I am. You’d never know it, though, as she is vigorous and active, spending nearly all day out of her cage and flying freely throughout our home. But something seemed amiss on Friday when she was clearly in…

  • Saturday Night Shibuya

    After many years of not blogging, a website fix inspired me to get back into it. For several years, I had been keen on photography but let that fall by the wayside, too, mainly because carrying a camera around everywhere is bloody cumbersome and I now cycle a lot, which makes me focus on reducing the volume of stuff I carry. Yesterday, though, I took my camera with me and shot a few pictures for the first time in a long while. I’m really rusty, but liked some of the results.