Squeezing In More Than I Thought

When I started writing the title, my intention was to talk about how I am getting more done day-to-day than I expected, but I realized it was also just as apt as my daily battle with clothes.

I’ve struggled all my life in a battle against weight, but have been on the losing end of that conflict over the past few years, gaining about 30 kilograms and no longer fitting in the vast bulk of my clothes because of my, well, vast bulk.

But I’ve been working on weight loss a bit more seriously the past few weeks and fit into clothes I’d worn before. Still a long way to go, but feeling like I am headed in the right direction.

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • Whetted for Wet

    Rain is falling pretty steadily and though the rainy season in Japan gets me down, on the verge of its start, the precipitation has whetted the garden’s appetite for the wet; at least for the onset of the season, which could go on for months, or not happen at all, as was the case last year. Snow in the summer is starting to bloom, greeting our large lounge room window with a view of dainty white flowers. Proteas, which had started with a bang in March then appeared to go dormant, have started to show signs of blooming, which would be bloomin’ marvelous, indeed, if they were to do so….

  • |

    「やばいリンガル」　Flick　（人と縁を切る）

    　オージー英語はユニークな使い方がある場合が多い。たとえ他の国の英語では同じ言葉でもオージー英語の場合の意味が完全に違うこともある。Flickは、本来の英語ではflick（軽くたたくこと）という意味だが、オージー英語ではどうだろう？

  • Well, Wattle Ya’ Know!

    Spring can never come quick enough, and even though Tokyo had a warm winter, the wait for warmer, brighter weather seems interminably wrong, as symbolized by the blossoming of the wattle trees in Kangaeroo Corner. Although temperatures may have been warmer than average in the 2023-2024 winter, the fully fledged onset of spring is as slow as ever, we’ve had more days of snowfall and, at least as far as my guesses go, it’s been a darker year than usual. My reckoning is that 2024 has been cloudier and seen less sunshine than normal for a winter in Tokyo, which I tend to view as having bright, sunny days with…

  • サンタがオーストラリアのある都市に行かれなかったクリスマス

    今からちょうど３９年前のことだったが、1974年12月25日、クリスマスの日、「サンタがダーウィンに行き届けなかった日」とされている。 　同日強力な暴風であるサイクロン・トレーシーがオーストラリア北部にある同都市を直撃して、市全体約９割を破壊し、住民の80％をホームレスにして、71人の命を奪った豪史上最低な災害だった、とされていた。 　熱帯雨林地に位置しているダーウィンは、よくサイクロンを直撃されるので、「トレーシー」についての警報を普通以上に警戒しなかったという。 　しかし、サイクロンが24日の夜から翌日のクリスマスの日にかけて都市を直撃して、焼野原のようにした。再建は数年かけて今でも同市住民の心に深く彫り込まれている事件だ。 　以降、「Santa Never made it into Darwin」というクリスマス曲がヒットして、テレビドラマにもなったのでクリスマス事件としてオージーに深い影響があったと言える。 　 「サイクローン・トレージー」テレビドラマについて

  • Flockin’ Wonderful Time

    All sorts of amazing things are happening at the moment, and I’m taking me time to let them settle in. Biggest is the new job, which is taking up most of my time at the moment and, naturally, has a huge impact on my life and that of those around me. We’ve had some pretty lousy weather recently, being humid, wet and dark, which has had an adverse impact on Kangaeroo Corner, effectively wiping out the kangaroo paw for this year, but also hurting most of the other Aussie plants, which generally like things to be dry and sunny, or even cold, as is the case with the tree fern…