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 grateful to be sober, which is truly a miracle.

As far as afflictions go, alcoholism has proved over the long run to be addressable even though I am acutely aware that it is incurable. An infected finger that has nearly crippled me at times over the past month has proved just as challenging. I popped a blister, but the finger became infected and the infection spread up my hand and arm. I was immobilized at times. I went to the dermatologist nearly every second day for treatment, pumped myself full of painkillers and spread myriad ointments. It’s healing, but slowly.

I’m not the only family member who has been poorly. Our dinosaur has been crook after eating too much human food, infecting her digestive system and leaving her with a nasty sore on her bum. She also copped a dose of antibiotics and is getting a dose of five medicines a day. And she is now on a strict diet. She is finally getting better after about a month of ailing.

Mrs. Kangaeroo was magnificent in nursing Dino back to health, ignoring her own exhaustion to pack the bird into a tiny cage and taking her on the bus to visit and avian vet about 90 minutes away, making the trip several times after having been awake for 36 hours or more and working a grueling night shift. Once again, Mrs. Kangaeroo proved to be a carer of boundless degree and her efforts to get the bird treated and take action to follow the vet’s advice have been extraordinary. I thank her for saving our adorable little winged girl’s life.

She’s not the only cute little bird we have been around recently. Mrs. Kangaeroo and I visited Tama Central Park and came across a pond where a mother duck and her ducklings were enjoying a veritable feast. The little birds were delightfully fluffy and thrilled the throng of onlookers.

Also thriving is our garden, which is starting to look magnificent as the spring flowers prepare to to bloom. It should only be a matter of time before we get a mass of lovely colors, and the garden’s star, our grevillea, has already begun to bloom. Unfortunately, the garden may be looking too good as we have attracted a hornet that seems to have picked a spot over Mrs. Kangaeroo’s herb garden to build it’s nest.
“Nah, mate, only Aussie creatures are welcome in this garden,” has been my appoach and we have taken a number of steps to keep the insect away. It remains to be seen if any will be successful.

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day 8: Wakayama to Koyasan

    Japan, the land of the gods, threw everything at the Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto on Day 8, but the riders came up trumps, scaling the queen stage unscathed. Despite persistent drizzle, the tour made it to the World Heritage List site Koyasan without injury or incident. The tour’s first flat even still remains unclaimed! Following the previous day’s travelling exertions, it was back on the bikes from Wakayama. Almost half of the day’s ride was occupied on a beautiful cycling track with barely anybody else using it. The track ran along the Kinokawa River and offered some nice views of the waterway, as well as distant mountains. Looming over cyclists, however,…

  • |

    TBSの「The世界遺産」は今週オーストラリア特集

     今週・来週日曜の夜TBSの「The世界遺産」は、オーストラリアを特集する。  詳細は以下の通り。  6月10日(日) 午後6時  グレーターブルーマウンテンズ地域  6月17日(日) 午後6時  ニンガルー・コースト 「The世界遺産」 「The世界遺産」オーストラリア特集ページ THE 世界遺産(TBSテレビ)(フェースブック)

  • ボーガン・プライドという文化革命

    これは、ボーガン文化の中でも 最重要のターニングポイントと言っていい。 かつて「ボーガン」と呼ぶことは、ほぼこう言うのと同じだった。 「お前は俺より下の階層だ。」 ところが時代が進むにつれ、こんな返しが増えていく。 「そうだよ、ボーガンだけど?何か問題でも?」 これぞ、典型的な 文化的リクレイメーション(再所有)。 世界中で、侮蔑語だったアイデンティティが 当事者によって“誇り”へと変換される現象は起きている。 でもオーストラリアの ボーガン・プライド には、 オーストラリア特有の“味”がある。 それは、次の文化要素と深く重なるからだ。 つまり、 ボーガン・プライドは「普通の人」を祝福するオーストラリア的国民性と直結している。 言語学者ロズリン・ローワンは、 「ボーガンの肯定的再解釈は、オーストラリアのナショナリズムと “普通の人”を称える文化傾向と結びついている」 と指摘している。侮蔑語だったはずの言葉が、 国民的アイデンティティの一部へと昇格する。これこそ、ボーガン文化の最大の魅力であり、 オーストラリアらしい文化のひねりでもある。

  • Big Red Bike Tour Stage 7: Anything You Can Do We Kanda Better

    Despite having literally cycled hundreds of thousands of kilometers in and around Tokyo, I’d never cycled the full length of the Kanda River Cycling Road until the Big Red Bike Tour Stage 7 today, and boy had I missed out. We started at the beginning of the path at Inokashira Park in Kichijoji and pottered downstream at a very leisurely pace amid sapping heat under cloudless, blue skies. Kichijoji has traditionally been rated as the most liveable part of Tokyo, and the area is a delight. The cycling path tracks the Kanda River as it flows through the leafy western suburbs of Tokyo. Eventually, the river flows into the back…

  • あら!オバマ米大統領が豪訪問のオージー英語ミス

      只今、豪国会では米国大統領バラック・オバマ氏が2010年にオーストラリア訪問した際、豪国会議事省の大きいなミスについてもめている。そのミスの原因はオージー英語である、豪紙ナショナル・タイムズがいう。  大統領の訪豪に合わせて同省が記念マッグの製造を委託したそうだ。しかし、作ったマッグのスペル・ミスが発見された。また、そのミスが半端じゃなかった!大統領の名前BarackではなくBarrackとなっていた。そして、Barrackは他の英語圏では「野次を飛ばす」という意味であり、数十年前までちょっと印象が悪いことと言っても過言ではない。オージー英語ではただ「応援する」という意味ぐらいしかない。  結局、配る前にスペル・ミスが発見されてほとんどのマッグが処分され、侮辱に終わらないで済んだようだ。しかし、今度国会でその処分方法について苦情が出ている。マッグが壊れてコンクリートに埋めたらしい。与党の議員一人がそのやり方が「マフィア風だ」と冗談を込めて言ったが、まじめそうな同省の広報の方は「壊さないとどこかのごみ捨て置き場に見つけられたらもっと大変な侮辱だったよ」と反論した。 元記事 President’s welcome mug gets mafia burial (English) 関連記事 Obama Speaks Strine