In an otherwise nondescript weekend–almost no tours, tests, parties, interviews, meetings, events or obligations–death reigned supreme, and by that I mean the Death Machine was my prime mode of transport. Although as I noted yesterday, in the one appointment I did have, I was also killed off myself, albeit temporarily. The Death Machine got its name from being like a near-death experience with every ride, particularly because it takes some time to learn how to properly balance to ride the recumbent. But the bicycle has also been notoriously fickle, breaking down at the most inopportune times. A couple of years…
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Heavy rain put a dampener on any outside activity this morning, but it was a good chance for other activities, notably the family dinosaur throwing herself into a bath. She’s the clumsiest bather imaginable and watching her trying to bathe always fills my heart with warmth and hope that she’ll eventually get the practice down right one day. No luck so far, though. Otherwise, it was a great day for the garden as the rain poured down in the morning and the sun is coming out now. It looks green, lush and healthy. How long it will remain like that…
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My hospital killed me, I learned today. It was part of a mix-up caused by our dinosaur (actually, it was my fault as I let her chew up my appointment reservation slip without noting any information that it contained, and then taking too long to follow up on it). Normally, every three months I go for a routine check-up to the hospital, where I have been receiving treatment for the past 15 years. I’d last visited in March, so knew I was due to go back again, and rang through during the week to book an appointment for this morning.…
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It’s an unbelievable joy to be able to go into the garden in the mornings and see the kangaroo paw grown from seed flourishing so well. Today I captured some photos for posterity, which was prompted by the solstice and realization that days are getting shorter from now onward. The flowers are growing unbelievably well. Not all of the plants have flowered, though, which is also OK, but I have been blessed with lots of glorious colors, which has been really pleasing. Some of the flowers in pots are bigger and thicker than the kangaroo paw I’ve been able to…
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Though my enthusiasm has waned over the past few years due to various factors, I’m a committed-enough cyclist to be worthy of the name, cyclepath. And cycle paths are where you’ll find me in the pre-dawn (or early dawn) hours of most weekdays. Every morning I rise at 4 (by which time it’s already light in Tokyo at this time of the year), pour myself into increasingly tighter lycra and get out on my bike. I get out before I start thinking. Once I start thinking, I will talk myself out of riding. I’m basically not an exerciser, and am…
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It looks like the rainy season might have finally hit Tokyo (though only today within this week is currently forecast to rain all day) and the down side of being unable to do anything outdoors is being able to get the chance to delight in garden and the flocks of birds in Kangaeroo Corner. Although we legitimately get a lot of birds visit the garden over the winter, where the Fountain of Strewth provides a much-needed source of drinking water for our avian mates, it’s rarer to have birds in the garden other than the permanent flock on decoration. And…
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We had a busy and fruitful weekend, welcoming friends over for a party yesterday, working for a new future and getting to enjoy kangaroo paw that others are growing. As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, I grew kangaroo paw from seeds and got amazing results, which I delighted in “sharing” with friends and neighbors. It wasn’t until I’d given out a dozen plants that I realized I wasn’t presenting people with an exotic decoration of considerable expense was perhaps an unwelcome nuisance. So I didn’t push too hard to hand over plants to people who visited. It was a wonderful weekend for…
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June continues rolling on and the rainy season has yet to appear, which is an immediate blessing yet also a warning, but for the time being the kangaroo paw are leading the way in bringing me unimaginable delight. The rainy season can be pretty bleak with day after day after precipitation. I also find the low pressure systems that dominate the weather have a tendency to drag me down. But with a few years in the garden, I’ve also learned how much plants appreciate the rain. They like the unadulterated dose of water with all its nitrates that gives them…
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Even by the generally lousy standard of 2024, this morning was a pretty rotten one in some ways, yet even that couldn’t deter gaining pleasure from our kangaroo paw. The flowers have hit peak bloom. They bring me unbridled delight. I’ve still got hope some of the plants we have that are yet to flower will eventually bloom, too. I’m delighted these flowers have grown from seeds I got in my home town. Having been able to share the plants with friends and neighbors has also been wonderful. Some of my friends have grown plants even more magnificent than ours.…
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Having not had the remotest interest in gardening until well into old age, it constantly amazes me how much hanging out with plants brings me joy and wonderment, and one of the greatest pleasures is being able to share that. On a visit back to Australia a few years ago I bought a lot of native plant seeds and tried to grow them by myself. Most failed, but a few got through, like the hardenbergia, dwarf wattle and, especially, kangaroo paw. With the blog association and our huge kangaroo statue in the garden I really wanted kangaroo paw to grow…