• Daily Life

    Brushing Up All Right

    Our bottle brush has finally burst into bloom, and what a glorious show she is putting on for us! Mrs. Kangaeroo has let loose with her amazing talents again and made plenty of bouquets using the delightfully scarlet flowers, and now I’ll deliver some to Mother-in-Law Kangaeroo to mark Mother’s Day, as it is here in Japan and in many other parts of the world today. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums around the world, and heartfelt thanks to my mum, who’s still kicking on (and probably will be for eternity the way she’s going).

  • Daily Life

    Summertime Blues….er, Browns?

    Summer in Tokyo this year was just how I like it: boiling hot and dry, probably the driest I have experienced in 35 years of living in the Japanese capital. But while I loved the heat, my garden in Kangaeroo Corner had mixed feelings, especially the lawn that went from vibrant green to burned brown. Trees thrived! Most delightedly, the jacaranda we had written off as dead in the spring powered back into life and is now one of the tallest growths on the block. The “branch” silver wattle goes from strength to strength and the golden wattle beside it…