• Daily Life

    Arrows of Outrageous Fortune

    Mrs. Kangaeroo invited me out on a date today, which turned out to be an absolute ripper (how could any event with Mrs. Kangaeroo not be?), but involved horses, of course! Mrs. Kangaeroo is an avid equestrian and her devotion, best seen when it comes to living and providing loving care, extends to her encyclopedic knowledge of horse-related events going on at any one time in Japan. And she let me know that we were going to be watching a display of yabusame, horseback-mounted archery, on the beach at Enoshima, a small island and tourist attraction about 50 km south…

  • Daily Life

    ‘Sno Business Like Snow Business

    March in Tokyo always feels like a bit of a tease as expectations of immediate warming are invariably let down, which is a feeling probably stemming from childhood in southern Australia where there is a clear demarcation in the transition from summer to autumn. And today we got snow, albeit little more than a spattering that will probably be washed away in a couple of hours. But more snow is expected on Friday, too. To be fair, the cold lingers way longer than I expect it to every year, only because I want the warmth quicker. And I am well…

  • Daily Life - Strine Strife - Strine Tucker

    Paws and Reflect

    Possibly the most meaningful part of my Australian seeds experiment arose today when I transplanted my kangaroo paw seedlings. The great experiment, which I expected would result in me proving to have a green thumb and presenting all my gardening mates with exotic plants has proven only that I am all thumbs. I’ve killed nearly everything I planted, even the everlasting daises and golden everlastings that appeared to be growing so well. I bumped them off by putting them in a hothouse on a boiling hot day, then giving too much fertilizer to the plants that survived. A desert pea…

  • Strine

    Golden Girl

    La Cangura is the name of my bike, a beautiful gunmetal and gold-trimmed machine from Orbea, a manufacturer from Spain, hence the name (which means The Kangaroo in English). She looks delightful in among the canola, the yellow hues of the bike and the flowers a wonderful match. Just wish I was having as much luck with my flowers and other plants in the Kangaeroo Corner garden. I’m relatively new to the gardening caper, only having really taken a great interest in it since Amazing Alex made the Aussie garden for us in March 2022. While the garden is, for…

  • Daily Life

    Blowin’ In The Wind

    Tokyo spring tends to be windy, and it is blowing up a gale in the suburbs of the Japanese capital right now. This morning I got to fly for a few kilometers, backed by a tremendous tailwind. Of course, barring a meteorological miracle, where there’s a tailwind, there’s almost always a headwind that needs to be addressed. So, while the first stage of the ride literally flew by in no time, the home straight was a much greater grind. Still, it did allow me the time to stop and take a look at the late-blooming cherry blossoms, with a stretch…

  • Daily Life

    Marching Onward

    March draws to a close today, ending the first quarter of the calendar year for 2023 in what seems a stunningly speedy period. Time is, of course, relative. Each year, the relative amount of time each period occupies in our whole lives is shorter. So. it’s only natural that time seems to pass quicker. At least, that’s how I think it works. Spring is beautiful in Tokyo, especially when it’s not raining. After a disjointed week for all sorts of reasons, I got to ride this morning as usual. With the spate of repairs that I carried out and diminishing…

  • Daily Life

    Putting the ‘Ning’ Into Gardening

    Despite parents who were avid gardeners – Dad even worked as a part-time gardener – and growing up surrounded by greenery, I never got into horticultural pursuits until I got a plot of my own and became enthralled, even though I’m a bloody ning-nong in the yard. I don’t really know what I am doing and have a garden of Aussie plants that probably need a little bit of special care because of the climatic conditions they may not be suited for. It’s a case of live and learn, but I love it. I wish my ignorance was less harmful…

  • Daily Life

    Cherry Bomb!

    Most of Japan is now awash in a glorious blanket of pink thanks to the blooming of the cherry trees. The cherry blossom is Japan’s national flower and when they bloom, it’s not hard to see why. The fragile flowers create a spectacular floral display that flourishes for about a week, gives another dazzling display as the petals fall and then disappears until it’s time to do it all again the following spring. My opinion is that cherry blossom season turns Japan into the most beautiful place on earth and there are truly delightful sights to be seen just about…

  • Daily Life

    Hello Cocky!

    Spring is drawing closer by the day, if not actually here already in Tokyo, but that doesn’t mean the warmth has arrived yet, though the cockatoo in Kangaeroo Corner couldn’t care less. Every morning is getting lighter and the flowers are blooming. Kangaeroo Corner’s wattle is resplendent! We were originally going to have a wattle-viewing party in the early spring, but it looks like reality has intervened. Speaking of reality, it’s bloody chilly again today. Apparently, this is only a one-off. It’s a little apt, as the icy relationship with my boss is becoming positively chilling after we were dumped…

  • Daily Life

    Don’t Think!

    A good mate of mine often quotes William Shakespeare’s Hamlet by reminding me that, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Kangaeroo is prone to over-thinking, and this week is looming as a tough one. There’s plenty on the schedule, both professionally and privately. And it’s still bloody cold and dark. Moreover, riding up some hills yesterday and being easily overtaken and outpaced by another old codger, then hearing my heavy breathing along the river this morning sparked another reminder from Hamlet that I am fat and scant of breath! But in better news, the…