Archive for December, 2008

Organic vegetable growing manifesto 2009

Written by: adekun on 31 December, 2008 4:25 pm - Filed under: garden — 7 Comments »

For the greater part of this year, the garden undertakings could be viewed as being half-arsed. By the same token, there was a great deal of eagerness in getting things in the ground. This zeal or impatience has proved to be to the detriment, rather than leading to bigger and better things. Good examples are the garlic and more so the onions. The latter appear thin and lank at a time when they should be standing to attention going into the new year. Unlike current economy policy, there shall be no retreat from the Laissez-faire approach. Apart from bug-poo, there have been no complaints from the kitchen. Continue reading

Tags: compost, garden, mulch

In between babies

Written by: adekun on 27 December, 2008 10:49 am - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

For quite some time we have been without a baby. Kento is very much a boy; a cheeky one at that. The surprise at the rapidness in which the year has passed, can however, be bettered by the changes that have occurred in him or fleeting phases. On occasion, I shared my futon with Gordon and Percy as they got dragged in bed. Since Christmas, it’s been a plastic screwdriver and Scoop (Bob the Builder’s backhoe loader). I guess some changes in behaviour last a while but undergo different chapters.

Tags: kento

Japanese Christmas cake

Written by: adekun on 21 December, 2008 8:21 pm - Filed under: japan — No Comments »

Christmas has come early. After ploughing through a crab dinner, the Christmas cake was served. It was made by a local dairy based around the nearby mountain. This year only difference to a normal cake was the inclusion of a chocolate placard. A cross section would look like:

Cream
Sponge
Cream
Sponge
Cream
Sponge

The sides were coated with white chocolate shavings. A previous Xmas Dinner.

Tags: japan

Yūri

Written by: adekun on 20 December, 2008 3:50 pm - Filed under: blog — 4 Comments »

When we awoke this morning, I found I was an uncle and my wife an aunty. Miho had delivered her baby earlier. We both heard her leave for the clinic with her husband around ten. There was some question of when; the contractions at dinner time were quite irregular. Fortunately, for those involved it was very quick. In Japan the mothers tend to stay in the clinic at least a few days. All being well she will be back for Christmas.

Tags: baby

Home for maternity delivery

Written by: adekun on 17 December, 2008 10:32 am - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

It is customary in Japan for the expectant mother to return to stay with her parents; be separated from their husband. The idea is difficult for me to understand, especially at such an important point. My wife’s sister has been with us a few weeks now. Continue reading

Tags: baby, japan

Wordpress 2.7 upgrade troubles

Written by: adekun on 11 December, 2008 11:55 pm - Filed under: blog — 1 Comment »

Usually unpacking the latest Wordpress release and uploading it, has worked fine. With this last release, instead of my blog, I ended up with either:

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: wp_remote_post() in .../wp-includes/cron.php or
Fatal error: Call to undefined function wp_remote_post() in ../wp-includes/update.php
Continue reading

Tags: website

You don’t win friends with salad

Written by: adekun on 10 December, 2008 10:32 pm - Filed under: food — No Comments »

The conga and chant made the episode “Lisa the Vegetarian” one of the most popular sketches. The Simpsons very rarely made more than a few minutes watching. As a teenager, I do remember the sketch and thinking rabbit food.
As with most things, growing some has really changed my opinion. Since there was some space between the spinach and cabbages, four different varieties of lettuce were planted. Every few days, prior to dinner the odd leaf has been cut, making enough with the addition of some spinach. I wish there was more. Eating a pile every day as a side dish doesn’t seem a bad prospect at all.

Tags: garden