Blog Archives
Juggling people’s work commitments and the weather, meant it took a public holiday to harvest the rice. It was Autumnal Equinox Day and very overcast too. Shigeki-san had already harvested one of the smaller fields. This left the two large fields, one of which had a smaller adjoining counterpart. With a late morning start and the threat of rain, Shigeki spent most of the time at the controls. I was porter. (continue reading…)
As expected the LDP have chosen ultra right wing/conservative/nationalist Taro Aso to lead them. He achieved two/thirds of the vote. Famous for his “one nation, one civilization, one language, one culture and one race.” speech and love of Manga, he is certain to become the next Prime Minister.
Why does the ruling party get to choose the Premier and not the public? It’s not just a one off in this case. (continue reading…)

Thank you to Top Veg for bestowing upon me the Tree of Happiness Award. It is my turn to choose six things that make me happy. As the entries have been a bit light on the garden that will be my focus:
Recently stories have been surfacing over tainted rice that has ended up in the food chain. Unsurprisingly, this did not happen by accident, but in the name of profit (as is the custom). The rice is said to have been imported from China and Vietnam amongst others. Contaminated with pesticides and a toxic mould, the rice was destined for industrial use. Instead an increasing trail of hundreds of companies has emerged; covering brewing, food stuffs, the elderly and schoolchildren. (continue reading…)
We have been enjoying the better weather. Kento has had a couple of trips further abroad. One of the less beneficial trips was to the waterfoul park; you have to pay to see them and I didn’t have more than a few coins! Instead, together we explored on the bike until one of us fell asleep.
For sometime now, the day usually begins with an eye poke around six o’clock. This follows hours of Ritsue’s backside brass section (an audible pregnancy ailment).
Kento can now fully undress himself, usually at the wrong moment. He puts in a good effort when trying to dress himself. His latest fashion is a pair of underwear worn as a toga.
The above could be a fair reflection of the weather for the second half of August. To be dispassionate, temperatures were in the mid twenties, there were no typhoons, and perhaps it is me being miserable.
I managed to get sunburnt in the September sun as the weather quickly changed. We have had week of warmer weather. It brought some relief, as I worried about the puddles forming above the potatoes and garlic. Although the rain has now returned, I’m pleased to have spotted that one of the garlic cloves has already speared it’s way through to the surface.
Google have just launched a beta version of their browser Chrome. I’m keen to try it out despite being a big fan of Firefox.
Upon install the language is selected automatically from a big pool. Those like myself living overseas and being illiterate in the native speak may want to take the following steps: (continue reading…)