Liam’s first plane trip

A very excited three-coming-up-four year old has been on his first flight. The night before, not wanting to sleep, his comment was ‘Come on, let’s go to the airport now!’ Upon being told that our plane wouldn’t be ready, his solution was for us to sleep in the car overnight, at the airport!’ Understandably, this idea was not adopted. Come the next morning,  rearing to go, he passed time on the drive to the airport by considering the construction of various houses along the way.

 Upon arrival, ‘We need to go to the small one, not the big one around that other corner’. One would think he was a seasoned traveller rather than embarking upon his first flight.

Waiting seemed like such a long time for this wee boy. ” Is it ready yet? Why not? Can we go now? Why not? When are they going to call for us? Once aboard and settled by the window the questions continued. ” Wa-hoo!” as the plane gathered speed for take-off. He loved the thrill of the speed and once up in the clouds, well, that was another story. Much observation, many more questions.

 Arriving at our destination, Carol was there to meet us and help us find luggage; another delight for Liam; seeing his luggage miraculously appear on that ’roundy thing’.. Not such a delight though, to begin with, was the gradual knowledge that we were not returning to Auckland on the next flight. However, visits to local parks, driving to Lyttleton through the tunnel and spending time at the port, watching and taking in all the activity, discovery of new toys at Carol’s, best of all, the play dough, helped to disperse the feelings of home-sickness that naturally enough kicked in every now and again on that first day.

Next morning after a walk to the park, a drive to visit the black swans nesting on the river to find their cygnets had hatched. Another pleasure for Liam, feeding not only ducks and seagulls as he does at home but swans too; not that they ate much, preferring to take their babies to the relative safety of the far bank for a bit, away from the screeches of the seagulls and the sometimes fighting ducks.

Next a cafe for lunch, at a museum-come-cafe wonderfully organic food and the realisation that Liam had a good understanding of ‘the olden days’, given his comments regarding various items. A toyshop, another park followed by a much-awaited catch-up with Miriam and baby Sam, now just one. Lovely to see how gentle Liam was with him, but not surprising.

An earlyish night, given we were to be up for the shuttle back to the airport at the ungodly hour of 4:15am. Hugs and good-byes at the gate with Carol, another flight, luggage to collect again, and a drive to a local cafe for breakfast completed this memorable few days, for both Liam and me. Can’t wait until Amelia is big enough and we’ll do it all again!

 

Deep Secret

Just the most gorgeous, highly perfumed red rose, almost out of season, but not quite!

 

‘What colour is my oesophagus, Mummy?’

I am loving the many and varied conversations with the smallest people in our family. Their questions show inquiring minds with a thirst for learning that are full of curiosity and wonder. Liam is very into knowing about how things work and making comparisons. The leading question about his oesophagus has his mum searching for a full colour book about the human body!

He loved our visit to to the open day at Auckland Uni’s School of Engineering not long after he turned two. ‘What do you want to see?’ the young guide asked me only to be very taken aback when Liam, not I, answered the question. ‘Things that move’ was his answer. And so he did, with great interest and many questions. Hope they have another one later this year!

The most recent question posed to me was at the weekend when, after sleeping over, we were depositing food scraps in the compost bin. ‘What is compost, really? Is it old food we don’t need any more? Where does it go?’ The discussion continued and concluded with his three-coming -up four-years -old proclamations regarding the similarity between this and bodily waste disposal which he currently finds most intriguing. I am continually floored by his ability to discuss, generate questions, make generalisations and summarise.

So why do I hear teachers  at work talking about children not understanding what a question is? Something is not right here. I do hope that in fifteen months time, when he starts school, Liam will be given the ‘personalised learning programme’ that the M.O.E. is promising to be available for all. Excuse my cynicism, I have just invested one day (and tomorrow yet another) at a seminar led by said organisation regarding education for the 21st century. The contradictory nature of information being imparted is amazing! Also, being a life-long advocate of and worker within public education, why am I beginning to think a private education will be the way to go for our newest generation? More about this later in the week on the work website; the intention for this one is to be generally of a much lighter vein!

 Back to Liam and his conversations. Visiting relatives at their Waiheke holiday home for the first time, his opening question was ‘Do you have a septic tank? How does it work?’ May children always be curious and seek answers to their questions.

Amelia, much smaller, is catching up fast. We communicate mostly in a bi-lingual setting, she’s a confident risk-taker and her language is generally quite experimental. But she does love a good story and is very happy not so much to ask, but direct ‘read please’ and deposit both a book and herself upon my knee. I am so looking forward to the nature of her questions in the months ahead! (New pictures on flickr shortly)

 

Thursday nights at Raven

once a month or so can be relied upon for two-three hours of pure bliss and fun but on the edge of a long weekend after a hectic day… absolutely the ultimate relaxation.  Arrive, accept a glass of good red, sink into a comfy chair, catch up with the best hairdresser since Shane abandoned us all for his lover in Sydney… mind you he did continue to look after my hair at their home in Potts Pt whenever I visited for some time… .While she’s busy, ‘tolerate’ a heavenly head massage; the assistant apologised for taking so long ‘I was lost in my own world there’ she said. ‘Stay as long as you like’ was my grateful reply.

Time to wonder; why did I spend every Wednesday evening in May at Auck. Uni. Epsom Campus listening (mostly) to people presenting ‘case studies’, dubious at that, as research (really!) about gifted and talented education? Ha! Would have been better off reading a good book with the exception of the evening Mike Townsend presented.

Time to think about QBW coming up, not long to go now for a three-day-break. Time to appreciate living just out of town, living life on holiday I call it. Only it’s not always, when I think about the work to be done to complete this idyllic little place in the universe. Why I ever thought it would be a good idea to try and create a garden from someone else’s abondoned half acre covered in ginger, convolvulus and every other noxious weed is often beyond me, but I guess it’s beginning to work. THERE ARE NO WEEDS LEFT HERE! So I’ve done my bit for the greening of the coastal Waitakere foothills! Sure won’t be doing it again anywhere else so I hope who ever lives here next, in the long-distant future of course, appreciates and looks after it!

Time to be thankful for a wonderful family, good health and the ability to pay my power bill. As all of us who can, should be. Spare a thought for those who were not so fortunate.

 

it was early in the morning after the rain…

 

‘Power your life…’

said the label on one of those delicious ’slide-down-your-throat-so-easily’ jelly energy drinks. ‘Play true! Multi-vitamin, lemon in energy; a special jelly drink designed to supply carbohydrates equivalent to a rice ball. It’s an energy resource for everyone facing a challenge or task; +3% +10%.’ But +% what? That’s the question. They don’t quite tell you that! It may also be a challenge to identify the exact benefit the product both provides and adds to one’s ‘life power’. However, as with anything these days it’s just another risk we take and who wants a risk-free life? Jelly drinks beat rice balls any day in my book! And with enticing names like ‘Body Pleasure’ who would stick with lemonade? Just another Japanese delight, as yet, sadly, unseen on these shores. If discovered, please inform!

It’s interesting to note how easy it is to adapt to another life style when visiting Japan. So easy to walk anywhere in Tokyo, or jump on one or even many trains to travel with relative ease and speed. Public transport is the norm and cars are a distant memory until returning home, when all one can do when wishing for access to efficient public transport is reminisce. As for the expectation of ‘a room with a view’, it just doesn’t matter; the whole city is one buzzy, happening view to this once occasional tourist, now more regular visitor. It’s fast becoming a second home, a highly-rated benefit of having family ‘on location’.

Once home, listening to the arguments against advertising billboards in the central city irrelevant; I try to picture Tokyo without the neon lights and signage, just not possible I’m afraid. And anyway, aren’t there many more worthwhile discussions for this city council to be having? Or maybe they are and this is yet another distraction. Time will tell.

 

Thoughts after the fact…

The week that’s passed since arriving home has simply flown by. Why is it that once home and back at work after an exhilarating trip away, it can feel as if you need to question whether in fact you ever did have that much-needed break away?

Nevertheless it was great catching up with Tim and Moko as well as meeting her family. Tim’s current classes at Temple include teaching students from Tokyo University of Science; genre, 50’s & 60’s sci-fi movies discussing the role of women. We watched a couple of these; amazing to look back on; Forbidden Planet (1956) was one. Anyone remember that?

Another recommended experience was the exhibition The Mind of Leonardo – The Universal Genius at Work; really crowded, security checks galore but well worth pursuing.

Moko and I spent a while in Odaiba, lunch at Tokyo’s answer to an Italianate shopping ‘mall’ Venus Fort (yes I agree with Lonely Planet it is indeed ‘eye-boggling, futuristic retro’) followed by a memorable time wandering through the Nomadic Exhibition, ‘Ashes and Snow’. Both the pavillion, constructed out of containers and the exhibits, sepia photographs on huge canvases along with video footage are travelling the world. Check out the websites! Photos uploaded….

 

The fast train to Fukuoka

takes 5 hours to get there. To put this in persepctive, the first stop, Yokohama took 10 mins of travel, which in the usual JR train takes 40 mins! Travel in ultra-comfort style, lie back, read, snooze, nibble on snacks and yes, no tv!! Very clear view of Mt Fuji with its thick blanket of white-icing snow, rice paddies just underway, the occasional cherry blossom that has lasted this long, city after city, village after village appeared to speed past us…

A wonderful first day with Moko`s family; we`ve begun to get to know one another, I was treated to a memorable first taste of Kyushu and am looking forward to being able to reciprocate with their first visit to NZ.

In reflection, its difficult to find adequate words to do justice to the beauty and atmosphere of the oh-so magical places we were exposed to…

Imagine…the beauty of a zen shrine… picture-book gardens, maple trees canopy, creating serene light whilst carefully protecting raked stone gardens, water dripping gently from ancient bamboo, each stepping stone placed in just the perfect spot. Could have spent hours there in quiet contemplation.

In between visits there was food, (an experience in itself) with a big family dinner lingering over many hours, lots of laughing, talking and sharing in both languages, much translation happening. The scene: a fabulous seafood restaurant offering so many varieties of fish presented so beautifully and tasting amazing. Can`t remember them all but the little pufferfish will be with me for a long, long time… exquisite! (Photos will be up later this week)

Early next morning we set out for a hidden away mountain village, Okawachiyama, home to makers of fine porcelain, again, one of those special secret little places that would be almost impossible to discover by chance. This was as close to seventh heaven for me as could be, little winding lanes with blue and white ceramic tiling at every turn, little and not so little shops containing the most divine china showcasing what must be the finest in Japan; surely to Japan, as Delft is to The Netherlands. Could have stayed in this special spot with its friendly people all day, even longer, breathing in the fresh mountain air. I was told a little of the history; around 300 years ago Okawachiyama was a little walled village with locked gates, kept so in order for the secrets of the ceramics to stay within forever; the villagers never left. Long may it remain a special little village but the secret appears to be out, as we drove away I wondered how the approaching tourist bus would manage its way over the wee bridge with its beautifully and totally blue and white tiled walls. At least our arrival was more discreet!

 

Attention! Please do not feed crows, pigeons and cats

said the sign at the entrance to a park courtesy of the Azabu Regional City Office Community Activities Promotion Section. I walked through this afternoon, hoping it would at some point take me closer to the destination I sought, return visit to Tokyo Mid-town. And a very peaceful park it was; I passed people (of many nationalities) reading, practising singing in English, practising the trombone, talking and thinking. Upon leaving (Arisugawa Park) I found myself amidst numerous police and wondered about what might eventuate; however, turned out I was right outside the Chinese Embassy (Chinese President currently visiting Japan for first time in eons) and yes, I was going the right way to `shopping of the future’ well it would be back home but here it`s been commonplace for ages!

So what have they in Tokyo that we may not see yet at home (for quite sometime)?

SUICA cards for the train… you pay JPY500 ($5.80) and charge credit to it by feeding money into a machine. Place card in your wallet, never to need to remove it again until the credit runs out, whereupon you refill it; just swipe your wallet over the scanner at the gate (any gate, train, bus in fact all public transport I believe). When you no longer require the card, return it and have your Y500 investment refunded. Isn`t the NZ equivalent a concession bus or train ticket? But, come on, we`re supposed to be getting inter-transport ones sometime, yeehah!

SUICA points at BIC Camera, go buy, get points, go back and buy again either `use points’ or ‘keep’ what a good strategy to ensure the consumer hangs around for a bit. They sell almost everything and I am a convert! Click on translate to get one version of English…

Dancing robotic stereo systems; miuro.com… try translating the page for a laugh… and understand the English! The site looks new and yet to be further developed but you can see Robot Heart, a real cute dancing stereo, waves its arms jiggles its legs, maybe like one of those academics Sir Ken Robinson (Do schools kill creativity?) talks about!

Style Meets People… name of shop… with xtra cool super expensive furniture….

Wise Wise Tools… probably means very wise as I discovered Hot and Hot means very hot; thought it was a cafe, but turned out to be a hairdresser so really probably should be called Cool and Cool!

English signs that make you laugh:
Century 21 and you thought that was Real Estate? Wrong! It`s Land Intelligence!

A dress shop called C`est Maligne! (it is evil in influence, intention or effect…) so what`s with the clothes one has to wonder!

We`s Brain… sorry couldn`t get to the bottom of that one!

GRAN… name of shop… `SALE:The best goods for you. This shop challenging to price broken in this campaign sale.’

Wow`D Work Out World! …. a gym, I love it but won`t be going…

Tomatoes for $4.80 each but they`re big ones!

Haagen Dazs icecream… no need to worry about missing out on those mince and cheese pies from Foodtown when there are calories like these to be consumed! The hazelnut is to die for!

However, I did discover a way to lose many kilos at super-swift speed yesterday! Stand in front of a convex window and take a photo of yourself… you come out really skinny! Wonderful if but for a fleeting moment in one`s imagination!

So now, off to view the pix from today with decisions to be made, the choices are many; keep them `as is’ or convert to sepia for a 1920-30`s adventure to look back on, to b/w for 1940`s 50`s snapshots or just maybe to cyanotype for photos of the future, quite apt somehow in view of the sights and sounds of Tokyo! I do love what cameras can do these days, even before you get as far as the computer!

 

Tokyo

Arrived in Tokyo to visit Tim and Moko last Sunday evening – wonderful to meet Moko at last; she`s looking forward to visiting NZ too! Tim has quite a lot of time off right now which has been great. They`re living in Ebisu close to Hiro-o, a much sought-after area in which to live, in a two-level apartment, very central and close to the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography which I love to visit; we`ve recently been to `Tokyo Magnum`, 60th Anniversary of Magnum, a great exhibition to experience.

Visited the new-only-open-a-week Tokyo Mid-Town yesterday afternoon – amazing complex complete with shops, restaurants, park, galleries etc. Fancy a TV that looks like a carton of fries? Check out www.hannspree.com It will only set you back NZ$811, however a pair of baby booties hand-crocheted could be yours for a mere $74.00! If you don`t like the idea of fries you could choose from a range of animals, sports or style TVs.

Having a ball looking for toys for Liam and Amelia – we visited the design section of Ebisu Mitsukoshi Dept store and found that toys I`d bought for Liam`s first birthday in a Wairau Valley European factory shop were cheaper here! Couldn`t believe it! The range is just amazing and never-ending; the book district, Jimbocho is amazing to walk around, books start at Y100 just over NZ$1 currently, with DVDs at Y500 – English classics and great directors.

We`ve been eating at some very cool local cafes and restaurants, Thai, Korean and Japanese; right round the corner from where Tim and Moko live is Solo Pizza, expensive Italian. The food is ultra-fresh and really yummy.

Now, how`s this for strange? When I was here in September `04 I met a woman around my own age in Shibuya who wanted to practice English. We had a coffee during which she invited Tim and I to visit her anytime in either of her homes, Daikanyama, Tokyo and Kyoto; gave me her address, but I didn`t follow it up. When I was in Ebisu Garden Place the other night, a woman asked me to move so she could take a photo – I`m sure – same person! We had coffee again, so this time I`ll write to her once I`m home and have checked the name and address!

Come Sunday we travel by shinkansen to Fukuoka, Kyushu to meet Moko`s family, who are taking us on a history tour; am really looking forward to meeting them and visiting a new place. Another update after that! Hope to upload pictures next week…

Hope everyone had a great Easter break! Forgot to say, Steph is `doing` the OXFAM 100km walk in Taupo this weekend.Think good thoughts for the duration of this incredible challenge and fingers crossed for the weather – best wishes to the whole team!