No no no (rubbish)!

Rubbish bins, being a potential source of all things yucky, have been on the banned agenda since the little guy got a move on. Strangely, they seem to hold an unusual fascination for him. We’ve said ‘no’ so many times. Now, in his increasingly verbal state, rubbish bins are called ‘Nonono’s. We see them everywhere […]

Father’s Day Fiesta

What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than in the middle of a fiesta of football? In our house, World Cup year is a major cause for celebration…indeed, all other activities virtually shut down for a month. I was a little disbelieving in 2006 when Akira declared he would watch all 64 games, but […]

This Moment

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see. […]

Walk to the Park

A favourite haunt in this hot steamy weather is Jackson Park, a 15min stroll to a playground that is often buggy, but always shaded by wonderful mature trees. On the way there, if the gates are open, Kazuo and I often wander through the B’nai Amoona Cemetery. It is so pretty… any time of year.

Unexplored Regions of the Park

Summer is with us. We are getting out and about as much as possible. The wee guy says ‘lurdle lurdle pop?’ when he wakes up most mornings – Kaz-code for playground (derived from saying ‘pop’ when he pops off the end of the slide) and we are getting to at least one, usually two different […]

This Moment

Getting Your Heart Set

Today is one of those days when I am trying not to get too excited about the prospects of our relocation to the UK. It was one thing not to get too worked up about the possibility of the job Akira has been offered…but now that is a done deal, there are other massive unknowns […]

This Moment

All Change

So a week ago, I wanted to write and tell you about the crazy night we’d had. In fact I had so many other things going on too…bubbling up and running over…and wanted to let them all blog out of me. Then it got a little hard to get to the PC. And then I […]

Of Mothers on Mothers’ Day

I’ve been a little AWOL lately as my mother, Joan, has been visiting from New Zealand. It is only the second time she has visited me anywhere since I left home in 1992 and first time time we have seen one another since my father passed away three years ago. It was also the first […]