On the weekend I went camping in Sekigahara. I`ve been there a few times; it`s a picturesque area, and only 40 minutes from Ichinomiya by train.
I took my fold-up (oritatami) bicycle with me so I could ride around & enjoy the scenery. Even though it`s autumn now, there are lots of wild flowers in bloom, as you can see in my picture (don`t worry - I didn`t touch the big red ones).
At my camping spot I made a small pet-bottle trap (like the one I showed on my blog before) & in the morning when I checked it, there were 3 small crabs inside. Breakfast is served! Only joking - I didn`t eat them. I also saw a juvenile (young) ratsnake, which isn`t dangerous.
And no, I didn`t see any ghosts (Sekigahara was the site of a big battle 400 years ago).
As usual, you can click on the above picture to enlarge it.
Our car is getting pretty old, so it`s time to buy a new one. Pictured above are our options:
- New Honda Freed 8-seater, or
- Used 1972 Landrover 4WD 12-seater with a tent on top.
That`s right; the Landrover has 4WD, 4 seats MORE than the Freed, AND a tent on the roof.
Yes.
A tent on the roof.
Can you guess which is my choice, and which is my wife`s...?
Congratulations to Saturday Ichinomiya Teragoya student, Michiko - you`ve won a fabulous Teragoya fan!
I chose you as the winner because your comment was:
- interesting
- funny
- positive
- well-worded
- the only one
Well done! I hope you enjoy using it.
No, this is not a post about doing overtime (zangyo). "For a Few Dollars More" is the title of another Clint Eastwood western, which I watched last night. I thought it was a good excuse to put another picture of Clint Eastwood in his heyday (=most popular & successful period) on my blog.
Here`s a clip from it.
His partner in this movie really reminds me of my teacher when I was 11, Mr.Blakely. But Mr Blakely used to wear shorts & long socks to school. I don`t think that would suit this actor`s character in this movie.
Thanks Makie for your delicious pumpkin pudding.
It reminded me of an unusual dessert I sometimes used to buy when I caught the long-distance, overnight train in Thailand. Ah... that brings back memories (=natsukashi).
This is "New Slang" (2007) by American band The Shins.
Sample Lyrics (=song`s words):
Turn me back into the pet that i was when we met.
Other Shins songs you might like: "Turn on Me" and "Pink Bullets"
At Kawashima Water Eco Park, I found out how to make a crayfish (zarigani) trap using a plastic pet bottle. I really wanted to see if it would work, so last week I made one & put it in the creek near my house.
As you can see, it worked pretty well!
If you make one, please let me know what you catch. And if your wife tells you it`s a stupid hobby for an adult, please ignore her. She`s probably just envious.
[click on the picture to zoom]
On Sunday we took Owen to see a free `Anpan Man` show at Leaf Walk shopping centre. Wow - I`ve never seen so many small kids in one place! And just to see some people with decorated beachballs on their heads.
We arrived about 25 minutes before the scheduled start time of 11am, but it was already packed (= very crowded).
So we gave up and went and had an early lunch instead. But we came back later so Owen could see the characters. He was pretty excited - he likes Anpan Man. Well, all Japanese kids like Anpan Man, right?
Did you like Anpan Man when you were a kid? Did you have any Anpan Man toys?
(If you are not from planet Japan & don`t know who Anpan Man & friends are, this clip will give you an idea)
This is a new running feature on my blog. I hope you like it.
I like various kinds of music, and you probably wouldn`t like a lot of it (Gifu teacher Henriette, for example, was disgusted to find me listening to "Light rock & easy listening 70s hits" once on internet radio). However, I will choose songs I think you might like.
Remember, if you`re studying English, listening to English language songs is an interesting way to learn new vocabulary (=words) and improve your listening skills.
This song is "Two" (2007) by American singer Ryan Adams (not Bryan Adams).
Sample Lyrics:
It takes two and it used to take only one
Another Ryan Adams song you might like: "This House is Not For Sale"
Let me know what you think in comments. And if you want to read the full song lyrics, just do a google search - easy!
The recent federal (=national) election in Australia was REALLY close, & the 2 main parties needed to get `greens` & `independents` (no party) members to join them to be the winner. Anyway, the greens & most of the independents chose Julia Gillard`s party, so she is (still) Australia`s Prime Minister - congratulations!
But I think she will have a hard time keeping all her new `friends` happy. I think we will have another federal election before too long.
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