A week in Perth

I recently enjoyed a week in Perth attending a Library conference. You can read my musings on the conference over at my other blog. It was my first visit to the western side of the Australian continent and I was excited to experience the scenery, food, wine, people and public transportation!
The wildflowers were in full bloom for spring and they were magical....








I loved Kings Park and the Botanic Garden, they were spectacular and I found myself climbing up there several times over the week. I enjoyed an evening walk and then dinner at the Botanical Cafe, an early morning walk, and an author breakfast at Fraser's Restaurant. The view over the city from the park is wonderful.

Fremantle was so much fun I visited there twice. The Fremantle Markets are well worth a stroll around, especially when you can enjoy a delicious freshly made organic donut! There are fun things to see and interesting people to watch.







I joined several other conference delegates for a one day tour of Swan Valley. We had fun imbibing at several wineries, including Sandalford, and enjoyed a lovely lunch at Sittella.
Even though it was a cold and rainy day, the scenery was beautiful and the company stimulating!

I wish that I could have visited the Margaret River region but I'll have to save that for another trip.

To view more of my Perth photos, visit my Picasa album.

School's In

School's back and life is busy.

It's been fun to meet all the new kids at school and see all the familiar faces again. I love the kids at TIS, they are great kids!

I am counting the days until I finish my Masters - only one more essay to go and three weeks of class (online). I feel like it's taken forever and it will feel so good to be finally finished.

The next few months are going to fly quite literally... I am off to Perth for a conference during the first week of October and then the day after I return to Japan my sister arrives with a girlfriend for a visit which will be fun. After they leave I'm flying to the US to visit some dear friends, one of whom has recently been diagnosed with cancer. I am so sad about it and am looking forward to spending some quality time with people who I love and care for.

In November I am attending a seminar in Hong Kong on guided inquiry with Ross Todd. Looking forward to that very much!

December we are flying back to Australia for Christmas/New Year.

Whew! a busy few months with lots of exciting things happening....

I'll keep you posted!

celebrations and calamities, triumphs and tears

Home for the northern summer to a beautiful, mild winter in Jervis Bay. What a blessing that we were home for nine weeks....so many unexpected things happened to keep us on our toes!

Plans for the long awaited celebration of my mother's 70 birthday were thrown into disarray when she was rushed to hospital with a bowel obstruction! After surgery, a heart scare, an unexpected stay in intensive care, and an infection to round it all off, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and finally gathered at the Butter Factory in Pyree for a wonderful party.

Dean's parents visited us from Ohio for two weeks in July and unfortunately on their day of arrival, Dean's father had a mishap and broke his ankle. After numerous visits to the emergency room he spent the entire time with his feet up in our living room contemplating the inexpensive Australian health system.

After these family health dramas Dean and I enjoyed a few days in Canberra visiting with friends. What a great city! We loved the Vanity Fair Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (what an amazing building) and were very impressed with the Museum of Australian Democracy. We enjoyed evenings out with friends at city restaurants and were thrilled to catch up with some fab friends from Tokyo!










It's always so good to spend time with family and friends and we certainly had plenty of wonderful moments sharing meals, drives, hikes and shopping trips.












We hiked with friends out to Mt Bushwalker in Morton National Park. Located on Little Forest Plateau west of Milton, the track runs from the Tianjara Fire Trail to the Clyde River canyon rim. It's a relatively easy walk of about 7km with spectacular views and beautiful flora and fauna to enjoy.

Another highlight this winter was discovering a fabulous vineyard and restaurant near Milton.
Cupitts Winery is a delightful place - beautiful views, food and wine. We just had to go back a second time and share it with more of our friends!











We had such beautiful weather this winter. The bay sparkled every day. Dean swam almost every day!

The last few weeks of our break were very sad. Our beloved dog Chester became ill and we had to make the agonising decision to euthanize him. We don't really know what was wrong, but he was unable to stand and walk anymore. It was so hard to hold him and watch him put his head down and fall asleep for the very last time... He was such a beautiful boy, a well travelled dog, loved by many. My heart is broken and I will miss him always. He is buried in our backyard amongst the lavender.











During our final week we enjoyed a family dinner at Hungry Duck in Berry. Chef David Campbell (previously at Wockpool, Tetsuyas and Billy Kwong) serves up beautiful modern Asian food, much of which is organic and locally grown. Very yummy and well worth a visit!

Our last days were spent cleaning out the garage and creating a new space for a laundry, shower and toilet. As we left, the plumbers were busily finishing up and the tiler and electrician were still to complete their work. Can't wait to see the end result.

Before we left Australia we were excited to sign a building contract for the construction of a covered deck extension to the back of our house. We are looking forward to enjoying the finished product when we return for Christmas and some lazy beach days!

Random things I've seen lately...

The things you can buy from a vending machine....hot chips, hot dogs, onigiri???



















Sunrise from our apartment....

Yokohama Port Symbol Tower

A well kept secret, a little haven of green and water on the port in Yokohama, the Symbol Tower is worth a visit. After winding your way through portside industrial area you can enjoy this scenic spot and take in a rather stunning view of Tokyo Bay... We ride our xootrs out there and enjoy the paths around the water. There is a bus from Yokohama Station (Bus no 26) that makes its way to the tower about every hour.

Hina Matsuri

March is a special time for girls in Japan. On March 3, Japan celebrates Hina Matsuri, also known as Doll Festival or Girls' Festival. It is a time when families pray for the health and happiness of girls. Families with daughters set up an ornate display of dolls in their homes in the days leading up to March 3. They also celebrate with special foods.

Our school has a doll display, similar to the one on the left, in the lobby for the duration of the celebration.

You'll find a great explanation of Hina Matsuri on Kids Web Japan.

The Japanese have some wonderful celebrations that focus on the happiness and wellbeing of community members - Coming of Age Day in January, Children's Day in May, Shich-go-san in November, and Respect-for-the-Aged Day in September.

Kyoto again

Recently we had a long weekend and spent a few days in Kyoto again seeing all those places we missed the first time.
I love Kyoto but I must say it is not an easy city to navigate. There's much less English than Tokyo, which is surprising to me as it is a popular tourist destination. There are so many things to see, but they are spread out and it takes time to find your way across the city.
The first time we visited we stayed in a lovely ryokan in an older area of the city handy to many temples and lovely walks. This time we stayed close to Kyoto station at the New Miyako Hotel and I felt removed from the most beautiful parts of Kyoto. Definitely not the most ideal location.
We did however fill our days and fall exhausted in to bed each night.
The first night we ate at a very nice restaurant on Pontocho - a long, narrow, cobbled alley known for it's restaurants, tea houses and geisha. We enjoyed traditional Kyoto kaiseiki cuisine, an eight course meal, each dainty bowl and dish artfully presented and placed before us.

During the day we visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Inari is the Shinto god of rice, and foxes are thought to be his messengers. There are numerouse fox statues at this shrine. This shrine is most famous though for it's hundreds of torii gates that line the walking trails in the wooded areas behind the shrine. As you climb through the trails you come upon some lovely views over Kyoto. Dean also found a kindred spirit....













After a convoluted and long bus trip to the north of the city, we visited Kinkaku-ji - the Golden Pavillion - or as it is officially known, Rokuon-ji. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, the top two storeys of this three storey pagoda are covered in gold leaf. The gardens surrounding the pagoda are beautiful.

















Ryoan-ji (temple of the peaceful dragon) is famous for it's Zen stone garden. Supposedly the most famous Zen dry garden in the world, it was a little underwhelming....call me ignorant, but I had a "Mona Lisa" moment...."is that it???" I do understand that the garden is significant and there is much more to it than meets my uneducated eye....I did appreciate it, but for sitting and contemplating , I actually prefer the Zen stone garden at Komyoji temple in Kamakura!



We strolled the path of Philosophy again as we really enjoyed that last time and then it was on to a meal of Japanese Kyoto style noodles. It was fun to watch the two chefs preparing all the meals....a real performance!














Sanjusangendo, or Rengeo-in Temple, in eastern Kyoto is famous for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The building which houses the statues is the longest wooden building in Japan. Photography is not allowed inside so I found a photo of the statues on the web...















The Kyoto Station building, opened in 1997, is an amazing place....very futuristic and quite a sight....















In one section on the southern side of the station we came across this creative water fountain...how do they do it???



It was another fun, albeit chilly, weekend in Japan!