Anzac Day, 2017

For the last 4 years, I have attended the dawn service, and every year I am surprised by the number of people who are there, including young children. I don't have anything pithy or deep to say. I think four words sum it up: We will remember them.

3,000 crosses and poppies to represent lost Cantabrians of WWII

Testing, Testing

So...it's been a while. And I'm not in Japan anymore. It seems a shame to give up on the blog though and it's only been *ahem* 6 years since I posted anything.
Well, I'm back.

Obligatory cherry blossom photos

I feel the title pretty much sums this post up.

Bucket list update

So I found some police watching a busy stretch of road,crossed right in front of them and waved.I think it was the wave that convinced them not to even bother asking me to use the zebra cossing 50m down the road.
mission = success

school art stuff

This is why I will miss teaching - I get to draw (badly) and still get compliments

just a quick update

After staying inside for most of Sunday cleaning and mucking around, I figured it would be nice to get out and go for a wander around the area. There are a heap of roads that I have always wondered where they lead, so I decided to head down one and find out.

I found:

• ·      an old wooden bridge that was mostly rotted through but set on railroad tracks, so still crossable,
• ·      an abandoned orchard,
• ·      an old cemetery, and
• ·      an old shed.

And that was before I found this:

At the top of the hill just as I was about to turn and head back into town, I noticed a tiny old trail that turned sharply and led into the forest. I had to see where it led, so I wandered down and found the road in the picture above. Thinking about it now, it probably wasn’t the smartest move, considering the area is rife with monkeys, wild boars and bears, but everything seemed quiet and the most wildlife I saw were some birds, a lizard and tonnes of mosquitoes.

Anyway, at the end of the road (which led straight into the forest and up a bloody mountain) was a dam and this:

I couldn’t find any markings or anything, it was just a random rock standing on end. Pretty cool, huh? After that, I headed back home – what was meant to be a 10 minute leg stretching turned into a 90 minute hike. Well worth it, though J

The Bucket List

In the next three months I have to:

1. Do pre-work karaoke with at least 2 other ALTs
2. Have a girls weekend in Fukuoka – shopping and clubbing.
3. Talk the Hagi ALTs into a water gun / balloon fight at Shizuki Park
4. HAVE the water gun fight at Shizuki Park.
5. Go to Tokyo Disney Sea.
6. See The Naked and Famous live.
7. Completely fill my purikura (miniphotos) book.
8. Finish the management course I am taking.
9. Swim across the Hagi bay.
10. Beat every one of my students at ‘rock, paper, scissors’
11. Volunteer for something. Anything.
12. Jaywalk in front of a police officer
13. Sneak a McDonalds McMuffin into the office.
14. Eat only potatoes for every meal for 3 days.
15. Teach my students some New Zealand slang – nah, bro, etc
16. Eat raw chicken
17. Eat whale.
18. Eat more sushi.
19. Cook a fully Japanese meal all by myself.
20. Introduce friends to Flight of the Conchords.
21. Roast a chicken.
22. ROAD TRIP!
23. Have a conversation with a complete stranger entirely in Japanese without them thinking I am American.
24. Find and photograph a monkey.
25. Go bowling.
26. Go one week without falling over / crashing my bike / bumping into someone or something / destroying my knee (this one is going to be difficult)
27. Go out drinking and return home at a reasonable hour and without a hangover in the morning.
28. Go one day without speaking any English.
29. Go one day without speaking any Japanese.
30. Walk to the top of the local volcano.
31. Eat at 5 restaurants I have never been to within Hagi.
32. Go to an onsen (hot spring) one last time.
33. Get a henna tattoo.
34. Watch a sunrise when I am sober.
35. Watch a sunrise when I am not sober.
36. Convince friends to visit New Zealand within the next 5 years.
37. Remember to photograph and record the above for posterity.

Can anyone think of any others?