Otto's blog

Australia Holiday Report #4

2月

17日

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Besides the animals we saw on my aunt`s farm, and in a zoo that we went to, we saw various other animals in parks or around the house, including possums. Possums are nocturnal, which means they sleep in the day & come out at night. They don`t like to walk on the ground, so they usually get around by using trees, telephone & power lines, and house roofs. If you put some food (e.g. fruit) on your verandah, maybe they will come down & eat it during the night. Sometimes, you can even hand-feed them. However, a lot of people dislike them because they eat garden plants, & they like to live inside house`s roofs, which becomes a smelly, noisy problem....

Do you know the animals in these photos? Have you ever seen them?

Music You Might Like - Daniel Romano

2月

16日

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In my last blog post I told you about visiting my aunt`s farm. After reading that, I guess you`re in the mood for some country music, right? Right? No? Okay, maybe not, but I still think you might like this song by a Canadian guy called Daniel Romano. Sorry - the music video is weird (= strange), but I like the song, & I thought you might too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no3tNgZXIvE

If you like the sound of that, here`s another nice song of his: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpzl1VI4f-A

And another! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PYRExYcp_E

Australia Holiday Report #3

2月

14日

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One thing I really look forward to when I go home to Australia is going for a long drive in the countryside.

As you drive inland, the roads become long and straight, the traffic starts to disappear, & the views get wider. I feel more & more relaxed & happy.

My excuse for driving west this holiday was to visit my aunt`s farm, about 4 hours west of Brisbane. As you can see, she keeps cattle (cows) on it. She used to have sheep too, but not anymore. It`s a really interesting farm, with various old cars, machines, a shearing shed, windmills etc. We also saw some wild animals: kangaroos, a goanna, and a big snake too - Wow!

Thanks for showing us around the farm, auntie. We had a great time!

Australia Holiday Report #2

2月

11日

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If you read my blog regularly, you probably know various things about me, for example that I have lots of hobbies, that my Japanese is not so good, and that I often behave badly at Teragoya parties.

You`ve probably also noticed my interest in old & unusual cars, so it won`t surprise you that I took all these photos in Australia. I saw other interesting cars besides these ones, but usually while I was driving, & it was difficult to take a photo (& my wife`s screaming hurt my ears).

Which one do you like the most? As for me, I guess I like the black one under the red truck, or the Landrover down the bottom, or of course the yellow 71/72 Mustang...or... ah - it`s hard to choose!

* click on the picture to enlarge

Australia Holiday Report #1

2月

7日

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Catching a river ferry is a great way to get to & from the centre of Brisbane, my hometown. It`s fast, comfortable & scenic. It`s not so cheap, but actually everything is a little expensive in Australia nowadays.

We stayed with my parents while we were in Brisbane, and fortunately near their house there is a ferry stop. You can see it in the bottom-right photo. It`s a nice one, isn`t it? But I`m kind of disappointed that it doesn`t have a flag-pole & flag on top - that would really look good I think. Maybe I will write a letter & make a formal request for one to be put up.

Hmm. When I was young I would have thought about stealing such a flag. Now I`d like to donate one.

I must be getting old.

Back to Japan, Back to Blogging

2月

6日

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I`m sorry for not blogging for 2 months. I was on holidays in Australia. I thought I might blog while I was Australia, but I didn`t really have time.

However I`m back in Japan now, so I will resume (= start again) blogging. Of course I have lots of pictures of my Australian holiday to show you, but first I want to thank Yuki, Kahori, Miho, Naoki & Naomichi (he looks like he has long hair in this photo, but it`s just shadow) for having a `Welcome Back` dinner for me on Saturday. We went to a new place in Ichinomiya called Neneya.

Thanks, guys - I really appreciate it!

Cool Cars in Ichinomiya #17

11月

28日

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I love old Landcruisers like this one. In outback (countryside) Australia, you can still see quite a lot of them, especially the tray-back version. That version is popular because it`s useful for carrying farm things such as tools, animal food, and working dogs. And because farmers in outback Australia are good at repairing & maintaining machines, they are able to keep old cars running for many years.

I saw this blue one not far from my house. Cool isn`t it? It`s a little rusty, but I think that actually suits it.

The owner of this car is lucky - just driving to work would feel like an adventure.

Scones Recipe

11月

22日

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Oven cooking is often troublesome & time-consuming, but scones are quick & easy to make, & don`t need many ingredients. They taste good with jam & butter or cream, along with a nice hot cup of tea - yum.

Ingredients:
- 300g (2 cups) Plain flour
- 10g (4 teaspoons) Baking Powder
- 30g Butter
- 180ml (3/4 cup) Milk

Method:
- Mix flour & baking powder
- rub butter into flour with your fingers
- Add milk, mix
- cut or roll into pieces/balls
- cook in oven at 220deg. for 15-20mins.

Good luck!

Kuma Museum of Art

11月

19日

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While doing Shikoku henro, we spent one night in a small town called Kuma. There was a small art gallery there, which we had just enough time to visit. Unfortunately they were holding an exhibition of strange modern photography instead of their usual collection, so I could only see it on their postcards... This is one I bought.

If you visit Kuma, I recommend visiting the Kuma Museum of Art. The curator is very nice, and if you ask (as my father-in-law did while I wasn`t looking), she`ll even book you a room for the night in town! What a kind lady.

Shikoku Henro 2012, Day 4

11月

16日

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We spent the night in a town called Imabari, woke up early the next morning, and headed off to temple number 54. We arrived well before opening time - 8am - but the priest kindly opened early and stamped my father-in-law`s book. Temples 54 - 59 were quite close, and only one was a little up a mountain, so we managed to visit them all before noon. Another reason we could visit them quickly was that, unlike usual, we didn`t get lost along the way. Getting lost is frustrating, but also kind of interesting I think, if you`re not in a hurry to get somewhere.

Anyway, we caught the train about midday & headed back to Ichinomiya. Along the way, the train followed the north coast of Shikoku Island for a while - the view was great. I felt happy & satisfied.

I`m looking forward to returning to Shikoku to complete my `henro`, maybe next year.