Kids toys can be pretty expensive. For Christmas, my son wanted a `Kamen Rider` belt, but it costs 10,000 yen - too much! However you don`t need to spend a lot of money on toys - all you need is some wood, paint, basic tools, a good idea, & some time. I had all these things recently, so I made this small wooden puzzle.
Did you make a present for anyone for Christmas?
Grammar:
- You need to... = ...しないといけません
- You don`t need to... = ...しなくてもいい
- You need... = ...ひつよう
- You don`t need... = ...いらないい
- All you need is... (love) = ...(愛)...だけあればいい
Christmas is coming soon, so I made this wreath with my sons. I also asked them to write letters to Santa, so I know what they want – I don`t want to buy the wrong things.
I quite (結構) like Christmas shopping, but wrapping presents is a hassle (hassle = troublesome/めんどくさい). How about you?
Pronunciation
- In “wr-” words, don`t pronounce the “w”, so wreath = リース write = ライト wrap = ラップ etc
I`ve got a lot of old wood at home. I got a lot of it from the beach. This week I used some of it to make a set of small wooden boxes. I got the design for the numbers from the internet.
What will I put in them? Maybe coins; I`ve got a lot of low-value coins that I can`t be bothered (can`t be bothered = 面倒臭い) using in shops.
Grammar:
- I got... = ...を 在りついた
- I`ve got... = ...が あります
- Be careful: In spoken English, they often sound the same
My kids are so clever & skillful. They are good at (とくい) lots of things e.g. making a mess, getting dirty, & breaking things. They broke this thing, so I fixed it with a pair of small screws.
What is it? Can you guess?
I`ll put the answer in comments in a week.
Vocabulary:
`Broke` usually means こわれた (過去形動詞) but it can also mean 金のない (形容詞), so: "Can you lend me some money?" "Sorry, my kids broke all their toys, so I had to buy new ones. Now I`m broke"
This is another toy car I saw at Osu Kannon markets. I didn`t buy it - I just took a photo.
I really wonder what `Let`s to horse!` means. Maybe:
- Let`s ride a horse!
- Let`s ride two horses!
- Let`s horse around! (horse around = be silly)
- Let`s go to a place that has horses!
- Horses to let! (to let = rental)
Hmm. It`s a bad English mystery.
On the 18th & 28th of every month, there is an outdoor market in front of Osu Kannon Temple in Nagoya. By chance, last Sunday (my day off) was the 18th, so I went there with my son to take a look.
Most of the stuff on sale is old or antique. It`s interesting - some things look like junk, but they`re valuable. Other items may look valuable, but actually they`re junk. Then there are things like this toy car that I bought - it looks like junk, and... well, it IS junk! But I don`t mind. When I saw it, it really caught my eye, and Owen liked the opening doors ("Look - now it`s an aeroplane!").
And one day, when I`ve forgotten where I bought all my kids` toys, I think I`ll still remember where I bought this car.
Like most people, I`ve been pretty busy for the last couple of weeks, so I`m sorry for the lack [fusoku] of posts.
I managed to find time to make some more Christmas tree ornaments though.
They are just painted pieces of wood, with a bent nail [mageta kugi] in the top.
Do you have a Christmas tree? Have you set it up yet?
I made this snowman ornament from wood, wire, screws & beads. If I have time I`d like to make some more.
Actually, our tree doesn`t really need any more ornaments, but they`re fun to make.
Making my refrigerator halloween costume was a lot of fun, & inspired me to make something else.
This time, though, I wanted to make something which:
- is useful
- is long-lasting
- doesn`t make little children cry
- doesn`t make my wife roll her eyes
- involves cutting lots of wood with a big saw while not wearing a shirt
By chance I found an old metal children`s chair frame, so I decided to repair it using recycled wood.
It only took a few hours, & looks pretty good I think.
What do you think?
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]
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birdy 
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