Month: December 2024

Hmmm… How to do a sensible post without ten billion Kitty Pics…
I’ll try.
Jinx and Dot are growing fast. They’ve been with us two weeks now and are definitely getting so much more settled.
We’ve progressed to some lap snoozes

Mind you, so far we have picked them up and deposited them on our laps but they’ve been happy to settle in.

Which means… nothing getting done and dinner being pretty late. Didn’t want to get up and disturb them!

This was my lap today!!

Winding back to arriving home.
Unpacking treasures.

I got this very cool stamp plate in Nara. I am looking forward to having a bit of a play with it!
We still have a couple of boxes on their way to us… which will be a lot of fun to unpack when we get them. I am sure we will have forgotten half the things we put in there!

Soap! I’ve finally got enough little Buddhas and Dragon Eyes to have a decent display.
So I dusted them in mica and Jeff painted the dragon eyes.

Luckily I did have a number of boxes made… or partly made. So I finished that off and boxed them up.

I did myself a favour and went through the soap room to box up and label everything correctly.
I had booked in for a number of markets before Christmas.

I am sharing my cruise market stall with Maureen this season. Its much better.
We are called ‘The Soapy Sew n Sews’
Set up and pack up are much quicker and on a good cruise day, sales are the same.

I’ve sold a few of my boxed special ones and I’ve also sold a few of my nieces art cards too!

Talented young lady!

Anyway, the first cruise market was fabulous. All hustle and bustle with lots of people coming in to town and buying stuff.
The next two were pretty quiet.
This season will be a lot different to last. Only half the number of ships coming in (various reasons) and many of those ships are small capacity luxury cruises… meaning that the people on board buy tours though the cruise line that take them straight from the ship and out… lots don’t come into town.

Anyway, tomorrow is another small luxury ship but its also Christmas Eve so perhaps locals will be out to do some last minute shopping.
Yesterday we went to Sisters Beach to the Volunteer Fire Brigades Car Boot fund raiser. It was a great day… excellent community atmosphere. Good sales for us both.
We’ve had a market every second day since Wednesday. The good thing about that is not unpacking the car!!

Gratuitous Cat Photo

So, garden!
I’ve actually been doing garden stuff too. Just a bit here and there
Below… cut off the garlic scapes.

I noted the garlic had died back the other day so instead of weeding a different plot, I did some harvesting

Pretty good haul. The weather has been so warm here. I’d normally not be harvesting until the end of December or so… but everything is a bit earlier.

If I get around to it/remember/get motivated/have time, I plan to learn to plait them…

The hothouse wasn’t too bad, but did a decent tidy up, tied up tomatoes, planted some more seeds etc.

Not sure why the Japanese Giant Mustard wanted to grow there.. but who am I to argue? Its yummy and peppery!

And look what I spotted the other day! Actual tomatoes!

Bit excited about that!

Interrupting the garden pictures to admire Dots ginger pants haha

And Jinx’s spotted tummy.

Time to start bandicooting the early potatoes! Looking forward to some new spuds steamed with butter!

I’ve tidied the strawberries

And the nursery where I put the cuttings and small plants.

Quite a lot survived! I need to move them all then I’ll use the space for lettuce or something.

I’ve started on the path…

I still have to get back to the other side…

And we’ve done some netting

The blueberry bushes are laden… so time to protect.

Wont get much off the raspberries this season… didn’t help that the possums were climbing their fat butts up there and busting some bits off.

Once the season is done I will cut them all off at ground level and let them start fresh.

Love this flower (a type of pig face)

Its fabulous how it changes flower colour!

Its really putting on a show this season!

The nasturtium has gone wild… but the bees are enjoying it

Bee Butt.

And of course we are enjoying seeing our chooks again. Not to mention lots of fresh eggs.

back to cats.
They both love string.
Feathers are a bit hit too… not to mention crumpled paper!

I made them a blanket fort and its hours of fun!! Not least entertaining for us to watch! They dive in and out of it like maniacs

Jinx, me and my amazing hair style…

Then I grabbed Dot for a selfie! haha.. I love the clueless kitten look!

They are testing out new sleeping places.

Today on Jeffs lap after I moved them from mine!

Jinx was dreaming… lots of squeaks.

OK… thats enough Kitten Spam for one post!
I have to get up stupid early for tomorrows market, so I better not linger longer!
If I dont get back here before… I hope everyone celebrating Christmas has a wonderful time!
Enjoy the holiday break and stay safe!
xx

(Yes, Jinx is the poser!!)

Hello!
Rounding off our first day in Kochi, we ventured on up to the castle!

Kochi Castle is one of only 12 remaining castles left in Japan. Most others over time have fallen to wars and fire.
It was first constructed between 1601 and 1611 – then rebuilt after a fire in 1748.

Lots of steps and a slightly confusing layout of more steps – I guess never make it easy to storm a castle!

Another neat stair trick…quite often they are of slightly differing heights – so you always have to keep and eye on your feet. Again… making it difficult to attack when you are in danger of tripping up steps!

Its quite the impressive walk up with the castle looming overhead

The castle used to be the seat of the Yamauchi lords, who ruled over the surrounding region, then known as Tosa, during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The castle buildings have since been designated “important cultural properties” and house local treasures and historical objects. (taken from Japan.com)

It was used as a residence as well as military post… which is unusual as the lords would normally live in palace grounds and not the castle keep.

It looks a lot smaller when you get to the ground level of the actual buildings. Clever situating it where it is. When you get inside and to the top, you are viewing 360 degrees of Kochi City!

Inside you get to walk around a route, view artifacts and learn some history.

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I really love Japanese buildings, sliding doors and tatami floors.

And wooden details

The slits in the walls are for archers. Easier to shoot out than in!

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Again, happily, we were not wall to wall with visitors so it was easy to slowly walk around, read information and enjoy the feel of this very old place.

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I like these models that we saw in quite a few places. It was easier to get an overall feel for the layout of the place.

And… the insanely narrow and steep stairways up to the top…

More like ladders. And not something you want to scamper up and down

Peeking out windows!

Getting great views of the stairway up!

So great looking over the area

Pretty wonderful views from the top!
You could go around the whole balcony at the top!

I really liked the textures and patterns looking down on the rooftops

Maybe not for those a bit nervous of heights?

Kochi City

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Time to go down… gulp.

Later that evening Rachel and I strolled back up to the castle to see it at night!
I only had my tablet, so the night shots were totally dodgy but it was fun to see!
xx

Hi.. Back to Japan we go. Still in Shikoku Prefecture, Kochi City.
Right next to the shrine from the last Japan post, is the Makino Botanical Gardens.

I seem to have failed to get some outside pictures of the amazing cafe and the full pic of the massive greenhouse.
Still… I will bombard you with photos of plants that were inside.
There was this cool tower entrance to the greenhouse too!

The garden is named in honor of the botanist, Dr Tomitaro Makino. (Known as the father of Japanese Botany)
It has over 3000 plant species – both indoor and out and features varieties discovered by Dr Makino.

The garden is about 8 hectares in size… we didn’t see even close to part of it.
We didn’t have time but we spent most of it in the greenhouse.

Through the spectacular entrance..

Then, so much colour and variety!
I’ll just pop in photos for you to enjoy without too much blather from me

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These are quite spectacular aren’t they?

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I am positive an incredible amount of work goes in to the maintenance of this place!

I especially loved the plants with the patterned leaves.

Not to mention the towering stands of bamboo

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I suppose I should show something for scale…

There is something… haha

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Lots of fun things hidden around

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These are pretty cool. No idea what they are… but I like them!

More cool leafy things

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Someone pointed out this hanging flower. I am still not sure what it is, but it must have been rare to see since they were keen to bring it to my attention!

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There was a neat feature that you could stand under and see the structure of the giant water lilies!

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Photo from up a level… you might have a small sense of the size of the place

It really was a wonderful place to wander through and admire.

Statue of Dr Makino

We didn’t spend a lot of time in the outside area. At the end of the season things were a little unkempt and we didn’t know what we were looking at most of the time, so we just enjoyed a bit of a stroll before heading back to catch a bus

We enjoyed the change of pace.
The coffee shop was nice for a rest and a drink.

They also had a lovely souvenir shop to wander through as well.
This was definitely worth an hour or two of our time!

xx

Well… We took a little drive up to Longford on Sunday and adopted these little ragamuffins!
Meet Jinx (Fluffier kitty) and Dot (Because she is just a little dot)

They were in foster care – their mum was a stray and I am unsure if they were born into foster care or all brought in as strays.
They weren’t thriving in their foster home… vary wary of people and they were not happy with the children. All a bit much for tiny kitties.
So the shelter took them back early and instead of refostering for a short time, offered them up for adoption.

They were hoping to get them adopted as a pair.
Jeff and I had talked about getting two anyway, so this seemed like a good idea. (I’ll let you know how good that idea was in a couple of months and if we have any curtains left!)

They are both girls.
Jinx is a bit more boisterous, but little Dot is the braver of the two when it comes to exploration.

They are slowly getting more confident with us. Its hard taking things slow as we are dying for cuddles.

Jinx is a motor when it comes to purring. We pick them up now at the end of their naps so we can have a cuddle and she doesn’t waste any time getting that purr happening

Dot takes a little more convincing but she will be happy to stay longer for the cuddle.

She’s so tiny!
They are so funny to watch and massive time wasters. We are getting… not a lot done around here!

We started them off in the lounge room on their first afternoon as it was so windy – the noise out in the laundry and slate room of debris hitting the roof was a bit loud for them. They did have a wonderful time running about once they got brave. It was trickier to catch them again though! A lot of baby-hissing was involved!

After that we confined them to the laundry. Nice small room. We sat in with them a lot. They’ve adopted a shelf inside the cupboard as their sleeping spot… despite providing other options.

They will outgrow this space but for now… its nice and cosy and safe. (I added a blanket)

We have tried to child proof the slate room and they now love running about in there. We’ve rolled the carpet so they have a ramp and something to scratch on.
They just get into everything!

This is Jinx eating my ankle! Ow… sharp little claws!

Jeff getting a sneaky pat without Dot running off…

Admittedly there have been a lot of tears.
There is still a massive Pip sized hole in our hearts. (Its ok… I have therapy!)
But it was time to open our home and hearts to a couple of little cats who needed it.
They make us laugh and there are lots of ‘Nawwww’ moments.

I love Dots tiny face and ginger markings!

And Jinx… she just looks like she is up to mischief!

The last two photos were with my Nikon… perhaps I’ll be getting that out more often now.
Soon we have to get into gear and child proof the rest of the living space so we can introduce them to the main living space… without too many disasters!

I am sure there will be a million more photos coming.
(And I promise I will get back to the Japan adventures!!)
xxx

Hello!
Well, we’ve made it home. I’ve slept a fair bit and we’ve rested mostly.
And unpacked!
So no excuses now to get on and share the rest of the stories. (And yes, its lovely and almost surreal to be back home after our six week adventure!)

So here we are in Kochi, Shikoku.
Shikoku has a famous pilgrimage where you can walk, cycle, drive, or however you decide around the entire island to visit 88 temples. Its a 1,400km journey and Chikurin Ji is the 31st stop – if you are doing it in order.

This temple was thought to have been established in 724.
Originally I wanted to spend our time in Shikoku by doing part of the pilgrimage but in the end it was just a bit hard to organise – but the thought is there for a dedicated trip in the (far) future.

Again, we enjoyed the peacefulness of being in a place that a billion tourists have yet to discover.

Still no Autumn leaves

We love these bells! Someone rang it while we were there. It rumbles in your soul.

As usual there are a couple of awesome guardians in the entry gate

You can actually do a tour to have a small taste the pilgrim walk … you get dressed in the appropriate clothing and get taken about by a monk and can learn about the ways of the Buddhists and the temples. We saw a group arrive when we were there, presumably on this tour… not the lone man doing the actual pilgrimage in the first photo.
It was all in Japanese, so not for us, but it would have been a fascinating day.

The walk up to the temple was really lovely

Lots of side paths and shrines

And walls…

Boggles my mind to know so much of this has been here for over a thousand years!

And up we go to the main area…lovely steps!

The main figure enshrined there is Monju Bosatsu. (The bodhisattva of wisdom)
This means that a lot of students make their way up here at exam time!

A smaller temple faces the main one

And a pagoda towers over from above

The 31.2-meter-tall pagoda dates from the early Kamakura period (1185-1333). It was rebuilt in 1980. It is made of Japanese cypress, and is the only five-storied pagoda in the prefecture. (Copied from the Tourism Shikoku Web Page)

As with all areas like this, there is a lot of things to see if you can take the time. Seems something different was around each corner.

You see a lot of these around shrines and temples. They are called ‘Ema’
You buy one, write a wish on the back and hang them up and hope the Gods take notice.

Sweet paths wound around ponds and trees

I am no stranger to seeing these kinds of statues with their bibs.
But… I was puzzled by the almost cartoonish cat.

It did make sense when I got around to reading an information board!

That might be hard to read so I’ll type it out:
“Long ago, a cat lover family in Kochi City, Kitamura, raised a cat that had the family name ‘Kita’ appearing on its stomach. Ever since, the Kitamura family has been blessed with prosperity. This fortune cat (the statue) is dedicated to the faithfulness of the Kitamura cat that brought the family good luck”

We all had a really nice time wandering around the temple site

Listening to the chanting monks and enjoying the surrounds

I hope everyone is well!
xx