here

we found this great long uncomfortable slide.its addictive.it hurts but we go back for more.together.

the grass is somewhere else.grass at parks is rare in my neighbourhood.long grass is rare in most neighbourhoods..

.the local stationery shop is having a big cleanout.and i scored big time.this is most but not all of the gocco inks i got for 20 cents or 20 yen a tube.i cleaned them out just like my sister advised.

i drew a henna doily on my hand.same time my sister did? in another country.why does the colour only go dark when the design is bad? and manda the henna oil i got will accompany the inks to oz soon.after i do this..

i have to do so many drawings textile like patterns about rain for a small magazine i like very much.thats where the goccoing may come into use again.i have to start.im nearly finished procrastinating.im nearly at panic stage where i become most creative. maybe my computer will die soon.perfect stop to the procrastination problem.
miranda july and mike mills really good interviews.

squashed

peppercorns

ive been sewing.i love the pins, the placement, the yellows and the lines.the dress is finished now but this photo is the best of it.the homspun patterns ive made always look better in the books.

maybe i should stop this nightly ritual and the dresses would sit a little better around the waist.but really.dolfin made the most amazing chocolate ever.i venture far to stock up.not as far as belgium although im tempted.ofcourse the packaging has something to do with my addiction.these three are my favourite.yummmm

and i started to tear and stick paper for no reason at all.

otomodachi

little hana matilda berry i love you.

lawn

and this little patch of paradise caught my eye today. the fact it was growing in the middle of concrete jungle at its mostest made it even more glorious.i never use the word glorious but now i know it was meant for chamomile and sun.

stuff

been shopping. ghost bag and flower shoes. my wall but not my legs.one day i will make something again.but for now i will just ride my bike .round and round and round.

lost

anthony has gone. we mastered tempura. we hung out. and i smiled and laughed and coughed like i havent in a long time.

why did this happen.i remember the day it happened that hana pulled off one of these little green socks and threw it from her pram.i dont know the moment or else the sock wouldnt have been lost. i was tired of retracing steps and this time it was nearly impossible because i had just gone down a really steep hill.so i gave up and was sad because i really loved those socks.this was probably a year ago.so the other day i was looking in a select shop selling beautiful products from all over japan. the choice was really special.glassware, lacquer ware, textiles etc.a man i knew was working there and perhaps the buyer too.i was talking to him at the counter when i noticed a little green sock sitting there with a small selection of other objects.it was hanas sock.definately.who knows if he could believe it but i know it was.the shop is in the hotel where koichi had his office, claska.it is in the same area where we lost the sock.but the shop is new.someone handed it in at the hotel.something is lost in translation but anyway it was strange and he wanted to give it to me but i insisted he keep it.anyway i dont know where the other one now is.it just occured to me that maybe that is the other one? maybe one is still on the hill.

and do i need to tell you that i am a little mental at the moment?

mummas new wheels

anth posting again, bare with me...........
Miss Melindas indoor Birthday Aquarium

As the Lady voice over on the train continually tells me when we arrive, SHIBUYA SHIBUYA

This is a game i like to call what are they thinking???? Bloody hell Hana, if we have to take Uncle Anthony to another fricken rice cracker shop...Grrrr

I finally found a nice quite spot in a Temple/Garden in Kyoto. Not a sharply dressed, polite japanese person, or bewildered tourist in sight. Have had sensory overload in the past week, not complaining as its been exciting. People who know me, know im a quiet boy most of the time and i love my space, so even though it was only fifteen minutes to myself hidden away in this garden, it was better than a cold beer after 10 days in the desert.

p.s been 2 more small earthquakes occur and excessive amounts of japanese sweets consumed since last post,

32

anthony decorated the roof with all sorts of creatures for my birthday.thats when the smiles started and they lasted all day.

no photos yet of the new bike he also bought me ! sore stomach from the laughter and fingers crossed no pneumonia for hana from the blockie i did with her in her pjs...oh god he bought me a bike! tomorrow please no rain.how much fun.

freeze

sorry but we are keeping him.

OMG!!!!!!!!!! The above pictures really dont represent the day we had, however there isnt enough room in melindas toilet for me and the camera, otherwise i would of happily taken a photo of me shitting myself. Ok maybe i might be slightly overdoing it, but you try sitting in the kitchen while the house your in starts to shake with objects falling from the shelf next to you. Thats right, ive been on this strangly shaped Island (japan) for all of three days and what do i get welcomed with, EARTHQUAKE!!!!!! Now it wasnt long or big enough to have me diving for the kitchen table, and melinda and hanna were busy scrubbing each others backs in the shower to notice untill the final stages, but mr earthquake seriously had the building moving and me questioning my decision not to get travel insurance.
Mel and Han have been taking me exploring the local shops and parks, also lots of eating and eating over last few days, its been fun, however being on holidays you would think that the last place you would end up at is back at school. I found myself at the University of Train Transport Japan today. My Lecturer for today was Professor Melinda. Must say i didnt listen much initially, and i started getting dizzzy staring at all the different coloured train loops, but by the end of the day i was a A student. Managed to travel to a few different towns by myself tonight on train, Shibuya was the biggest, or should i say massivest. My one Night in the Rat Race of Japan will probably tide me over for the rest of my life. Im looking forward to going to Kyoto and exploring potterys、and taking photos of more beautiful cherry blossoms, will never get sick of them. Melindas cold getting better, so hopefully she will have enough enegry soon to regain control of her blog, thats if me let her, hehe. ANTH X
Oh yeah, also went to the Jap Pokies today, what a weird place that is, didnt bother playing but cos couldnt find the panther dollar machine.

Well the bearded beast has arrived. After an extremely painfull - 2 seven hour plane flights, a six dollar shower at singapore and a run in with airport security over contact lens solution, i made it. My poor sistas journery to come meet and wait for me was nearly as long, seven hours. Pilot was doing laps above Tokyo for 45 mins before he would land, said something about wind too strong, wateva, personally i think he wanted to see the end of the in flight movie, The Golden Compass. LAME. Difficult to belive im here, didnt spend much time thinking about coming, so its like i just woke up in another country. Mel and Hanna havnt changed much, especially Melinda, you should of seen her dive for the easter eggs when i opened my suitcase. After one day, few things me noticed about Japan. Locals are very gentle, kind, friendly, lots of them, streets are small and cute, lots of nice shops, OMG the food = heaven, coffe in a can out of a vending machine not bad, taxi drivers are wanna be rally drivers, dont have to wear seat belts, cherry blossoms beatiful, melinda made stock out of a guinea pig, lol kdding, she reckons it was chicken. Have no idea what im going to see or experince over next two weeks, but im sure it will be unreal and if i can get away with only putting on 10kgs　ill be happy. Love you all. Anth

rainyday

our new light.who would have thought poking holes in dry gourds could be so fun and pretty.hana likes to warm her cheeks on it.

easter bunny, visit from brother anthony and cherry blossoms to look forward to.origami and letraset make a good rabbit.

plum

this photo was taken 2 years ago.ive lost the tree :-( or ive lost the park.i went looking yesterday sure that it would be flowering by now.it was the most beautiful plum tree and all i want to do is sit under it or near it.
and.. ive just called the police because someone lit a chair on fire in the park outside my window.damn why didnt i look out the window when i first heard the racket they were making.it was only until the curtains glowed from fire that i took a peek.so i have spent a further hour peeking out at the police, fire, and photo snapping long coat wearing people. scarey mary.

link play

now im practicing posting a link.lets see..
nice new book about kitchens by kunel it has inspired me to keep mine clean and organised.

love cutting tops off strawberries.

flea market find on the weekend.sorry manda i went to two.they were at the local station!i got this temari ball made by the stall owner and these little cups.the cups are silver and hand formed but i cant remember the technique.i know it is from the edo period.anyway they glisten and they are beautiful and hana tried to pour her milk into them this morning.

a picture from noritake out of the new book made for his upcoming exhibition in tokyo with 3 other great illustrators.

manda i bought the book and im going to make this dress too.

wow links take so much fiddling.

people

people textile made for mina.wish i had the energy to make some more pictures with the spontaniety and energy i had when making this.
time to make lists.and plans. and dreams.no more twin peaks (after tonight).no more chocolate (after easter).

sistermanda

a week and a bit went a little too fast for all our likings.how happy i was to live with my sister again.to wake up next to her and for hana to climb into her futon.we shopped like mad women.and i should have sniffed the meditation oil a little harder to realise what else we did with all those minutes.but the warm heaviness is still there in my chest.and when i dance around the house singing i am a vampire at 730 am care of her juno soundtrack i know she is definately still here.

fit

finally the little sock bootie slipper shoe sock things i knitted hana before she was born fit her and she leaves them on.she also has taken a fancy to wearing my shoes outside and in (gasp-remember this is japan..).

covered

yesterday we woke up to heavy snow. the majority of outside being covered in white. inisde we covered strawberries in white bean paste and mochi to make a very traditional japanese sweet, ichigo daifuku.




the bean paste needed to be cooled so we put it on the snow for a while.
the taste and colours were just beautiful.

flee

sunny day in tokyo today.perfect fleamarket weather.hana slept just as we arrived and woke up just as we left.little angel. i was scanning for beads, fabric, books boxes or anything else really.i found some goodies and am really excited to have my sister rummaging with me in a few weeks.

its amazing how much pleasure i get from other peoples junk.my eyes are trained to scan.they know the textures, colours, shapes to look for.

in japan its a little harder because most things at the market are on the ground, table level camberwell market is easier but actually i always did find the best things stuffed in baskets or boxes under the table.sadly the neighbourhood i live in they dont throw anything good away in the weekly rubbish.i dont rummage through it but my eyes always look extra hard on wednesdays which is paper day.i scan for books and i look for sweet's boxes. i have collected them for a while.hard card, matt papered flat colour boxes sometimes with print.i had a great collection when i worked.towered up on my desk.

and when i went to switzerland i scored bigtime at a fleamarket there when i came across heaps of old watch face boxes.ahh i was in a blue mood so only really bought the blue ones.stupid stupid wish i ws in a rainbow mood like i am at the moment. beautful scribbly handwriting on them.

so yeah fleamarket today and then really delicious pudding at tas yard. cant stop thinking about the pudding and the hint of vanilla.how i love the taste of real vanilla.i bought tea yesterday from lupica.a beautiful teashop.never would have known until they started sending me free samples because i did a survey for them.they won me.i love their vanilla black tea and then greentea with yuzu or chestnuts.tomorrow the tea will be pouring because our neighbours are coming over to have a ichigo daifuku making session.strawberries covered in whitebeanpaste and then covered in rice which has been beaten to make a soft dough.i ll show pictures tomorrow anyway.its supposed to snow.
anyway sleep deprivation has me babbling.

boo

one month and one day my sister will be here.gulp.i forgot the feeling of such excitement.i have to learn to see tokyo again.how suprised she will be by this crazy city(ies).so many foods to be eaten, gardens to be sat at , futons to lay on, trains to be squashed in, incense to be smelt, fabrics to be touched, baths to bathe in,markets to rumage at.oh i could go on.i really do need to go on.i need to make lists because there is so much to share.nearly 5 years of these things to share in a week.gulp.

yellowent

long time no typing here.no writing elsewhere really either.i have to change that because my neck is sore form carrying around a head full of words.heavy heavy melinda.
anyway im typing now because my sister is sick of the pony picture.just a few words now for you to look at.the camera is gathering dust.the eyes are seeing many falling leaves, mainly ginko.big bright yellow fan shaped leaves everywhere.today i gathered on my wallk the putrid smelling fruits that fall from them at this time of the year.the nuts inside the fruit which i pryed? out with my fingers tonight are great for roasting. i want to tell you or me something but right now im pooped and the little energy i have has got to make something for someone and i need a little of that energy to work out for who and what.


hana playing for real simple magazine shooting.