A few people have asked how it was 

possible for me to make such a large 

volume of Cornish pasties, particular 

those who know that my oven is the 

about the size of a large rat trap.

Well, it wasn't easy.

So, I feel obliged to share my secrets 

to their production.

First you'll need to prepare about 24kg of malleable dough.

Of course, rolling so much dough could present a challenge. 

However, two ways have proved most effective. 

1) A labour intensive way is to form the dough into tennis size balls 

and flatten with a conventional rolling pin (one at a time). Takes ages.

However, for quick results, I recommend the following:

2) First,  knead into football-size lumps; then it's simply a 

matter of finding a large, clean, flat surface, and someone familiar 

with the operation of a garden lawn roller, and you're all set.

With time on my hands during 
the holidays I decided to make
a few Cornish Pasties.
The one second from the right, 
fourth row, was particularly 
scrumptious.

Antique seat for sale.

A rare example of island craftsmanship. 

In need of careful restoration but, with loving hands and a lot of rope, 

could serve a new owner for quite a while, perhaps even as long as a week.  Historical authenticity provided on request.

Not a mere chair, but a reflection on the tortured soul of it's previous owner

and his daily struggles with a heavy thesaurus.

Now at the bargain price of ¥357 o.n.o. (shipping not incl.).  
Hand crafted floor protectors extra.

Merry Christmas from Yoron















P.S.   My seaweed stuffing is out of this world.

Island Christmas tree. 

A bit ugly during the day,                       

but at night...                                      

Done with two small solar panels. 
Great way to go! 

It comes on automatically as the light fades. 

Stays lit until we're all asleep. 

Powers itself up during the day.

For past Christmas's I could take the top off a fir or pine 

but this year, after all the typhoons, there's not a tree left 

with a top!

BlogsnBooks: Almost Christmas and that time of the year for th...

BlogsnBooks:
Almost Christmas and that time of the year for th...: Almost Christmas and that time of the year for the annual meeting of the executive committee of the Yoron Brits Union and Allied Wor...

Almost Christmas and that time of the year for the annual meeting of

the executive committee of the Yoron Brits Union and Allied Worker.

   This year it was held in the island's notorious nightspot 'The Natural Beef' (oops,

sorry - Reef) and we are pleased to report an attendance of the full membership.

   This year we had the task of deciding whether membership in the coming year should be increased by 33.3 % with the influx to the island of an Oz claiming to be of Brit blood. His application for union membership is in abeyance pending validation of his claim - his accent displayed the characteristic twang of Oz gore.

Further developments on this will be given at the next meeting.

May we take this opportunity to extend seasons greetings to each union member

and to anyone who happens to nosy into this site.

At the half-way stage of this morning's walkies I was watching the sea 
trying to wet my feet on their rock perch, 

when I happened to look up. 

At that precise moment a meteor shot into the sky almost above me.

It was the most breathtaking thing I've seen since, since… well, I'll keep that to myself.

It blazed a path almost to the horizon- at least three glorious seconds. 

I fumbled for the camera but, of course, was too late.  

However I took this shot seconds after it had disappeared, hoping there'd be some smoke left. 

(please note: this is a re-enactment of the event)

The Yoronese show a great reverence toward their ancestors. Homes have lines of ancient photos  decorating the picture rails -  old faces from the past, many of them looking strikingly similar to Geronimo or Sitting Bull, even the females.

    A burial tradition, perhaps unique to this island and certainly to the rest of Japan (where it is illegal), is followed in Yoron.  After bodies are buried,  a small wooden house replica is erected at the graveside. This is a temporary residence for the soul of the departed.  Into this are placed a sampling of that person's daily life. Also his /her bad habits follow them to the hereafter as their favorite brand of cigarette and booze are also placed in and around the little house.

 The house remains in the burial plot for seven years while the nearby grave is covered with boulders (probably while the family saves up to afford one of the fancy granite tombs.) Fresh supplies of rice balls and other goodies are delivered periodically. 

    Now, here's the surprising bit.  At the end of seven years the house and its belongings are ceremoniously burned and the body dug up, or what's left of it.   A party ensues. Yes, a party.

    Family members sit around happily cleaning the bits and pieces of the deceased, at the same time swigging the local brew. (Few gatherings in Yoron are complete without it).  When bones are all spruced up they are returned to the earth and the departed is left to lie in peace and purity for the rest of eternity.

    Sadly, in this summer's historically bad typhoons most of these wooden miniature house were destroyed. Also, a couple of graveyards were inundated by high waves.  Ancestral remains were swept into a great drift at one end of a field.  The graveyard and its family  plots are being restored, but the problem for many people has been  - which bits belong to grandpa?

Bright lights have once more started to appear in the black distances of the sea.  

As bright as planets, they're a good sign - squid boats - and their presence means 

there are no storms in the offing.   

These boat lamps, used to attract the squid are huge, almost as big as American 

footballs. 

(Regrettably, used ones are discarded into the sea, the same fate as meets 

the fishermen's empty PET bottles and cigarette lighters, and wash up ashore.)

Squid is a local delicacy and apart from being fished commercially the wrigglies 

provide a lot of the old timers with useful activity.  Grandpa's and ma's, too old 

for the boats, splash around inside the reef often pushing a float carrying their 

keep net. Practically anything that moves goes into the net but the squid is the 

prized catch.  They are elusive creatures, perfectly camouflaged and able to 

seek refuge in the most inaccessible places.