Oops!

Here's what happened when my glasses fell into a 

bucket of roof paint. 

Luckily,  my head was disconnected at the time.

Plant puzzle

These four palms used to be identical - tall and gangly with a spikey tops.

Because they were fated to be destroyed by a typhoon 

I pruned them to half size.  

A big surprise and a bigger puzzle appeared 

when they grew back with totally different foliage - 

two spiky, two broadleaf. 

Ain't nature wonderful?

Ebb Tide

There is something so pristine about a beach 

 refreshed by the ebb tide. 

Rocks still glitter  and the sand, 

caressed by retreating wavelets.

lies smooth as skin, 

Tea Break

A low tide, whitecaps and a bright morning sun bring out the best of the sea.

Intimate moments

Duke dates his girlfriend, Koma

Nothing changes.

Duke's cunning and hunting instincts reveal themselves 
as he waits to spring a trap on his friend Hokto, 

who studiously ignored him.

Serpent in the Sky

The myriad moods of the sky -

awesome, amazing and sometimes amusing

This appears to be one if its more playful moods

"Who Dat Down Dere?"

Crab hunting season is in full swing 

and Duke is really getting down to it.

Invasion

This morning's beach was covered in 

what are scientifically known as 'blobs'.

Originally green, they turned dry and brown overnight. 

It was like walking on a carpet of sponges.

Shame they're not edible, or perhaps they are.

Deep fried, perhaps. 

If anyone's interested in trying 

they're available at ¥500 per 5 doz.(shipping extra)

Heady stuff!

Island life does provide one or two idle moments,  

which I often fill with swotting up on our origins and history.

As we all know, mysteries abound and none more fascinating than

those surrounding the Sphinx and the controversies 

as to its actual age,purpose and original character. 

This site gave an interesting insight into the latter question.

http://www.freemaninstitute.com/sphinx.htm

The author viewed the Sphinx in the 18th Century when it's face was intact. 
He states that the features were Negroid.
Equally enigmatic are the huge stone sculptures of heads 
attributed to the Omtecs of Mexico, a race that 
disappeared thousands of years ago. 

Again their age, purpose and character puzzles historians.

Putting the two together I came up with 
an interesting picture (top) which may, 
or may not, invite further conjecture.
The rectangular section on the Sphinx is taken from this Olmec statue.

Over 70 penalty!

Everyone with a driving licence who goes over 70 is penalised in Japan.

And that’s not 70kph.  

When I had my 70th birthday I was ordered to pay 

¥5,800 and sit through a 3-hour lecture - a similar penalty  to that meted 

out to those who have committed a minor traffic offence.

The lecturer, (remember that members of the audience, like myself,

have generally survived over 50 years of road usage), spends thirty minutes 

explaining the various dangers of not being careful at road junctions. 

He then goes on to reveal that mirrors can be useful for seeing what’s 

 behind the vehicle, and follows this gem of wisdom by delivering

a detailed explanation of the significance and usefulness of turn signals. 

All this information is verified in leaflets handed out prior to the

lecture with illustrations drawn, it appears, by or for a kindergarten class.

A short break is followed by his making everyone aware of their deficiencies

as senior citizens. Our bad eyesight is pointed out; our slower reactions, and 

all the inherent dangers we present to the public.

To further demonstrate what useless old gits we are a hi-tech machine

 is trundled out and we are invited to glare at bulls-eyes, twiddle knobs 

and generally prove how incapable we have become. 

None of this effects our qualifications for a licence, however,  

and after the paperwork we are invited to dig out another ¥2,400 

for our new licences plus ¥1000 for a postage stamp size photo 

and, oh, before we go a leaflet is thrust at us 

asking if we’d like to donate X amount of ¥ 

to the current road safety campaign for seniors. 

No thanks, I gave at the office.

Salty Dog

  

                                       photo courtesy of wifie

As a pup Duke had a few splashes in the sea, 

mostly accidental, 

but has since shied away from the water.

Then this week, suddenly, Plop! 

He's in there looking like he's found dreamland. 

We suspect he's keeping one foot on the bottom 

but his style is definitely a classic doggie paddle.  

Great balls of...!

    Sun 6.00am                                         April 15th 2014                                               Moon 6. 00pm

   April 15th, a day that was bracketed 

by two wondrous sights 

as our planetary neighbours

rose from the sea, 

one before breakfast, 

the other at cocktail hour.

Dog Dilemma

Soon after I posted my 'Farmer's friend' blog (March 22nd)

the pup went missing.

A few days later the farmer was told it had been found 

and was in the Yoron town office's dog 'shelter'. 

(prison is a more appropriate term.)

The farmer went to collect his pup 

and told us he was asked for over US$100 for its release.

The farmer, a poor man, went home empty handed.

We called the Yoron town office to ask about this 

and were told a new owner had been found for the pup.

Today, a week later the pup is still imprisoned, 

along with six other unfortunate dogs.

One of the downsides of Yoron life, especially for dogs.

Ugh!

This is Duke's pal Hokto and, 

if we get out early enough,

 we meet on the beach during morning walkies. 

Hokto looks like a creature created by Dr Seuss 

but is the friendliest little thing. 

He is much in love with Duke 

who shows doubts about Hokto's masculinity.

Peekaboo!

Is this man,

a) practicing his goose-step?  

or b) disciplining his wife? 

or c) ejecting a trespasser?  

No, none of these.  He is...

Cleaning the beach

This mega-garbage -  an empty oil drum of Korean origin -

will be recycled as a compost unit or garden incinerator.

With such debris floating around the oceans it's no wonder

bits of MH370 were not quickly recognised.  

Lloyds estimates that there are now some 2000 

half-sunk shipping containers littering the seas.  

The world has got to get it's act together.

Spring has sprung a surprise!

Just a few weeks ago our only surviving

 fan palm looked like it had given up. 

Badly beaten after last year's typhoons 

it's fronds were brown and drooping. 

And then...

...its upper fronds suddenly revived 

and it burst into a spray of 

breathtaking blossoms.

As I've said before, aint nature wonderful?