31st.Oct. "Halloween!"

The children wanted to go 'trick or treating', but as no-one around here knows what Halloween is, I managed to distract them with making a pumkin lantern, biscuit masks, and spider shadow puppets which we then improvised a spoooky (spoofy) show with. Really is the beginning of winter today with proper snow on Mount Iwate, and frost everywhere. (KT)

30th.Oct. "Bonito"

Kata pretending he actually caught the Bonito fish his cousins sent from Kesenuma. Their pot bellied profiles and his look similar enough that he is now seriously considering that diet. (KT)

29th.Oct. "Ukishima Primary School Open Day"

Exhibition of the children`s art work, caligraphy, national award winning newspaper, etc.; musical performances, & high jinks performed by the children, traditional local dance performed by the PTA, followed by a picnic lunch, and a film show; but Sean thought the highlight of the whole day was his sculpture exhibited alongside 3 of mine in the 'grown up' PTA fair, (we got some really good locally produced vegetables in the fair). (KT)

26th.Oct. "Ann From Canada"

My Canadian cousin Ann Currie came to stay. We had never met before, and made up for lost time...we never stopped talking during the 28 hours she was here, even during the deamon games of Snap with the children. Sean and Emily were really disappointed that Ann had gone by the time they got back from school, but we are all very much looking forward to seeing her again soon in Japan or Canada. Ann`s son Peter is learning Japanese at school in Canada so Emily is intending to write to him in Japanese with English translations attached - might encourage her to read and write in English more. Both Sean and Emily were very excited to discover that they have Canadian as well as British and Japanese cousins. (KT)

25th.Oct. "....really finished!!"

Look! fiiiiiiniiiished!! (HK) Four years behind schedule we now have a very posh shed for the water filter system. Then before the green wood stain was dry (or I had a chance to photograph his handiwork, Kata goes and puts the grotty old tin storage cupboard next to it! (KT)

24th.Oct.

The autumn colours were so beautiful up at the lava stream when Kata took Allan up there yesterday that he decided to take Emily, Cinnamon and I up there today. Followed by a walk in the forest.

24th.Oct. "Kata's Birthday!"

A lovely shirt from Ann chan, a posh leather belt from Graham and Sheena, a bottle of bubbly wine and a home made chocolate cake from me, and a big hug from Sean and Emily. What more could a man ask for!? (KT)

23rd.Oct.

Sean went apple picking with the kindergarten today. Only 4 apples arrived home with him, but they were delicious.

23rd.Oct.

Allan Johnson came to stay. Seemed pretty impressed with the north of Japan, particularly the lava stream at the foot of Mount Iwate. (KT)

21st.Oct. "Domino Effects"

Emily and Sean spent hours setting up obstacle courses for falling dominos.

16th.Oct."Completed! .....almost"

Almost finished!! (HK)

14th,15th.Oct."Ehon (picture book) Workshop at Yorozu Museum"

Kate and I held a two day, weekend workshop on making EHON (picture books) at Yorozu Museum in Towa town. 6 Families participated and I saw most of the parents enjoying making it more than their children! Anyway, they made fantastic picture book houses in the end! Cardboard City!! (HK) After meeting Phillip King in Tokyo last night, and discussing new international culture policy at the Iwate Prefecture Office yesterday morning, it was good to get down to some serious art work!? Actually quite a few of the "books" were very sculptural until they were painted, when the form disappeared in the dazzle, but it was all good fun. (KT)

14th,15th.Oct."Ehon(picture book) Workshop at Yorozu Museum"

Slope outside where the workshop was taking place, Sean had great fun playing Easyrider, (HK) Neither Emily or Sean spent very long taking part in the workshop, they probably get enough of that sort of thing at home, but the asphalted slope in the playground outside....real novelty and excitement. (KT)

13th.Oct."First Snow "

"Here comes the snow again..." (HK)

9th.Oct."Imonikai-Japanese Potato Cooking Party" at Gandoko Lake

The rain stopped almost as soon as we got to the lake, where no other tourists had braved the weather so we had this beautiful place all to ourselves. "fire burn..." 2 architects and an artist trying to fan the fire - with their hats! Kudo, Kazue, Kumagai, Mori, Ropongi, Nakai, and me enjoying a beer before Mori san and I dashed off to pull his two and our two out of the lake...

...too late, they had all managed to go in just over their boots. Mori san and Atsushi kun watching Miku chan, Emily, and Sean, Kazue and I playing tag. Sean suggesting pond weed to add to the potato stew. "...and cauldron bubble" Kazue barbecuing the sardines,

8th.Oct."Japonesk"

This is NOT an art installation done by some famous British nature artist! This is very traditional Japanese style. After the rice harvest, all the stokes are left to dry in the paddy fields. Looks good! (HK)

7th.Oct."Building water filter tank shed"

At last, started working on building a shed for our water cleaning system tank, set 4 years ago. It was left outside in the rain and snow for a while. Emily and Sean offered their help to plain the posts. (HK) Meanwhile we do still manage to make sculpture too. (KT)

6th.Oct."Yoko"

Yoko came to stay with us. He is my (HK) teacher (also, he co-ordinated the Hirosaki project I worked on, which won a major landscape prize from the Building Ministry of Japan a few days ago!!). Emily and Sean enjoyed having an open fire by themselves, and Yoko bought tons of Korean barbecue meat for us, so we had a huge feast! I am going to start my diet from tommorow again! (HK)

6th.Oct."More trees"

We planted 200 trees last autumn. Some of them did not survive the Ukishima Winter and dry summer! The Landscape Gardener was very upset because he never had the trees which he planted die for years (he is not bad)! Anyway today he brought 30 more trees for our garden to be replace the ones which gave up.(HK)

5th.Oct."Kate's Birthday"

Kate 's back home. Now, Emily and Sean complained that we had not given a birthday party for her yet (it was her birthday on 3rd Oct. while she was in Tokyo)! So, she spent whole day baking chocolate cake (she does these days this kind of stuff fairly good!). At last the children got to help blow out the candles, and ofcourse eat the cake! Can you see how many candles on the cake?! (HK) It doesn`t take a whole day to bake a cake, but I`m glad he thinks I went to such pains, especially as I had a wonderful impromptu birthday party with Gary, Caroline, Gael, John and other friends at the new "Town Cryer" British pub designed by my friend Gary Hier in the new Sankei building in Otemachi, Tokyo, which had just opened the day before. (KT)

2nd.Oct."Henry Dyer"

Great Scots every where in Japan! But almost one hundred years ago!! Henry Dyer was the Scot who was commissioned by the new Meiji government to establish Japanese engineering education in Japan. Kate made his statue in 1998 (as part of UK98) which is now in the Director's room in the Engineering School of Tokyo University, (its` twin is in Strathclyde University). Prof. Kondo very kindly spent almost half a day to show Kate around campus. That's why Kate is in such a good mood!! (HK) A fascinating afternoon studying the architecture and history of Tokyo University, thank you very much Professor Kondo (KT)

1st.Oct."Gary, Eldon and Charlotte"

I stayed 2 nights with Gary, Eldon, and Charlotte in Narita. Really good to see tham again. Saturday evening in the "Barge Inn" the wonderful pub they designed for Virgin in Narita City. Sunday being thouroughly spoiled, then Gary drove me in to Tokyo on Monday morning to see his latest design - the "Town Cryer" British pub in the new Sankei building in Otemachi which was opening later that day. ("What's the Dickens" in Ebisu was also designed by Gary and Charlotte). Well worth a visit Then on to my appointments in Tokyo, and later to the exhibition opening at the American Club Genkan Gallery - where I am having an exhibition in June next year- and a lovely evening with Susan & Anthony, and their friends. (KT)

1st.Oct."Beast Wars"

Emily had bought a picturebook "Beast Wars" for Sean's birthday. But unfortunately, after this genorosity with her own pocket money, the book was a bit damaged. So we sent it back to the publisher, expecting they might send us a COUPLE of books!! I did this with chocolate when I was ten! (A few days later, the book was replaced by a new ONE with a note of the publishers` sincere apologies. Well, well, that's O.K., I suppose!) (HK)