Ukishima Diary
2001
page 11
March. 2001
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We managed to persuade Caroline, Gael and Tom to come with us to Disneyalnd.
Queuing for hours for everything (especially after waiting for over an hour for the "Haunted House" which both Emily & Sean insisted they wanted to see - 2 minutes into the actual tour Sean took fright and I had to urgently find a member of the "ghost" staff to help me find a way out. But we both enjoyed watching Dumbo flying around while waiting for Emily and Sean to come out exhilirated by a great ride). We then discovered that during the evening parade the bouncy house which had hour long queues earlier was completely empty - Emily and Sean got to know the man in charge really well after about 7 trips through. 2 very happy children hitched yet another taxi ride on their parents backs to the station & 'home' to Aunty Yukiko`s flat. |
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| We took a boat ride to Asakusa where my two little darlings were more interested with the pidgeons than the temple singing the song "Feed the Birds" from the film Mary Poppins. We met up with Caroline and Tom at the Edo Museum which was a great hit with the children with all the models and 'hands/feet on' displays. I am not sure if Caroline will forgive us for introducing to Tom the sins of `Melon sodas` (which has been the pleeeded for order at every pit stop made in Tokyo). Caroline then drove us back to their flat the tourist route, including a very impressive view of the Imperial guest house - very grand (Buckingham Palace eat your heart out) but I still prefer our favourite Tokyo residence chez Maisonneuve! After settling the children down with the babysitter, Carloline and Kata made a delicious meal while all the time threatening to sack me - the appointed barmaid! Then on to a party at the ever amazing Delux office where we saw many old friends and met some very interesting new friends. |
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| Then the British Embassy as Emily said she wanted to see Mummy`s sculpture! Both lunch and supper in restaurants, and all the things that childrens` dreams are made off to eat! Then on to see the film 102 Dalmations before heading back to our ever wonderful friends Caroline, Gael, and Tom`s flat to crash out. |
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| Also managed to squeeze in visits to a couple of galleries in Ginza - the British sculptor David Nash has a show on at the Nishimura Gallery just now. The children put up with the gallery visits as they were promised a visit to a huge toy shop we saw in Ginza (so huge that we managed to escape without any purchases as the children did not know where to start in choosing anything). The whole experience of the big city was new for them, with even the nine floors of escalators when leaving the cinema being an exciting adventure. Then playing with Tom (nearly 3 years old) to look forward to before and after forays into the city. A perfect holiday. |
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Finished my light sculpture (the lighting actually works really well, but unfortunately I did not have time to photograph it properly). Then spent most of the night at the computer frantically sending of emails for Kata`s Japan 2001 project before setting off for Tokyo tomorrow morning to deliver the sculpture. (KT) |
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The snow really does seem to be on the way out at last. Emily and Sean have suddenly become interested in reading English themselves thanks to the silly humour of the Beano (which Ann chan sends over from Scotland) - not sure that I enjoy it as much as they do, but atleast they are trying hard to read in English for the first time. (KT) |
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Kata had another meeting in Ajiro town - he always comes home in a good mood after these committee meetings, much more interesting than many of his other volunteer activites. (KT) |
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Emily and Sean challenged Kata to an arm wrestling tournament. (KT) |
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Another 40cm of snow overnight. Sean just made it through the drifts. Then Kata spent a jolly couple of hours clearing the road with the yumbo, his favourite toy. One way I survive the extreme climate here is to imagine what it felt like to be too hot in the summer, and then to remember this kind of weather while melting in the heat later in the year. (KT) |
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This is rediculous after the big thaw yesterday, white out again. Even if it was not so cold I`d have to work inside the studio these days as I cannot see to work on polishing white marble outside for the snow glare. But even after all these months the snow still looks very pretty! (KT) |
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Snuggled up in my ski wear hand polishing my light sculpture, but atleast I have moved inside the studio now and have the stove going to keep a supply of warm, ie not frozen, water for polishing with. (KT) |
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Last week`s ski trip with the Mori`s was cancelled because it was too cold, this week because it is pouring with rain! First rain, not snow, we have had since the autumn. So Miku chan and Atsushi kun spent the day playing in the house with Emily and Sean, and a repeat performance of yesterdays pigging out on O Hinesama treats. While Mori san, Kata and I discussed the lighting for the 'Red Shed' gallery. (KT) |
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After the Moris left we all went out to play in the 'puddles', more like 'Lake Ukishima'. Everyone of us lost a boot in the quagmire atleast once. (KT) |
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Packing up the O hinesama dolls after the children had collapsed into bed at the unusally early time of 7:30 pm. (KT) |
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An absolutely perfect warm (all things being relative) sunny day, so while Emily was away at school Sean and I made biscuits before having car races outside on the deck. Even managed to put all the futons out in the sun for the first time in months. Then when Emily and her friend Chinatsu chan came back from school we all set too decorating the biscuits for the o hinesama, and then scoffing the lot, having first asked the dolls if that is OK ofcourse. (KT) |
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Sean brought home the O hinesama dolls he had made at kindergarten. (KT) |