diary.e2002

29th.April

28th.April

27th.April

26th.April

25th.April

24th.April

23rd.April

22nd.April

21st.April

20th.April

18th.April Sculpture setting in Morioka



Emily inspecting the sculpture which Kata finished minutes before the truck arrived to load it last night. Then we set both his piece and mine at the new Asahi Insurance building in Morioka today.

16th.April

Swans fying over Ukishima again. We think they must have lost one of their flock as they keapt circling back and forth all day. (KT)

15th.April

Sean trying to do his homework with Cinamon helping.

14th.April

Emily had to check her bicycle brakes,etc. for road safety training at school tomorrow, Sean is not allowed on the road yet but decided to clean and maintain his bike too.

13th.April

12th.April

Come rain or shine Emily and Sean set off across the fields to walk to school together. They are both enjoying it so much we have to hold them back - they both wnated to set off at 6am this morning.

Akechi, Kata and I were not quite so enthusiastic about carving granite in this weather. (KT)

11th. April

Took a short break from carving to help planting some more trees in the morning
Then a quick change out of stone dust covered clothes and raced to Ninohe to meet Wakamatsu and discuss plans for the reception desk and sculkpture we are designing for the building he has nearly completed next to the new shinkansen station.

10th.April

Emily and Sean set off to walk to school together.

We now have a longer working day as both children leave the house at 7am and we do not have to drive Sean to and from kindergarten.

9th April - Sean's first day of school


All 6 first years, proud parents and teachers posing for the oficial photo	Sean (back left) delighted to finally be at school in Japan - after going to school in Scotland for 2 months last year while we were all over for Kata's Japan 2001 exhibitions and residency he was pretty fed up at coming back to kindergarten & having to wait til he was 6 to start school in the spring term in Japan.	Kata and I both spent several hours last night naming every single piece of school equipment and clothing. In Japan every tiny plastic counter, etc. has to be named! (KT)

8th. April


Unfortunately the Purvis family could not stay very long, but we did manage to squeeze in a couple of hours skiing at Appi before they had to set off for the next leg of their Japan tour. Turned out to be the last day skiing is possible this season, but despite the icy spring slope the Purvis children who have not been skiing for 2 years soon got into the swing and (despite the strange combinations of warm clothing we had russled up for them) they all looked fantastically elegant gliding down the slopes like real pros, while I practised the many nuances of falling on heavy wet snow. Emily raced up to join us after having to go to school for the first day of term in the morning, rushed up in the gondola and sped down the slope to try and catch up with everyone but was very disappointed that after two rounds she finally managed to meet up with all the other children only to dicover that it was time for them to go. All of us and Emily in particular, are now eagerly awaiting the next Purvis visit. (KT)

7th. April

The Mori family, Kechi, Emily and Sean on the slopes at Appi.

Akechi bombing down the mountain.

Lucian, Xenobe, and Phyllida at the top of Okuri sen.

Emily, Sean, Akechi and Kata went off skiing in the morning to meet Mori san and his two children Miku and Atsushi and leave me in peace to try and clear the house up a bit before the Purvis family arrived.

Christopher, Phyllida, Xenobe, Karensa, Lucian and Eilah arrived in the afternoon and despite their gruelling schedule since they arrived in Japan on Tuesday were full of energy so we all set off to climb Okuri sen. I unfortunately was jet lagged from my trip to Tokyo and neglected to kit them all out in country shoes so only 4 of us made the slippery climb to the top.

Eilah and Emily got on fantastically well, and emily is now desperate to see her now best friend again soon.

(KT)

6th. April

I arrived back in Ukishima in the evening exhausted after spending most of the day touring galleries in Tokyo to find Emily really excited because her crocuses have come out - spring is nearly over in Tokyo and is just starting up here.

(KT)

5th.April

Kata took advantage of my absense to invest in a couple of truck loads of gravel as the next phase of landscaping around the house.

Emily and Sean hard at work raking it all out.

Meanwhile I was visiting galleries in Tokyo, Garry Hier's new "Town Cryer" pub in Kamiyacho where he has made wonderful wooden tables and chairs some of which are pure sculpture - the pub opens on 8th April and is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Then looking at the amazing Roppongi Hills development before spending a lovely evening with David Elliott and Johnnie Walker. Johnnie is trying to get me to do something for his "Tate Tokyo Residence" gallery (KT)

4th.April -


I skipped off to Tokyo for a couple of meetings before a great party hosted by Christopher and Phyllida Purvis, followed by another fun party at Caroline and Gael's feeling very guilty about Akechi and Kata staying at home to slave a way on Kata's 8m high sculpture. But they managed to enjoy themselves with the children after work with a trip to the pool. (KT)

3rd. April

More gifted trees planted in the garden.

1st. April

After Akechi has been slaving over a pneumatic drill for more than a week drilling holes in Kata's huge stone, Kata drives in the wedges and feathers, and Akechi san proudly poses next to the perfect split.