Just lots of bits of pieces that I will enjoy remembering when I am very old.

The weather has been a bit gloomy.

I have been editing/proofreading a long organizational yearbook. It has been great fun. My boss and I go to breakfast for the final check.

Tim gave me a tree about 2 years ago. It is a very interesting plant. It hates it when I go away and sheds most of its leaves, even though it is well watered and in good light.

As soon as I get back, it perks up and immediately new leaf buds pop up on all the main branches.

This is a recurring cycle. I wonder why?

My friend Teruya san retires from OIST. He is a wonderful man. He has been at OIST for 19 years and was one of the very first people to work at the university. He was manager of the Community Relations Section and did an outstanding job in involving the Okinawan population in the adventure of OIST. Arisa, who also worked in Community Relations, and I take him out for a celebratory dinner.

My plughole. Not the most interesting subject you might think but it gives me great gratification. There are many layers of subtlety.

When mood takes you, pull out the pouch and bin it.

I have just bought a new packet of pouches, of which there is a vast range of choice at the 100yen store.

This cleanliness theme of course leads me to Japan and the football World Cup. What joy to beat the huge Germans, what pain to lose to Costa Rica! Japan are of course the winners following the vast coverage of Japanese fans cleaning up the stadiums. This sense of communal responsibility pervades Japanese society.

When I last lived in France, a neighbor took his massive dog for a walk each morning. Each morning, the dog took a huge dump in the beautiful square, usually outside my front door. He made no effort to clean it up.

I challenged him. “What! Are you crazy? I don’t pay taxes to pick up dog turds!”

So pleased I live in Japan.

I have a totally restored engine! Not installed but won’t be long.