Author Archives: spikekalashnikov

So, I have been worrying about several things lately. First is that the Scaffie is not in the water. She is skulking in Dead Man’s Gulch, having been untimely ripped from her natural element due to unjustified dread of typhoons, whipped … Continue reading →

Big week, last week- opened an exhibition: http://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2015/5/18/unlocking-secrets-okinawan-pottery Talked gay stuff with Irish ambassador: Board of Governors, Board of Councillors, Particle Physics workshop: French ladies play harp and flute: Dinners every night from Sunday to Friday. Great plans to relaunch … Continue reading →

Opinels are the best knives. James gave me a great one at Xmas that I use a lot. It has a corkscrew built into it. Not in a clever technicological way as Swiss Army Knife but a design suited to  the montagnards … Continue reading →

So, tomorrow is my birthday and I glide gently toward the mid sixties. I have never felt better apart from my knee, which is crank. The kind people at work celebrate the event with a soup birthday party. The admirable Atsuko san’s … Continue reading →

The most beautiful day of the year. Good breeze, calm sea, glorious weather, just perfect for sailing. So what do I do? I pull the Scaffie out of the water. Why? Typhoons on the way. So soon? Er, I suppose … Continue reading →

So Golden Week is the best public holiday concept around. You can start on Wednesday, public holiday, take off Thursday and Friday; then comes the weekend; Monday, Tuesday Wednesday are public holidays; hey, let’s take off Thursday and Friday to … Continue reading →

This is Golden Week, which means I get a lot of days off. I intend to sail like crazy and indeed do on Saturday. Then the wind gets up and the sea goes into peril  zone. So I go and look … Continue reading →

I have contracted a very rare skin disease. It is called ‘Screaming Gibbon Foot.’ It originated from gibbons  in Madagascar but has been travelling across the Indian Ocean on the feet of lascars and has now arrived in Okinawa. There is no … Continue reading →