Category Archives: Uncategorized

So today I finally do it. I have been planning to do it more or less all my adult life but the mystical planets that create opportunity in life were never aligned until I came to Okinawa. Here these planets … Continue reading →

Pottery or ceramics are big around here. With the amazing good luck that seems to characterize the period I strut and fret my life out on the stage, I have got to know Yamada san. He is probably the doyen … Continue reading →

“Dive, which was originally a weak verb, developed a past tense dove, probably by analogy with verbs like drive, drove. Dove exists in some British dialects and has become the standard past tense especially in speech in some parts of … Continue reading →

Ding, ding it is 7:00 am. I spring from the futon, pull on some shorts, a t-shirt and head out onto the terrace. Blue, blue China Sea, green, green Okinawa, fresh, fresh air and straight ahead the heavy bag. So … Continue reading →

After an excellent meal, with a bottle of wine at a friend’s house. Said friend exposes a fantastic collection of Islay whiskies. He is way ahead of me. Terminology including, cask strength and quarter cask applied to Laphroaig goes beyond … Continue reading →

So the word ‘base’ has loads of definitions. Look it up in the dictionary. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/base But around these parts the significance of ‘base’ is very clear. It is where the US military are and it is a different world. You don’t … Continue reading →

Where I work, er, basically people work longer than I do. They stay at their desks until 9:00, 10:00 night after night. I do not admire this but it unfortunately grows on you. I feel guilty going home before any … Continue reading →

So this is about my bed. I feel slightly embarrassed about publishing such personal stuff but as it such a principal change from US/Europe type living I suppose it is OK.  The concept of the bedroom i.e. the room where … Continue reading →

It is Saturday morning so I set off to the fish shop. I ride along the coast line occasionally stopping off at beaches to watch people collect seaweed in the rock pools. I make a halt at a pottery. The … Continue reading →

Japan is a cash society. I do not own a credit card. I do have an ATM card but it can only be used for getting cash out of the machine. You can’t actually pay for anything with it. ATMs … Continue reading →