tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83240939919106982852024-02-07T21:14:01.097+11:00Too Fond of BooksReading, writing and growing, every day.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.comBlogger1069125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-73254165897108613042020-12-24T12:39:00.004+11:002020-12-24T12:40:28.841+11:00Christmas Card in a PoemI don't do Christmas cards anymore, but for the last decade or so, I've done a Christmas poem instead as my seasonal message to everyone I care about (which includes all of you). <div><br /></div><div>The last couple of years I wrote English Madrigals, and before that there was a run of a few Sevenlings.
This year, I felt that a Terza Rima, with its sound-echo repeating pattern, best suited the times. (Despite the fact that this Italian form is difficult to use in English because of the relative paucity of rhyme words available in a language which has, in comparison with Italian, a more complex phonology. But then, when did I ever like to make things easy for myself?) </div><div><br /></div><div> So with this, please accept my warmest wishes for a day of peace and plenty tomorrow, whether you mark it as Christmas or simply enjoy a day of pause and rest, of cherishing yourselves and each other. </div><div><br /></div><div> Kurt Vonnegut probably said it best: "There's only one rule that I know of, babies - God damn it, you've got to be kind.” After this difficult year, let us all look for kindness, and give it unstintingly. </div><div><br /></div><div><b> Lights: Christmas 2020 </b></div><div><br /></div><div> In my hands is a small light, stuttering. </div><div>it is a small light, but is not afraid; </div><div>this hand-cupped star, pale-gold flame fluttering </div><div><br /></div><div> It is a small light, and it does not say </div><div>that every single debt is fully paid </div><div>that all the darkness will be washed away. </div><div><br /></div><div> This hard and hurtful year is now decayed, </div><div>and hearts and hearths call out to bring you home </div><div>all joys grow deeper when they are delayed </div><div><br /></div><div> the festive tableaux set in polychrome, </div><div>the small lights and the bright ones pierce the night </div><div>the year is ebbing, leaving only foam. </div><div><br /></div><div> And with Christmas Day finally in sight </div><div>I wish you all compassion for this end; </div><div>there may be no magic to make things right </div><div><br /></div><div> but there is love, and kindness, here to spend: </div><div>and there are other people; every heart </div><div>carrying its own light; and so we bend </div><div><br /></div><div> all the darkness away; and here, we start </div><div>to put together what was torn apart.</div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-71381623369673289682020-11-18T11:08:00.001+11:002020-11-18T11:08:14.415+11:00November SestinaNow November slips away, half gone already<br>
the spring concedes to summer and the birds call<br>
long into the cloudy warm-pink night.<br>
The city lives and breathes, in days of beer and river water<br>
and, everywhere, the open doorway beckons<br>
and the year that hurt us has laid down arms at last.<br>
<br>
So, now, we drink every latte like it is our last<br>
that lesson lodged deep in our guts already<br>
the dice roll of every unknown future beckons;<br>
the chance geometry of shrouded angel’s call.<br>
But here we still are, born and once drowned in water:<br>
here we still are, holding candles to the night.<br>
<br>
And now day is renewed, and the night<br>
for us, is over, and fear ebbs now at last.<br>
In joyful mass we all surge back to water<br>
to swim and grow sun-reddened; forgotten already<br>
the other dangers here under this sky. No call<br>
to memory undoes the way life beckons.<br>
<br>
Ahead, the season of the solstice beckons<br>
the preparation for our shortest night.<br>
The open shops all ply their siren’s call<br>
in baubles, trees and carols first and last.<br>
Perhaps, this time, the truth is known already;<br>
perhaps we all have been renewed in water.<br>
<br>
And here we do not give thanks in November; no blessing water<br>
flows through our hands to wash us clean, or beckons<br>
to bow our heads and own aloud our mercy. Already<br>
we are forgetting the deepest ink of night.<br>
The miracle and the sadness is the way nothing will last:<br>
not joy but not pain either, and not sweet summer’s call.<br>
<br>
The year that hurt us ends in a quiet call:<br>
We live, and laugh, and hold each other, the water<br>
sanctified with the release of hearts at last.<br>
For other places, a different passage beckons;<br>
and winter closes in with hard cold night.<br>
With tender hands, we hold our gift already:<br>
<br>
This bright blue sky, this future born already<br>
this daily-stronger farewell to the night,<br>
this star-point now from which a new year beckons.<br>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-69516197253311890152020-08-22T10:54:00.002+10:002020-08-22T10:54:48.812+10:002020 Ahoy<p>2020, folks. I mean, what can I even say that hasn't been said? It has been pretty damn terrible here in Melbourne, and we haven't had the worst of it by a long shot.</p><p>Here is a poem that I wrote a month ago that sums up what I think about this year so far. (It is far from the only poem I've spun from Our Current Troubles - if there is a silver lining to bushfires, a pandemic, loss of work, huge anxiety and fear, and climate change, I *suppose* it's a renewal of creativity).</p><p>I hope all is well with you as can be expected in these dark times. Let's all hope for better days to come.</p><p><b>A Madrigal for the Future We Appear to be Having, Whether We Want it or Not</b></p><p>There were those books that said bad things would come;<br />the stories and the experts on the shows,<br />dystopias enough for all, God knows.</p><p>And year on year on year the louder hum<br />the skies all speckled with the warning crows;<br />Too many ways to look for what's to come<br />the earth is changing now, and how it shows.</p><p>New foes arise to beat the battle drum<br />the tiny enemies in viral clothes,<br />the musk and mystery inside the rose.</p><p>The future's here: we knew it had to come<br />the world is weary of us, and it shows:<br />the past is prologue: everybody knows.</p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-35687088932681869012019-12-31T14:09:00.000+11:002019-12-31T14:36:42.435+11:00Rest in Peace, 2019<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAALPFR9KBHkZHuw0h3-VeEZmbBfawkhOG5xgzAABVP0-UiLwh-3RlBffvdXaOWu-XXUMVpr8-W4652yIjy2ZI8mGEWECeiS3ADvKPaxUwH3w07G-yYQ4w_4fHmr8QaGkRvKuNxScIDgR/s1600/20190727_153428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAALPFR9KBHkZHuw0h3-VeEZmbBfawkhOG5xgzAABVP0-UiLwh-3RlBffvdXaOWu-XXUMVpr8-W4652yIjy2ZI8mGEWECeiS3ADvKPaxUwH3w07G-yYQ4w_4fHmr8QaGkRvKuNxScIDgR/s400/20190727_153428.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
Well, then.<br />
<br />
2019 has been quite a year, in just about every possible way. I've completely let this blog lapse, but I really wanted to do a year-end post because I find them meaningful for me and my family (I've done one every year since 2010, and I intend one day to turn them into a booklet for my kids. Maybe when I have 20 years' worth!)<br />
<br />
For us, this year is really best described with the word "intense". It has been a year of high highs and very low lows, in just about every aspect of life except schooling (more on that below). There have been remarkably few weeks that weren't memorable, for either great or terrible reasons. I guess at least we've known we're alive!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVb9Gq13xgj7qIC4Ek7wgA-aw64ZwphUK_G6jkSCghadLUZLipzvh7ymW1wkkfDs2DGle1GvOBANWAvbW7K9PrYjLrtc1MbrGIORy4ysZdQnMVz74m6sgvzYpFbr7Auvj6eMRpdzoozGZ/s1600/20190724_194025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVb9Gq13xgj7qIC4Ek7wgA-aw64ZwphUK_G6jkSCghadLUZLipzvh7ymW1wkkfDs2DGle1GvOBANWAvbW7K9PrYjLrtc1MbrGIORy4ysZdQnMVz74m6sgvzYpFbr7Auvj6eMRpdzoozGZ/s400/20190724_194025.jpg" width="400" /></a>As is my usual wont, I think the easiest way to get a flavour for our year is to go through in categories. Even then, there will be stuff I leave out - some of it isn't mine to tell, and other things, honestly, will probably just get lost in the mix. To quote the great Inigo Montoya, "Let me explain ... no, there is too much. Let me sum up."<br />
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<h3>
Living in the world</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIXmYaWHqmJaAI8Cz5671wto2zaNKoX-69UJbUzeAXkqKSZp-WueblSlmHba1b8tldeI2fVKU2KJBGkMe87V-IjDVJ8IeiFPkLhzT28maNTyIaKNwMvfk9rOSF1kxzFk0Fn5IajrKyFY_/s1600/20190418_075141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIXmYaWHqmJaAI8Cz5671wto2zaNKoX-69UJbUzeAXkqKSZp-WueblSlmHba1b8tldeI2fVKU2KJBGkMe87V-IjDVJ8IeiFPkLhzT28maNTyIaKNwMvfk9rOSF1kxzFk0Fn5IajrKyFY_/s400/20190418_075141.jpg" width="400" /></a>2019 has been a pretty dreadful year for a lot of people both in Australia and around the world. As I write this, on a cool, clear Melbourne day, half of the eastern seaboard of Australia is on fire, refugees are being demonised and tortured by our government, hate speech and hateful <br />
actions are on a rampant rise, and things feel disastrous in a way that I can't remember feeling before.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OCux-_kFbmXIgpy6xXA0pse2I2lS7-_yyG4ZbUuI6Ltl9bgM25QCU69-Qv6PrlHpAanmjQ9aLUEIAFjdWvy5SvSI7VItFUiN44YKYs0kLoKjb5K4PnTJE37WMub6masUpGu2tT-dlCCZ/s1600/20190709_115725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OCux-_kFbmXIgpy6xXA0pse2I2lS7-_yyG4ZbUuI6Ltl9bgM25QCU69-Qv6PrlHpAanmjQ9aLUEIAFjdWvy5SvSI7VItFUiN44YKYs0kLoKjb5K4PnTJE37WMub6masUpGu2tT-dlCCZ/s400/20190709_115725.jpg" width="300" /></a>The kids and I marched for climate change this year, and we all re-evaluated many things about the way we do life to look at where we can make our small stands, be it in volunteering or helping or protesting or writing or making changes to how we eat, create waste, and live.<br />
<br />
As part of that, my eldest has moved to a pescatarian diet, and I am mostly joining her, and our whole family's meat consumption has moved to around 40% what it was in 2018. We might not be able to change the world, but we can change <br />
ourselves, and the decisions we make.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Work, Study, Hobbies and Creativity</h3>
This has been a really, really good year for us under this heading. Indeed, I'd put it as 2019's Stand Out Category by far :-) With only one stormcloud (explained further under the Hard and Sad Things heading) and one "wish I could have found more time" caveat, everything else couldn't have been better.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKHmRSjdWPMinOU_0C9P_NMupzG5NY8bvEEI1xr15VoiNsxEY_QhQekjGzayiIe3yrlK1Yv62rkYP8aj41SUVC8OlhVHVvZ4SRg9AekFwrZleVCkXezWwPnaspLmEiEKlYpQlpUEIbSm6/s1600/20190417_123758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKHmRSjdWPMinOU_0C9P_NMupzG5NY8bvEEI1xr15VoiNsxEY_QhQekjGzayiIe3yrlK1Yv62rkYP8aj41SUVC8OlhVHVvZ4SRg9AekFwrZleVCkXezWwPnaspLmEiEKlYpQlpUEIbSm6/s400/20190417_123758.jpg" width="400" /></a>My two teenagers both had a fantastic school year (in years 9 and 10 respectively), thriving both academically and personally. Both continued school debating, and my year 10's team made the finals. My year 9 was kept busy as one of the school's Social Justice Leaders, and was also the Class Captain.<br />
<br />
Both participated in multiple other extracurricular activities and clubs through the school. Both also did work experience - the year 10 did an Astrophysics program at the University of Melbourne and loved it, while the year 9 volunteered weekly at the local library for 12 weeks as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award. My year 10 also volunteered for a term doing tutoring and mentoring for kids in need, which she really loved.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wkQA3ITJ_mIWQBGuA0mOkBg8HuIbp0b0sS3rTY1Hxn1jCfEBZ7RJgVBHjh1oJCKsP7X9npMEm1DkvLhmGKHrF2G8saRFC7O0ucsrVVLtm0fIl3DD2tmI0GzmnyrO3yxrce7ZouTIjjcp/s1600/20190217_123854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wkQA3ITJ_mIWQBGuA0mOkBg8HuIbp0b0sS3rTY1Hxn1jCfEBZ7RJgVBHjh1oJCKsP7X9npMEm1DkvLhmGKHrF2G8saRFC7O0ucsrVVLtm0fIl3DD2tmI0GzmnyrO3yxrce7ZouTIjjcp/s400/20190217_123854.jpg" width="300" /></a>Both the teenagers also got to go to Japan for 2.5 weeks on a school immersion tour which included a homestay visit. They had the most amazing time, and we were so glad to be able to send them.<br />
<br />
My youngest, who started Grade 5 at a new school this year, had the best year she has ever had at school, and I am so grateful and relieved. Her new school has welcomed her with open arms and she has made lovely friends and is finally able to relax, be herself, and really fly academically. I don't think I had realised what a weight had been on us all (but especially her) with the issues she was facing at her previous school, but it has been a joy to see that lifted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTy0ANiSygl8JgaO8yFM9dY-0zTQNeEQk1Or0H3RzxtiKzqe5dp_DQl8x0Re1z0Ce7wOubqqfhyphenhyphenCJCwH12qprx_jQ1bR19d1dWXCYmrjEv0TFg1t6yFW-15fnl1v0GTeA8T4lDUCfdUAC/s1600/rhods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTy0ANiSygl8JgaO8yFM9dY-0zTQNeEQk1Or0H3RzxtiKzqe5dp_DQl8x0Re1z0Ce7wOubqqfhyphenhyphenCJCwH12qprx_jQ1bR19d1dWXCYmrjEv0TFg1t6yFW-15fnl1v0GTeA8T4lDUCfdUAC/s400/rhods.jpg" width="400" /></a>In terms of work, I have had a very good year in most respects, while my husband, who has remained at his long-term job, has had a fairly steady one. I worked with five clients, on an interesting array of projects, and although there were times of overload and stress, overall, I managed my work and my energy much better than I have done in the past. Three of my five clients from this year have asked me to continue for 2020, and I have two new projects lined up. I do feel like I have really hit my stride with my business now, <br />
and it is a good feeling.<br />
<br />
An important thing that happened this year, too, is that I started volunteering at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. I donate 6-8 hours a week to my work there and I am finding it extremely rewarding, and it has genuinely helped shift my mindset from one of despairing about the state of the world to feeling like I am playing a part, however tiny, in being the change I want to see. Volunteering is my expression of love (for the world) and hope (for a better one), and I will keep going with it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7J2cgemBMoEyRNRZ2T2wvqGRF0VYgbLQt38JqMrqw8uvJIFvvVRdwMRNnR-Kp4ioBI_SsBwwWfeA7dltPe9f_Yi5WS-7PRmDXk8qYazUZv9DSbWAwEfV8PkjKslBbPH7zh2S8NqcZmPYz/s1600/20190421_120503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7J2cgemBMoEyRNRZ2T2wvqGRF0VYgbLQt38JqMrqw8uvJIFvvVRdwMRNnR-Kp4ioBI_SsBwwWfeA7dltPe9f_Yi5WS-7PRmDXk8qYazUZv9DSbWAwEfV8PkjKslBbPH7zh2S8NqcZmPYz/s400/20190421_120503.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
In terms of hobbies, my husband has seriously ramped up his photography this year, and is producing genuine works of art now. My second girl's dance and sewing hobbies have gained pace, and she's also heavily into both robotics and chess, including competing in the State Chess Finals in December. My eldest has continued with jujitsu and clarinet, while my youngest has had a bit of a rest from structured activities but has expanded her interests in drawing and gardening.<br />
<br />
I participated in January's Month of Poetry as usual, and loved it (also as usual!) I have continued to write poetry throughout the year, but less than I would have liked, and this has been a fallow year in terms of competitions and publication (I haven't submitted anything anywhere). There have been reasons for that, but it is a slight sadness all the same.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Health and Family </h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8jSqvAsCaLRcpn7_vHW_uVGzrRGAFhjAISHj2_6C0OPbHe_eVJbj1nXta0j044R8ASkGL8__eeFjYQSbLU6pvx93_fCPYST6Eqlj4CvG-oFarzdkB1aTjCEwKxe2t-QH2lWk5kX0cgUf/s1600/building1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8jSqvAsCaLRcpn7_vHW_uVGzrRGAFhjAISHj2_6C0OPbHe_eVJbj1nXta0j044R8ASkGL8__eeFjYQSbLU6pvx93_fCPYST6Eqlj4CvG-oFarzdkB1aTjCEwKxe2t-QH2lWk5kX0cgUf/s400/building1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
On the whole, our health has been pretty good this year, barring a few colds here and there and a revolting family gastro that slammed us in August.<br />
<br />
The dramatic improvement in my youngest's overall health after going gluten free following her Coeliac diagnosis has been very good to see. My Mum's health has been problematic at times, which has been worrying, but seems to be better at the moment; hoping it stays that way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-mYK2jgTakWtI_0atSQfBdpm0wtSAcDRWSz-5g83jG_HLlOolvAjYF4gKUuZ8SrKdiu1DcaP3vsVTp6njeCL-zAHQq-P8wVeffZiYsWz6eaBjeWhG3fNzTQjncK-btkAVNMblCrYK-D0/s1600/20190706_171226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-mYK2jgTakWtI_0atSQfBdpm0wtSAcDRWSz-5g83jG_HLlOolvAjYF4gKUuZ8SrKdiu1DcaP3vsVTp6njeCL-zAHQq-P8wVeffZiYsWz6eaBjeWhG3fNzTQjncK-btkAVNMblCrYK-D0/s400/20190706_171226.jpg" width="400" /></a>Mental health has been up and down, but mostly pretty stable, this year. Those of us with anxiety have had highly anxious spells, and those of us who tend towards depression have had very flat spells, but no one has stopped functioning at any point, so overall, I'll call that a win.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd60-woLWUpg9hUCJBc0MImr1ApotkNdwVLFfxnbD8w8jgm5lzZQjV4zPWL24jaia109QuuiKLsCJk0fRiUI1z86uUWFAmNKZfsQthBwQozwKPVgxDRUSAXuK2Bis3negtcSL66V-2vrgt/s1600/20190705_135721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd60-woLWUpg9hUCJBc0MImr1ApotkNdwVLFfxnbD8w8jgm5lzZQjV4zPWL24jaia109QuuiKLsCJk0fRiUI1z86uUWFAmNKZfsQthBwQozwKPVgxDRUSAXuK2Bis3negtcSL66V-2vrgt/s400/20190705_135721.jpg" width="400" /></a>One family related thing has been our project to turn our double car brick garage into a study / hobbies room for the kids. Given the lack of bedroom space inside, this seemed like a good idea. We are almost there now - the storage shed built and loaded with all the old garage stuff, the garage doors replaced with walls, the slate floor cleaned and resealed, skylights installed, wiring repaired. Painting is the only thing left to do before we move in!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Holidays, Special Days and Events</h3>
<br />
This year has been so stuffed full of these that, honestly, dot points are the only way to go!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WtPcxpniSgYDCPsgqbn6yS8DHI9NP_zDWYTlkT__sj0kAu80A4iMvGWaBczhson7utVM8jQPz4KnsG5HMrSN17ijwTF_lNROBGHFlhPphVa7PnZWgURWszPAAv0aetp4nQ-DcVRfVdgc/s1600/20190420_085917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WtPcxpniSgYDCPsgqbn6yS8DHI9NP_zDWYTlkT__sj0kAu80A4iMvGWaBczhson7utVM8jQPz4KnsG5HMrSN17ijwTF_lNROBGHFlhPphVa7PnZWgURWszPAAv0aetp4nQ-DcVRfVdgc/s400/20190420_085917.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Mini-breaks:</b> Three mini-breaks contributed to the good parts of this year being extremely good. In January, my husband and I had a night at the Langham and went to the theatre with friends. In July, we went with my parents and my brother and sister in law to Phillip Island for a long weekend in celebration of my Mum's 70th birthday. And in November, I took my eldest to Adelaide for the Cup Day long weekend, which was extremely fun. (PSA: if you are ever touristing in Adelaide, I highly recommend doing the EcoCaddy pedicab city tour - one of the best tourist experiences I've ever had!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vlpiICAkEZQuQEHOuwouwuNI5239SJ09SWH2fe-0dwf_0zjIdZSubemnGbEXr0yM2YoW7GpwkLkfIbJPGkFWb8sZi3tSFx5VUnd32I5jXZS_5HMsYTvZnAu7gzSG2e4A_s02tyxhpDab/s1600/20190429_151536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vlpiICAkEZQuQEHOuwouwuNI5239SJ09SWH2fe-0dwf_0zjIdZSubemnGbEXr0yM2YoW7GpwkLkfIbJPGkFWb8sZi3tSFx5VUnd32I5jXZS_5HMsYTvZnAu7gzSG2e4A_s02tyxhpDab/s400/20190429_151536.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Holidays</b>: The teenagers went to Japan with school in April (meaning that they got to see cherry blossoms for two years in a row, the lucky ducks), while husband, youngest and myself had 10 days in Far North Queensland while they were away, split between a short stay on Fitzroy Island and a week in Port Douglas. Both were great!<br />
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As a family of five, we had 9 days away in September, mostly in the Blue Mountains and finishing with 2 nights in Sydney. That was also great.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zRZMICfGjXENUv5otNA-3_b_77ACvb3seaLH6LtY8PZ6_5ommg-5-zKTMx2lvP_vA2REG8zPsI-MI5JODySVDJKJeo11EA_oL5ll7OhLFcJqJBKiJSe2hzam0YghFT_irkYeh8TD4drA/s1600/20190811_093246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zRZMICfGjXENUv5otNA-3_b_77ACvb3seaLH6LtY8PZ6_5ommg-5-zKTMx2lvP_vA2REG8zPsI-MI5JODySVDJKJeo11EA_oL5ll7OhLFcJqJBKiJSe2hzam0YghFT_irkYeh8TD4drA/s400/20190811_093246.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Birthdays, Halloween and Christmas: </b>Each kid's birthday was fun, as usual, but the big birthday events of 2019 were my husband's 50th in March and my Mum's 70th in May. It was great to see them both have such a lovely day. We did Halloween as always, and had a lovely Christmas Day at my parents' house.<br />
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<b>Hosting exchange student</b>: We hosted our third, and (for now) final, Japanese exchange student in July. It was, as in the past, a wonderful but exhausting almost 3 weeks for us all. We won't continue in 2020, as my eldest begins her VCE journey, but we'd like to do it again later when my youngest is at the right age.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohV8Ik_GsC0DShEOpVvLMrEV6jqKm4CBa6SL092vFN3QeP0vbO4ze7j43XWqJ_pfphmsOpOzHc9ITltgiQLTB23TrvmUOGlJS4qSSrw5Qg73IMoy41YdshumG-iem2YrlVHBaDuDk0cmd/s1600/20190728_104252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohV8Ik_GsC0DShEOpVvLMrEV6jqKm4CBa6SL092vFN3QeP0vbO4ze7j43XWqJ_pfphmsOpOzHc9ITltgiQLTB23TrvmUOGlJS4qSSrw5Qg73IMoy41YdshumG-iem2YrlVHBaDuDk0cmd/s400/20190728_104252.jpg" width="300" /></a><b>Nerdcons</b>: Once again, the nerd family nerded away, with visits to Supanova Melbourne, OzComicCon Melbourne and Sydney, Animaga, Madman Anime Festival, and both Box Hill and Geelong Japan Festivals.<br />
<br />
I took my eldest to the Stargate Atlantis small con as well, which was quite a different (but fun) experience.<br />
<br />
I think we need to just accept that this is who we are now!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iRRaPNdu1hiG0qhPyp3jQxeqDbmDT8zVg-O3hpMxjwUL-CCcEaSp9OpO4JDxgDYi5ToYslU-JkywzhjAAVrzdKWK2tZ5KQrYVAfvDTsH-8_haRLqnxDmEAXR5LyzE16pn0FF3KJY08GF/s1600/20190423_121756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iRRaPNdu1hiG0qhPyp3jQxeqDbmDT8zVg-O3hpMxjwUL-CCcEaSp9OpO4JDxgDYi5ToYslU-JkywzhjAAVrzdKWK2tZ5KQrYVAfvDTsH-8_haRLqnxDmEAXR5LyzE16pn0FF3KJY08GF/s400/20190423_121756.jpg" width="300" /></a><b>The Rest</b>: There have been too many to list, but little pops of colour like the Death Cab for Cutie concert (me and a friend); brunches, lunches and dinners with friends; days in the city and the countryside; and yes, even things like movies, books and TV shows (*primarily looking at you, Stranger Things Which We Literally Binged in 8 Straight Hours*) have added significantly to the pleasures of this year.<br />
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<h3>
Hard and Sad Things</h3>
This is the heading under which I have to be somewhat vague, as some of the hard things also have ongoing issues associated with them. The hardest and saddest things, though, were the loss of two precious people in my life - our family friend Trish, who was one of my brother's carer's during his lifetime and like an auntie to me, and my dear friend Meralie, whose sudden passing in early December has shaken me so badly.<br />
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We have also spent a lot of the year unwillingly embroiled in a legal matter, still not resolved, that caused (and will cause) a lot of angst and stress.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrUDPIqX_x5Qy5ZVIqFIvcDF1vvTY2KFrUzo5a_8fmvwiCsu3v2WdeHsOrukIGDKhm-UldX_YDViPLlec2RT2O5PNGZ1MbND8z8dKqGLjN05lHG6fsZWG6bv1BZqUtbEt1fdWaALN3iiz/s1600/katoomba+three+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrUDPIqX_x5Qy5ZVIqFIvcDF1vvTY2KFrUzo5a_8fmvwiCsu3v2WdeHsOrukIGDKhm-UldX_YDViPLlec2RT2O5PNGZ1MbND8z8dKqGLjN05lHG6fsZWG6bv1BZqUtbEt1fdWaALN3iiz/s400/katoomba+three+2.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOJj3DMFtkPxAxVuvzc4s-zkAaUHh5YgO9LbtZDjZSq2KuKF2BaHGD2YLh4yniSABWE5dJqV4av7UQ6eeoDbsrReHQ9ao6BuVTf0iET0Ue07zMSLyLCPbYxm6EO-AMTLiuacfdGQrFSID/s1600/streetart1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOJj3DMFtkPxAxVuvzc4s-zkAaUHh5YgO9LbtZDjZSq2KuKF2BaHGD2YLh4yniSABWE5dJqV4av7UQ6eeoDbsrReHQ9ao6BuVTf0iET0Ue07zMSLyLCPbYxm6EO-AMTLiuacfdGQrFSID/s400/streetart1.jpg" width="300" /></a>We also had an unpleasant and stressful experience with my eldest's extended Japanese study, which she did via an external organisation (not her school). She, her classmates, and we as a group of parents were treated horribly by the organisation and it was a highly stressful thing to deal with over an extended period of time.<br />
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<h3>
Looking Forward</h3>
<div>
In most ways, we are seeing 2020 as a home-focused year. We're doing one short family holiday (6 days in Phillip Island in January) and a couple of mini-breaks for selected subsets of us (husband and I are doing 3 nights in Hobart in March for his birthday; I'm taking my middle kid to Sydney for 3 nights in July for a convention) but no long or expensive trips are planned. Instead, we have home renos to do, most notably our two bathrooms, which are years overdue for addressing, as well as some landscaping that needs doing.</div>
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<div>
Work-wise, I'm actively excited about two of my five projects, and comfortable with the others, which feels very positive as a way to start the new year. Another strong year in terms of earnings will position us well to do our renos and keep making inroads on the mortgage, which feels like a worthwhile thing. </div>
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I'll be continuing to volunteer, write poetry, read books, try new recipes, spend time with those I love, and remember to tell them so. And I hope that, if nothing else, is something that the New Year might hold for us all.</div>
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Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-20603338881576851442019-01-16T20:49:00.000+11:002019-01-16T20:49:13.095+11:00Picture a day: Second monthHere is my second set of Photo a Day collages from Insta! Food features heavily again, as does cat :-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfh9AU5jNMl2HoiOPBJrBPOOLUfcqRydwXz1rzpDekby1Ajdnk8dlWrUz1x941xdczCdWxUexTT2Hq_SQ57hlE-BSmdsqmEXIsF-ieMki_MfjyNSFF1k1iP93g-vWW4CPO_KO9kVwT0Oi/s1600/IMG_20190116_204415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfh9AU5jNMl2HoiOPBJrBPOOLUfcqRydwXz1rzpDekby1Ajdnk8dlWrUz1x941xdczCdWxUexTT2Hq_SQ57hlE-BSmdsqmEXIsF-ieMki_MfjyNSFF1k1iP93g-vWW4CPO_KO9kVwT0Oi/s400/IMG_20190116_204415.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEOpiU1uajzY8P6WSQqo1edTeERMqs07CBeXaPZkMR6S3MF6Ba31GPQzNT80woSBrDKbcCVjPMV73h5fjGDUJcoZvIrwuKxg-rwlGlFntQxK0Xe1JUEkVOpVRDKEIZ6qGNaf6dwUsdF89/s1600/IMG_20190116_203850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEOpiU1uajzY8P6WSQqo1edTeERMqs07CBeXaPZkMR6S3MF6Ba31GPQzNT80woSBrDKbcCVjPMV73h5fjGDUJcoZvIrwuKxg-rwlGlFntQxK0Xe1JUEkVOpVRDKEIZ6qGNaf6dwUsdF89/s400/IMG_20190116_203850.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6L1WP8fLKlsxd-e6Lwg39yfYdbSPPW4vciVsmzrAa8ZTe3Yyl3yzq3DvAfepFiGdc_cay_3YjJP3A1c-dz2gcZ1SlU6QVOTKF4Y0hlfNlgIaUnr4cOrxMGBbH04hAx0MF_YRMM5um-70/s1600/IMG_20190116_204127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6L1WP8fLKlsxd-e6Lwg39yfYdbSPPW4vciVsmzrAa8ZTe3Yyl3yzq3DvAfepFiGdc_cay_3YjJP3A1c-dz2gcZ1SlU6QVOTKF4Y0hlfNlgIaUnr4cOrxMGBbH04hAx0MF_YRMM5um-70/s400/IMG_20190116_204127.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-7843053362399404692019-01-12T18:06:00.002+11:002019-01-12T18:06:48.494+11:00Month of Poetry: Emulation ChallengeToday's challenge task in my Month of Poetry group was to write a poem in the style of / emulating a poet whose work you admire.<br />
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I toyed with doing an Emily Dickinson piece, but her style is so distant from mine that I felt sure I'd muck it up magnificently. And I wanted to do a 19th or 20th century poet rather than a contemporary - not sure why, but I often write better in more structured forms, so maybe that's it.<br />
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I ended up instead writing something in the style of one of the greatest of all twentieth century poets, and in my personal opinion, the greatest Irish poet of the modern era - WB Yeats.<br />
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I love most of Yeats' poetry, but my poem today is particularly inspired by one of my absolute favourites: <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43283/when-you-are-old">When You Are Old</a>.<br />
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As well as keeping the structure and metre of Yeats' poem, I have tried for the wistfulness. Yeats' poem is a to a woman he loved who did not love him back; mine is to the children who will, so soon, be grown and gone.<br />
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<b>WHEN YOU ARE GROWN AND GONE</b><br />
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In years to come, when you are grown and gone<br />
Walking the earth in sunshine and in snow<br />
Or flying between worlds; I hope you know<br />
there is one here who you can call upon;<br />
<br />
When days are dark, as dark they must become<br />
For every noon the sun-slip shadows fall,<br />
And no human life can all griefs forestall<br />
So when it hurts, or when you just feel numb;<br />
<br />
The door is open - so too is my heart<br />
To hold you close, who once I held inside<br />
Love is not proud, yet you are all my pride<br />
My joy, my care, together or apart.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-29373520506742294062019-01-02T18:03:00.003+11:002019-01-02T18:03:33.896+11:00Month of Poetry: Day 1I'm doing Month of Poetry again this year. It has been my January tradition for 5 years now, and every year I love it more. I won't post all or even most of my poems here, as I save some up for possible further work to submit to journals, but I always like to post my New Year's Day poem ... so here it is.<br />
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<h3>
A Madrigal for the New Year</h3>
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the suburbs swell with drink and thumping bass<br />
the city, distant, flower-lights the sky<br />
a journey round the sun has passed us by.<br />
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we hope, of course, the new year brings us grace<br />
that perhaps there will be less tears now to cry.<br />
the heartbeat pulses in the distant bass<br />
farewelling all the old year has put by.<br />
<br />
the night alight with fire-wrought golden lace<br />
while, quietly, the swooping bats' wings sigh<br />
and we tell a story that we hope is not a lie:<br />
that this year will be the treble to our bass,<br />
that there are angels waiting in the sky<br />
that life will not end, nor will it pass us by.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-24523316369827557662018-12-31T18:46:00.000+11:002018-12-31T18:54:31.395+11:00Goodbye 2018, welcome 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbmk9VUw_3KFPj8JS_6Sa0zuuNzLGwjuLrREtNOo9qv-cG4iNP1qNMNq4H28-O7hKF16RW5IWfbXCd1cCNUeU5ZNTQCwlC1KLmR8AcElxwAaSySaX6IMkUzy6gxk2gGBDwM6OYZx0wKiS/s1600/2018wrap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbmk9VUw_3KFPj8JS_6Sa0zuuNzLGwjuLrREtNOo9qv-cG4iNP1qNMNq4H28-O7hKF16RW5IWfbXCd1cCNUeU5ZNTQCwlC1KLmR8AcElxwAaSySaX6IMkUzy6gxk2gGBDwM6OYZx0wKiS/s400/2018wrap1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I awoke from a 2-hour nap at 4pm, full of vivid, science-fiction-themed dreams. Partly this was something that just happened, but I won't deny that I strategised a bit to allow it to occur - I'm staying home this New Year's Eve, and I wanted a ballast against feeling besieged if there it lots of party noise in my street that prevents night sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO85RVfeouQI4r2VzHyVDRhjV1Pkp19jW7s0g1Z3GenZMhPrX6DTVlZp6k2g7-c32405oOOICLBM2u_jedfBhcjwGARLg9zXQCl9UkRYjffzKYgOrg4QVRWbKdz4ln0KZCgNAJZoeR58Uc/s1600/2018wrap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO85RVfeouQI4r2VzHyVDRhjV1Pkp19jW7s0g1Z3GenZMhPrX6DTVlZp6k2g7-c32405oOOICLBM2u_jedfBhcjwGARLg9zXQCl9UkRYjffzKYgOrg4QVRWbKdz4ln0KZCgNAJZoeR58Uc/s400/2018wrap2.jpg" width="400" /></a>I'm now so rested that I'll certainly be good to see in the New Year regardless of noise, and can be <br />
philosophical if I get no sleep at all, so that makes me feel good.<br />
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That slightly pointless little story is, as well as being a thing that happened, a relatively useful analogy for how this year has been for me as an individual, and my family at large.<br />
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We haven't magically discovered the capacity to change the world or our circumstances to suit ourselves, and we've had challenges aplenty in all areas of life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EFoqTAeWYlVuYvyhbHkDma04u2Tjj6e_wIZNsxWByvM339QAF2BaUw0e4lBjEih-u9Pwc2zZBxpFkVakkKTZUCpOWRQEI-jdJpM__OHBAoasEPEgaJF3Si8i4gP1qmrsooAJ1xv7cs9r/s1600/2018wrap3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EFoqTAeWYlVuYvyhbHkDma04u2Tjj6e_wIZNsxWByvM339QAF2BaUw0e4lBjEih-u9Pwc2zZBxpFkVakkKTZUCpOWRQEI-jdJpM__OHBAoasEPEgaJF3Si8i4gP1qmrsooAJ1xv7cs9r/s400/2018wrap3.jpg" width="400" /></a>But what we *have* gotten better at, and this is the real growth point of the year, is in finding ways to work with, instead of flailing painfully against, our lives, each other, and ourselves. Part of this has involved understanding ourselves, and each other, more fully.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHff7UgXmrx2gwxbB5QKaGL_olfjde_XPy1_7AR76dhAk1upVv9QO7MpuNvUhzNXKp5I-40ELIe04v4F3sYKbqhlgFDWaHizb6KNDId6BFkOa9d8hU6145rQAYnH2bwfVYfZnpW7sNSqe/s1600/2018wrap6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHff7UgXmrx2gwxbB5QKaGL_olfjde_XPy1_7AR76dhAk1upVv9QO7MpuNvUhzNXKp5I-40ELIe04v4F3sYKbqhlgFDWaHizb6KNDId6BFkOa9d8hU6145rQAYnH2bwfVYfZnpW7sNSqe/s400/2018wrap6.jpg" width="400" /></a>Regarding the world at large, there is both too much to say and at the same time, nothing I can usefully add to the larger commentaries flooding out everywhere. Suffice it to say that while we live in interesting times globally (in the pejorative sense), we, as a family and a community, remain incredibly lucky and privileged.<br />
<h2>
Our 2018</h2>
<div>
As usual, I think the best way to try to summarise the year is in categories, and even then, I won't be including everything, or a lot of detail. In 12 months, with 5 active people, a huge amount happens! Here's a bit of a summary.</div>
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<h3>
Work, Study, Hobbies and Creativity</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQLwRkKSM8YRIh0n-RX-ItEK-E0uUntK7W_aZt7bpdaIJA0EZzAdOpB5kxQjP5FF-Ntom9Cj2xqSmrWugAM-tneqntAry8b-kDWpAZPyjk8B5wmbh5Dab7PNHd8H-wG4vrGEK2QzVyg5F/s1600/2018wrap4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQLwRkKSM8YRIh0n-RX-ItEK-E0uUntK7W_aZt7bpdaIJA0EZzAdOpB5kxQjP5FF-Ntom9Cj2xqSmrWugAM-tneqntAry8b-kDWpAZPyjk8B5wmbh5Dab7PNHd8H-wG4vrGEK2QzVyg5F/s400/2018wrap4.jpg" width="400" /></a>For my elder two daughters, this has been a fantastic year at school. Completing years 8 and 9 respectively, they both excelled academically, and have also been able to pursue lots of extracurricular activities that they enjoy. </div>
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My 15 year old plays clarinet in a band at school and will next year be doing VCE Japanese early because of her great results, while my 13 year old was in the top 10 academic achievers of her year level, was elected Social Justice Leader for 2019, and continues to be an active part of the school's photography and chess clubs.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia64cDGrwB13hULz8qOSYZcibnLO8iITuDRrOdtoVUX_hLuLVavsAm7wceexOZ10RWrO3lBV2gscgzgAIBVk3bCAoagTaK-5hjiVOKEr-5fQd61UncYFRmCEl4GGvyXUX8VKbn9cXGj6c1/s1600/201811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia64cDGrwB13hULz8qOSYZcibnLO8iITuDRrOdtoVUX_hLuLVavsAm7wceexOZ10RWrO3lBV2gscgzgAIBVk3bCAoagTaK-5hjiVOKEr-5fQd61UncYFRmCEl4GGvyXUX8VKbn9cXGj6c1/s400/201811.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Both girls also continued with debating, and both improved a lot this year, which thrilled my crusty old debating heart.</div>
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My 9 year old had a much more mixed year at school, for a few reasons, and we have decided in the end to move her to another school for year 5 next year. Academically, she is doing well, but we think the new environment will be a welcome circuit breaker for her. Fingers crossed!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6EJZkhipYSAcpDEfRWHZtNIyqYr6j2FB5OFLQQAcX2RLLsXpNTAlnLOyU1jRb-ywiY74gOPtHyhKkfpyyCvqj1wuzDCguNTG4_kjuupr5MI8cz4OAfflceQ2SMVyhxpXIedSRPtlhs33/s1600/201910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6EJZkhipYSAcpDEfRWHZtNIyqYr6j2FB5OFLQQAcX2RLLsXpNTAlnLOyU1jRb-ywiY74gOPtHyhKkfpyyCvqj1wuzDCguNTG4_kjuupr5MI8cz4OAfflceQ2SMVyhxpXIedSRPtlhs33/s400/201910.jpg" width="400" /></a>My husband continued in the job he's now marked 15 years with, which is in itself a milestone. My freelance business grew again this year - starting the year with three ongoing clients, I've finished with five that I'll be carrying into 2019, including my Adelaide client. </div>
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I've successfully travelled to Adelaide 8 times for work in 2018, which, combined with the flights undertaken for personal reasons (see Holidays below!) has seen me board a plane without melting down no less than 22 times, which in itself represents a massive personal triumph for me, given how much I dislike and fear air travel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW-rjOz1uld5ImqV8YDRq7q5iGqCqWFTZu996lJw3GrtBJiB5YPs-QdnZzo35H-lNE3ek2rYi0TcV_PfsVpd3xv62iqtHJJEF0wbEXsX9svORXHG-QM9HEG2fkqBJ0RfLAKLwexUw9hyphenhyphenf/s1600/201820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW-rjOz1uld5ImqV8YDRq7q5iGqCqWFTZu996lJw3GrtBJiB5YPs-QdnZzo35H-lNE3ek2rYi0TcV_PfsVpd3xv62iqtHJJEF0wbEXsX9svORXHG-QM9HEG2fkqBJ0RfLAKLwexUw9hyphenhyphenf/s400/201820.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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With five projects to service, I am busy, often a bit too busy, but I've been free to really focus on paying down the mortgage and putting money away against leaner times (because those will come, they always do), and that makes me feel more secure. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUOojp8pCdeesFLb2gLp-GaGZNmUAEsUoDmZ88uz3FMVYefJcEeEMWoPiYKybOx6Cpv38KjTNFO7nv5lJ8h29EgP7SgGNsQcd1Zh2dUdZnpr1HEJgpSFGtLVxyVAlesoSolOlxAqldayp/s1600/201912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUOojp8pCdeesFLb2gLp-GaGZNmUAEsUoDmZ88uz3FMVYefJcEeEMWoPiYKybOx6Cpv38KjTNFO7nv5lJ8h29EgP7SgGNsQcd1Zh2dUdZnpr1HEJgpSFGtLVxyVAlesoSolOlxAqldayp/s400/201912.jpg" width="400" /></a>I've relied heavily on my terrific subcontractor this year, and will be again in 2019. And in a great bonus, three out of my five clients sent me expressions of satisfaction with my work that were made at their governing body's final meetings of the year, so that is always very satisfying.</div>
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Creatively, it has been a good year, with one major disappointment. I won a poetry prize in May (the Ada Cambridge Commended) and my poems, Saudade and After an Ocular Migraine, were published in an anthology, so that was nice. </div>
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My 15 year old had three poems published in an anthology put together by her online poetry group, which was also great. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_IkGiu6ofiH5wZ4Gz-kyXjzTQ2EuaCJ9fSXymrJDNNNwWCkAuCbZLh9qNI3wnHmPoUGtqIZHeMTJWqeK55t2WV0aKMWvReJBFEQKcmoR6dunDnEKwIihlT8oLBv2dbLNTTuLVDbCO14B/s1600/201913b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_IkGiu6ofiH5wZ4Gz-kyXjzTQ2EuaCJ9fSXymrJDNNNwWCkAuCbZLh9qNI3wnHmPoUGtqIZHeMTJWqeK55t2WV0aKMWvReJBFEQKcmoR6dunDnEKwIihlT8oLBv2dbLNTTuLVDbCO14B/s400/201913b.jpg" width="300" /></a>My 13 year old's creativity was largely expressed physically / visually, with her burgeoning interest in cosplay and particularly cosplay dance. She is now in two separate cosplay dance groups, which she is loving.</div>
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My 9 year old discovered both writing creatively and music this year, and is keen to do more of both next year. She and I are currently writing a story together, which is great fun.</div>
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The only thing I'm disappointed about on this front is that I did not, in the end, manage to get my planned poetry collection published. I just did not have the time or headspace in the end, and wound up being scared off from self-publishing by the horror stories and complications that I heard about from others. I'd like to try again in 2019, but might limit myself to an ebook release.<br />
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Health, Family and Activity</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6OmBKnz4AWqcqI41adfmTtAa0K1zgdtFACiHEkR9GMGc1BTmUKAlSC-u1WnNL65AfmBXUFGFEbIKjGhpVZWAjQEskmhVp4mufHz5GP0cnVLX6x7u5JOaL6oERKN7NgY3lzMsnOvgKIkg/s1600/201824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6OmBKnz4AWqcqI41adfmTtAa0K1zgdtFACiHEkR9GMGc1BTmUKAlSC-u1WnNL65AfmBXUFGFEbIKjGhpVZWAjQEskmhVp4mufHz5GP0cnVLX6x7u5JOaL6oERKN7NgY3lzMsnOvgKIkg/s400/201824.jpg" width="400" /></a>The biggest health news of the year for us was my 9 year old's diagnosis in November with Coeliac Disease. We had suspected for some time that this might be the case, but found out for sure then. </div>
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It is not the end of the world, especially with myself and the 13 year old already diagnosed, but it has definitely been a transitional adjustment period.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ga_zthdI0BNbp9typ3j2uhmB8_RZYV_u4KTP4L4YKC9NZ5QORhBon0fpujfiY2wZ_TAbNwpXfXhONeb65Zxabl7RBnHw8wepzcds7sizcy70EMk1ROnTOK-1jv-tpkpGs5QnBt8nvo-l/s1600/20187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ga_zthdI0BNbp9typ3j2uhmB8_RZYV_u4KTP4L4YKC9NZ5QORhBon0fpujfiY2wZ_TAbNwpXfXhONeb65Zxabl7RBnHw8wepzcds7sizcy70EMk1ROnTOK-1jv-tpkpGs5QnBt8nvo-l/s400/20187.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a>My 15 year old has stuck with jujitsu all year and is really enjoying it, and will continue it into 2019. Both 9 and 13 year olds did weekly ice skating, but both have decided to not continue with it next year. The 13 year old will substitute dance (with her groups), while the 9 year old is probably going to return to weekly swimming.</div>
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We had, on the whole, a healthy year, with the odd cold or tummy bug here and there, but other than the lead-up to 9 year old's Coeliac diagnosis, no really sustained periods of ill health for anyone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAsf2BCTHe4a3Hsn162s54dvWh2yu8EMuUI1DEzyztyLJobTn3iz9r6Wx99A0Xw_bA8HsAVg-Ha0tmCaqGWyL-Hv4WFy2Qel4A6PsBBhcxBB-gC1ym4WeVOzfLIZx57xi6HLYf0f5Ukqb/s1600/201915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAsf2BCTHe4a3Hsn162s54dvWh2yu8EMuUI1DEzyztyLJobTn3iz9r6Wx99A0Xw_bA8HsAVg-Ha0tmCaqGWyL-Hv4WFy2Qel4A6PsBBhcxBB-gC1ym4WeVOzfLIZx57xi6HLYf0f5Ukqb/s400/201915.jpg" width="400" /></a>The saddest news of the year was my mother-in-law's death, aged 81, in March, which occurred the day before mine and my husband's 20th wedding anniversary. March was therefore a month of extremely mixed, and intense, emotions.</div>
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Holidays, Special Days and Keynote Events</h3>
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What a year it was under this heading! If I started going into detail about everything, I'd never stop, so let's go dot points.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLa9Zqt1FAj-mrLT8zWWlDYfCIPb_6rjAf_DBLz_3_18NQvsXgPr5pLej-wKo_oNS90YOsqVYUe2FACyp9CpERGKcb3N5WabZjgDtb0kHU1-ENbcQ3TXoiBlk7S9C7RxxyEyi9BeGt8bn/s1600/201816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLa9Zqt1FAj-mrLT8zWWlDYfCIPb_6rjAf_DBLz_3_18NQvsXgPr5pLej-wKo_oNS90YOsqVYUe2FACyp9CpERGKcb3N5WabZjgDtb0kHU1-ENbcQ3TXoiBlk7S9C7RxxyEyi9BeGt8bn/s400/201816.jpg" width="400" /></a>- We went on holidays as a family twice: to Japan in April, and to Sea Lake in September. Both were, in very different ways, terrific. Japan was honestly one of the best experiences of my life to date.</div>
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- We hosted an exchange student from Japan in July, which was marvellous.</div>
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- My 15 year old daughter went on a science trip to the USA, including a 5-day visit to NASA Space Camp, with a group of STEM kids in October. To say she loved it would be an epic understatement.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6SDAjJcKa_RcA4j3k1IlHAK78dL75s4bdomoE3T5VWnlPWCvleVqy4BERzrnYf8c9bFn7b6jjRNJzxj7sScEFxLP6ShXxs0lrh8Fxse97cOuOL5z85KnVQktJpFg4c-paqi5JexffOuc/s1600/201817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6SDAjJcKa_RcA4j3k1IlHAK78dL75s4bdomoE3T5VWnlPWCvleVqy4BERzrnYf8c9bFn7b6jjRNJzxj7sScEFxLP6ShXxs0lrh8Fxse97cOuOL5z85KnVQktJpFg4c-paqi5JexffOuc/s400/201817.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a><br />
- We did the birthday thing - a party at home for youngest in February, we went with a group to Box Hill JapanFest for the middle kid in May, and the 15 year old got exactly what she wanted by being given the house to herself for an entire day in August to have friends over to hang out.</div>
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- My Dad's 70th in November was a blast.</div>
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- We did the convention thing in spades this year, mostly for the kids. As usual, we worked at OzComicCon in June, and also attended Japanese Summer Festival (February), JapanFest Box Hill (May), Animaga (August), and Madman Anime (November).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwacMjI1E3DrWTcQF3Q7RS4FTrZSbsRuLugfju_cTSlUFmwkho9_OqQhgv8IKhC9gP-jmJ-4DInZYh28DDYNx-YMj3wNsPJvbxX0ECUWmmcm9mKogs1t5pMVVgLrBkd9afUDj77nAncRq/s1600/201821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwacMjI1E3DrWTcQF3Q7RS4FTrZSbsRuLugfju_cTSlUFmwkho9_OqQhgv8IKhC9gP-jmJ-4DInZYh28DDYNx-YMj3wNsPJvbxX0ECUWmmcm9mKogs1t5pMVVgLrBkd9afUDj77nAncRq/s400/201821.jpg" width="400" /></a>- Mother's Day and Father's Day were celebrated.<br />
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- We kind of skipped Easter this year, as we were in Japan, but Halloween and Christmas both got the full treatment.</div>
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- We went to some concerts and shows - stand outs were Roger Waters, which husband and I saw as our 20th anniversary thing, and for eldest kid, Evanescence.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwJ2BjiVdpOWzFOEcBBGy8vTw7jreFmnnE6rsPqHxE0TjAJDCvTyLzq_8E288rhOj_bUgVR-tNyqTD9D52uVUz4u05ETh8PQEkVLD6-8Lxpu84spD9_mODT7pBw35PlxzlWRxI-_Uve8D/s1600/201822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwJ2BjiVdpOWzFOEcBBGy8vTw7jreFmnnE6rsPqHxE0TjAJDCvTyLzq_8E288rhOj_bUgVR-tNyqTD9D52uVUz4u05ETh8PQEkVLD6-8Lxpu84spD9_mODT7pBw35PlxzlWRxI-_Uve8D/s400/201822.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Looking forward</h3>
The year ahead looks promising, if a little daunting, at this stage. Work and school will remain busy, and integrating my youngest into her new school will no doubt have its challenges.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVtUPW5r6qtec9vb57lmpevEf4rRa1X_aEllmvii4QneX5MYurZ4qJtLDFysUUrE4k4byW-Coy11t_t0cAOdbBLGUGZV0WaYGmRaGvdSq6JaK7kCiFM3F3MTtO4GEJHeoU32sl-I-aPdq/s1600/IMG_4807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVtUPW5r6qtec9vb57lmpevEf4rRa1X_aEllmvii4QneX5MYurZ4qJtLDFysUUrE4k4byW-Coy11t_t0cAOdbBLGUGZV0WaYGmRaGvdSq6JaK7kCiFM3F3MTtO4GEJHeoU32sl-I-aPdq/s400/IMG_4807.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
My elder two are off to Japan again in April, this time for 2.5 weeks with a school group, while husband, youngest and myself are off to Far North Queensland for 12 days while they are overseas.<br />
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We're also going to Sydney in September for 10-12 days as a driving holiday, which will incorporate Sydney OzComicCon.<br />
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I have a 5-year plan now for my business (well, 4.5 from now - it is a plan from July 2018 - June 2023). I am hoping this will be a period of modest growth, or at least no decline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqPY3fXoWTJGEuolqiederrzgkN6MrUGVxYqaMBqD9thHaB7U3fCRHrD1-08LSWG6D6oJqC2IcjO2rRizHpxFlf4qJL2Nzd_Wxj7OdSPrntc52ld5shcWbEzihh0QQgP2yrH085gFS9k1/s1600/IMG_4316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqPY3fXoWTJGEuolqiederrzgkN6MrUGVxYqaMBqD9thHaB7U3fCRHrD1-08LSWG6D6oJqC2IcjO2rRizHpxFlf4qJL2Nzd_Wxj7OdSPrntc52ld5shcWbEzihh0QQgP2yrH085gFS9k1/s400/IMG_4316.JPG" width="400" /></a>I have decided that my goal I am setting myself is to be in a position to close down my business in December 2035, when I will be 62 years old.<br />
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My husband is 4 years older than me, so in the most ideal of worlds, we'd retire together at that time (he'll be 66). If we are very careful and very strategic, we should be able to do this. Then, I see myself putting more and more effort and energy into both poetry and volunteering. We shall see!<br />
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So, as the year draws to a close, I hope that 2019 holds good things for each and every one of my friends, acquaintances, colleagues and neighbours. No doubt it will be a mixed bag, because that is what life is - but let it be a time where light reaches into dark corners too. That is a small hope, but it is what I wish, for me, for you, and for all of us.<br />
<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-18403006523043549232018-12-24T21:22:00.001+11:002018-12-24T21:22:42.350+11:00Christmas Card in a PoemChristmas Day tomorrow, so herewith is my usual greeting of the season.<br />
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I hope 25 December is a good day, the best day it can be.<br />
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This is what I wish for those who will be doing big family events, and those having a quiet one at home with the teev.<br />
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This is what I wish for those for whom Christmas is easy and fun and joyous, and for those for whom it is hard and awful and terribly sad.<br />
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This is what I wish for those who don't celebrate Christmas at all, and those who used to, and don't anymore, and those who want to, but can't.<br />
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I don't do Christmas cards anymore, but instead I write a Christmas sevenling poem, as my card to you all. Please to accept it as my sincere wish for you all as 2018 draws to its end.<br />
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<b>A Christmas Sevenling for 2018</b><br />
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Three colours dominate the season:<br />
Red for the holly we do not grow; green for the pine trees brought to these shores;<br />
white for the snow that never falls on us in the summered south.<br />
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Another way to look at it is this:<br />
Red for all the blood of the ages; green for the promise of new things;<br />
white for sadness, and also for purity, and also, hope.<br />
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The colours promise: the year, again, dies to be reborn, as shall we all.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-63793530643046135992018-12-20T10:10:00.000+11:002018-12-20T10:15:57.063+11:00Photo every dayI have started doing the "post a photo every day" thing on Insta over the past month. I quite like doing it - I am a big recorder of things, and this is giving me a daily prompt to record something from everyday life in an easy, straightforward way.<br />
<br />
I created three collages of the first month of doing it, just for ease of reference. I thought I might post them here, on the basis that the more broadly they are distributed, the less chance one individual app will eat my record :-)<br />
<br />
So here is 28 Days in My Life, in photos, without captions or explanations ... just for fun. I'll probably do a similar compilation every month. (For those who can count, yes, there is one less photo than there should be - this is because I posted a video one day instead of a still, and I can't embed that in a collage).<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-85691594703425186802018-11-18T17:00:00.004+11:002018-11-18T17:00:42.787+11:00On the world beneath the coversHaving finished Dianna Wynne Jones' classic The Power of Three, my 9 year old and I have started on now started on Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men for bedtime reading.<br />
<br />
I am going to profoundly miss it when she decides she is too old for shared reading. Reading to, and with, my girls has been hands down my favourite part of parenting. I have so, so many rich memories of particular stories and the way they have all responded, and the stories I have discovered and rediscovered with them.<br />
<br />
It all started with picture books - things like nursery rhymes, The Velveteen Rabbit, Pumpkin Soup, Sleepy Pendoodle, all the Mem Fox and Pamela Allen books, Charlie and Lola, Shirley Barber, the Hairy McClarys, and my childhood pile of Golden Books. Early reader fodder from Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, the Rainbow Fairies and many others - revisiting the Faraway Tree and Famous Five was a particular joy. Taking each child to the Misty Mountain and Narnia, and on the water with The Wind in the Willows, was incredible. The big girls and I particularly loved the Wrinkle in Time series.<br />
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I have passed on my devotion to The Dark is Rising series three times now. I did Anne of Green Gables with the older two, and the My Side of the Mountain books with the youngest. We got through the first four Silver Brumby books before horsey interest started to wane. We have read Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, and with the older ones, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. We found new material together too, like the Sky Horses series, Clarice Bean and Ruby Redfort from Lauren Childs, and the wonderful My Australian Girl books.<br />
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There were more - so many more. If I have any regret at all, it is that I didn't keep a reading log (something I also wish more broadly in my own life that I had done, but ... bygones).<br />
<br />
They all have their favourites. My eldest favours anything with even the slightest whiff of dystopia. The middle kid likes mysteries and sad stories. The youngest likes fantasy and nature stories. There is one clear overlap winner in terms of adoration, and that is The Dark is Rising (because Susan Cooper is queen, no don't argue, she just is).<br />
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I really hope that, when my girls look back on their childhoods, they remember that among all the many imperfections, there was always time and will to open up the covers of a book and step into wonder together.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-11975524273772204712018-10-21T15:46:00.000+11:002018-10-21T15:46:00.692+11:00A Nonet for Baking at Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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after a day of slings and arrows<br />
needlesticks and playground upsets<br />
at last, sliding through the door:<br />
straight through to the kitchen<br />
to squeeze out the day<br />
in soft butter<br />
rich doughy<br />
sweetness -<br />
homeKathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-40412386581593729592018-10-01T21:13:00.001+10:002018-10-01T21:13:46.090+10:00Spring holiday at the mirror lake: In pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We got home last Thursday from a 5-day family holiday to Lake Tyrrell, in Victoria's Wimmera Mallee region. Lake Tyrrell is a shallow lake resting entirely on a bed of rock salt. It is quite otherwordly and amazing; I highly recommend it as a destination if you want to have your mind blown (and get some awesome photos!)<br />
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Here are some of our really good shots.<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-68523595393284800792018-07-15T17:55:00.002+10:002018-07-15T17:55:15.425+10:00The half-year gone, the half-year to comeI have been such a desultory blogger this year. I have been busy, but it has been more than that - I'm finding myself more inclined to use my writing energy on poetry and flash fiction rather than life logging, and that is OK (to everything a season ...)<br />
<br />
However, I'm not ready yet to give away my blog. It has served a lot of useful purposes for me over the years, not least as an aide memoire regarding the many things we've done, thought, tried, and loved. I thought it might be time to do a meta-check-in, for Future Me if nothing else!<br />
<br />
2018 is now half-over. So far, in big-ticket items, it's brought me:<br />
- A poetry award<br />
- Our wonderful trip to Japan (April)<br />
- A fulltime workload in my freelance business<br />
- Great family birthday celebrations<br />
- 3 business trips to Adelaide<br />
- In sadder news, the passing of my mother-in-law<br />
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For the rest of this year, I am looking at:<br />
- Continuing fulltime workload<br />
- Small family trip to Sea Lake (just 5 days, but should be good)<br />
- Possible USA trip for my eldest kid to Space Academy (she is hoping anyway!)<br />
- Release of my poetry book, She Said: Women of Story<br />
- Planning and booking our next overseas holiday to New Zealand (early 2019)<br />
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Health-wise, it has been a good year on the whole. We've all had minor colds and stomach upsets, and I have had one fatigue crash probably due to one of my autoimmunes lolloping out of control temporarily, but basically it's all been good.<br />
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Family-wise, I won't say it has been an unchallenging year. The events preceding and following my mother-in-law's death were very difficult, as well as, of course, the death itself and the emotions surrounding that. We have also had other problems of varying scope and severity, which we have worked through, but it hasn't been an easy journey.<br />
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I feel like I have already run a marathon this year and there is still half of it to go - both with tiring but amazing things, and with tiring and hard / painful things. Working a fulltime load and juggling between three clients, as I have been doing since returning from Japan, is taking a toll on me, and it will not let up this year - maybe not until mid-2019, depending on how things go.<br />
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I am hoping that the back half of 2019 will be a little less booked with work - my ideal would be 3.5 - 4 days a week, instead of the 5-6 I am currently doing - but that is a year away, which might as well be a lifetime.<br />
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The money is really nice, and is allowing us to make extra mortgage payments, have a holiday in NZ next year to celebrate my partner's 50th birthday (way earlier than we had thought we'd be able to go overseas again!), and look at some house renovations that we've been wanting to do. The cost, though, is real, in terms of energy, health, creativity, and family life. I can do it for another year and we'll certainly be able to make good use of the funds. But I don't want to keep going like this indefinitely.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-28561931455090976902018-06-04T09:09:00.000+10:002018-06-04T09:09:13.797+10:00After School Care and letting go of the guiltMy youngest child is now 9 years old. In Grade 4 at school, she is a happy student - loves going to school, has many friends, is doing well academically and enjoys the social aspects greatly.<br />
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Since she started in Prep in 2014, she has usually done 1-2 nights a week of after school care. In 2014, with her sisters who were then also at primary school, she went on Monday and Tuesday nights to accommodate my work schedule (I was at that time in a salaried office job). 2015 was a single night (Tuesdays) as I dropped to part time hours at work. In 2016, she only went on an ad hoc basis, as my freelance work needs dictated. In 2017, we booked a regular night each week (Thursdays) which gave me the capacity to have one longer day for meetings and client visits. This year, we started off just continuing the Thursdays, but starting from May, we also added in Tuesdays when I started a new project that requires one office day a week (which is Tuesday).<br />
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Unlike her older sisters, who tolerated after care but didn't love it, my 9 year old has always really enjoyed going along. We've been very lucky to have terrific co-ordinators of the after care program across the time that my kids have needed to use it, and the kids get a great mix of free play, activities, and guided games and learning. My youngest is a very social kid and she's really appreciated the extra play time with peers, and the fun of doing different things.<br />
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I have spent a lot of time feeling vaguely guilty about after care. Not so much the single night a week - even I, self-flagellator that I am, could not help but see that as an unequivocal good, for both her and my workload. Increasing to two nights caused me a bit of a pang, though, despite her excitement about it.<br />
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However, I had a bit of an epiphany last week. I had to travel to Adelaide for work for most of the week, and to accommodate her dad's work needs, she ended up going to after care for 4 of the 5 nights of the week (every day except Monday, when I was still in Melbourne). And guess what? She LOVED it. She was voted Student Leader for the week and had a magnificent time. She did crafts, games, cooking and science experiments. She consolidated friendships with kids she already liked, and met new friends. She had virtually no weekday screen time, and I am sure partly as a result, slept better than her usual wont.<br />
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I realised, finally, that I am not abrogating my parental duties by recognising that our week runs better (hers as well as mine) if she goes to after care and I have adequate time to do my work. It means that the time we get together is of much better quality, and more meaningful. We have paused her swimming lessons for 3 months, as we do every winter, so her only extracurricular activity at the moment is ukelele lessons (which she actually does at school, during lunchbreaks), so after care also fills a void very nicely for her in a way that causes zero extra stress for me when co-ordinating my increasingly demanding work schedule.<br />
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So we had a chat this morning, she and I, and we've agreed (to her delight) that from next term, she's going to be attending after care 3 days per week. Mondays, which is a fixed work at home day for me, we'll enjoy our walk home together with the dog and our Monday baking tradition. Fridays, I'll attend school assembly and we'll enjoy end-of-week downtime together. The other three days, she'll go to after care and have fun and I'll concentrate on getting full work days in so my life becomes more manageable.<br />
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I think this is going to end up being a good decision, for her and for me.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-27399289364829763112018-06-03T10:20:00.001+10:002018-06-03T10:20:51.181+10:00Year Three in BusinessMy third anniversary in business as a freelance policy, strategy and governance consultant will arrive in a couple of weeks' time, so I thought now might be a good opportunity to review The Year That Was and think about the year to come.<br />
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As always, let's start with stats. This year, I have:<br />
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- Worked for 6 clients - 4 universities, 1 state government agency, and 1 SME. The balance of the work has been roughly 50% University A, 25% University B, 15% state government, and 10% University C and D and the SME together. One of the university projects came online very late in the year (May), and another was very small, while the SME was a one-shot, which is why C and D and SME together were only a small contribution to the total.<br />
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- Had 12 weeks completely off - a week apiece in the July and September school holidays, 3 weeks over summer, a week apiece of project pause time in August, September and November respectively, and 4 weeks in April (the entire month) when we travelled to Japan.<br />
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- Worked an average of 4 days a week in the 40 weeks I worked (this was unevenly deployed, with a few 10-day-no-break stretches and some weeks with only a couple of working days in them).<br />
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- Attended client sites for meetings an average of 1 day a week except in my Monster Quarter, where it was usually 2 days a week.<br />
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- Did 3 business trips to Adelaide for a client there who I've been working with since November.<br />
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- Had a very uneven spread of work across the year, with Monster Quarter 2 (Sept-Dec) carrying 35% of the overall year's work while Quarter 4 (Apr-June) carried only 15% (this was largely due to the 4 week break in April and a billing cycle that has pushed some payments forward into next financial year). Quarters 1 and 3 carried 22% and 28% respectively.<br />
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- Again made use of subcontract labour to deal with overflow work. I have one very reliable subbie now who definitely helps me manage the fluctuations of the workload, and others I can call upon in desperate times, although that is not as successful generally as they don't have the depth of understanding of my work areas.<br />
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- Earned 85% of my earnings from 2016-17 (so a drop of 15%). My goal that I set last year was to have a drop of 10% (I knew that losing April, which is usually one of the most lucrative months of the year, meant I would not match, let alone exceed, last year's total), so I did not quite meet this goal, largely due to a quiet stretch in August-September that I hadn't anticipated. Still, my earnings were more than adequate for our needs, and given that I worked 3 less weeks, I can't really complain.<br />
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In non-statistical terms, it has been, on balance, a good year, with moments of being less stellar (but what job or work arrangement doesn't have that?) Learning how to effectively service an interstate client has been interesting and rewarding, and all the projects have had their challenging but also engrossing elements. I have had times of great fatigue, but because I work primarily from home, I have been able to calibrate around my health and energy in a way I wouldn't have been able to do in an office environment, so I count myself very fortunate in that regard.<br />
<br />
Looking at my goals that I set last year, I did not too badly. My goals were:<br />
<br />
- Get within 10% of 2016-17 earnings: As stated earlier, I didn't quite do this, with a 15% drop, but I went close.<br />
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- Take 10 weeks off: I actually had 12, but 2 of them weren't by choice!<br />
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- Try to expand my client base: I did this, picking up two new university clients with big projects (including my Adelaide client). I now have three large university clients and two more ad hoc / smaller universities, as well as one government agency and one SME. So that goal has worked out well.<br />
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For 2018-19, I am in the unusual position of having the first 9 months already sewn up with work. All three of my big university projects will roll on until at least March 2019, with one of them definitely continuing through til June and one other probably doing so. This means that my income projection is a bit more predictable than it usually is, and also that I am relieved of the burden of seeking further work - a part of freelancing I do not overly enjoy. While I could squeeze in other things - and will no doubt try, if the opportunity offers! - I am not in the position of *having* to find more work until at least March next year, and that's really quite nice.<br />
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I'll also be taking a more routine / structured approach to my work weeks, with one fixed day a week on campus for one client, further trips to Adelaide for another, and a more systematic allocation of days between the three big client projects, which I hope will both help manage the heavy workload and also help me with the code-switching I have to do between the projects and their different styles. I anticipate some weekend work will be needed in overlapping peak times, but I am trying to keep that to a real minimum.<br />
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My goals for 2018-19 in business are:<br />
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<b>1. Exceed 2017-18 income by 20%.</b> This effectively means doing 5% better than my best year so far (2016-17) and given my locked-in work, it should be more than achievable, given that I will not be absenting myself for one of the most lucrative periods of the year!<br />
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<b>2. Take 6-7 weeks off</b>. I will, as is my wont, take a week apiece in the July, September and Easter school holidays, and I'll take the Christmas and NY weeks over summer. I'll have to see how things are sitting, but if I can, I'll make that summer break 3 weeks instead of 2 (but given the projects' timelines, that may not be feasible). I'd also love to take another week, maybe configured as a couple of 2-3 day stretches, at some point in the back half of this year, while the kids are at school, to give me a chance to do a few time-hungry personal / life admin tasks I have been putting off, and catch up with friends I rarely see.<br />
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<b>3. Plan work strategy for the next 5 years</b>. I'll be 45 years old in a couple of weeks. At the moment, freelancing is working well for me, but I need to put some serious thought into whether this how I want to continue to work in the second half of my 40s, and if so, what my business plan might be for sustainable work attraction, delivery and future savings. I do have a tendency to roll on without thinking further ahead than the next 6 months work-wise, which can be an advantage in that it reduces stress of worrying about unknown unknowns, but isn't the best approach when you are trying to work out how to have a productive mid-life in preparation for a hopefully modest-but-not-impoverished old age.<br />
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We won't be taking any big trips in this coming financial year - we've got a nice little 5-day mini-break in the Mallee lined up for September, and will probably do a few days or a week somewhere local next Easter hols too - so that does make work planning easier in a lot of ways. We are, however, thinking of doing an overseas trip in 2019-2020, possibly to either Hawaii or New Zealand, so next year's planning will look a little different! But for now, onwards and upwards into the new financial year.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-41668629833671930562018-04-25T10:20:00.000+10:002018-04-25T10:20:10.158+10:00Japan Series 2: Accommodation in Japan for Families and Groups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our balcony in Kyoto</td></tr>
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Travelling in Japan with a family, or a group of 4 or more that wants to stay together, can be a real challenge. Family rooms in hotels (ie rooms that sleep more than 3 people) are rarer than hen's teeth, especially in premium locations, and where they do exist, they are very expensive. If you add in a need or preference to be able to cook and do laundry, accommodation gets harder again.<br />
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We travelled as a family of 5, and ended up having a great experience staying in Japan - but not through wholly conventional means!<br />
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For families and groups, some kinds of accommodation options are off the table from the start. Hostels and capsule hotels (the ones where they slide you into a bed that looks like a pod - *shudder*) are not available for children at all. You really have three kinds of options:<br />
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1. Ryokans (Traditional Japanese hotels)<br />
2. Apartment stays (there are several sites that do this, but for Westerners, by far the easiest to use is Air BnB)<br />
3. Western-style hotels<br />
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We used each of these options in our time in Japan, with a preponderence of our stay being in Air BnB apartments. Each have their pros and cons, as I will discuss below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryokan in Yudanaka</td></tr>
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<h3>
Option 1: Ryokan (Traditional Japanese hotels)</h3>
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Ryokans are, it must be said, lovely. They involve sleeping on floor mats in tatami-floored rooms, but bathrooms and toilets are usually Western-style (although it is worth checking, especially if you have physical restrictions that would make it difficult to use a squat toilet). Many ryokans also have an onsite onsen (Japanese hot bathhouse), which adds a touch of luxury to the experience; and while you are there, you will eat traditional Japanese food (dinner and breakfast are often part of the price, and we found that they are so rich and bountiful that we only needed fruit and crackers for lunch).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the ryokan</td></tr>
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The ryokan experience is not a cheap one. Prices vary, of course, but for a nice ryokan, especially one in a popular area with an experience attached to it (ie we stayed at one in Yudanaka, which is the town where tourists come to see the snow monkeys), you'd be looking at about $180AUD per person per night - not something most families could afford to do for long (we had 2 nights at ours). Of course, dinner and breakfast inclusions, and access to the onsen, does help offset that cost, but it is still not something most could do for an entire trip.</div>
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If it is something you can find the budget to do though, even if for a single night, I would highly recommend it. It gives you a slower, more measured and culturally embedded experience than Western-style hotels do.</div>
<h3>
Option 2: Air BnB</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corridor of our Air BnB building in Shibuya, Tokyo</td></tr>
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Air BnB is regulated and regularised in Japan, by Act of Parliament. The Housing Accommodation Business Act comes into full effect this July (2018), and provides for Air BnB operators to legally and openly conduct their businesses provided certain conditions are met. <a href="https://www.airbnbcitizen.com/an-important-update-about-airbnb-in-japan/">Air BnB is proactively moving to ensure that its hosts will be in compliance with the law</a>, and you can book via the site with confidence that the necessary permits and licenses have been obtained.<br />
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This does provide protections for Air BnB clients (as well as hosts, and very importantly, neighbours) that are not always present in less regulated Air BnB environments. I had a degree of nervousness about using Air BnB for family travel, but it proved unwarranted, thankfully.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One-room apartment in Shibuya. Bathroom was a tiny attached cell.</td></tr>
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Air BnB was the option we used by far the most for our Japan holiday, with 17 of our 21 nights being spent in Air BnB apartments. We used five different AirBnBs - for 5 nights in Shibuya, Tokyo; 2 nights in Nagoya; 6 nights in Kyoto; 2 nights in Osaka; and 2 nights in Hiroshima.<br />
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Overall, our Air BnB experience was top-notch. We had no problems accessing any of the five properties - the instructions provided were detailed and accurate. All properties matched their description well, and all five hosts were excellent quick communicators.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room in Nagoya</td></tr>
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We stayed at five very different kinds of places. The room in Shibuya was extremely basic - just a place to crash and no cooking facilities - but was excellently located. The apartment in Nagoya was very plain but serviceable. The Kyoto apartment, where we stayed the longest, was, in my opinion, the nicest - we had three bedrooms, a dining room with a table that seated 6 people, and a fully equipped kitchen, plus it was very well positioned. The Osaka apartment was little but funky, while in Hiroshima, the 5th-floor apartment was comfortable and well-equipped and had a nice view.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4RqPgBAJnKDKpw42tTpoQncvgRa0KTzMJgLgcl4WVQyk8z1ETrZwgmnoyzskYP9GsIcqLmdOT03QF6xlYIQeCDVlqrAJ1q9yrtKn3XAhgmrNUn2zTZwJh7KXOnEo7jOi7JpMG_1Vz2cz/s1600/nagkitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4RqPgBAJnKDKpw42tTpoQncvgRa0KTzMJgLgcl4WVQyk8z1ETrZwgmnoyzskYP9GsIcqLmdOT03QF6xlYIQeCDVlqrAJ1q9yrtKn3XAhgmrNUn2zTZwJh7KXOnEo7jOi7JpMG_1Vz2cz/s640/nagkitch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagoya kitchen</td></tr>
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There were minor niggles in each location - hot water dodgy in one, unuseably slow wi fi in another, neighbour noise at 4am when a bakery was getting deliveries, that sort of thing - but nothing that really impeded us in any meaningful way.<br />
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One thing that was blessedly easy in Air BnB was our non-smoking needs. Air BnB hosts in Japan are SUPER stern about not smoking in the properties - so much so that they promise to bill you a hefty extra cleaning fee if there is any evidence of smoking. Perhaps we were just lucky in this, but prior tenants appear to have kept to the rules as none of our apartments had even the faintest hint of smoke. This is not always something that can be said for hotel rooms - not too long ago I had to get a room changed at a hotel in Adelaide due to smokiness - so I was very happy and grateful that it worked out so well with Air BnB in Japan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_89kpBQGwBVF0e-KyHo4iRm1knQayPhEw0bx3NwwDHCqco2YZwz4wnCuphq3VzlV98KvNDxIcxQ76o2-CjLEGxfMblVqUtwpXiwbifOoVfgd8_NjtsVnroon8K_Hk0WCAz1By-FiyEek/s1600/kyotkitchliv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_89kpBQGwBVF0e-KyHo4iRm1knQayPhEw0bx3NwwDHCqco2YZwz4wnCuphq3VzlV98KvNDxIcxQ76o2-CjLEGxfMblVqUtwpXiwbifOoVfgd8_NjtsVnroon8K_Hk0WCAz1By-FiyEek/s640/kyotkitchliv.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyoto kitchen and living area</td></tr>
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On balance, I think Air BnB is the best option for travel in Japan as a family or a group. Here are the pros and cons as I see them:<br />
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<b>PROS</b><br />
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- <b>Cost</b>: Air BnB in the locations we stayed at cost around 40 - 50% what two hotel rooms (which we would need for 5 people) would have cost. This may come out closer to even though for two people travelling together who only need one room. The average cost per night we paid for our apartments was $275AUD (a little less in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo; a little more in Kyoto and Hiroshima). In each case, that was for a place that could sleep 5, had laundry facilities, and except in Tokyo, also had kitchen or kitchenette facilities.<br />
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- <b>Ability to cook meals</b>: For cost, kid-eating and gluten safety reasons, this was a huge plus for us. I estimate we saved at least $500AUD overall by me cooking our evening meals each night, and breakfasting at home, in Kyoto alone - and probably more than a few glutenings too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZjRr53BxmEuy9GE8tneONzFqzjla0nMpFfsA4jKRa4Qdj4xkNUQe_HbThzLpoCSmRs6TYBTOb1orG4q64CM71zMyhxlddZOPeGCWVr_KrAi0SIXrXM2iqPLuUYAYnyGogo1faxn4gyaP/s1600/kyotbed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZjRr53BxmEuy9GE8tneONzFqzjla0nMpFfsA4jKRa4Qdj4xkNUQe_HbThzLpoCSmRs6TYBTOb1orG4q64CM71zMyhxlddZOPeGCWVr_KrAi0SIXrXM2iqPLuUYAYnyGogo1faxn4gyaP/s640/kyotbed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom in Kyoto</td></tr>
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- <b>Feeling of being in a neighbourhood:</b> Far more than being tucked up in a hotel, staying in houses or apartments and interacting with the neighbourhood shops, environment and transportation gives you a real sense of what a place is like. I enjoy feeling difference when I travel and finding points of commonality and discovery. I think you do this less when behind the "wall" of a hotel.<br />
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- <b>Comfort</b>: I don't really like hotels. I find them a bit impersonal and often noisy. I feel much more comfortable in a homier environment.<br />
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- <b>No separation</b>: Because we are a family of five and would have needed 2 rooms everywhere, this would have meant splitting up every night and the two parents never being able to sleep in the same room. That felt like a dreary option for 3 weeks in a row!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoKvtQFx0e52ewLwp4C2crS0MJGTEHQO6ZB2BigeCum04Mtng82M-_Rzl-XxcIIpmEcS7ou8QNBp0R9M-zcAz4UkyiL9wk-kLjXKQe5OW7_IdQN1SE-ZYQBZIzglI1xIbX_zsoXmc9amd/s1600/osak1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoKvtQFx0e52ewLwp4C2crS0MJGTEHQO6ZB2BigeCum04Mtng82M-_Rzl-XxcIIpmEcS7ou8QNBp0R9M-zcAz4UkyiL9wk-kLjXKQe5OW7_IdQN1SE-ZYQBZIzglI1xIbX_zsoXmc9amd/s640/osak1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apartment in Osaka</td></tr>
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<b>CONS</b><br />
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- <b>Porting luggage</b>: Travel to and from accommodations can be a nuisance as much as an adventure when porting heavy luggage. There are moments when a hotel's pick up service is very welcome (we embraced it at our ryokan in Yudanaka!)<br />
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- <b>Gaps in check-in / check-out</b>: The lack of ability (mostly) to store luggage after checkout can be annoying, although our Tokyo host was very kindly willing to let us leave our bags there after checkout while we went to Studio Ghibli. Most places are 10am checkout, 3pm check in, which can mean a gap of standing around train stations awkwardly sipping Starbucks while waiting for time to pass.<br />
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However, we also found that you can often check in a bit earlier than specified. It is all self check from a key in a coded keybox, and we have twice found the key there and the place ready a good hour before designated check in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcaCFFz3mbC1WVMOEhkJB0QGQUavwXmpRUc1hVMt-W2PcsSci4Zd51rm8Shl7PO1uOqV2vkog8veUpWxFec3S6ktka2t9nihhZojvF4TEJcRzbv-HNYTYwe2aOR-j1_f9tZBdMU0Yz-9-/s1600/osakbed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcaCFFz3mbC1WVMOEhkJB0QGQUavwXmpRUc1hVMt-W2PcsSci4Zd51rm8Shl7PO1uOqV2vkog8veUpWxFec3S6ktka2t9nihhZojvF4TEJcRzbv-HNYTYwe2aOR-j1_f9tZBdMU0Yz-9-/s640/osakbed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunk beds in Osaka</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>OVERALL</b><br />
<br />
We had a really good experience Air BnBing in Japan. It saved us thousands of dollars and probably multiple health problems for me, and really enriched our experience by embedding us in areas where people actually live, as well as enabling us to relax together as a family in ways we just couldn't have in hotels. I would, and will, do it this way again and I would definitely recommend it as an option.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVvamAmWA7qMSHLwuHULQ7fNndVALnbtFqwlUJbaBfZ9ldgEsWHFkEocwTvnv-9Yp8ByYHSZ4qIxOiqktYRC5-A8_wM5sCpnxmQYkOTZxz68i-IA6Xg8n8y-om0E8ybUUqrTuqf3xhLd8/s1600/20180411_204634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVvamAmWA7qMSHLwuHULQ7fNndVALnbtFqwlUJbaBfZ9ldgEsWHFkEocwTvnv-9Yp8ByYHSZ4qIxOiqktYRC5-A8_wM5sCpnxmQYkOTZxz68i-IA6Xg8n8y-om0E8ybUUqrTuqf3xhLd8/s640/20180411_204634.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Toilet of the future": With warmed seat, multiple buttons and functions!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Option 3: Western-style hotels</h3>
<div>
We stayed at Western-style hotels on our last two nights in Japan - one in central Tokyo, and one at Narita Airport (the night before our flight). The airport hotel was exactly like every other airport hotel I have ever stayed in - clean, adequate, not fancy, full of late-night noises of rumbling suitcases and travellers coming and going. It was reasonably priced and included the shuttle to the terminal, so I have no complaints.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The central Tokyo hotel was nice enough too. They did find us a family room, which was a bonus, but the cost for one night was more than I'd paid for the two previous nights at Air BnB in Hiroshima, and there was no laundry or kitchen facilities. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can sometimes get great deals on hotels via travel agents to reduce the cost of this option, but those deals rarely to never include family rooms. For a couple travelling together, a smart agent could probably get you great hotel options that cost less than Air BnB, but for families and groups, I am sceptical!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
BOOKING AND TIMING</h3>
<div>
I started booking our Air BnB accommodation last September, for a trip in April. I did it slowly, with my final booking made just before Christmas. Booking that far in advance, I had a huge range of options, and was able to be really picky about getting places that ticked all my boxes. Out of curiosity, I checked Air BnB about 4 weeks before our departure, and found that options for our travel dates had narrowed massively. I would not have been able to get anything suitable in our price range in Tokyo or Kyoto by then, and would've had to look hard in the other three locations. So my advice is: book as early as you realistically can, and certainly, not less than 6 weeks before you travel, if you want good Air BnB options.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some times of the year are much, much harder than others for booking anything (including accommodation) in Japan. We were there for sakura (cherry blossoms), which was peak season, but we avoided the busiest week of the year - Golden Week, from 24 April onwards. Accommodation (and travel, and attractions) during Golden Week is well-nigh impossible by all reports. The other peak is in Japanese autumn (October / November), which is apparently as busy as spring in terms of accommodation and attractions. Summer (July / August) is apparently easier for accommodation, but possibly even more crowded at attractions because it is Japanese, European and North American summer school holidays. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The lowest season, and easiest for accommodation and other things, is winter (from early December to very early March). Dedicated skiers come in for winter sports, but other than that, general tourist numbers are much lower. (We are planning a winter trip as our next Japanese holiday - hopefully in three or four years' time!)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
IN SUMMARY</h3>
<div>
It's easy to be scared off by the intimidating pricing of Japanese hotels as family travellers, but really, Japanese travel does not have to be exorbitant if you are willing to use the full range of accommodation options available. I would encourage anyone to use Air BnB for Japan travel and to start looking as early as you have confirmed flight dates, to give yourself the best range of options.</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-7834876776738701642018-04-23T21:03:00.000+10:002018-04-24T09:04:42.367+10:00Japan Series 1: Eating in Japan - Kids, Food Issues and Tips and Tricks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikX_NQ3CRH4TNmw-mMGCHy0uttG9oqA4ID2HeOM6SLl2bM3vI8u8qf7jrKiDk6j07gbTqMiIRUea3bjcGtawi_8f931yVFRer-PB7kBRxQDhVfXxDNUJkoTk4dTv0LGDinIj32dwwdl_I2/s1600/ramen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikX_NQ3CRH4TNmw-mMGCHy0uttG9oqA4ID2HeOM6SLl2bM3vI8u8qf7jrKiDk6j07gbTqMiIRUea3bjcGtawi_8f931yVFRer-PB7kBRxQDhVfXxDNUJkoTk4dTv0LGDinIj32dwwdl_I2/s400/ramen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic ramen in Gion, Kyoto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first thing to say about eating in Japan is this: for people who are neither fussy eaters (aka: kids) or food intolerant / allergic, Japan is a food paradise.<br />
<br />
Prepared food is tasty, filling and ranges in price from the very economical (you can feasibly spend as little as $3 - $4 AUD on a hot cooked meal) to the very high end (there are some banquets that'll set you back $500 a pop, but I can't tell you what they are like as I didn't do one!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYGjJQEwWaOvbWYbh-_8jzmiAwHhl5fr-aI5N6n436J1CNxH9bHDd9aDoB3idEbPKDVxZWbsd95GT7MNizr2oaqjgaa6XGoBZAcH0FKlm40kqtbYS9T_Xl70BhdEzcGQ_SuZHRCkrwaGO/s1600/fish7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYGjJQEwWaOvbWYbh-_8jzmiAwHhl5fr-aI5N6n436J1CNxH9bHDd9aDoB3idEbPKDVxZWbsd95GT7MNizr2oaqjgaa6XGoBZAcH0FKlm40kqtbYS9T_Xl70BhdEzcGQ_SuZHRCkrwaGO/s400/fish7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiyaki - Soft pastries filled with red bean paste or cream custard <br />
in Kyoto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We travelled with:<br />
- 1 adult with expansive tastes and no food issues<br />
- 1 adult with Coeliac Disease<br />
- 1 teenager with expansive tastes and no food issues<br />
- 1 teenager with more limited tastes and gluten intolerance<br />
- 1 child with limited tastes but no allergy or intolerance issues<br />
<br />
Because Japanese food (outside of the curries) tends not to be very spicy, we found that it was mostly palatable to the two kids with more restricted tastes, so that was helpful.<br />
<br />
However, eating in Japan as a Coeliac is a huge challenge. Coeliac Disease is virtually unknown in Japan - unlike those of us descended from the Highlands of Scotland, Japanese people do not have the genetic mutation for it to a large extent - and gluten free food is frustratingly difficult to reliably source.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPLnlEf_RnHaeSpN0bT-5EzuPOWIJda9zKRs4FW39Mz5FbwPjPm2pjjBBcqfEVWH5D-ZJARAfteohrpmpVwCW5dQVRKOBTrVJL3P2I3K5VwB5JPkn4dkXW1Vf0xpFRm5fMSPswCm_AXFl/s1600/creamcustardmiyajima.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPLnlEf_RnHaeSpN0bT-5EzuPOWIJda9zKRs4FW39Mz5FbwPjPm2pjjBBcqfEVWH5D-ZJARAfteohrpmpVwCW5dQVRKOBTrVJL3P2I3K5VwB5JPkn4dkXW1Vf0xpFRm5fMSPswCm_AXFl/s400/creamcustardmiyajima.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaf pastries on Miyajima Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Almost everything has wheat or barley in it. Even things that look safe (like sashimi) are often marinaded in soy sauce, which is wheat-based, and cooking stocks also often have wheat in them. Eating from restaurants is a crapshoot and one that you will almost certainly lose at least once (I did!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h3>
In the bigger cities, you may be able to say "gluten free" and have some understanding, but you are more likely to get a good result if you are specific about the ingredients you need to avoid. You need to specify not just wheat, but also no:<br />
<br />
- flour<br />
- barley<br />
- soy sauce<br />
- teriyaki sauce<br />
<br />
The Japanese word for wheat is "komugi", while the Japanese word for barley is "omugi". Here are the characters you want to look out for if buying packaged food:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="font-size: 25.6px;">麦</b> <tt style="color: #000088;">むぎ</tt> <i style="color: #000111;">wheat; barley</i> <span style="color: #aa0000; font-size: 12.8px;">(n)</span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 25.6px;">小麦</b> <tt style="color: #000088;">こむぎ</tt> <i style="color: #000111;">wheat</i> <span style="color: #aa0000; font-size: 12.8px;">(n)</span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 25.6px;">小麦粉</b> <tt style="color: #000088;">こむぎこ</tt> <i style="color: #000111;">wheat flour</i> <span style="color: #aa0000; font-size: 12.8px;">(n)</span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 25.6px;">麦芽</b> <tt style="color: #000088;">ばくが</tt> <i style="color: #000111;">malt</i> <span style="color: #aa0000; font-size: 12.8px;">(n)</span></li>
<li><b style="font-size: 25.6px;">大麦</b> <tt style="color: #000088;">おおむぎ</tt> <i style="color: #000111;">barley</i> <span style="color: #aa0000; font-size: 12.8px;">(n)</span></li>
</ul>
However, this is not a dead cert either, as Japanese food labelling laws are not as strict as Australia's, and some additives may not be listed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>TYPES OF FOOD</b></h3>
<br />
There are many types of restaurant and street food commonly available in Japanese cities and towns, but the main general ones we encountered were:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yMgzfa57rZNCxog-3-W8ZQz7bzY_hud0UF0fCNgcF7DHEHnvNF2aZNPeJLUf6ABcdNPz4wpDPFkm7yVIs-F2FEeldRF1DaxpQBP3gFaucFvKM4ILm_hoXM74RgwFQguR4IT6U_woHA9P/s1600/lbramen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yMgzfa57rZNCxog-3-W8ZQz7bzY_hud0UF0fCNgcF7DHEHnvNF2aZNPeJLUf6ABcdNPz4wpDPFkm7yVIs-F2FEeldRF1DaxpQBP3gFaucFvKM4ILm_hoXM74RgwFQguR4IT6U_woHA9P/s400/lbramen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluten free ramen - a rare jewel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1. <b>Ramen and Udon</b>: Noodle soup dishes and dry noodle dishes were absolutely ubiquitous and these tend to be the kinds of meals you see a lot at smaller neighbourhood places as well as bigger restaurants. Typically, the meal comes in a broth with an egg, vegetables and one or more kinds of meat as well as the noodles. The most common meats are pork and chicken and sometimes some kind of white fish ... but that is because they are the most common meats *everywhere* in Japan, and by far the cheapest.<br />
<br />
<br />
2. <b>Bento Boxes</b>: These are available everywhere, not just in restaurants. You can get them in konbini (see below), at train stations, in department stores - everywhere. They come with the usual assortment of things you might expect to find in a decent bento here - sashimi (usually only a tiny amount), seaweed, pickled veg, some kind of sushi roll, sometimes tofu, sometimes a bit of fried chicken.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hOAloAKF5vaEmk3HCIteMULpjf_OyK6dsIDG8IhZi_xTlfGad7sT7-FXwP5mxwHmLYvc4RAOC1cQT16mg56HooDhQUOl6oQcBUJYBFQxkESHSMNkRLhkA9uh3aUnNzPBlWlpf4xzxJZ3/s1600/bbq1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hOAloAKF5vaEmk3HCIteMULpjf_OyK6dsIDG8IhZi_xTlfGad7sT7-FXwP5mxwHmLYvc4RAOC1cQT16mg56HooDhQUOl6oQcBUJYBFQxkESHSMNkRLhkA9uh3aUnNzPBlWlpf4xzxJZ3/s400/bbq1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese BBQ style in Nagoya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. <b>Cook Your Own BBQ style restaurants</b>: These are everywhere and they are very similar to the style that in Australia we most often call Korean BBQ. You get your own raw ingredients - either presented to you on a platter in higher end places, or you select them from a buffet in more local restaurants - and cook them yourself on a grill at the centre of the table.<br />
<br />
If you are careful to avoid sauces of all kinds and any meat with a marinade, this can be a very good option for Coeliacs, as you can control the input to a large degree. The kids also enjoy it and the food is very tasty.<br />
<br />
However, price-wise, this is not really a daily option, as a meal for 5 people at one of these places will set you back at least $80 and more typically $100 - $120. (Which is still not bad value, but more than most family travellers can spend on every single dinner!)<br />
<br />
4. <b>Sushi restaurants</b>: There are many, many, many varieties of these, from really high-end places to hole-in-the-wall outlets.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWQyX-ShwIP70T2l4J1dMX_kT9t_6dR2HPnGbdvLU-NT-00Kkjhzucl7lED6EnrGLdgZhyphenhyphenr6PXg1joShKSCotoSiVzc4nr-jiH6FMi9BnisMnKlvyG0YZqUL75PcE97i4ltikLV7HZoGz/s1600/salmontatersizz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWQyX-ShwIP70T2l4J1dMX_kT9t_6dR2HPnGbdvLU-NT-00Kkjhzucl7lED6EnrGLdgZhyphenhyphenr6PXg1joShKSCotoSiVzc4nr-jiH6FMi9BnisMnKlvyG0YZqUL75PcE97i4ltikLV7HZoGz/s400/salmontatersizz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salmon and baked tater at Sizzlers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
5. <b>Western and other cuisine style restaurants and cafes</b>: There are lots of chains that you will recognise in Japan. Maccers is everywhere, and it is exactly like every other Maccers you have ever been to. KFC is less ubiquitous, but it's there. Starbucks is like a kind of coffee virus, it has insinuated itself into every corner (even an artisan street in Kyoto, and a traditional handicraft market on Miyajima Island, much to our astonishment). Sizzlers is around. Wolfgang Puck is there. Bronco Billys (American steakhouse chain) is there. They even have Guzman Y Gomez in Tokyo.<br />
<br />
We saw Indian restaurants, Chinese restaurants, <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MHRke3B0718BVrmVYCRcnbgFFmm4yQqvI0JAeUs2goHd2ycZ7MLoZF39Rqe_TcnFU9sWHDoJ9TN2wVmpMj93TNz_q5raN3DuOZmpbzzJg6MltNP5WcosveKRMyBsQVRJW-hBg-_nQFtT/s1600/saladsizz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MHRke3B0718BVrmVYCRcnbgFFmm4yQqvI0JAeUs2goHd2ycZ7MLoZF39Rqe_TcnFU9sWHDoJ9TN2wVmpMj93TNz_q5raN3DuOZmpbzzJg6MltNP5WcosveKRMyBsQVRJW-hBg-_nQFtT/s400/saladsizz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixed salad plate from Sizzlers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
several Korean restaurants, and several American-themed outfits. There is a burger chain called Mos, which apparently does awesome burgers and has gluten free options BUT not suitable for Coeliacs as they use shared utensils and cooking surfaces (good for gluten intolerants like my daughter though, where contamination isn't really an issue).<br />
<br />
Most of these places do the same kind of food they do in Australia, but the prep methods may not be the same. My first and worst glutening in Japan happened at the Wolfgang Puck in Harajuku, ordering something that should've been safe, and would've been in Melbourne.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fc8AwbL5p7ZKBZFpJU2AhpqqvPEmYtdPuKDWjuI2U7DasjU4hfJe7BdsrpLCnGVUTVG_Llbko70i9-wDSsIlMuRAAPpcDDwD1pTrXKFnirwXOkpOpRTP-JUZV11woBUDB79faF-oOqWE/s1600/friedchicklb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fc8AwbL5p7ZKBZFpJU2AhpqqvPEmYtdPuKDWjuI2U7DasjU4hfJe7BdsrpLCnGVUTVG_Llbko70i9-wDSsIlMuRAAPpcDDwD1pTrXKFnirwXOkpOpRTP-JUZV11woBUDB79faF-oOqWE/s400/friedchicklb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluten free fried chicken at the Little Bird Cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My advice is that Western-style places are great for kids to give them a touch of the familiar every now and then, but should be treated with caution by Coeliacs. If you are going to eat at any, the safest bets are self-BBQ, steakhouses and Sizzlers, where you can get a plain steak or grilled salmon and then self select safe items from the salad bar. We had a lovely meal at a Sizzlers in Suidobashi in Tokyo with an old schoolfriend of mine, and it did not make me sick!<br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
WAYS TO BUY FOOD</h3>
<br />
Basically, we found that food purchasing options came down to four main types. Types 1 and 2 are suitable for Coeliacs; Type 3 can be with adjustment; but Type 4 is absolutely no go for anyone with a gluten intolerance or Coeliac disease.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispux-jaN8EkcMYFfsgcgm5a-cVI6klcD22zCclM7PbnBtvp8IwOm57IbRYTIBuupvnw0kZ_d9DpMZdJeW5FFCVnRb9M4g0jx4tbVjFeDuM8Qf670k3YxsYKokwu9gcHivBOK6pLkwkYcZ/s1600/self+cook+mince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispux-jaN8EkcMYFfsgcgm5a-cVI6klcD22zCclM7PbnBtvp8IwOm57IbRYTIBuupvnw0kZ_d9DpMZdJeW5FFCVnRb9M4g0jx4tbVjFeDuM8Qf670k3YxsYKokwu9gcHivBOK6pLkwkYcZ/s400/self+cook+mince.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Savoury mince with egg (home cooked) (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Type 1: Buy raw ingredients and cook your own or eat raw </b><br />
If you have access to a kitchen or even a partial kitchen (ie if you are staying in an apartment rather than a hotel room), buying ingredients and cooking some of your own meals can be a great option when travelling with a family or working around food issues.<br />
<br />
We were able to do this in every location except Tokyo, where our room in Shibuya was too small and basic to allow for cooking and there was very limited access to fresh food anyway.<br />
<br />
Japanese supermarkets are not dissimilar on the whole to Australian supermarkets - fresh and cold food on the perimeter, packaged goods on the inside or a different floor in some cases, a separate section or floor for toiletries, cleaning and personal products.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSf3O_4OxUF2l558x1qFUbqiCgicNgQjWSrce4gYwfE0jzXir5bz_Czl9unFtxG2rMq4WxCN3hJdMD36QafA7AMlyZ7D6Wb8sDKuZmOtrzn4R3FJ4o46oXvSrQIXfTcc-iDrh4DGaTADu/s1600/fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSf3O_4OxUF2l558x1qFUbqiCgicNgQjWSrce4gYwfE0jzXir5bz_Czl9unFtxG2rMq4WxCN3hJdMD36QafA7AMlyZ7D6Wb8sDKuZmOtrzn4R3FJ4o46oXvSrQIXfTcc-iDrh4DGaTADu/s400/fruit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit plate in Tokyo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The kinds of foods available overlap considerably, but there are noticeable differences. The fish section is usually bigger than the meat section, and the kinds of veg available are not always the same as we see. Pork, chicken and beef are all obtainable, but beef is really expensive and you can only get thinly sliced varieties for quick frying.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZWKBrCZmMG9nkB0akqIL-goErwDxSedFdxR2uZ9qD3tJht6Er721vSj2BSF69ldD18GB1vznZPcRPHmFzyJk1y_W8uV6osNkf1n_0wdc7Hibir7ck72XhtGoSx9z8mJPL6zv16J0A3Mg/s1600/fishsection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZWKBrCZmMG9nkB0akqIL-goErwDxSedFdxR2uZ9qD3tJht6Er721vSj2BSF69ldD18GB1vznZPcRPHmFzyJk1y_W8uV6osNkf1n_0wdc7Hibir7ck72XhtGoSx9z8mJPL6zv16J0A3Mg/s400/fishsection.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One part of the seafood and fish section at a supermarket in Kyoto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Pork, chicken and white fish are all cheaper than they are in Australia; veggies are mostly around the same price. Some fruit is horrifically expensive (eg strawbs) but other fruit is well-priced - I mostly ate apples, bananas, mandarins and tinned peaches.<br />
<br />
Rice is cheaper; most packaged goods are cheaper; eggs and dairy are about the same. Forget about lamb - you won't see it in a Japanese supermarket. I'm told you can get it from super-specialty shops for about a squillionty dollars if you really must.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXz30Y6xIYbhqsZfIPlcUJMCzIZcX8d4E3MzUKtTtwWw4c5u3U1GvYceW3OEo0xnvhB9IZVj-CpKhn6XMNrFbEFjaj3tIUWppGdf13rUdRok28M0JxdmGgTD7dLZzCLbIpLC9aGQzFoH1/s1600/bento.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXz30Y6xIYbhqsZfIPlcUJMCzIZcX8d4E3MzUKtTtwWw4c5u3U1GvYceW3OEo0xnvhB9IZVj-CpKhn6XMNrFbEFjaj3tIUWppGdf13rUdRok28M0JxdmGgTD7dLZzCLbIpLC9aGQzFoH1/s400/bento.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bento box</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You can also find butchers, fruit & veg shops, and many, many bakeries in any of the marketing areas in the cities outside of Tokyo.<br />
<br />
Cost-wise, to give an idea, we spent about 12,000Y ($145AUD or so) on the fixings for 5 family dinners and 6 family breakfasts while in<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OBN0ZsInq7Q4TvF6a1_2wsLJhvynETE5d3akv3fGj1ghZI6EF4Cy1P9DOF6RYwG54jSC21BVQI95HVrODcWBfa9KHs8WtR0pxwe2SoeRCP1NwkHh6xOPJqZra9qyEfrw69ruGVAGAbdS/s1600/salad+plate+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OBN0ZsInq7Q4TvF6a1_2wsLJhvynETE5d3akv3fGj1ghZI6EF4Cy1P9DOF6RYwG54jSC21BVQI95HVrODcWBfa9KHs8WtR0pxwe2SoeRCP1NwkHh6xOPJqZra9qyEfrw69ruGVAGAbdS/s400/salad+plate+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating from the salad bar in Kyoto Station!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kyoto, which included 2 chicken-based meals, 2 pork-based meals and 1 beef meal. Breakfast was cereal, toast and eggs for the "normals", and fruit / eggs / white rice for me. That comes out as about $4 a head for the dinners, and while you can certainly find meals that cheap at some little restaurants, you can't find Coeliac-friendly ones in that price range!<br />
<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Type 2: Konbini (convenience store) meals or snacks / Vending machine food and drinks</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Konbini in Japan are ubiquitous in a way that it's hard to fully appreciate until you see it. There is literally one on every street corner, everywhere you go. (Well, granted, I did not go north). The main three chains are 7/11, Lawson's and FamilyMart. The 7/11s are particularly useful, as they also house international ATMs where you can extract cash from your Australian bank accounts or via Travelex cards if you have one.<br />
<br />
The konbinis have a full array of meals to go and they are high quality foods on the whole - bento boxes, rice ball snacks of various kinds, heatable meals that they will heat for you if you ask. Konbini food is cheap-ish and quick and easy, and they also sell preheated fast food type stuff that can make an easy quick hunger-stopper for kids (eg chicken nuggets).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij046mNu6xRXuTso2nqSNNyr-W_oEqd-SUVUdUxB5LNtSsgvbsh9gZYiD1DAMnoeQPOJOlSPFn-NImEv_wGs5SNvY5-zs68A21v-AhkS52bmTP5wsFDoiEb5ZKHIRu4c_w_0GNJMt7y7-A/s1600/konbini1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij046mNu6xRXuTso2nqSNNyr-W_oEqd-SUVUdUxB5LNtSsgvbsh9gZYiD1DAMnoeQPOJOlSPFn-NImEv_wGs5SNvY5-zs68A21v-AhkS52bmTP5wsFDoiEb5ZKHIRu4c_w_0GNJMt7y7-A/s640/konbini1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Konbini food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For Coeliacs, 90% of konbini food is risky, BUT Lawsons and FamilyMart both sell a line of rice balls that have no gluten. You can eat the plain salted rice balls, the rice balls with flaked salmon, and the rice balls with seaweed and sesame.<br />
<br />
<b>Type 3: Restaurant meals</b><br />
Restaurants vary greatly in type, cost, accessibility and allergy-friendliness. Ironically (or perhaps not?) we had the best success with little neighbourhood places, and the least success with fancier places.<br />
<br />
Our best experience of all was in Shibuya, Tokyo, where we went (twice!) to Tokyo's one and only fully gluten free restaurant - the Little Bird Cafe. The Little Bird does a mixture of Western and Japanese food and everything it serves is delicious and totally Coeliac-safe. I completely recommend it for both family eating and gluten free eating.<br />
<br />
Our only really successful Japanese banquet style eating was at the ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) in Yudanaka, where my food issues were well catered for and I got to have the full experience. If you can afford it, I would recommend at least one night in a good-quality ryokan, both for the cultural and the food experience - the kids adored it and it was such a treat for me to be able to safely try the full range of Japanese cuisine.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpcpwjfzUO5x4Yb0reTHHtPi1Dovr4oXeuN5pZq3O0sDZ-doeCl7b6YnkHNFB3kvElmBnD07-KLcBMeHJxQ0cAdG4MfXnJc6Bu8hup0-mpHsLG-0wg8HSSouk-7EePvNB61dVFw18IkP1/s1600/gypza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpcpwjfzUO5x4Yb0reTHHtPi1Dovr4oXeuN5pZq3O0sDZ-doeCl7b6YnkHNFB3kvElmBnD07-KLcBMeHJxQ0cAdG4MfXnJc6Bu8hup0-mpHsLG-0wg8HSSouk-7EePvNB61dVFw18IkP1/s400/gypza.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluten free gyoza at the Little Bird Cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In terms of sweets, Coeliacs are, on the whole, SOL. There is one shining, glorious exception in Kyoto - a gelato shop in the covered market near where we stayed, which sells delicious gluten free gelato. Because we were there in spring, I got to try sakura-flavoured gelato, and it literally made my entire day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLFHtcOp5K-_S7k79omYXK5PzxBFKE1Cd1YalwPcMXWw2sHh0iW6fgxowwcVSp1kEe8Kw1et1MbWv_Xebfri4t4P9yO0DgTmxJSLv0a9MH_LEF3jDY4r0ikE8sRSpE8fZsTO0AUajtwXD/s1600/ryokan20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLFHtcOp5K-_S7k79omYXK5PzxBFKE1Cd1YalwPcMXWw2sHh0iW6fgxowwcVSp1kEe8Kw1et1MbWv_Xebfri4t4P9yO0DgTmxJSLv0a9MH_LEF3jDY4r0ikE8sRSpE8fZsTO0AUajtwXD/s400/ryokan20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banquet breakfast at the ryokan</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJTRVUKNm7qH2PFzKrdCurH7ON1WbAfOv5BTZ-5k6y1X52-KHE4QNVugxPV2H505baEAbdRShHg7-SBiIjtUMkTg458r782VC5d4ntKBUe8266s7YUiwMTKvRV1W3jZ6mYRrqHp59JFfs/s1600/gelato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJTRVUKNm7qH2PFzKrdCurH7ON1WbAfOv5BTZ-5k6y1X52-KHE4QNVugxPV2H505baEAbdRShHg7-SBiIjtUMkTg458r782VC5d4ntKBUe8266s7YUiwMTKvRV1W3jZ6mYRrqHp59JFfs/s400/gelato.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelato</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Type 4: Street food</b><br />
Many to most places, especially near markets and tourist attractions, have street vendors selling food, both hot and cold, sweet and savoury.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l7l8e5r9xWu-auCqZh2mM7sOvgHZVN2VNokvJm8eJyVh-gjYLgCGvMU-Nqj3zrI5uzi8V5k73L1FbEMwWWrAcf8n0CHwH4YdVCyZ3-EJ_xFBf9KNXIBSLJdHsUdouV9g-LR28ekL9xIL/s1600/sweetriceballs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_l7l8e5r9xWu-auCqZh2mM7sOvgHZVN2VNokvJm8eJyVh-gjYLgCGvMU-Nqj3zrI5uzi8V5k73L1FbEMwWWrAcf8n0CHwH4YdVCyZ3-EJ_xFBf9KNXIBSLJdHsUdouV9g-LR28ekL9xIL/s400/sweetriceballs.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet rice balls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Everything from octopus balls to sweet rice balls to pastry fish, and much more, is on offer. The kids really enjoyed having the chance to sample things as we walked around. Needless to say ... Coeliacs should not!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqis5KN-Ugf9gY63TLWrWjtuRf14MvJ8WY-u007HjQqy5PrftZvsZchUXEqAuwKXQT4aOSVdsrjt916Y0deIdC1C0pgACSpvaIqHxQ4a5LlkA9L1cd8HRYZZ3P2WYY1c8Sqd3lW5cjQK1/s1600/chickenstick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqis5KN-Ugf9gY63TLWrWjtuRf14MvJ8WY-u007HjQqy5PrftZvsZchUXEqAuwKXQT4aOSVdsrjt916Y0deIdC1C0pgACSpvaIqHxQ4a5LlkA9L1cd8HRYZZ3P2WYY1c8Sqd3lW5cjQK1/s400/chickenstick.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced chicken on a stick at a food market in Hiroshima</td></tr>
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<h3>
<br />
COSTS, TIPS, AND TRICKS</h3>
<div>
Our experience was that, with certain notable exceptions (ie beef), fresh food was either similarly priced to Australia or else a bit cheaper. Cooked food in restaurants tended cheaper unless you ordered beef, at which time it became markedly more expensive. Konbini food was very reasonably priced for light meals, a bit pricier for packaged snacks. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuk7rRVpHB9Bp8WepTWADOF1KfmCHWNG3AachGSg4yrECrWaonLgEsucxExQizk87BQ76vaV3s4wBgIJ64v6KIHVkV6qcDt1NiGK6OtRqhwxu37n5dZ8oFJToPJai6E_NTV5Fcy-4fZxNz/s1600/gohanrice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuk7rRVpHB9Bp8WepTWADOF1KfmCHWNG3AachGSg4yrECrWaonLgEsucxExQizk87BQ76vaV3s4wBgIJ64v6KIHVkV6qcDt1NiGK6OtRqhwxu37n5dZ8oFJToPJai6E_NTV5Fcy-4fZxNz/s400/gohanrice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gohan (rice) and tuna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Here are a few tips we picked up:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. <b>If you want to buy chocolate</b>, go to the supermarket - konbini chocolate is about double the price.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2.<b> If you want to buy packaged candy to take home as souvenirs</b>, including weird flavours of Kit Kat, go to a Don Quijote. This is Japan's equivalent to our $2 Shops but much, much, MUCH bigger and more extensive. They have ALL the things. Including packaged candy!</div>
<div>
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<div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfYMX2nabgkYSgI_gFBNwtsijqDIj5rzKpk6WR2_RsVSX0PQf8ng25wejGtwdkEV3ap9F7SOsz4wbQXw8WRC9t-LHJLvFBGy7VsFEVeZl2R4mkF7RAenlBhMh7cf8O19fpyU_WhFJaCTz/s1600/butterbeerjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfYMX2nabgkYSgI_gFBNwtsijqDIj5rzKpk6WR2_RsVSX0PQf8ng25wejGtwdkEV3ap9F7SOsz4wbQXw8WRC9t-LHJLvFBGy7VsFEVeZl2R4mkF7RAenlBhMh7cf8O19fpyU_WhFJaCTz/s400/butterbeerjpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterbeer and me!</td></tr>
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<div>
3. <b>If you want to go to noodle shops or smaller restaurants with other people and you are the only Coeliac</b>, try this:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Step 1: Go with your travelling companions to most local cheap or mid priced restaurants. Self order ones are best.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Step 2: Order a large bowl of plain gohan (white rice). This is an option everywhere except fancy places.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Step 3: When your rice arrives, quietly open a tin of sea chicken (tuna) in oil and combine with rice. The brand I ate safely is Hagoromo.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FTxnd5J1V_26imtu5qJxs0269CQ2EelJzTzm43yYiO7Df9jsZE7HHCGVCS_98iMrdYyLAfOwOs-QpgqpHr9DjsRfePqfG3jxVSTgVaaFUHq5c00pKGtHnkcAFuGBK8y1eu_0J4Q6R4rY/s1600/soysauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FTxnd5J1V_26imtu5qJxs0269CQ2EelJzTzm43yYiO7Df9jsZE7HHCGVCS_98iMrdYyLAfOwOs-QpgqpHr9DjsRfePqfG3jxVSTgVaaFUHq5c00pKGtHnkcAFuGBK8y1eu_0J4Q6R4rY/s400/soysauce.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soy Sauce Shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
4. <b>Do not assume that there will be many (or any) gluten free options at the big theme parks</b>. We went to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka and all I was able to consume from the park was fruit I had brought in my bag, popcorn, and Butterbeer from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (It was nice though :-)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
5. <b>Take your own sauces from home!</b> You will be able to buy things like salt, pepper, honey, oil etc easily in the supermarkets, but gluten free soy, chilli sauce, or even salad dressing is a huge challenge. There was an ENTIRE SHOP dedicated to soy sauce of hundreds of varieties on Miyajima Island, and not one of them was gluten free!<br />
<br />
<h3>
IN SUMMARY</h3>
<div>
It is possible to eat well, relatively cheaply and have fun with food in Japan, even with food challenges, but you do need to work a bit for it. I was sometimes hungry in the days when I couldn't find lunchables easily, but I did not starve, and I enjoyed what I was able to eat all the more. </div>
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-80044548425506194042018-04-22T10:04:00.000+10:002018-04-22T10:04:08.024+10:00Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHI-kQgn8dbxBkqJ3RZMj8uiNty9sJDHrn0yjItbYNYAN6p-SqAk2roS0dwTXVU1EQXpHUyLXuMHEi1X_DrR3Z3_qdQPBmt4x8uSLYewhE3hOYU9a6-4agvQDRJWDDs6PhqwjCMMalsIX/s1600/fuji1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHI-kQgn8dbxBkqJ3RZMj8uiNty9sJDHrn0yjItbYNYAN6p-SqAk2roS0dwTXVU1EQXpHUyLXuMHEi1X_DrR3Z3_qdQPBmt4x8uSLYewhE3hOYU9a6-4agvQDRJWDDs6PhqwjCMMalsIX/s320/fuji1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
What a long hiatus ... 2 months with no blog post! Life has been extremely busy, between work, a death in the family, and a big overseas trip, and I have been finding it easier to do briefer Facebook updates than to try to bend my mind to compose coherent blog posts.<br />
<br />
Now, however, I am going to try to make up for lost time (somewhat) with a 5-part series of posts on our holiday in Japan, from which we returned yesterday. It was an amazing 21 days, and I think I have a few specific things to share for both family and food-allergy travellers that might be useful to others.<br />
<br />
We stayed in central and southern Japan on our trip, so I have no insights to offer about the northern part of the country (which I understand to be gorgeous - on the list for a future trip!) Our itinerary was:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzzGVTsGvfVMpFaJhVFXrMFHvZAhvxBLovtIcXHGHRr7FlBvD2LK1Zrr9ViXP0JgGpES3Ak9ziMfKtlzBHStW525JFLuj16Yyv__RU6SUmlwAftSOlqg4ZJsbCCT5MT5q1lF8-ZoBLNvR/s1600/kyoto1n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzzGVTsGvfVMpFaJhVFXrMFHvZAhvxBLovtIcXHGHRr7FlBvD2LK1Zrr9ViXP0JgGpES3Ak9ziMfKtlzBHStW525JFLuj16Yyv__RU6SUmlwAftSOlqg4ZJsbCCT5MT5q1lF8-ZoBLNvR/s320/kyoto1n.jpg" width="267" /></a>- 6 days in Tokyo (Air BnB)<br />
- 2 days in Yudanaka (near Nagano) at a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel)<br />
- 2 days in Nagoya visiting friends (Air BnB)<br />
- 6 days in Kyoto (Air BnB)<br />
- 2 days in Osaka (for Universal Studios Japan) (Air BnB)<br />
- 2 days in Hiroshima (Air BnB)<br />
- 1 final day in Tokyo (Hotel)<br />
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We were lucky enough to be in Japan in time for sakura - cherry blossoms - which was an experience not to be missed. I am told Japan is gorgeous in autumn, and majestic in winter (summer is apparently best avoided!) but I am very glad our first visit was in beautiful, mild, fragrant spring.<br />
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I am going to organise my posts thusly:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bCTyIdHWCCPNJtOuJzPmEfG_uPCQfvh_P5fCSEi71KQwRHHFoWPUMkW20-8x6WEYFZ9pIEZG_fa-dkfPVSj2aSZIhxXGejXVINNPISta-zpqfSfeShuqVLgsv2MAo_NylNHnb1ls64Wl/s1600/tokyo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bCTyIdHWCCPNJtOuJzPmEfG_uPCQfvh_P5fCSEi71KQwRHHFoWPUMkW20-8x6WEYFZ9pIEZG_fa-dkfPVSj2aSZIhxXGejXVINNPISta-zpqfSfeShuqVLgsv2MAo_NylNHnb1ls64Wl/s320/tokyo1.jpg" width="320" /></a>- Monday 23rd: Eating in Japan - How Do You Do It with Kids and Coeliac Disease?<br />
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- Wednesday 25th: Accommodation in Japan for Family Travel: Options and Reflections<br />
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- Friday 27th: Experiences and Attractions in Central and Southern Japan - Family Themed<br />
<br />
- Sunday 29th: Travelling Around: Planes, Trains, Buses, Streetcars and Taxis<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZil-cwH4h-v98zy8d7kX247TrrlHapgMa_7uKJmufWhM_UJEWBSU-5J7qc0XR3Q6EZWIzLCIxflQUQLZAlXAtT-B4fqQOZMrKFrvsrRHZi3-fnkq38WCRen-KThiJiJsiozdiadKdrA4/s1600/fuji3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZil-cwH4h-v98zy8d7kX247TrrlHapgMa_7uKJmufWhM_UJEWBSU-5J7qc0XR3Q6EZWIzLCIxflQUQLZAlXAtT-B4fqQOZMrKFrvsrRHZi3-fnkq38WCRen-KThiJiJsiozdiadKdrA4/s320/fuji3.jpg" width="320" /></a>- Tuesday 1st: Language, Communication, Health and Behavioural Tips for Family Travellers<br />
<br />
We were only there three weeks, which by no means makes me an expert on Japan, Japanese culture or Japanese life, but we did do enough eating, staying, touristing, and travelling in a family group to give me some insight into what worked well and what didn't for a family with teenage and younger children and a person with food issues.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt3tkpJlNC5Awb4WLilUyivmdQI9UFoTtxYWTFb99tHzyFCZ4SuqScFVvAIe8JXfOAjUzn4LQ8AMEg5x5uWUSafzMRwcnhtV8uZ6cwLwuvEfmPSACeRzTY0PVLzJ_2gMWC3KDbYjwb6Ow/s1600/miyajima.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt3tkpJlNC5Awb4WLilUyivmdQI9UFoTtxYWTFb99tHzyFCZ4SuqScFVvAIe8JXfOAjUzn4LQ8AMEg5x5uWUSafzMRwcnhtV8uZ6cwLwuvEfmPSACeRzTY0PVLzJ_2gMWC3KDbYjwb6Ow/s320/miyajima.jpg" width="320" /></a>We were also fortunate enough to spend time with our exchange student from last year and her family in Nagoya, which deepened our experience of Japanese life considerably. My two elder daughters are learning Japanese at school and were very useful in reading signage and basic communications, which helped and also gave us more points of contact to the country we were in.<br />
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With the exception of a one-day organised bus tour to Mt Fuji and surrounds, we did not do any package tours - we planned, decided and travelled to and from our own self-guided experiences. This does, I think, mean you get to understand some things (such as local transportation options) much more intimately than if someone else is doing all the organising for you!<br />
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So I hope the posts will be of interest to some, and if not, they will at least be a good record for me and my family of the things we learned in our magnificent Japan adventure.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-70427214201523179242018-02-28T10:38:00.002+11:002018-02-28T10:39:26.955+11:00Two more visual poemsI have been participating in the #poemadayfeb challenge on Instagram this month. I haven't hit every day, and some of them have been rubbishy (par for the course when you are busy with other things and trying to pump out a daily poem!) but here are a couple I don't mind. The prompts were, respectively, Ugly and Sonnet. Ugly is an English Madrigal, while Sonnet is ... a Sonnet :-)<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-51955470137042234252018-02-06T11:50:00.005+11:002018-02-06T11:50:47.112+11:00A poem in a picture (Nonet for Water)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-57255052739072311192018-02-04T10:53:00.001+11:002018-02-04T10:53:25.939+11:00Feeling the press<p dir="ltr">I posted a couple of weeks ago about how busy first term was looking for me.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Since then, as events have further unfolded, I've realised that the extreme busyness actually runs all the way through til July. </p>
<p dir="ltr">As well as being fulltime-load booked for work, there will be:<br>
- at least three, more likely four, interstate business trips; <br>
- publishing and launching my first book (a poetry collection called She Said: Women of Story); <br>
- two big kid birthday extravaganzas;<br>
- the massive Japan trip (just under 4 weeks) and a probable week trip to Brisbane;<br>
- several special events already locked and loaded;<br>
- extended family commitments ramping up; and<br>
- all the usual stuff of life with kids - school, house, extracurriculars etc.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On one level, I am excited for this. Almost all of the things are good things, including the work - the projects I have in train are all interesting and challenging in a good way, and I am lucky enough to be working with excellent people in each one.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There is another part of me, however, that is gut-clenchingly nervous about the prospect of no real sustained downtime for at least 5 months. (Obviously I will still manage a few afternoons off or Sunday naps, but I am talking about multiple days in a row free of commitments). </p>
<p dir="ltr">For this reason I am contemplating doing something I haven't done since leaving my last salaried job in June 2015 - scheduling a week off during termtime for me to have some relaxation and recovery time. At this stage, it looks like August might provide such an opportunity as all my projects will be in business as usual phase by then rather than high pressure deadline phase. (Of course this could change with time though).</p>
<p dir="ltr">I am going to try to pencil in a week in middish August for this purpose and will really do my best to stick to it. I think I will fully need it by then.</p>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-43210260472980852402018-01-26T11:41:00.001+11:002018-01-26T11:41:12.781+11:00A Villanelle for 26 January 2018 (Poem)I always do a bitter-ish villanelle for 26 January, reflecting on the ills of Australia. I started doing them in around 2012 from memory and I always post them.<br />
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You can see previous efforts here:<br />
<a href="http://overfondofbooks.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/month-of-poetry-26-australia-day.html">2013</a><br />
<a href="http://overfondofbooks.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/month-of-poetry-26-australia-day.html">2014</a><br />
<a href="http://overfondofbooks.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/month-of-poetry-26-australia-day.html">2015</a><br />
<a href="http://overfondofbooks.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/month-of-poetry-26-australia-day.html">2016</a><br />
<a href="http://overfondofbooks.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/26-january-villanelle-poem.html">2017</a><br />
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This year's one is concerned mostly with my conviction that changing the date of Australia Day is the first and minimally decent thing this country could do to stop hiding from the reality that 26 January celebrates the beginning of indigenous dispossession and genocide, rather than anything to be actually proud about.<br />
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<b>A Villanelle for 26 January 2018</b><br />
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A nation’s day that celebrates a start<br />
of sorts: the first day of the end;<br />
Blood on the ground, the country’s aching heart.<br />
<br />
Denialism is its own dark art<br />
Without owning, nothing here can mend;<br />
A nation’s day that celebrates a start.<br />
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And rejection of all others is a part<br />
of the same ill mind that never makes amend<br />
Blood on the ground, the country’s aching heart.<br />
<br />
Fireworks and sausages impart<br />
a triumph, sickly-rooted, of whitewash trend;<br />
A nation’s day that celebrates a start.<br />
<br />
There might not even be a way to chart<br />
a better way; but at least let’s not pretend.<br />
Blood on the ground, the country’s aching heart.<br />
<br />
The truth is stranger, deeper, and more tart<br />
than the fairytales that old white men send.<br />
A nation’s day that celebrates a start,<br />
Blood on the ground, the country’s aching heart.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-11390503274044953952018-01-22T09:50:00.002+11:002018-01-22T09:51:31.896+11:00This month in review, this quarter in viewLast year, for a few months, I was doing review / in view posts here. I started off doing them weekly in March, then later dropped to fortnightly and then 4-weekly, before abandoning them altogether in November as end-of-year shenanigans took hold.<br />
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I did find them a useful, albeit unsustainable, exercise for most of the time I was doing them. It helped me to get a bit of perspective on my life and activities balance, and gave me a bit of a boost in weeks that I felt I wasn't achieving anything (counting your tasks can have the same effect as counting your blessings in that regard!) I plan to sporadically do a similar thing this year, but I'm not going to commit to a particular schedule, as that gets a bit difficult to sustain.<br />
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As the New Year is no longer brand-spanking new, though, I thought I'd do a little overview of how our summer has gone so far (I date "summer" for this purpose as being from Boxing Day onwards) and the big-ticket items coming up between now and the end of term one (Good Friday).<br />
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The summer has been quite a good one. It has not been the height of excitement or indeed relaxation (we haven't gone away anywhere big, although we have done day trips and fun things) and I have been back working from home since 8 January, so that has not been completely challenge-free, but it has still been a positive month overall.<br />
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This first term looks frankly monstrous with work commitment levels, but I am hoping to get through it intact. I am trying very hard to plan for a scaling down from term two onwards, to recalibrate my business commitments in the second half of the year to be never more than 4, and preferably 3 - 3.5, days a week (rather than the 5-6 I could easily fill now - only having the kids home, and one unexpected migraine that kicked out most of a planned work day, has stopped me working full weeks since 8 January). This will partly be achievable by developing more formal subcontracting relationships and really using others' expertise.<br />
<br />
As indicated below, despite how busy I am, I am also going to take two Mental Health Days during this term on weekdays where I can have 6.5 hours while the kids are at school to do something relaxing and recharging. I will probably use one of those days for doing a bunch of mildly enjoyable but also necessary non-work things like getting my hair cut and going gift / party shopping - this one I'll locate close to my 9-year-old's birthday party in late Feb, so I can make sure I have enough unstressy time to get everything I need for that. The other day, not sure, see what I feel like when I get there!<br />
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So we'll see. The nature of my work is such that things really can change on a dime, so my projections below might end up needing adjustment. This is the putative plan though, for now.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Summer in Review</span></h3>
- Multiple friend sleepovers, hang-outs and playdates for all three kids<br />
- Weekly ice-skating visits for 12-year-old and some combination of friends and family<br />
- Several swimming-related excursions (beach / pool)<br />
- Day trip to Hanging Rock (that was magnificent)<br />
- Visit to the Triennial exhibition at the NGV (also magnificent)<br />
- 2 x movie trips (a split one where some of us saw Ferdinand, some of us saw Wonder, and one of us saw The Greatest Showman; and a me-and-kids-and-their-friends trip to Jumanji)<br />
- A two-night holiday at grandparents for the kids<br />
- Dinner out to Hellenic Hotel for husband and I (while kids were away!)<br />
- Much Ado About Nothing at the Pop Up Globe for me with a friend<br />
- So far, 7 days of paid work for me (4 in week of 8 Jan, 3 last week), with an anticipated 3.5 days this week to round off the month<br />
- Finalisation of Japan trip plans and payments<br />
- Participating in Month of Poetry challenge - haven't missed a day yet!<br />
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<h3>
Term in View (from now til Good Friday)</h3>
<div>
- Kids back to school and school routines from 29/1 (primary schooler) and 2/2 (high schoolers)</div>
<div>
- Return to weekly gymnastics, swimming, jujitsu and skating classes: Two key differences will be the extended length gymnastics class for almost-9 year old , which will add one pressure, and the 14-year-old self-commuting to jujitsu, which will relieve one pressure (although we will still be picking her up at the end) </div>
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- Average of 5 days booked work per week over 4 client projects for me, with at least one, and probably two, interstate trips to clients</div>
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- Preparations for our overseas trip (!)</div>
<div>
- Plan for two Mental Health Days across the course of the term (dates TBC)</div>
<div>
- Special events: youngest's 9th birthday and party (late Feb), Roger Waters concert and overnight hotel stay (me and hubs), Evanescence concert (14 year old and her dad), husband's birthday, friends' second wedding</div>
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<br /></div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324093991910698285.post-58996394573926083012018-01-03T20:14:00.003+11:002018-01-03T20:14:54.500+11:00Summer Staycation Daytrip: A Picnic (and Climb) at Hanging RockWe did one. Here are a few of the best of the zillionty photos!<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390594937856333216noreply@blogger.com0