Summer Time And The Weather Is ...

Another damp day. Not to worry it's dry on the 272 ...

Low misty clouds blanketed the hill and fine rain lent an Irish softness to the day. We had an excellent walk from Hathersage, through Hugh's Manor and up to the Hay Meadows up on Coggers Lane. Blossom covered the meadows. Bright yellow buttercups and dandelions, sparkling white daisies and everywhere the bowed seed heads of the grasses covered in tiny rain drops. Some blue orchids poked through the mass of  low growing plants. A beautiful sight even in the misty rain.

Walking down to the cottage and back through the meadows gave us a second chance to enjoy the view.

Tea and conversation - always a pleasure - was added to by the boisterousness of the sheep dogs.

A damp but delightful day.

Bank Provided Shelter

Some days you just have to give in to life's essentials ... shopping. So it was and we were happily festooned with goodies when, bang crash double wallop, we subjected to a downpour. Where to shelter? That's when I spotted the open door of the Barclay's Bank. Zooooom - in we sloshed. In today's banking situation we must have been the fastest people who wanted to enter, not exit, Barclay's portals. The rain deposited as much as the bank is accused of depositing into it's own coffers ... possibly in as short a time. We are Barclay customers so we took the opportunity to don out wet gear before braving the storm; this had relented to a gently rain.

Is this the most shelter that a bank can offer in today's economic climate?

Millennium Gallery - Life Drawing

Another Millennium Life Drawing session filled the morning. The added delight of these sessions is meeting people from all walks of life - not just arties.

I had a long, possibly predictable, conversation with a local magistrate about her experiences on the bench. Nowhere is free from the freeloader, petty crook and stupid. It has always been so and no amount of  hang-wringing or "education" will change the nature of the herd. As she said, it's no good twittering what a "you", assuming a sensible person, should-would do in their place, It just ain't that way ... book 'em, try 'em and "next!" ...

Drawing/painting wise it was an excellent session.

Well Dressings, Tea, Cakes and Ice Cream

A break in the wet and cold weather allowed us to have a very pleasant day in Derbyshire. The trusty 272 took us to Hathersage where we changed mounts and rode off to Tideswell and thence on to Litton.

One of the well dressings at Tideswell was surprising because it featured Lincoln Cathedral ... maybe because this year saw the proper recognition of the efforts of Bomber Command during WW2. Lincoln being the home city of one of the most famous squadrons ... 617, the "Dam Busters".

Remember that the Well Dressing is made mainly of flower petals pressed into a clay base which is supported by a wooden panel.

We did our part to support the efforts of several members of the Womens Institute by eating their cake and having tea. The sun shone on a very green and pleasant land which meant for some sort of celebration ... locally made and excellent ice cream. This latter was consumed in traditional stile ... a lazy wander through the village under verdant trees and whilst appreciating the historic, rustic cottages and flower filled, bursting gardens. Had there been a Brass Band I'm certain that we would have been mindfully singing, "And did those feet in ancient times ..."

Returning to the cottage, we were given a boisterous welcome by the boys who, rightly, expected a handful of treats ... which they got. More tea and conversation and the early evening drew to a close. We haven't got used to it being still light at 9.30 pm ...

Two buses later and we were home for a late but delicious traditional English dinner - shortcrust pastry, beef and kidney pie with proper new potatoes. Note to Ozers: "chats" are not proper new potatotes. Sometimes plain and simple really hits the spot!

A Portrait Day Out

Why Sheffield you often ask ...

I spent a full day at Tim's studio with five other arties doing some portrait painting. This was an excellent experience - no noise just the sound of brushes on canvas. The professional model was a very pleasant woman who had good conversation during the breaks and who sat, without comment, during the working periods - what a delight!

Lunch at the Mexican Canteen on Arundel Street provided both good food and good conversation.

An all round excellent day out; even the weather brightened up ...

Life At The Millennium

We got soaked on Thursday and Friday dawned wet and cold - where is the summer? Not to worry. I went to the life drawing at the Millennium Gallery in the morning. Sadly, the bean counters have reduced the sessions to AM only; much to the disgust of the artists. It was good to catch up with folk I know. Coffee at the cafe was acceptable. Despite the rain all was really enjoyable.

Two Days Hectic Resettling And More

We arrived on Monday and had moved in by lunch time Wednesday. That day being sunny we took a quick trip to Stanage and met up with our friends. After a pleasant walk up to the Mill Pond I went off to help gather sheep for one of the local farmers.

The sheep were grazing on a very steep moor which meant that the farmer and my friend with his two dogs had an exhausting time getting the sheep to come down to the fenced yard. I just stood by while the herd came down and eventually helped get them into the yard and gated up. Among the flock was one of the biggest rams I've seen; I kept well away from him.

As expected there were some less cooperative individuals who ran back down the field and over the beck so as to get back where they came from. After much effort the escapees were gathered. I ended up helping drag and carry a lamb and two awkward old ewes, one soaked from the beck, into to fold. The strength of an unwilling ewe has to be experienced to be believed - roast mutton came to mind more than once! The effort the local hill farmers have to put in to farm these sheep makes my knees weak just thinking about it ...

Back at the cottage we had tea and a great natter with our friends. The dogs, as always, expected biscuits and a stick/ball throwing game out on the fell next to the cottage. It is really great to be back again!

Seamless Travel - Paris to Sheffield

The shuttle from the hotel to CDG Terminal 2 was like the proverbial sardine can ... with a few extras!

Processing at CDG was slow and efficient. The small baguette that cost 9.50 euros was the most expensive bite I've had for some time ...

The Flybe flight to Manchester was on time and faultless. Train from Manchester to Sheffield was on time and CLEAN and quiet. Hoorah for progress! Coffee and baguettes at Sheffield rail station equaled what we've come to expect in France ... don't faint ...

The Premier Inn Hotel is, as always, excellent.

Andrew's cafe served a good afternoon tea and  he and the staff were as sociable as  ever.

Marks and Spark provided an excellent selection of  high quality inner nourishment for dinner and the London Ale wiped me out ... cheap drunk that I am.

What could a traveler want other tha a good night's sleep?

French Reflections

Overall we really enjoyed our time in France.

Only two complaints:

• The general unpleasant attitude of Parisians ... I suppose most of the French population, ex-Paris, feel the same.
• Dog excrement! Had we not been experienced dancers and had the odd bout of Hasbro's Twister, I'm sure that wandering the streets would have proved to be a very sticky experience.

Where will we visit next in France? Too many lovely places to list ...

Amiens to Paris CDG ... Excellent Rail Travel

The Intercity train from Amiens to Paris Gare du Nord was on time both times .... a fast and quiet trip. The Maze of Death proved to be un-deathlike so that we got to Line B, down two levels, with little or no problem. The only problem was pain-in-the-six young Arab chap who tried to flim-flam us at the ticket machine. I politely told him to depart swiftly ... which he eventually, after a bit of insistence, did. Beggars can sometime be crafty little ferrets!

The train to CDG airport was packed ... as always. We thought for few minutes that we had been transported through some sort of Star Gate to North Africa but, no. We reminded ourselves that we in Paris again and that civilized, well mannered behaviuor was not to be expected from the denizens of the City of Lights. That comment applied well to the taxi driver at the airport ... "Me no speekee inguish mister ... etc etc"; what avoisdupois mon petit chou!

The Millenium Hotel CDG is fine.

Abbeville - A Trip In The Sun

The train from Amiens to Abbeville took us quickly and quietly to the start of an interesting, rain-free and sunny day's trip. The WW2 history of the town is horrible and the rebuilding of the place a testament to the resilience of  the survivors.

On May 20 1940, Guderian's blitzkrieg broke though the Allied forces at Abbeville and so reached the channel. Just before the arrival of the German Forces, twenty-two Belgian Right-Wing political leaders were shot by the French Police in a public park which resulted in hundreds of the victims followers joining the Waffen SS. The "Abbeville Boys" were one of the most famous German fighter squadrons. In December 1943 the RAF carried out two bombing raids (47 and 51 aircraft) on flying-bomb sites located between Abbeville and Amiens, The Lancasters were from 617 Squadron of Dambusters Fame based north of Lincoln.

Enough of that ...

The church of St Vulfran was badly damaged but, has been brilliantly rebuilt/restored. This church is really worth visiting; a peacefully plain and calm interior with many interesting objects.

Lunch ... you would have loved the almond tartlet and the millefleur ...

The church of St Sepulcre was also badly damaged and has been rebuild/restored. The modern stained glass, designed by Manessier, is spectacular. We were blessed with brilliant sunshine which showed the windows at their best.

The museum in town had an excellent exhibition of Manessier's designs.

Back to Amiens by express train.

A beer and Pernod plus a coffee while watching the passing crowd ended an excellent and thought provoking day.

Amiens ... Without So Much Rain

Not so cold and rain-ridden today.

The Notre-Dame cathedral took most of our time today. The front is magnificant. There dosen't seem to be a missing statue in any of the nooks and the only heads that aren't attached to shoulders are held in the hands of the respective owners. A good indication that Olly Cromewell's lads were a bunch of  vandals in dear old England ... which they were. Give Amiens was in the thick of The Hundred Days Offensive (Battle of Amiens) in 1918 it's amazing that any of the building still stands. That is even more surprising when you consider the Battle of the Somme in 1940. Much of the city was destroyed during these excusions so that rebuilding has produced some spectactular modern developments.

Back to Amiens cathedral ...

The cathedral dates from 1288 and is magnificant in all respects. The nave soars to a great height (42 m) and the rest of the building follows suit. There are six massive relief carved screens which have polychrome figures (1490-1530)... these are the best I have had the pleasure to see. The two Rose Windows look fantasic both from a size and colour point of view. The massive stained glass windows in the Lady chapel and the adjacent chapels fill that end of the nave with a kaleidoscope of light. These chapels also have painted walls.

We also put in some foot hours wandering along the banks of the Somme enjoying the quiet of the allotments and gardens called des Hortillonnages.

Note to Ozzers: We should chip in to buy a new flag for the lads that died in the wars ... the one in the cathedral is tatty.

Autocar Means Normal Bus

It wasn't until we got to the SNCF station that we realised that the "train" was a bus - not a long distance coach but, a bus. There was a notice telling passengers that the 10.18AM train to Amiens was changed to a bus - just for this week ...

We decided to wait for the next train - 4 hours - and it was worth it. An excellent fast and quiet trip through brilliant green farmland and forests. Obviously la Manche isn't wide enough - the country side in Normandy and Picardy is exactly like the UK ... beautiful.

After a quick wander around the shopping area next to the rail station and excellent help form the Tourist Office next to the cathedral we had our bearings. Time for dinner and a quick Monopix ...

Rouen ... Not So Rain Ridden

A cold but, not so wet day.

The Parliament of Normandy, Court House is an wonder of renovated Gothic splendor. The front and part of the side of the immense building has been cleaned but, none of the war-time damage has been repaired. This attest to the violence of the allied bombing that the city underwent when the city was liberated in 1944.

The modern Saint-Joan of Arc church look really odd from the outside - its integration with the market adds to the odd nature of the structure. The inside is absolutely splendid; the architecture and construction; the use of the Renaissance stained glass from the former church of S. Vincent. A beautiful space!

Lunch: Delicious baguettes and coffee in a quiet and busy cafe.

The Museum of Fine Art s, Rouen is extensive and well worth the merge 5 euros. An excellent place to spend a wet afternoon.

That took care of the second day in Rouen. Dinner at Flunch recharged or foot hour batteries.

Rouen ... Endless Medieval Buildings

A cold and wet day did not prevent us from 5 foot hours of wandering around the old city centre of Rouen.

We started with Rouen cathedral and spent a wowing few hours oogling and oohing at the building both inside and out. While the light level is quite low inside it does not detract from the amazing architectural structure. The space is magnificent. It took several visits during the day between rain showers to get a full impression of the outside of the cathedral.

Walking some of the small streets brought us to Aitre Saint-Maclou which is the central courtyard of a house. The space was used during the Great Plague of 1348 as a necropolis. The carvings on the wooden structure are decorated with motifs that evoke death. The buildings are now the Regional School of Fine Arts. This has to be the best example of a medieval courtyard we've seen to date.

After a quick lunch we moved on to Saint-Ouen Abbey Church. This was a Benedictine monastery during the 14th and 16th C. The present city hall abuts the church and is built on the former monks' dormitory and cloisters. The building is very well lit by 80 stained glass windows and the height of the nave is almost too much for the neck to cope with! The height has the effect of creating a really impressive building inside. Outside the flying buttresses emphasize the height of the nave.

No matter where you roam the are medieval buildings and, most important, they are in use today.

An excellent day! Monoprix for dinner and rest ...

Caen to Rouen by Rail

An excellent journey - so quiet even with a reasonably full train. Clean carriages - even the loo - UKers look to your laurels.

The Hotel des Carmes on first impression looked a bit iffy - TOTALLY WRONG! Clean and comfortable and the room is bright and airy with windows onto the Place de Carmes. Location wise the hotel couldn't be more convenient. The cathedral and other sights are just a couple of streets away - as is the most important Monoprix. The area is packed with cafes and Flunch is just around the corner ... bon appetit!

The hotelier's wife is an artist ... one of those trained in the academy and who can draw well. The hotels is awash with her work which is really good. I'm looking forward to meeting her tomorrow.

We wandered for a mere 4 foot hours while the room was being readied. Even a brief look inside the cathedral took our breath away ... the height of the building is astonishing.

A leisurely coffee at the cafe around the corner and a eye-boggling shopping session for dinner brought the day to a close. You really should have seen the choice of hams and cheeses at the deli ... pass the drool tray Jeeves ...

Lisieux - A Day Out By Train

Here we go again using that little known Ozer mode of transport - the train.

After spotting the Basilica - Sanctuaire Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux on the way from Paris to Caen we decided to visit Lisieux. A fast 30 min run for a short 8 euros got us to the bottom of the hill where the basilica is situated. A steepish walk and there we were. The first comment was, "It's huge!" The basilica began in 1929 and consecration was in 1954. Since a mass was in full swing we took the time to sit and get our breaths while looking at the interior. God bothering finished we wandered around including the crypt.

Wandering down into the village brought us to the Cathedral of S. Pierre which was awash with post first-communionites and their doting families. I bet some of the lads will cringe when they are in their teens and mother shows the photos to the girlfriend ... The cathedral, to me, seemed to have a more pleasing atmosphere than the basilica; less McDonnald's wizz-bang, more reverently quiet; maybe because it dates from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Up to this time the rain had relented so we thought we'd quite while we were dry. We stopped to buy a couple of filled baguettes and legged it back to to rail station just in time to catch the train back to Caen - and more rain.

Cool Caen

It may be June but, the weather is more autumn than summer. A very cold wind cooled us down as we wandered around Caen.

The Eglise S. Jean is visible from our bedroom windows so we decided to visit it first. It's a testament to survival a midst total destruction.

In the centre of the town is Eglise S. Pierre. Some of the outside of the building has either been cleaned or totally restored and it looks fantastic.

Down the Rue S. Pierre is the Eglise S. Sauveur which is notable for the huge space created by what seems to be a double nave. The arch that opens the space looks impossibly light in construction. The stained glass is unusual and impressive.

Wandering past the Palais Justice and down the Rue Guillaume-le-Conquerant got us to the Abbatiale S Etienne or the Abbaye-aux-Hommes. The convent is now the Caen City Hall.

After a coffee and lunch we trekked across town to the Abbaye-aux-Dames. A plain interior which is still impressive. The convent is now the HQ of the Regional Council of Lower Normandy.

We rounded the day of by wandering over and through Caen Castle or Chateau de Caen.

That made for about six foot hours and enough for the day.

Paris to Caen By Intercity

Time to move on. A taxis to the Gare du Lyon proved to be the best idea. The women driver was most helpful and got us to the Metro with little effort. Travelling on Line 14 to Gare Saint Lazare went without hitch ... no lectures from an intellectual to spice the trip. The Intercity was 10 mins late leaving due to a technical fault but, the journey, at what seem to be breakneck speed, was excellent. Note to Ozers: Get a proper rail system!!!

The Hotel du Havre is delightful and the patron helpful and charming. We wandered the town getting our bearings and found the Monoprix supermarket ... OMG! Where do you begin to choose what's for dinner?

A quick pre-dinner wander in a bitingly cold wind made the dinner taste even more delicious.

Caen seems to be a very interesting place and reminds us of so many places in the UK. I suppose that Will the Bastard had more effect on UK than we UKers sometimes like to admit.

Metro Menace

An easy metro to the Gare Saint-Lazare to get tickets for Caen started a cool Paris day - cool weather that is. The RER person gave us the best route to avoid millions of steps for our exit from Paris with the baggage. Line 14 to the Gare de Lyon was highlighted by a cultural exchange with one of the ubiquitous Parisien Posures - snooty attitude, nose slightly raised as though avoiding the smell of the common herd and the pretence of reading a weighty tome on one of: politics, philosophy or, most common, one of Satre's exposition on the meaning of travelling on the metro. This dear lady gave me a lecture on how to hang-on when the train lurched into life. I was hanging-on for dear life whilst trying to support a women who had the misfortune to fall, unsupported, onto me. This woman apologised and, to my delight, quietly informed our intellectual what was afoot. Said intellectual found more gall and lectured me further. I quietly but, firmly as only a northern UK fellow can, told her she was mistaken and should be better advised to look to her own behaviour - oops, not at all to her liking. The fallen woman turn out to be a charming, mid-fifties person who spoke near perfect English so that we had a delightful conversation for the few minutes left of the trip. Note to self: note all Parisiens are snotty wankers ...

The afternoon saw us wander over to a church on the Boulevard Voltaire.

As expected all cafes serve excellent coffee so that getting a reviving "fix" is all too simple.

Day ends with a Monoprix stop.

Back at the hotel I had a long and interesting conversation with the receptionist. He was of the opinion that the last Presidential Ellection was the first time that there was felt to be a palpable division in the population. Some of the protests were very violent and he was disgusted that the Army had to be used to control some of the protests. Cars being set alight not being uncommon.

The "Traveller's Cold" seems to be abating ... gasp, wheeze, cough ...

Heathrow to Paris

Terminal 5 at Heathrow was much better than expected. The building is a triumph of modern engineering design and I particularly like the internal skeleton of steel. processing of passenger was a breeze. The biggest shock was a fantastic Italian resuraunt ... sadly we only had time for an excellent coffee (hey, this is England where the coffee is usually like acrid dish water). The BA flight was a simple up-down job but, they still served "refreshements" ... what a waste of time.

CDG was quiet and the walk to the RER trains gave us a good excuse for a coffee. This was served by a woman who had obviously been to the Paris School for Advanced Arrogant Indifference and Anti-Social Interaction. But, wait I was forgetting, we're in Frog Ville where the locals confuse snooty bad manners for "chic".

My terrible French proved to be sufficient to get the tickets to Paris ... with a smile from the RER person ... OMG! The Train from CDG to the Gare du Nord got to be a sardine can full of snotty sardines but, that was to be expected. Then, we entered the laborinth. After several attenpts we eventually got to Level 3 of what I assume to be a game called "The Tomb of the Lost in the Gare du Nord". Lifts and escallators that didn't work, dead ends, hords of the Wandering Zombies of  Paris and seemingly endless ticket barriers labled "Sortie". That's where the secret of the Key To The Exit revealed itself - our tickets worked every time. Now I know why the RER ticket person smiled; he knew the secret!

We got a taxi to the Hotel; there was no way we were going to battle the hordes on the metro. Booking in was simple and the room up two flights of winding, narrow stairs - no lift its an old building. The room looks like it should be part of a brothel. It's clean and tidy with en suite but, its the wall paper that gives that impression. Carmine Red almost velvet fabric ... different, yes, appealing no.

Duly nested we walk around the corner to Monoprix and shopped for dinner. This sounds a bit mundane but, if you could see the huge choice of googies on offer, you'd understand why we shop and don't just eat at cafes and resturaunts. We get what we like, fresh and un-mauled by would-be chefs. A bit of this a taste of that ...

Back at the hotel the TV news was full of Aunty E's Do at St Paul's ... it's seems that even the Sons of the Revolution find the event of interest.

That's a days events and the reason why we love to travel.

JAL Does It Again

Fortunately it took only two days off to get over the cold - most spent either sleeping or eating! The U-City hotel in Narita was, as before, excellent.

We left Tokyo on time and landed at Heathrow 25 mins early. The economy class was over half empty so I had 3 seats to lay out on to have several snoozes during the flight of just under 12 hours. Four films wasted a good deal of the time.

The Premier Inn provided excellent accommodation and the "meal deal" more than adequate dinner and breakfast. After Japan the portions of the meals seemed huge not to mention the ability of overly stuffed UKers stuffing themselves even more - with lashings of pints of beer to wash the food down. Don't mention obesity - it's a national pastime ...

The TV provided us with a ring-side view of the Jubilee Concert held outside Buck House. The odd cut to the Royals were short and sweet which was sensible because they looked bored most of the time ... duty calls and all that. RW&B everywhere. People everywhere. Part of the show was a projection on Buck House - that really look great. There will be a service in St Paul's today but, we're off to Paris using BA ...

Shaking All Over ...

A day off ... not by choice. I seem to have caught another "traveler's cold". I always do at some point in the expedition. It could be the pollution which, sadly, is always there.

Late afternoon - a violent thunder storm and then the hotel shakes noticeably because of an earthquake.

Me, to the hotel manager, "Was that an earthquake?"
Him, "Yeh, don't worry about it. It was only a little one."
Me, "Can I use the lift?"
Him, "Yeh, I'll tell you if there is a problem."
Me, to myself, "Oh, shite!"

Takashima To Tokyo On Time

After a substantial Japanese breakfast at the Toyoko-Inn Hotel we strolled into the JR station to catch the 0922 express to Takayama. The train arrived at Takamatsu on time.







Eight mins for transfer to the express to Okoyama. The train arrived at Okoyama on time.






Forty five mins later, after coffee, pancakes and ice cream, we boarded the shinkansen for Tokyo which, as you might have guessed, arrived on time.







A quick change to the Yamanote line and we were in Ueno at about 1720. A long, seamless trip and all to plan - that's train travel at it's very best. That's Japan folks!

We checked in to the Weekly Mansions Higashi-Ueno and made our way to Doutor for a reviving coffee.  Suitably energised we headed for the supermarket for provisions for the next couple of days.

Apple and pears needed climbing after filling our fuel bins ... we may be wrinkly but, we're not completely out of the running!

Trawling Tokushima

Another sunny day so we thought we'd catch the local bus to some temples. Not so easy ... there were only Japanese speaking people at the bus station and the information centre! Pointing to a map (in Japanese) and doing a Jacque Tati got us on a bus which did take us to the first temple we wanted. Or so we thought. We wandered from this temple to another which seemed to have the same name only to wander further to a third; yes it had the same name ... we think ..

With no prospect of getting any wiser we decided to head back to the town centre for lunch. Coffee and a very nice roll with salmon, shrimp and salad recharged our resolve.

Onto the train to Koh - three stops down the line - with the intention of visiting another temple. We wandered from the station and followed the sign pointing the way and which indicated the temple was about 800 m. Not so lucky again! The distance was to a road intersection which we didn't get to because we'd walked about 1500 m with no sign of another sign to the temple. That seemed like a sign to quit while we still had the energy to walk back to the station; the afternoon was getting hotter. Thankfully we arrived just in time to catch the train back to Tokushima.

Another fortification followed by shopping for dinner completed the day's expedition. We must have a slate loose because we still enjoyed the exercise!

Time to pack up for the trip back to Tokyo tommorow.

A Gorgeous Day For A Train Trip

Up, fed and watered we mounted the iron horse by 9 am which, for us, approaches miracle status. An excellent and fast journey to Oboke with a 6 min change at Awakawaguchi. The journey of about one and a half hours was through interesting countryside with more agriculture and market gardening than expected; rice everywhere.

The Yoshino River flows though a spectacular gorge and Oboke JR station is about 20 min walk to the tourist spot where you can get a trip on the more sedate part of the river as well as having an excellent restaurant. The gorge is geologically spectacular and visually stunning from all angles - even the road allows you to see this. The weather was hot and sunny so that the trip turned out to be really worth the effort.

We JRed it back to Tokushima in time for coffee and that yellow cake; I still have no idea of what it is made of.

Dinner was provided by the shops in the basement of a huge department store opposite the station - excellent selections of salads and all manner of Japanese food. The sashimi was one of the best selections I've had to date. We left the store just as an almighty thunderstorm centered over the city; thank G for the foresight of always having wet gear in the backpack ...

Time for Bedfordshire ...

Use That Rail Pass ...

Time to leave Takamatsu for Tokushima on the JR Express. The train had two carriages; one for those of us with booked seats and the other for the plebs. There was little or no room for our cases but, the driver allowed us to put them next to his driving compartment. The one and a half hour ride took us through agricultural countryside - it's quite a different environment to that which most people think of when the think of Japan. Rice, Lotus, orchards and every type of veggie that you could think of and more. The flat farmland set among steep sided, forest covered mountains. Sadly, the pollution still persists.

Coffee at Starbucks at the JR station and a 5 min walk to Toyoko Inn Ekimae. We signed in by noon so it was time to find out where the supermarkets and food malls were and have lunch. That done we took the JR train to Naruto - don't bother is my advice unless you intend to go Whirlpool Viewing; which we didn't.

The train back to Tokushima was the school run. The train filled with hormone enriched teenagers with their surgically attached mobiles. Obviously teenagers just out of school are the same the world over. To use a line from a Geordie song: 'They slap their lugs and talked a lot of nonsense" - allegro con spirito e piano. Oz birds twittering make a louder but similar sound - remember we don't understand Japanese so they sounded like some kind of music.

Back at the hotel, having shopped for dinner, we settled in for a long day tomorrow.

Prune This Lot ...

Another sunny day and an ideal time to visit the Ritsurin Koen in Takayama. A leisurely walk through the covered shopping arcade allowed us to have morning coffee and, since part of the arcade is at least 1km long in the direction of the koen, kept us shaded while we walked. The koen, or garden, is extensive. In the blossom season it would be fantastic. We spent at least 3 hours wandering the paths. Lakes, thousands of immaculately pruned trees and bushes, herons and the inevitably carp.

Back in town we had traditional local noodles with some tasty pickles. Afternoon coffee and cake - the yellow ochre coloured one which could be pumpkin - it's tastes great so who cares ...

After a quick look at the Takamatsu Art Gallery we walked down to the Castle Park. The gardens are fine but, we were fortunate to catch a bonsai exhibition. The plants were flowering and nothing like any we had seen before.

Time for rest, washing and dinner ...

Taking Steps To Enjoy Yourself

A semi-sunny, well polluted day gave us the opportunity to see two very interesting sights.

The Kotoden local private rail service took us from Takamatsu to Kotohira. We were energetic enough to climb the 785 steps to the main sanctuary of the Kotohira gu shrine. However, after about the same effort again, we turned around to start the decent back to town - hunger always wins plus, there were a total of 1368 steps to get to the Inner Shrine at the top of the mountain.

After a delicious lunch we caught the JR train to Sanukishioya and walked to Nakazu Bansho-en. This is one of the best sea-side gardens in Japan. The garden was built for Takatoyo Kyogoku who was the second lord of the Marugame clan. Marugame is the 'main' town nearby. We recharged batteries with ices while walking back to the station where we boarded the JR train to Takamatsu.

I'll not comment further on the behaviour of the little kids and school kids on the train other than to say that you'd never see such displayed by our Oz and UK animals - I just don't understand why ...

Back at Takamatsu we stopped for coffee and then raided the supermarket. That's a 9-to-4 outing ... who needs a gym?

Shhhhinkansen to Takamatsu

The Hikari shinkansen took us from Tokyo to Okayama on time and at speed. As expected the train was clean and quiet - no mobile phone jabbering or raucous conversations. Even the coffee from the trolly was good. Where do we Ozers and Ukers go wrong? It's beyond my understanding ...

The Mariner Express completed the journey from Okayama to Takamatsu as planned - again no mobile phone jabber and quiet.

We were given excellent tourist information at the JR station by a delightful woman who said she only spoke a little English - she was totally fluent and couldn't have been more helpful. The Toyoko Inn Takamatsu hotel is excellent and the staff very helpful and they have a great sense of humour ... always a big plus when most of the conversation is more a mime.

As per, we located an excellent supermarket and stocked up on goodies for dinner, supper and any nibble-times that seem to occur frequently.

That's a good day's travel ....

Modern Art, Musical Instruments and Korean Food

A second visit to the Tokyo Met to see an exhibition called 'Best Selection 2012' was well worth the 300 yen ... half price for wrinklies. Some really excellent painting and sculpture - an inspiration to a jaded art palette.

Ueno was buzzing with packs of school kids who all behaved in a civilized way, unlike the feral offspring we usually see around Oz and UK cities. We were reduced to a visit to Starbucks for a coffee and cake simply because they had tables in the sunshine so that we could people-watch while we rested our aged limbs.

A delicious lunch in the market area opposite the JR station recharged energy banks. On to the Yamanote line and to Shinokubo where we, eventually, found a music instrument store which must be the largest we've ever seen. Nothing was bought ... this time. The Shinokubo area seems to be the Korean restaurant and shopping area.

Back on the Yamanote to Ueno and the hotel via the supermarket ended today's exercise.

Six Foot Hours In The Sun

The day was blessed with glorious sunshine. We decided to brave the hoards and visit the Sky Tree. The engineering is brilliant and the retail outlets gob smacking ... if it can be marketed and it's cute they have it! We will have to book a ticket to go up the 30 odd floors for later this year ... it's booked out until late June.

Asakusa was a hive of visitors but, we found a locals' cafe that was quiet so that we had an excellent lunch. A visit to the Sensoji temple rounded out the morning.


A walk through Ueno park took us to the Metropolitan Art Museum. The Citizens Exhibition was boggling ... room after room of paintings and some excellent sculpture and ceramics. Some of the painting were great but, as with all huge exhibitions, some were "not to my taste", (cough, cough).

That got us to five and a-half foot hours so we beat a retreat to the supermarket for more sashimi and other goodies.

Six Foot Hours ... enough for one day ...

Rain And Tiredness Needs Coffee

Rain soaked Tokyo and a desire to sleep sort of compliment a visit to a Doutor cafe. Not that we ever need an excuse to visit a cafe.

Wandering around the old shopping streets in Ueno only increased our desire to roam despite the rain. The Japanese marketing designs are compelling and the fact that you can read any of the print only serves to emphasize the colours and designs. The influence of Manga and traditional folk lore images adds to the visual feast.

An excellent meal at one of the cafes in Asakusa shopping arcade followed by a visit to the Kiwaya ukulele shop and another of the local temples rounded out the afternoon. Shopping time ... food ... gave us another pleasant surprise. There is an even better supermarket just around the corner from the Weekly mansions ... and so to a dinner with some delicious sashimi.

Tokyo - On Time

We took off from Sydney on time and landed and embarked on time - JAL what need I say. The Skyliner got us to Ueno on time, We were at the supermarket, after registering at the Weekly Holiday Mansion Higashi-Ueno, in time. And had our dinner at the flat at about time for bed. An excellent travelling day!

It always come as a bit of a shock when we first arrive in Tokyo and wander the streets in Asakusa in the early evening - main shops are shut, traffic is moving and the is an air of peace and quiet which is hard to believe. That's what's pleasant about the place ...

Watch, Wallet, Spectacles and ... An Early Start

Four fifteen am is not on e of my usual times to be non-comatose. Shuttle to KSF and a croissant and coffee roused a few brain cells which enables us to be coherent enough to check-in. Passports and security passed though lead to the cafe - again - for more liquid and a slow full re-boot of the thinking equipment. No, I do not like very early starts to my day.

All good - so far - next stop Tokyo.

Mad Dash To The Starting Line

Time to pack all the goodies away, unplug the electronics and kick the cat out. It's always a series of ,"Oh my God have we ..." moments that make you realize it's time go go.

Apartment Secured

The last Panicable (it's a noun in this case) has been conquered! Not by any of my efforts but, by the pleasant and efficient offices of Abbeydale Hall. Again we have a 2BLK&B+P flat in Sheffield ... excellent! There is a build up of planned arty activities at the Millennium and Porterbrook Studios, and the prospect of further forages into Darkest Derbyshire and Ancient Lincolnshire only delights expectations.

All that remains is to pack ....

Countdown 2012

Here we are again at the frontier of exportation ready to retrace the steps of  our convict brothers and sisters but, in reverse and without the floggings that cured their ills. Are we packed, planned and panicking? That's a: yes, yes and sort-of.

Stand-by Transport by Mr Oates

Excitement mixed with trepidation. Will all the planning actually work? So far one hiccup ... flight cancelled and re-booked ... phew ... thank G we are not using pigeon post and square-rigger at present!

Apart from the unseen random events we should be able to actually pack the cases later this week. I prefer Friday, the day before we leave, so that the stuff we do pack doesn't get worn out while packing and re-packing. The re-packing syndrome is evidenced by a state of mind that is obsessed by the notion of "just in case"; just in case we've packed too much, too little, the wrong things and forgotten the cat ... we don't have a cat ... You get the general idea I'm sure.

Have we had our shots? Don't even start that ball rolling ...

THEY CANCELLED THE *@#!ing FLIGHT!!! (ad alta voce)

Oh dear what a catastrophe! Not really ... "If you keep your head when all about you are loosing theirs," as Uncle Rudyard always said. Dear Old BMIBaby has gone to the dogs so the flight from CDG to EMA is no more.

On to the Interwebnettydodah. Plastic on standby, fingers limbered, eyeballs set on max resolution and brain switched to turbo. Will it be a plane, train, boat or ... Shank's Pony? Well, worry not readers. Magic always comes in threes ...

We still hope be flying out of CDG (fingers and all else crossed) but, to Manchester instead of EMA.  FlyBe came to the rescue and First TransPennine Express takes us from Manchester to Sheffield for the tiny sum of  16 GBP. (If you've been watching "Five Days" you'll maybe have noticed that the train is one of theirs.)

Bower Power!

We've been watching the Bower Birds doing their thing for some time, but this week the craziest antic was a bird who took a fancy to half of a red, plastic bucket which I was using as a camera cover. The short film is here: http://youtu.be/c_BB94WcLl0.

Low Flying Surprise

While sitting on the veranda munching on breakfast we were surprised to see a White Breasted Sea Eagle zooming down the road. A flock of Cockatoos drew our attention to the eagle which, after landing a a tree, was mobbed by the local Magpie Mafia.

  

Sunken Dreams

A few local boaties bought an old, wooden sailing boat; an ex-salt trader from Portugal ca. 1950. That was several year ago and, sadly, nothing was done by way of maintenance. Hence, the inevitable demise of what was an expensive hole-in-the-ocean. The only things left of their dream of operating a historic tourist sailing boat is the threat of diesel pollution and a massive bill for a heavy lift crane to pluck the corpse from it's watery grave.

Japan And Somewhere New - South Korea

Our good fortune takes us to Japan again; both going and coming. We decided to visit Shikoku which gives us another chance to experience Shinkansen travel again.

After deep deliberation, Zen style, I chose Takamatsu and Tokushima as our bases in Shikoku. Both places give easy access to splendid temples, parks and a further chance to use our JR passes.

On the way back to Ozerland we plan to fly to Seoul for a week of kimchi soaked kulture; QANTAS FF points making a JAL flight possible. If the information we have read so far is correct, wandering around Seoul will wear our soles down to the uppers ...

Bower Birds

We seem to have a few Satin Bower Birds (Ptilinorhynchus violaceus) in the garden. Hopefully one of them will build a bower ...

For a video of them doing their thing click here.

Decisions, Decisions ... Time To Pay ... Today

After much cud-chewing, hourly ear-bashing and finger-sore webbing, it's time to cough up the clams and choose an airline. I don't want you to think we're creatures of habit; mindless lemmings following a Disney migratory route to greener pastures where we engage in tribal ritual or mystic, predawn Masonic mumbo jumbo. No. No. No. Yes, we are choosing JAL - again ...

Korean Air came very close, but got the silver. After a great deal of Seoul searching we decided to to pay the extra small bucket of clams and continue to pander to our indulgent egos. So we're Tokyo bound in mid May - fingers crossed ...

English Summer Oz Style

What a strange summer - wet,windy and the odd sunny day. No. Not the UK. I'm talking about The Bay this year. Walking is a pleasant pastime in these temperate conditions - what a joy not to be fried to a crisp!

Our friends at The Bakehouse cafe are always a reliable source of coffee and cakes so that a brisk walk to town has both excellent estuarine views and the promise of tasty refreshment. The excuse is acceptable - it keeps us fit ...

Where? What? Who? When?

Those are good questions which the planning committee are trying to resolve. It's not really a question of dosh or  self-imposed time lines; cultural tastes seldom are.

Japan will be part of the jolly; Shikoku being the main area of interest to start with. A couple of nights in Tokyo and then the shinkansen down to Okayama followed by JR trains to Takamatsu and beyond. Swanning around the island for a week and then the reverse trip back to Tokyo and then, up-and-away on to Europe.

Europe probably means stopping in Paris for a few days and then taking a week or two to rail around Normandy, Picardy and Nord pas de Calais, taking a squiz at some of the many historic sites and galleries; cafes and patisseries are without number, so that we will have to exercise great constraint is we are to travel at all. The list of places, so far, includes: Caen and Bayeux, Rouen, Amiens, Laon or Lille; with day trips from Paris to the obvious Big V. Note: we will not be visiting any War Graves.

The Eurostar from Paris or Lille to London seems to be a good idea until you consider that the Olympics are in London this year. We may try to fly to a northern airport even if it means going to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris to fly to the UK and avoid London.

Sheffield seems to beckon again for all the good reasons of last and other years. That depends upon the availability of an apartment; that we will find out about a month before we leave ...

When to leave ... May?

Coming back? The reverse flights are the favoured option, but the there may be a desire to visit Korea on the way ...

Summer? Nah, It Must Be Autumn.

Just to let you know that the summer here in Oz is really a late Oz autumn replay. Cold, wind, rain and the odd day of sunshine al la a British summer. To be honest, I like it! The over-sold, blistering summer normally touted for these shores is only good for producing Lobsters; that's over cooked tourists who have the desire to sear their flesh to get that reptilian molt effect which is so flattering.

Long may it remain so ....

Mower Mania!

One of the annoying things about living in Ozerland is the mania for mowing grass, lawn is too grand a notion. The act of mowing isn't the problem. Its the obsession with motor mowers and the chronic desire to cut the grass down to the roots. This activity must be done at some ungodly hour in the morning; probably due to a the misconception that the sun may rise to levels that sear the flesh down to the bone before 9am. The manic activity is not confined to those of retirement age who have noting better to do with their time. Better still if the mower is supercharged with designer, mega decibel exhaust and go-fast stripes.

I was woken this morning by some half-wit next door and, had I possessed the necessary equipment, would have been delighted to hasten her passage across the Styx and payed Charon handsomely.

It was a comfort to find out that a I was not the only crusty to object to such a rude incursion into my territory ...

Travel Videos - Done And Dusted

That really is a wrap. So drop into my Youtube site if you want to spend hours seeing what we've seen ...

Hope you enjoy what you see

Loading Up For The Season

Tis the time to

Deck the roofs with boughs of razor wire, 

Reindeer traps and Claymore mines. 

Tis the season for Santa hunting, 

Rudolf pie and mulled red wine. 

Fa la la la la, la la la la,

Happy hunting campers!

Cut, Cut, Cut and It's A Wrap ... Nearly ...

After a mammoth series of editing session I've come to the end of my tether ... sorry, that's tapes. Time to leave the computer to chew away for hours digesting the finished footage into DVDs. I don't have blue teeth and don't expect to change my dentition for some time ...

Horsetrailier wise all is same of the same ... except ... the summer goblins have gone on strike. Cold, windy and much downward trending water seems to dominate the meteorological soothsaying. It must be the new carbon tax ...

It'll soon be That Time again. Time to take the Humbug pills and board up the chimney; time to reflect of the behavior of the herd; time to say at home, doors bolted and curtains drawn. Need I say more?