Unintended gifts

I was reading a book on arthritis (Mom is starting to suffer from it in her hands), written by a nurse in 1985. There's a paragraph lamenting the lack of nutritional education among young mothers and therefore the impossibility of their children being well fed or knowing how to feed themselves. The whole things ends up with the blithe assertion that women are responsible for the working power of the nation. I'm never going to be able to read this kind of thing again after that essay...

Mom and Dad were happy with their gifts, but Dad would have been a lot happier if I hadn't given him my cold. Sorry about that.

And himself sent me this adorable picture of the changeover of Chinese zodiac years.

Ooooh yes...

Himself managed to find his present. So, I thought I'd get him another one, and kind of took a chance on something that I hope he'll like but not quite sure.

He's got me the latest edition of Rough Guide Japan, which I really wanted. While we were sitting around in Waterstones talking about what to get for his brother, himself suddenly said that what he should have asked for was... what I've got for him! I don't think it will arrive in time - we're both gone as of tomorrow morning for Christmas - but if I'm lucky I'll have a 'we tried to deliver' card that I can pick up from the sorting office before we go to Wales for New Year.

Result.

Twinkle twinkle little tree

If anyone reading this might be talking to Mom - I suspect that limits it to Dad and possibly otouto - don't tell her, because this is one of her Chrisse pressies!


This is a kit for a Christmas tree made from star-shaped cushions (with a pompom on top!) that I got in Hobbyra Hobbyre in Nagoya, not this year but last year. I failed to make it in time for last Christmas, so that was one of the impetuses behind me going out and getting a sewing machine. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, especially seen it was my first time using a sewing machine and by far the most ambitious thing I've ever tried to sew.

That was actually quite fun. Now for the fabric bowls.

We know you got

I did a favour for a friend a little while ago. It meant a lot to her, it didn't particularly inconvenience me although it did require a fair amount of trust.

We met up for dinner last night, and she brought me a thank-you present, this little psuedo-kokeshi!



She said the little blurb on the box made her think of me - I was unreasonably chuffed by the whole thing. My cheeks still ache from smiling. It's going to live on my desk, and I shall affix the included sticker and badge to something, probably my electronic dictionary and only-me bag.

Mind you, the other side of the box says 'I love Dexy's Midnight Runners' - their "Come on Eileen" was mercilessly redone as "Come on Arline" by boys at my school in France and resulted in an unfortunate incident with one of said boys, a locker door and my temper finally fraying. It takes a lot, but it can happen...

Loving it...

...as my former manager at a certain large company used to say when things were going down the drain. As usual, my source of work isn't disappearing anywhere soon. This spontaneously appeared while I was writing an email to submit my hours for a translation project.

Mine and only mine

Sorry for the lack of posts - been working away on lots of things, just nothing interesting. Plus I think I've been treating this very much as a travel blog, so not much to report after coming back!

Last essay is safely handed in, now I have to find a thesis topic or annotated translation piece. I have filed my tax return after doing far more research than I felt comfortable with on liability for tax in Germany. Someone at one of the accountancy firms I spoke to asked someone in the expatriate tax department at Deloitte & Touche in Reading to call me and they seem to agree. Phew.

In other news, my favourite bag - a black waist pack that I used as a shoulder bag, bought in Japan back in 2003 or so and just big enough for a Lonely Planet Japan and a camera and a map - went to its eternal rest in the summer after I managed to put a rip in the bottom of it. Probably Lonely Planet Germany on top my keys. I was figuring out it was on its last legs at the craft fair I did with himself's mom in July, and one of the other stands there was a lady selling handmade bags. We got talking. I remembered I had some lovely aizome fabric I bought in Ise last year. And this is the result!




The main body of the bag is blue denim, with a wide stripe fabric for the outer pockets and flap, plus a thin stripe fabric for the lining, and a little of the wide stripe for an inside pocket. It's perfect!

I had a discussion about brand goods with a friend in Japan while I was there. She saw a designer bag as a status symbol - I'm successful, at my age I can afford one of these. Maybe, but I keep getting stuck on buying my lovely Dakine bag in Frankfurt - let me get you another identical one from out the back, Made In China. I'd much rather a handmade one of a kind item than a mass produced one. It's the same as the burst of happiness I felt when someone commented that one of bracelets could never be taken for anything but handmade. I like that.