Soliloquy

Boss Restaurant Futamigaura Sunset Rd

2010-06-16T16:46:00.008+09:00

￥2000
starter plate assorted
cold soup Suzuki carpaccio mozzarella salad
hot pastry case with ham and cheese
Main course
pasta
dessert
raspberry sorbet
coffee or drink
Restaurant atmosphere and location superb
Pianist played beautifully
Service okay - friendly waitress -
Value - small portions and charged for extra bread.
Overall great spot -for sunset view dinner
and cocktail,
larger portion of spaghetti would be nice.
Score
Mrs J.- 75%
Me 65%
(overall 70%)

2010-05-19T01:03:00.000+09:00

My third web site is up

2010-03-06T00:02:00.002+09:00

I am very proud to announce my third
website designed
and published for my
very good friends at
www.ravischool.com.

Harmony on a Sunday

2010-02-19T19:26:00.000+09:00

web cam tester in serious mood!!

2010-02-07T17:30:00.001+09:00

Misako's mini note book recieving a winter
service and a webcam check!

New year Onsen hot spring trip

2010-01-04T10:14:00.002+09:00

Now this is really a treat, at new year
around 28 or 29 December we go to a
hot spring resort. It always coincides with
Kent's birthday which is nice. we love the
outdoor bath and of course Onsen food.

Wendy's hamburgers....

2009-12-20T15:16:00.000+09:00

At the end of December, Wendy's will close all
it's restaurants in Japan.Unfortunately Wendy's
was my favourite in Japan. although I only ever ate
there every 6 months. I am crying here because
Hanako and I went to the Yahoo dome for a last
supper and were told 'sorry we have run out of bread'.

Nogita beach

2009-11-09T12:41:00.000+09:00

Karatsu Kunchi

2009-11-06T10:06:00.003+09:00

This is a very famous festival that
brings all the residents and people from
Karatsu out to visit the magnificent
floats 山's being pulled through
the streets. Afterwards we were invite
to a number of peoples homes to experience
Karatsu hospitality.
I look forward to next year.

Sunflower power

2009-10-28T17:59:00.002+09:00

ひまわり-sunflowers looking at the sun
As I drove to Mr Ukihashi's house
I had to stop and take a picture
with my phone camera.

Billy from the BBC

2009-10-18T12:49:00.002+09:00

My dear friend Billy visited Maebaru on Friday.
He lives in London with his wife Mioko, and they came
to Japan to visit Mioko's family in Fukuoka.
Billy works for the British Broadcasting Company,
the equivalent in Japan being NHK.
Here Billy is five kilometers from
my home on the roof of the
now closed down Emerald resort hotel.

Clean teeth and a nice view.

2009-09-18T17:24:00.003+09:00

Today, I went tot he dentist to have my teeth
descaled and polished. This process normally
takes about fifty minutes, and is never
enjoyable. Today, I took a picture of the
view from the dentist chair with my new phone.
The beautiful Mount Keya about one kilometre away.

Rainy days and missing cats

2009-09-12T15:27:00.002+09:00

Today is Saturday, it rained most of the night.
It is the third day since Rosie
our youngest cat disappeared.

August in Japan

2009-08-22T11:13:00.002+09:00

For this post I have written a poem, it is not a haiku, and will
probably not be understood by very many people, but here goes.
August in Japan
Obon
Koushien
HOT
Somen
Ice cream
NOT

Barbecue on the beach

2009-08-17T11:43:00.004+09:00

How lucky we are to live 15 minutes from the beach. Here I am cooking chicken wings with just a light sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Next on the menu was wonderful tandoori marinated chicken breast, the aroma was just wonderful.

Our anniversary trip to Singapore

2009-08-15T20:39:00.003+09:00

What awonderful three days in Singapore, shopping, eating, relaxing and catching up with dear friends.

Rain in the rainy season

2009-07-13T12:04:00.003+09:00

Last Tuesday saw the heaviest rain I have
seen during this rainy season.
The rainy season is almost over now and
I hope this means an end to 90% humidity.

Himeshima island visit

2009-07-13T10:29:00.005+09:00

On Friday,
we took a boat to Himeshima ひめしま Island,(the name literally means princess Island)
to visit our good friend Kazuyo Hatae a teacher
at the lovely　Junior High school there.
The island contains just 200
inhabitants and it's main industry is fishing.

Facial for the first time.

2009-07-01T15:20:00.002+09:00

I visited my wife's beauty salon yesterday, and had my first facial.
I enjoyed an hour of pampering, massage,steam, creams and lotions.
I now understand why my wife never misses a visit to the salon.

A good student and our last kitten.

2009-06-22T12:21:00.002+09:00

Mana is a wonderful student, with amazing English skills. Mana loves to read books and stories, And together with Patrick has recently started a project on the history of Maebaru.
The kitten cannot speak English, but is extremely friendly and likes to sleep, eat, and lick.
We are looking forward to someone taking the kitten away as we have three cats already.

Romeo & Juliet

2009-06-03T13:18:00.002+09:00

On Friday, the International Theatre Company London came to Fukuoka.
They performed Romeo & Juliet, it was fantastic!!!!
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young lovers whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Here I am with Romeo (played by Dan Wilder) after the show at the magnificent Seinan University Chapel.

Tai Chi

2009-05-11T12:40:00.002+09:00

This spring is the start of a new hobby for me, Tai Chi or in Japanese Taikyokuken.
Tai chi (traditional Chinese: 太極拳; simplified Chinese: 太极拳)a Chinese martial art often practiced for health reasons. Tai chi is typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: its hard and soft martial art technique, demonstration competitions, health and longevity. Consequently, many training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims. Some of Tai chi's training forms are well known to Westerners as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world, particularly in China.

Lunch with friends

2009-04-30T19:06:00.004+09:00

Yesterday, My very good friend and neighbour Ravi invited
my family and several other families to enjoy a
Singaporean lunch cooked by his mother Rajum.
It was fantastic and we were even given doggy bags,which was a wonderful surprise.

Talk to your mother.

2009-04-22T16:05:00.007+09:00

Yesterday, I spoke to my mother on the telephone for thirty minutes, she recently sent me some pictures of her house.I haven't been home for four years, so it was nice to see her new kitchen and living room. My mother is off on holiday this week to the south west of England, to an area called Devon,famous for its cream teas and pretty villages.I am happy that I live near the sea and that near my house there is a shop that makes delicious scones, so I can make my own cream tea.

Swan around

2009-04-16T15:35:00.003+09:00

This week, I received an email and photograph from one of my students Miho. On Miho's daily walk she had spotted a solitary swan in the river near to her house. The spotting of a swan in Maebaru according to local people is indeed a very rare sight.
This led me to thinking about the verb 'swan' which is informal English normally spoken and not written . If you don't know what it means please check with an English to English dictionary. I wonder if the verb came from an observation of a solitary swan? What do you think?

Spring has sprung

2009-04-09T12:09:00.004+09:00

Yes, the air has shrugged off its bitter chill, and the birds are singing so loudly near my garden. The sun is warming up the ground as flowers bloom,my Honda Ape bike repeatedly calls my name ever so quietly from its musty shed.

Monday morning

2009-04-06T10:15:00.005+09:00

The Boomtown Rats famously sang a song
called 'I don't like Mondays'!
Well its a beautiful morning here and
I have prepared my Monday morning
beginners class.As I recall Mondays
in London with traffic jams,
Monday morning sales meetings,
Making appointments with unenthusiastic customers,
Then sunny Japan in spring
really is a great place to be.

A visit to Dongurimura (Acorn Village).

2009-03-30T15:48:00.002+09:00

We had three children stay with us over the weekend as a mini home stay. We played English games, ate English food, enjoyed an English lesson, watched an English film and had a fun time.Many thanks to Andy and Jake for joining in the fun.

The cherry blossom is out, although it's still cold.

2009-03-24T20:58:00.004+09:00

I saw the beautiful cherry blossom trees in West Park yesterday.I feel that it is still cold though, and see that there may be snow tomorrow. Here is a picture of my car under the cherry blossom last year.

A typical English Sunday.

2009-03-22T14:19:00.004+09:00

Today is Sunday, the weather is cool,grey and rainy. I really want to go out on my bike, but its also blustery, which means riding can be precarious.
Later I will put a shoulder of lamb into the oven for our Sunday dinner.
The aroma too will remind me of England, my family and friends.

My son's graduation ceremony.

2009-03-18T23:15:00.000+09:00