Narrative Disorder » Flora & Fauna

For those missing out, a virtual Hanami…

Danielle — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:22:47 +0000

When we first came to Nagoya to find a home here it was late May and it was the Summer green of the trees in the street, which filled the view from the study window, that sold me on our house. The bark of those trees also filled me with a quiet hope – I suspected they were some kind of stone fruit tree, all of which have beautiful blossoms. Well, the verdict is in – not only are they stone fruit but Sakura, Japanese Cherry trees and their blossoms are magnificent!

The view from my study window was just too beautiful today and I took my camera out for a play in the sunlight. The flickr slideshow is below, there are around 50 shots you can full screen it for your own virtual hanami experience. I hope you enjoy it.

Technorati Tags: hanami,cherry blossoms,japan,spring,flowers

Kyoto by Day

Danielle — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:30:26 +0000

Our last day in Kyoto was Sunday and the weather finally cleared so it was both safe and worthwhile to get the dslr out. We strolled Gion again (still sweet but not half as romantic as in lantern light) and failed to see the Imperial palace (it seems you have to make a booking in advance – be warned) but enjoyed a walk in the surrounding park where the cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom. We also went to the International Manga Museum which was essentially a huge manga library in an old primary school with added exhibitions and an artists’ and cosplayers’ hang out. The slideshow below contains no photos of the latter hehe. Resolution should be high enough for you to full screen it – enjoy!

Hooray! Hooray! Spring is on the way!

Danielle — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:31:21 +0000

Hello. It’s been a looong while, I know. Since returning from Sapporo I’ve have had all sorts of exciting experiences including a genuine bout of Influenza A (not something one experiences in Australia, really) followed by a delightful secondary chest infection because the Aussie in me didn’t think a fever and a bad cough was worth heading to the doctor, until Superman got it and had to get a certificate for work (a certificate to say he could go BACK to work it turned out, which he has written about here) and was instructed to bring me in. I am certainly glad that Spring is coming!

That the cough was clearing up this weekend was excellent as the time had come for us to make our trip to Kyoto – finally! ‘Twas a lovely weekend coinciding (deliberately) with the opening of the lantern festival which is essentially a chance to experience Kyoto’s old town (the Gion district) in flickering light which hides electricity wires and other such things which, in daylight, take away from the olde worlde experience. It was truly magical.

All that means that, with Sapporo in there too, there is an enormous backlog of photos to edit and post! Essentially, I’m writing this little post to break the back of it so that it feels less overwhelming and to give a pre-warning that I might just be doing photo posts with very little commentary but it is all coming! I know the pics are all you want to see anyway hehe!

So, here is a taste of the first blossoms at the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Enjoy, more on the way.

Technorati Tags: Hanami,Kyoto,Spring Flowers,Japan

A colourful surprise.

Danielle — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:25:29 +0000

Opening the blinds today to take advantage of the bliss that is a day cool enough to open the windows, I was met with a lovely surprise! I had thought that the variegated grass plants in our tiny terrace garden were just for greenery but it turns out they are for lilac-ery too!