Sunday, May 29, 2011

Kicked Out Naked



Eggplant in the front row, mizuna, then broccoli at the back.

It's been a while since I last updated this blog so I thought I'd capitalise on a brief pocket of spare time and post some pics of what we've been doing lately. I seem to spend at least 60 hours a week either at work or studying (I have a paper coming up which is keeping me super busy), so I don't find a great deal of time for anything else. Sundays are reserved for a full day off though, and we usually go to an onsen (hot spring/spa) or something like that.



The humble Tochigi strawberry, coated in very pretentious cream.

Actually, that reminds me, we went to an onsen last Saturday and I was kicked out for having a tattoo. The manager had the nerve to come up to me while I was in the sauna and he told me to leave immediately. Being told to leave immediately from anywhere is humiliating if you haven't got any clothes on - the onsen is no different. He was a class A pratt though, and he even charged me for the whole experience. It seems that there are very few onsens in Japan where tattoos are allowed these days. I don't remember seeing the signs when I lived here before, but now most onsens state that people with tattoos are not allowed in. This particular onsen didn't seem to have a sign stating such a rule though, which is why we went there.



We have two strong and robust looking red cabbages.

I believe the main reason onsens apply this discriminative rule is to keep out the gang members who have full body tattoos, but my little discrete Mexican Dog tattoo is absolutely nothing in comparison. Of course, it's a rule that can be applied (or not) at the management's discretion, and can be used to keep out anybody they wish.



We have three resilient cauliflower plants; resilient because they have been attacked by caterpillars (even under netting!) but they are still charging ahead.

Apart from being kicked out of places naked, we've both been enjoying the garden, which is starting to show productivity. The edamame plants are still a while away from fruiting, and the courgettes and tomatoes are still very small. But the broccoli and salad leaves are charging away like mad. We've got enough chard and mizuna to feed a small army!




And a stack of fantastic broccoli plants.

Outside of the garden, one habit that both Aki and I have gotten into is buying the delicious and remarkably well priced strawberries on the way home from work. They are cheap because of their shape, leaving them unable to be sold to the supermarkets. But their flavour is spot on, and we're in the habit of eating them with large accompaniments of cream.



Courgettes at the back; sweet corn to the left; Chard with the coloured stems in the middle; spinach to the right of them, then finally some marigold seedlings just starting to come through (not flowering yet).

Also, keep your fingers crossed because Aki had a second interview for a job she's keen on this Thursday, and she was told that she'd hear from them this week. I'll tell you who the company is after she gets the phone call. Good luck Aki!!



A full wide screen appreciation.

I feel bad for Megumi, who has the patch to the left of us. I don't think she can find the time to keep on top of the weeds, and things are slowly looking wild over there. She's got some wicked Pak Choi growing though!