Fleur-de-lis

I have always loved the image of the Fleur-de-lis. Called the 'Heraldic Lily' it is the symbol of the the Royal Arms of France.

I have over the years collected photo's and 'things' with this image. Even before I found out that it is one of the symbols our our 'Robbins Family's' coat of arms.

Today I found my 3rd glass storage jar with this symbol. I always find them in thrift shops.

$4.50 - bargain

I have no idea what came in these jars originally and would love to know. The one on the left I found with no lid but bought it anyway and found that a Maconna coffee jar lid fit perfectly.
The hunt goes on.

Door stop

This is actually one of a pair of bookends but they look great against the varnish of the wooden frames of the glass french doors. I have to sit them on a brick (covered in leopard print cloth) to give weight so that they actually hold the doors open.

White china

I found this in a sale and there was only one of them. I am sure this is a book end but looks great on the shelf in front of the books.

Black leather

This lovely box hold rose scented pot poure.

White wood crackle

I found this one in Manly Sydney while on holidays. It sits next to a little white and gold cat and they look like they are made for each other.

Dinner at GUTSY

This restaurant is in the alley on the way to our apartment. There is a chalk board sign that says it is a 'Casserole' restaurant. We walked past for a few days/nights not really interested in eating casserole.

Looked very inviting

One night after another massive shopping day we were too tired to go too far. So in we went. No menu in English of course so asked what kind of 'casserole' We were met with blank stares. Again English signs that mean nothing. It worked out to be a Japanese type of Spanish tapas.

Pork in mustard sauce

Mushrooms and beans

Full of lovely minced chicken

Egg on wagu hamburger

This was juicy and wonderful. In fact the food was so good definitely not a casserole in sight. Plus the house red was excellent.
Loving our alley - just wish we knew the address.

Stage one of the recipe project - Delicious Magazine

I have been subscribing to Delicious Magazine since it started. Every 2 years or so I go through the oldest 2 years of the collection and actually tear out the recipes I have used or intend to use one day. I end up with a pile of pages and clippings but at least 2 years of magazines leave the bookcase.

The tags are for the things I want to make

Surprisingly my tastes do change. It was 2003 and 2004 that went this past weekend. Sometimes I looked at a recipe and thought 'when did I ever think I was going to make that'! Then there were the treasures that I had skipped over.

2 years of these will go next time

Still more

The most recent

Time to cull again

It takes a whole weekend to go through 2 years of books. I cull a second time when I go through the loose pages and clippings.

The deserts

After I have culled a second time I go to the big grey ring binder and throw out any recipe that I haven't cooked in the past couple of years and put the 'new' ones in their place.

Working outside

It was enjoyable working on the outside table looking at the sky and waiting for the storms to come. Finally finished at 8pm on Sunday night - successful weekend project finished.

I am not going to wait 2 years for the next cull. It will be right after Christmas - that is why it is stage one…..

The Imperial Palace Gardens

On our Tokyo day after we visited the Bridgestone Art Gallery, we had planned a walk in the Imperial Palace Gardens. It happened to be a 'rainy' day but as our time was limited we knew that it was now or never for this trip.

The rain was light and misty but enough for an umbrella.

I just love ornate street lamps

This image greeted us. I am imagining that it looks wonderful at night.

So peaceful

This is just how I thought that these gardens would look. It would have been great to linger and maybe sit and enjoy a picnic but it was way too wet.

Guard house

This is the ancient guard house for the warriors who guarded the grounds.

Unfortunately the 'wet' got the better of us and we walked back into the city for lunch. If I ever return this garden will be a must on a sunny day.

The Best Tempura - Tsunahachi

In out Tokyo 'Best Ten' guide 'Tsunahachi' was recommended as the best tempura in Tokyo. I had marked this page before we even left home as a possible lunch spot. However when we realised that Tokyo and probably all of Japan is a bit like old European cities - short on actual address'. You have to be a local to find some places as the street names mean nothing to us written in Japanese.

However we were on our East Shinjuku exploring/shopping day. This is a very Bohemian (for Japan) area and the only place we saw lots of other nationalities food. Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian etc etc. Not that exciting for us as this would be normal at home.

We stopped to get our bearings (actually looking for 'The Gap') - I saw an interesting building opposite us across the street.

Pre WW11

It was very different from the surrounding buildings. I saw the name on the front and it rang a bell. I went straight to my guide and 'bingo' this was the place I wanted to have lunch. The building actually survived the fire bombing of WW11 so is quite an icon. It was closed as it was not even mid morning.

We shopped and shopped and found our way back 2 hours later.

Now open

Delicious

As it is mentioned in Tourists Guides - they did understand some English and the menu had English translations, made it so much easier to order.

The food was so good I forgot to take photo's

Ron had a plum liquor with soda water and fell in love with this drink.

New fav drink

I took a photo so that he could use this to buy some duty free to take home.

A very good lunch.

Frangipani - again

I know I have mentioned Frangipani before but at this time of the year I am in love with them. In fact being a Queenslander it would be safe to say they are one of my favourite flowers.
In the past I have decorated food - Lemon refrigerator cake - Watermelon basket - just to mention 2 -with them.
There is a very large tree next door and I have always had permission to take what I want. Now that Bernice has gone into 'care' - there is no one in the house regularly. So now I take the flowers by cutting/breaking the thicker part of the branches. Previously I just took the blooms on their skinny short stalk. This way makes for better decorating venues.

Just lovely

The fragrance is just wonderful.

Now that we have had some rain I am looking forward to the grass turning green again. I am also anxiously waiting for all of my agapanthus to flower.

Making Fans

We did a day round trip to Kyoto on the bullet train. Quite an experience. The train was super efficient and quiet - so clean.
We joined a walking tour that Ron had researched called 'Johnny Hillwalker'. Johnny himself is now over 80 years old so he doesn't do many walking tours now, but we had a lovely guide who was very knowledgable.
The walk starts at the train station and takes you to a Buddhist Temple and a Shinto Shrine and then into the winding narrow streets of old Kyoto.

I loved this fan shop.

Window display

This family have been making fans for 6 generations.

Blowing the pleats

This man blows into the pleats to separate the papers to be able to slide in the wooden slats.

Folding the patterned paper onto the frame

It takes at least 7 years experience to be able to pleat a fan as fast as this man. Very hands on and intricate.

Such concentration 

He didn't look up once the whole time I was in the shop - if he makes a mistake the whole fan is ruined.

Pressing

This wood block and seriously big stones are used to press the papers, glue and slates together.

So many styles and designs

Tokyo Convention Centre

A convention centre is not the usual type of place on my todo list when I travel. However the Tokyo Convention Centre had 3 things going for it. The architecture, like a lot of Tokyo buildings is amazing, big tick from Ron here. On the last Sunday of the month there is a vintage fair, big tick for me. It is close to the train station, big tick from Stephen.

Well we did find it without a problem, except we went the long way round. The vintage fair was not happening, just a craft market. But the building it's self is definitely worth the visit.

The underside

This view is from the foyer looking up to the sky. It resembles the framework of the underside of a ship. This is almost a city block long. The play of light through the glass bouncing off the steel structure is wonderful.

Another view

The steel girders you can see in this shot are actually walkways. Instead of catching the lift to the upper floors you can walk up the ramps. You get the best views. The ramp/walkways go up 8 flights.

The outer walls

Light comes in from every direction. What ever this building cost it was worth it.

I was so entranced with the building I forgot to note down his name.

He stands VERY tall in the foyer. Wonderful detail on his face etc.

Colourful skyscrapers in The Ginza

The skyscrapers in Tokyo are a sight to see. Wonderful modern architecture and so colourful. The Japanese have really embraced modern buildings.

Back in the Ginza today

Yamaha building

Too tall to get in one shot

Mikimoto building

Mikimoto's 120th anniversary

Bulgari

This looked like a big diamond snake bracelet wrapped around the building. It was dazzling in the sunlight.

Not a skyscraper but interesting

One side of this was circular. It looked very effective in it's street.

More great shapes

Great corner effect

Metallic pink

This building is narrow but really stands out because of the the colour.

East Shinjuku

This wavy building is in East Shinjuku. It waved all the way down the street. We spent just as much time looking at shops and people as looking 'up' at the wonderful buildings.

The alleys of Nakano

The apartment we rented in Nakano is not in a tourist area. In fact we saw very few foreigners in the neighbourhood or alleys at all. The train station was within walking distance and it would have taken at least 2 weeks of serious effort to discover all of the little shops within a 1km radius let alone the food shops and restaurants. There were at least 50 Ramen restaurants within walking distance alone. Keeping in mind that most of the eating places are no bigger than my kitchen - including the cooking area and bar.
I would say it is like West End - close to the city but with personality. We must give Ron credit for finding this place. He did such a good job of finding accommodation on our European trip that he was given the job again.

Sun Mall

When you come out of the Nakano railway station and cross the road this is what you see. In fact the mall is so long you really can't see the end. Right at the end is a 3 story shopping centre called Broadway. Apparently there is another shopping centre off Broadway but we didn't make it there. The shops are the maddest mixture. Pharmacies, take away food, fashion, French bakeries, noodle shops, tea specialists etc etc.

A side alley

Every few metre's there is a side alley (open to the sky) that is full of food places. These are all 2 stories high so that is approximately 2 restaurants to each door way.

I just loved these lanterns

I went back at night to photograph them again.

So exotic

At night I found out that it becomes a night club/girlie bar area. Not at all scary or threatening, almost cartoon like.
The whole area was so fascinating that the whole 6 days could have been spent here exploring.

Loved this in the early morning
It became a noisy bar at night.