feeling cute

Today one of my colleagues on maternity leave came round with her tiny little girl aged only about 4 weeks. Oooooohhhhh! I held the tiny pretty creature in my hands, and then she fell asleep on my chest.
As usual in those moments, I feel like I'm missing out on something, like I'm not part of the club somehow. But that's OK. This is going to sound selfish to some, but actually, I'm good the way I am. I enjoy my life the way it is, and the hard work I've done the last few years means I can enjoy to do pretty much anything I feel like whenever I feel like it. Well, I'm a capricorn, so my needs are pretty rudimentary anyway!
All that to say, since this morning I'm "feeling cute". Perhaps this video can explain what that is...



Isn't that the best add you've ever seen?

sakura time!

Here are more of my delicious cherry blossoms for your mid-week enjoyment. I hope they bring a smile to your end of day.

(sakura calendar - they're literally dotted all over the place from late March)

(Kyoto, canal near Pontocho)

(Miyajima shrine)

(full blossom, double petal, Shinjuku park, Tokyo)

That's it for now, but I have so much more to share...the adorable snow monkeys, the maiko and geiko, the impromptu wedding spotting...Keep tuned!

cherry blossoms

I'm finally managing to sort myself out now after a few days. I am still going through my photos but thought I'd share some of my cherry blossoms with you. We were so lucky, our holiday coincided perfectly with the main *sakura* weekend of the season, the one when everyone is out and enjoy the ephemeral beauty of those tiny flowers. Enjoy!

(Kyoto, zen gardens)

(Kyoto, Maruyama park)

(Kyoto, near Gion)

(Nara)

(Kyoto, Kiyomizudera temple)

been there, done that...

I'm finally back after what now seems like ages. I have had an a-ma-zing time in Japan, touring around the cities and countryside, and have masses of photos to sort through.
I only got back last night, 5 days after schedule, and having spent a lot of time at the Narita airport, Narita shrine and temple, Narita park, etc...
I can't wait to share my pics with you. Among the highlights of the trip were the communal baths in hot springs, the snow monkeys, being there for THE sakura weekend of the year, and of course one of my top souvenirs will be spotting some maiko and geiko hurrying to their appointments in Gion. If you have ever read Memoirs of  a Geisha you'll have a mental picture of what that might have been like. Well, I am still exhausted from the jetlag and having to go straight back to work after a prolonged holiday, so that's it for now, but keep tuned for upcoming images.