The joys of driving........

Drivers are the same all over the world.....

Some are practical, they drive to the situation and are mindful of others....

Some are not so practical...they drive like they are the only ones on the road and apparently don't know any rules or stick to them like glue to the inconvenience of other road users...

Japanese drivers fall into the above categories just as those of any country do....

They appear to have a reasonable grasp of the rules and seem to be mindful of others...almost to the extreme...

and then you get the ones who.......

...pull out in front of you without looking, drive at 40km or below (on a straight piece of road...okay i know the limit is 40km on the island but come-on!!!)
think they are Michael Schumacker in a bambina!! swerve right across the other side of the road to avoid a cyclist and do so without looking at what is coming towards them!!
Little old ladies in electric wheelchairs in the middle of the road....going up-hill!!! love their sense of adventure...but talk about a deathwish!!!
Truck drivers who seem to forget how wide their trucks are on these narrow island roads....
People giving way to people they shouldn't...holding others up...
Red lights being ignored and orange ones treated like green ones.......same old...same old....
People dropping off or picking up kids from school....stopping anywhere on the road and turing in front of you.....
People not indicating ....ever........assuming you know what they are doing......

The funniest thing is the cops.....they basically have blitzes in the same place every week and are never seen on Sundays or after 5....

It certainly is never boring driving on the island.......mmmmm I wonder what the Islanders think of me hooning up behind them...running slightly late for the ferry????

photo's

am trying to upload some photo's...but i don't know if it's working.....

Photos of my first day on Awaji...with the worlds longest single span suspension bridge in the background...

photo's of the beautiful sunsets happening outside my front door...i am 200 metres from the sea...

It's 2006.....actually now it's March 2006...

I am still getting used to blogging...it is all in Japanese and a matter of trial and error for me...

There is a big black hole of time in between posts....from 2005 and 2006.

So what happened....well.......

I went home for 3 weeks to attend the wedding of my good friend Jason...whom I was best man for.
It was fun and a real blessing to be a part of...to help support him and hang with friends...some of whom i had not seen for a while.

I stayed with my friends Mark and Carolyn and had just the best time with them and their two boys...Ben and ollie. What a blessing they are to me and although I was out and about a lot....was able to spend quality time with them as well. Mark is a great cook and...love that man.....he makes the best cheesecakes!!!

Was able to get up to Taupo to see some long unseen cousins and enjoyed the lovely hospitality of Auntie Vera.....great to relax for a couple of days in such a beautiful spot.

Mark and i went to Masterton for a boys weekend and had a blast!! Hot swim....a lovely restaraunt meal....a wee hike.....wine and nibbles....just time to talk and hang out....a luxury in this day and age with Him sooo busy and me soooo far away..

My time in NZ ended with visits to doctors and dentists....culminating in having two wisdom teeth surgically removed....interesting having grinders and saws in your mouth and being twisted and pulled in every direction....i just hung on for dear life and prayed it would soon be over!

So my time went quick.....good to see friends and family...hard to see my Dad in such a state with his myalgia? playing up and it is difficult seeing someone who for so long has been big and strong....a shadow of his former self.....age catches up huh...and comes to us all. Good to tie up some loose ends and to leave on a good note......good to be able to treat my Mum and spend a fab day with her.
Looked forward to getting back to Japan, knowing I was probably re-contract and not be back in NZ for 18 months minimum....sayonara NZ........

U2 or bust.......

Being a member of U2.com has it`s advantages.....the main one being a chance to purchase tickets to concerts before the general public. I have been a fan since the mid 1980's and have been lucky enough to see them on 4 previous occassions. It was frustrating not to be able to see them on their last tour...the Elevation tour of 2001 so you can imagine my delight when i found out that they were coming to Japan April 4th 2006!!! Oh my goodness....i was abuzz.....a little anxious that i may miss the presale due to flying back to Japan from NZ but determined to get tickets.....it was touch and go for a while....I was able to order over the internet...but did not hear anything for a while.....and then got 2 e-mails which seemed to indicate all was good but which were indecipherable to most people i asked. I eventually rang some number in Tokyo and was cut off once, put on hold and then told that they did not have my details!! oh no....I began to despair a little...had I been lost in the big black hole called...Cyberspace??? I then received a phone call back to say...all was okay and i would receive the tickets within a few days...and then.......i was in the Post office on a friday afternoon and they remembered me and handed me a blue envelope......i opened it and...YES...there they were 4 tickets to U2 in Yokohama April 4th.....YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!