This is where I woke up this morning. The very laid back little town of Saruhashi - in Yamanashi but still on the JR Chuo line. Mountains, rivers, gorges, arched bridges and lots and lots of green space and flowers. It has all the necessary ingredients to make this little frangipani a very happy girl.

One of the decisions I made whilst on my little retreat was that I must not lose momentum with my photography. It is possibly the most important thing in my life these days - it makes me so happy. I have set myself quite a chore: eliminate the backlog of photos in the next week or so so I can move forward onto some new stuff.

So I have just updated the Kamakura and Hase Dera albums with a few new photos from other day trips from a while back, and - of course, as always, the manholes and flower galleries. Will upload a new "random Tokyo" gallery any day now and also some pics from yesterdays expedition.

Yes, yes, I know. I'm a sucker for punishment. As if 44 teaching hours a week wasn't enough.... Roll on October and an easier schedule. Damn this years been tough. From no work and no money to so much freakin' work that I can't sleep properly or think straight and my backs all messed up again.

But it's nice to have a goal to work for, to justify this unexpectedly solitary and stressful lifestyle:

Only 87 sleeps till my 3 week holiday in paradise - Queensland and Thailand. Not only my first visit home in 2 years, but my first real family christmas in 6 years (sans Mum, of course) - complete with delirious kids and wrapped presents being ripped apart and christmas trees and morning champers and christmas songs and a huge outdoor chrissy bbq with lots of beer and rum... I used to dread those formulaic, predictable family traditional events, but I'm really looking forward to this one. And so's the family. The little things we come to cherish, ay.

In other news, I'm rather excited at the prospect of seeing (for the 3rd time) one of my all time fave live bands Mogwai play at the Liquid Room in Shibuya on October 5th. I hope I can get the time off work. The New York Dolls are playing this weekend too, but hell - it's become more of a covers act with only 2 of the original members so, erm, at 7000 yen I might pass on that one. Haven't been to any live shows for ages.

Note to self: re-ignite everyday life with as much passion and poetry and lucidity and vividness and music and colour as you can bear.