This is why the Yukata's don't fit...

Just when I thought it was safe to go to my postbox in work....

Everytime I'm free of these biscuity presents for doing some teeny tiny favour another bag arrives- I feel like Hansel being fattened up by the witch to be eaten. Last time it was getting a DVD back after one of the lovely secretaries lent me a DVD less than a week ago. This time it was for giving the photos I took of our department baseball team losing badly (once again). I might add she'd emailed me and asked my for them so it was hardly an unexpected favour, still more delicious biscuits appeared in my pigeon hole yesterday. One wonders what I would get for saving someone from a speeding truck? And I can't not eat them- I try and share them around, but I still have to eat some, all the running, cycling and walking is not getting rid of the biscuit bulge though...

This is compounded by the joy of looking for a yukata that fits, I'd really like to wear one at some event in the summer as I've been having yukata envy ever since I set foot on these shores. I have a pretty nice cheapy one- I even figured out how to wear it properly (You tube videos are a godsend)....well as long as I don't move its fine. Then I saw this gorgeous obi belt in this shop in Sapporo- lilac and silver flowers and then silver check on the other side- classy, nice.

But the yukata is a no- go according to the girl in the shop- of course a waif all cool and elegant in her yukata. She was helpful and gave us some other shops that might sell larger sizes- however, Mrs. Snooty in the second pulled out a hideous purple creation (which of course doesn't fit) then said maybe the mens would be better- thanks for that lady..way to make me feel great.

Report from the mean streets of Sapporo...

Phew...thats done. Just back from a lunch meeting with the head of department, the guys in the lab were giving me "gambatte's and Fight-O" before I went just to make me really nervous. Maybe their meetings are much worse, we however chatted about golf, the joy of travelling business class and whales and The cove. I fairly certain they don't discuss these topics as he wasn't even aware of the high levels of mercury found in Dolphin meat etc. before some one else had told him the other week. This general ignorance of things like this accounts for most problems here I reckon.

This past week has been exciting up in the mean streets of Kitaku, Sapporo. On Wednesday last week, I cycled past a crime scene on my to work... police tape, police cars and policeman standing guard and a camera crew. The camera crew was the alarming part for me, as I had my skirt hitched up (and tucked in my thin leggings) for cycling. Thankfully the news crew was facing the other way. Yep- murder and mayhem on the streets of Sapporo! 2 people mown down by a car, whose driver escaped the scene. Well that was as much of the news that I could follow and what my lab mates explained to me. This, just 3 blocks from my house. Then yesterday amidst all the rain and gloom here, I noticed that there were a whole load of fire engines and smoke billowing from an apartment block near the hospital. As soon as I mentioned it in work, half the lab immediately leapt up to go see the excitement...yes , our research is THAT exciting...

Weekend activities

sunset from the lab a couple of weeks ago

Work and social life have taken off with the onset of warm weather here.
I finally sat down with my Fujisan buddy and booked the flights to Tokyo- so July 18th me and the Bolivian mountain goat -like friend will be skipping up Fujisan (well he'll be skipping, I'll be gasping and crawling my way up I suspect). With the imminent threat of long grueling climbs approaching I decided to start weekend walking/climbing training.
2 weekends ago I climbed Moiwa yama, which is a really lovely hike in the suburbs of Sapporo- I added an extra twist of taking the long route back and breaking in my new boots and hiking poles New boots+ climbing mountains= blisters, at least its better to get them now rather than up Fuji...

Last weekend, Oyomesan and I escaped the city and headed to Biei in Central Hokkaido. It was great, felt much longer than one night and 2 days away. We stopped off at a sculpture park in BibaiAnd stayed in a lovely little pension in the hills around Biei, which had 2 gorgeous retrievers (Nana and Nuts) so I got my dog fix, and 2 goats. We stuffed ourselves on the BBQ dinner they provided, watched the stars from the bedroom window and listen to the birds and cicadas...
The weather was great -so clear and sunny, Hokkaido is so beautiful and so green at this time of yearFrom there we headed to the Daisetzu mountains and the onsen (of course). And (pat on the back) and I did a 9km walk round Shirogane onsen, singing loudly because it was very quiet and very much in the woods which had bear warnings posted... fortunately only birds and deer for company. Maybe the bears don't like Scottish songs (or my singing)...
I met back up with Oyomesan at the onsen, and then headed back to Sapporo.
So only 5 more weeks till Fujisan assult... I hope the weather is as good as this...