We have just got back from a trip to Japan with some friends, one of whom is Japanese. It was a massive treat to see the country with someone who was born there and who can speak the lingo.
One of the best dinners we had was in Hokkaido after a day on the slopes. The restaurant took the form of an utterly random bar, or izakaya as they are called in Japan, stuffed with baseball memorabilia and – more importantly – locals.
I have lost my voice. I don’t mean I have a sexy hoarse whisper or that it’s cracking and starting to go; it has really left me. Mr Changmoh is in a state of excitement at having a new, compliant, quiet wife but, I have to say, I am slightly less pleased.
Instead of trying to speak, which is exhausting, I have got to grips with whispering. The only thing that’s vaguely amusing about talking in constant hushed tones is that after about a minute, people start whispering back. Whispering is highly contagious, it seems.
For those who have watched the film Cast Away (I did the PR for it when I was back in London), you will remember the attachment the stranded and hairy Tom Hanks had to Wilson, a volley ball that became his best friend.
In fact he was photographed just two months ago at a hockey game, reunited with him.
Poppy Dog has struck up a similar relationship with a tennis ball. She hides it under furniture and barks furiously at it, trying to breathe life in to it. She bounces it off walls and balances in on her nose. It is her Wilson.
Hurrah for the much needed doggy company that arrived at the end of last week in the form of a bouncing baby border terrier named (by Cost Centre #1) Daffodil. Daffy for short.
We have just got back from a trip to Japan, the main purpose of which was skiing in Niseko. Being a Type A personality though, I wanted to squeeze as much as I could in to the holiday: we also found the time to torture ourselves with a swift trip to Tokyo Disneyland (utterly rank, but much enjoyed by the small people) and did Tokyo proper for the last three nights before heading home.
Only upon reaching Tokyo did I become obsessed with seeing the sakura – cherry blossom – that has bloomed for the last three years on or very close to 2nd April (we arrived in Tokyo on 8th). Real bucket list stuff, arrive on the 2nd and this is what you can expect:
I get asked to road test a lot of things for this blog. I usually say no unless it’s something I am genuinely interested in or think that I would probably do anyway. So, when ex-rugby player and UFIT gym co-owner James Forrester asked if I’d like to try out CrossFit for a month, I was torn. It was definitely not something I’d naturally rush to sign up as it sounds petrifying; besides, would I even last a month? (A note to the uninitiated: CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide – say no more.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
