The clothes swap is coming up and on a recent weekend trip to my in-laws, we visited grandma as we always do. Nothing is wasted there. She made these lovely little bags from old neck-ties. Probably Grandad's old neck ties. Or Uncle's. Living on a farm and being about 90, the idea of recycling or sustainability is inherent in daily life. You need an onion, pop into the garden. Make things from other things. The compost heap is not a plastic container on the balcony, it's outside. She has a … [Read more...]
Thank you From Megaswaps and RIJ
Hello everyone and thank you for coming to our Mega Clothes Swap on Saturday. It was our biggest swap to date and we raised 110,000 for RIJ Refugees International Japan. I had dinner with the President earlier in the week and handed over the cash and she gave me some of the stories from the projects that RIJ supports from here in Japan. Our donation will be going directly to these projects. Although the USA has been in the news recently for the refugees at their border, there are always people … [Read more...]
Spinning Out, Turning Your Back on Responsibilities and Well Basically Overwhelm
"Spin" he said as classic Madonna played in the background. He knew only 'Vogue' could get an amateur like me anywhere near a decent pose. Although it was 'Papa Don't Preach' that really got me serving the looks. Kinda. He's a Tokyo videographer and is currently honing his photography smarts so I get to spin and play with him in his studio while he moves around shiny stuff and gets me to move around too. But this photo is genius - a happy accident so please enjoy. And forgive the cheesy … [Read more...]
The Feminine is the Keeper of the Rituals: Women’s Day
The Christmas cards The 'thank-you' cards The Birthday cards The gifts The lists The weddings The births The menus The decorations The dinners The coffee mornings the support systems The festivals The parties The religious occasions The anniversaries The funerals The holidays The brunches The lunches The Facebook Groups The invitations The school performances The Sabbath observances The photos in frames The soccer … [Read more...]
Collaborating with Shakespeare: love the people you work with
Exciting times. One thing I LOVE doing is collaborating with and supporting businesses doing things differently. Just off a really great call with entrepreneur hotel owner and countryside concierge Gary Hung from Peacecraft KK. In addition to owning a really lovely hotel in the heart of Hakuba with a spacious yoga studio and workshop space, he and wife/business partner Rika are building a community in Hakuba that supports local businesses as well as the people who want to get out of town. Of … [Read more...]