What I'm reading

Since I was a teenager, I have had a thing for Japan.  I think it started with an enjoyment of Manga and Anime, then blossomed into an interest in Japanese history, culture and society.  At university I chose to write my dissertation on an element of the Japanese cultural psyche.  I had posters on my wall of manga characters, regularly watched Japanese samurai films and ate at my favourite Japanese restaurant whenever I could afford to.

For my 21^st birthday I was given a trip to Japan.  The best birthday present I have ever had.  The trip cemented my love of this part of the planet and made my interest in its culture and history even greater.  It just so happens that my brother-in-law (ooh it’s still funny calling him that!) has the same love for Japanese history, specifically feudal Japan, so we bought him this book one Christmas.  He has since claimed it is the best book he has ever read and lent it to me promising that I would enjoy it too.

I am about three quarters of the way through and thoroughly enjoying it.  It is a work of fiction, but includes well researched glimpses into what it was like to live in Japan in the Elizabethan times.  If you are at all interested in Japanese history, samurais or even just a good old fashioned adventure story, you may find something you like in this book.

New Season

Autumn is now officially upon us which means a new season filled with new ideas, new passions and new beginnings. I’m also a new person, kind of. I have a new name (married – yay!), I’m living in a new house and working on lots of new projects. I’ll give more of an update on that soon.
 

I’m sad summer is over. This year’s has been particularly amazing for me. Not only did I celebrate the most important day of my life so far, I followed it with the holiday of a lifetime. The house we’ve moved into is also a big plus of the summer… we now have 3 bedrooms (one is a makeshift craft room at the moment), an upstairs, a garden and NO MOULD!! Woop woop for a dry house!

There is so much to catch up on, that I’ll leave you with this small update for now and fill you in with more details in a future post.
 

Oh and err… sorry for the absence *guilty face*.