Making the Green Roof, music is サンウェーブダンス by the very wonderful Oni

Cosmos Summer photos

Photos from earlier this sumer

Cosmos Summer (video)

Video update (may)

The seedling convoy, building and testing the slide, planting the blueberries, making the tunnel. 30 mins long - roughly edited. (click on large if you have the bandwidth) Next installment - the flood ! [ sorry ! link down with mobile me, will upload again soon ! ]

first update in ages 

we have been back in kamaishi Cosmos for a month now

all a few Kgs plumper from Saeko-sans wonderful cooking

and the childrens permaculture park is starting to take shape

lots of spring rain blessing the plants we have in the ground 

and generally hindering all other outdoor progress

allowing us to brew bread and bake beer 

mmmm

1000 seedlings on a 4ton truck . leaving chiba

arriving safely

handled with love and affection

the fine art of greywater management

we will plant apricots over the cafe greywter , good on alkaline (dishwater) soils 

mike collects willow cuttings for his living willow sculpture architecture thingie

aina-chan directs the job

and fixes up all mikes mistakes

free wood for the oven from the local wood mill . the offcuts arriive in a bundle 

and are sliced up like a roll cake ... the skinny bits of wood are perfect for the bread oven .

Emi-chan fires the oven for pizza 

emi-chan fires david

pizza !

 fine loaf

yoshiros finest

meanwhile these strange creatures keep appearing in the garden 

 i have heard that permaculture gardens attract a myriad of wildlife

popping up all over the show

 red bellied gecko

 pregnant ? just eating too much like all of us here at cosmos

meanwhile , inside we are painting a flying carp kite for childrens day . Emu-chan kawaii

wild icecream , stern nieces

all the important things

An-chan and mike painting a mud and grass seed mix on the spiral tumble in hole thing .

100 blueberries arrive for the blueberry wonder jungle maze

the deck going on the upside down tree house fellow

a view of the new deck from the old deck

 keita and yochan tickle the armpits of the big fellow

and the first is floor nearly done

thorough testing by our in house stunt clown

keita does all the work

yoshiro tests the structure

 beds made

and it arrives !

a fine slice of slide ...

still thinks its a tree ... fresh from the forest . japanese cedar

though it was a set of stairs for a few days 

thorough testing by inhouse chief of child antics , Aina

night sliding' . Naho-chan and aina

we think thats an OK

mike's playing with rainbows

and petting mud and seed on the roll around helix hole

for a perfectly formed trip over the round bound down dip 

 now with fire !

emu-chan , aa-chan , mimi making signs for the new hangout joint under the deck

emu-chan of hamadaraka

"happy faces in full bloom"

break for lunch

anchan and yoshiko skin the trees

the love shack

emu and an

aachan

and mimi document everything

you should get one of these large rakes . they are excellent

kita-san begins to sculpt the storytelling throne

and all is coming along wonderfully . big party planned for the next day

and it starts raining. and raining. and raining...

and now we have a lake park

the beds set sail

keita goes after the beds

aina goes to save keita

2 days later ... ummm ... still underwater 

nothing for it but to bake beer and wait it out

may take a while

everything looks like this around here at this time

it lifts the spirits !

giant tulips . or tiny people ...

the story telling throne in the foreground , the sun and moon theme from otoosans shrine

laying in the sheet mulch over the greywater system . enter the seedlings

aina directs the papa

phil testing the tunnel

before its installed

anchan taking a bath with the cherry blossom fairy

now putting the finishing touches on the underdeck kids bar and hangout - kodomo shotengai

yoshiro and debi loitering outside waiting for opening time

aina diects the proceedings

the service is impeccable

without fault !

nori sings at the opening

nori-san arigatou

phil's extra special crazy gourd selection

aina directs the gourds

 other bits and pieces

 maiko and otoosan papa make the safety rails for the first floor slide launcher

saeko-san teaches us about wild vegetables ... 'sansai'

the brown one is tsukushi,  an ancient plant that propagates via spores , not seeds

they make it to the table thus

yoshiko studies wild veggies from other local experts as well

 the roll about cascade dimple trench in the evening light 

 yocchan does the 'really happy about the big bit of driftwood safely on the truck' dance

the excitement of dinnertime

after dinner chuckles , miki , papa and friend

bar yoshiro . good .

bring on the good times , anchan rocks and debichin blurs

nomisugi

see you soon xxx