Over the holidays we managed to move everything we have collected over the last seven years from our home in the MK Building to our new home, which is still disguised as a bakery. (Our banners finally came off 'old' Luna yesterday - it will take a us a few days to figure out how to attach them to our new place.)

As you can see, the last month of our stay in Motomachi was very congested & confusing. Teachers couldn't find CDs or flashcards, and our students barely had enough room to sit down. Our mums had to wait in the corridor (until we could shift some stuff and get the Christmas tree up).

By the time our last classes said good night on December 22nd (and Kevin had managed to re-arrange his travel plans) it was a relief to know we had a few days without interruptions to get things done/pack coherently & think about priorities.

Obviously we could not move everything out until the place we were moving to was ready. In between classes and visits to the hospital (our son finally escaped on the 23rd - thank you for all your kind wishes) I was frantically cleaning a very cold & dirty room (to be "Kevin's room") before painting then carpeting it. Couldn't move any furniture before that, nor dump all our books.

As you will have read, I enjoyed listening to the cricket while doing this, so each room at new Luna has a special memory for me. One room is the Adelaide match, another the Melbourne game, and the staircase is Sydney!

On December 28th my friends Mark & Paul very generously helped us with the 'big move' - shifting as much as we possibly could in what eventually took 14 hours. Yukari's family also helped enormously (thank you Chiemi & Yusuke) and to Naomi - every bit of help was gratefully welcomed. Sorry we took all the heaters! I am certain everyone slept well that night - we moved an enormous amount of furniture and boxes up and down a lot of stairs. Fortunately, everything did squeeze through the small doors at our new location - just!


On December 29th Yukari & Sawa-kun helped me move the remaining stuff we couldn't manage the day before, which took ages...which meant our classrooms and office were all totally empty except for the carpet, which was the last (and heavy) thing to remove on the 30th, as the electicity was turned off. If you are ever thinking about joining a gym, don't bother. Go to the DIY store and buy a box of carpet tiles, then carry it up & down a flight of stairs til you drop!

So I locked the door for the last time, and said goodbye to a lot of excellent memories...and hello to a massive job at 'the bakery'. But that's a separate story.

On my knees - like an Aussie cricketer :)

The Ashes - cricket's Holy Grail

While you were away holiday (or more accurately, while we were flitting over our Christmas & New Year break!), I have been listening to a lot of cricket; and not just any old cricket...The Ashes...

Obviously, living in a heathen, uncricketing, country like Japan (please bid for the World Cup?!) is a bit of a nuisance. Can't watch it on "Sky Perfect" which I guess is fair enough, given ice hockey, high school rugby, Giro Italia &GT300 are all much more popular sports (hint - I am being very sarcastic). Can't listen to the very traditional, & incomparable Test Match Special (TMS) from the BBC hosted these days by 'Aggers' (Jonathon Agnew), nor tune in to (ABC) Radio Australia's commentary with Jim Maxwell - because I do not live in either Australia for The ABC or The UK for The BBC. If I lived in one or the other I'd either be there or watching it on the telly 24/! This is about the most annoying thing about trying to watch or access 'my' sport these days - not living in the only place I wouldn't actually need a TV or PC or iPhone.

Wikipedia image - TMS

• If your PC is detected as being 'not in the UK' then you can't listen to live sports from the BBC.

• Ditto that for any other sport from any other country from their national provider eg ABC in Australia.

Now, there is a way to watch events 'streaming', which is very hit & miss - I recommends myp2p
You will need to download & install certain 'players' - the software to put the jigsaw together (and I recommend more than one, 'just in case') - check out the software tab on the site?

Another way to enjoy your sport is to 'do the ostrich' - hide your head in the sand with your fingers in your ears and avoid the scores! Find a stream to the game you missed at Diwana (register - no tricks at all) but beware any spoiler who tells you the score before you can watch. iPhone users remember, you can save a video to your phone and watch eg on the train. If a friend calls you before you have watched a game, don't answer!

This winter, England's cricket team has been touring Australia. The two countries compete over 5 Test Matches (each match a five-day game) to win 'The Ashes'. It is cricket's Holy Grail - and in my lifetime it has usually been about as achievable - ie impossible. Australia have been a dominant team for so long. Twelve hours ago, England ripped the heart out of the Aussies winning the game at The Sydney Cricket Ground. Not just winning...stomping up & down on them ruthlessly as the Aussies capitulated pathetically. HA! Grin grin I am smiling so much my face hurts!

To be perfectly honest I got to work early this morning. New Luna, new parking places, new classrooms, let Naomi-sensei in, turn on the heaters (-5 when he arrived)....NO! So I could tune in and listen to Test Match Sofa and catch the moment, for the first time in 24 years, England WON the Ashes in Australia. Yes, the last time England did this I was three three!

Over the holidays I have been cleaning, painting, and carpeting our lovely new premises.

Related articles

• England yet to peak, says Strauss (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Collingwood ends his Test career (news.bbc.co.uk)