賭場と酒屋

8月31日(日)快晴

土建屋・ヘドリーさんは副業として賭場と酒屋を全国展開。VUEはウオーターフロントの丘の上。海側の地階にはレストラン、バー、スポーツ・バー、TAB(場外馬券売り場)、KENO（ビンゴゲーム場）、スロットルマシン場。山側の地階には酒屋。酒屋は割引率の大きい量販店に押されて客足はさっぱり。バーとギャンブルも屋内全面禁煙が法令化されて閑古鳥。

海側から見ると賭場は2階

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Drinking and gambling
Sun. August 31 : fine

The developer, Mr Hedley runs gambling halls and bottle shops as his side business all over Australia. VUE stands on the top of the water front hill. There are the restaurant, the bar, the sports bar, the TAB, the KENO, and the slot machine hall on the sea side basement. There is the bottle shop on the mountain side basement. The bottle shop does not do a good business as the customers prefer mass retailers that give them better discount. The bar and the gambling hall have been quiet since the indoor smoking is totally inhibited by law.

gambling hall is second floor on the sea side

イシチドリ

8月30日(土)快晴

VUEは地上4階、地下2階で戸数が52ですが、3分の2以上が売れ残っているそうです。入居者はまだ5世帯。緑に囲まれているのはいいけれど、人影を全く見かけません。まるでゴーストタウンかお化け屋敷。早朝オウムがギャーッと静寂を破ります。日没後はイシチドリの群れがヒュルルルーと不気味に鳴きます。下北のヨタカや十和田のオオジシギに比べると可愛いものですけど。

オオジシギ

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Bush thick knee
Sat. August 30 : fine

VUE has 4 stories above the ground and 2 underground stories. There are 52 units in it but more than 2 third are not sold yet. Only 5 families have moved in. It is good that VUE is surrounded by green but we never meet other people. It is like the ghost town or haunted house. Parrots cry suddenly ripping through the morning silence. Bush thin knees fly in the night sky whistling ominously. They are not as scary as night hawks in Shimokita or Latham’s snipes in Towada.

Latham's snipe

家具の搬入

8月29日(金)快晴

2年前シドニーを引き揚げる時に家具と家電は売り払ったので、今回また新たに購入しないといけません。乾燥機、皿洗い機、オーブン、電子レンジは作り付けなので、大型の家電はTV、冷蔵庫、洗濯機。昨日配達屋さんが1人で運び入れました。その点家具の搬入は大仕事。大型のベッドやソファなどは6人がかりでテラスから吊り上げます。

家具のネット・オークション

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Bringing in furniture
Fri. August 29 : fine

We have to buy new furniture and home electric appliances because we sold everything when we left Sydney 2 years ago. The dryer, the dishwasher, the oven, and the microwave are set in the unit so we bought the TV, the refrigerator, and the washing machine. A deliverer delivered all of them by himself yesterday. On the other hand bringing in furniture is a big job. 6 people lifted up our big bed and the sofa through the terrace.

net auction of furniture

ゴミ片付け

8月28日(木)快晴

VUEの僕たちのユニットは212平米(64坪)の4LDK。引越し荷物は本、衣類、食器、什器など段ボール箱70個。大きな家具がないので4時間で完了。荷解きが済んだら段ボールと緩衝材の山。VUEは業者が毎日ゴミの回収に来ます。ゴミのコンテナも大型なので大量の段ボールも遠慮なしに捨てられます。

ゴミの収集

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Littering
Thu. August 28 : fine

Our unit in VUE is 4LDK that has 212㎡. Our stuff is put in 70 card board boxes totally with books, clothe, dishes, utensils, and others. As we don’t have any big furniture moving finished in 4 hours. There were a lot of card board boxes and buffer materials after unpacking. As the rubbish vehicle comes to VUE every day and the rubbish bin is quite big, we don’t have to hesitate to throw away a lot of card board boxes.

rabish collecting

好きこそものの上手なれ

8月27日(水)曇

すったもんだの挙句、昨日なんとか未完成のVUEに引越しできました。土建屋・ヘドリー社には10％近い値引きをさせ、悪徳弁護士たちには不本意ながら少々の追い銭を払い、不動産屋の不正は不問。今回は1勝1敗1分。豪州暮らし7年間で8回目の引越。引越しと旅行と喧嘩はお手の物。

ヘドリー社

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We tend to be good at those things we like
Wed. August 27 : cloudy

After a lot of fussing we could move to uncompleted VUE yesterday. I made Hedley to give us 10% discount, poured unwillingly a little good money to shysters, and passed over bad behavior of the real estate agents. This time I had 1 victory, 1 defeat, and 1 draw which is a little better than Hoshino Japan, the baseball team. This is the 8th moving in 7 years in Australia. I am good at moving, traveling, and fighting.

Hedley Group

優れ物・粘着テープ・カッター

8月26日(火)曇

豪州の粘着テープは薄っぺらで質が良くないので素手では扱いにくい。日本の布引粘着テープは手の器用なアジア人には手軽でもOZは不器用だから粘着テープ・カッターを使用。大型で普段の置き場所に困るけど、慣れれば結構使いやすい。そんなことより引越先を！ユミもイライラが高じて爆発寸前。ちょっと待て！この場に及んで内輪もめは敵の思う壺。素手で戦うよりも今必要なのは粘り腰。

8ヶ月前の引越し

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Useful gear: sticky tape cutter
Tue. August 26 : cloudy

Australian adhesive tape is too thin and low qualitative to handle with your bare hands. Japanese cloth stretching tape is handy for Asians who hold nimble fingers but butterfingered OZs use adhesive tape cutter. It is nice and handy once you get used to it although it is too big to store. “Deciding our new place takes the priority over that!” Yumi is irritated and on the verge of madness. Wait a minute! The internal fighting on this last stage must fall right into the enemy’s trap. We rather need patience than fighting with our bare hands.

moving 8 months ago

嘘臭い鳥の巣花火

8月25日(月)曇

商業五輪も終わり、明日は引越。荷造りもほぼ終了。しかし肝心の引越先が決まりません。鈍臭い業者は色々の理由をつけてVUEの引渡しを拒否。昨日下見に行ったら僕たちのユニットは未完成。これって結婚式場も日取りは決まったのに、結婚相手がいないのと同じ？だけど世の中は七面倒臭い。揉め事は期限ぎりぎりが攻防の主戦場。結婚式や葬式や不動産売買の費用はいつも胡散臭い。適当臭く騙されているような気がします。（photo by asahi.com）

シドニーの打ち上げ花火

ケアンズの打ち上げ花火

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Doubtful bird-nest shaped fire work
Mon. August 25 : cloudy

Commercial Olympics has been over and we are moving tomorrow. The packing is almost finished but we have no place to move in. The problematical developer refused to hand VUE unit to us using a lot of excuse. I went to inspect the unit yesterday and found our unit was not completed yet. Is it similar to the situation that you have no partner even if you have the wedding parlor and the date? There are a lot of things bother you in this world. The decision of the trouble depends on the fight of deadline. Suspicious smell always lingers on the cost of wedding, funeral and dealing in real estate. I feel I am always deceived tactfully.

sky rockets in Sydney

sky rockets in Cairns

観葉植物の安楽死

8月24日(日)晴

引越先に植物は持って行けないので水遣りを控えて、最後は熱湯をかけて安楽死。僕が子供の頃家では犬やネコを飼っていましたが、子供が生まれると水を張ったバケツで溺死させて庭の片隅に埋葬していました。シドニー湾の子鯨は薬殺されましたが、弱ったまま放置するとサメに襲われるそうです。豪州では中国のフカヒレ漁にも反対して、サメを保護しています。

フカヒレと燕の巣

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Put euthanasia to foliage plants
Sun. August 24 : fine

As we cannot bring plants to out new house I stopped watering and put it euthanasia by pouring hot water finally. When I was a child my family kept some cats and dogs. When puppies and kittens are born we used to put babies euthanasia by drowning them in water in the bucket and berried them in the corner of our garden. The baby whale was killed by poison yesterday. If it was left unsolved I would be attacked by a shark. Australia even reserves sharks being against Chinese shark fin fishing.

shark fin and swallow nest

崖っぷちマスコミ

8月23日(土)快晴

1年に2-3回日本に戻るとTV番組が面白い。と言うか豪州の番組は硬過ぎます。しかし和製TV番組は低俗なので3日で食傷します。特に感情移入が過度なニュースショーがいけません。芸人が世界情勢を語っても構いませんが、五輪報道でも勝者を極限まで持ち上げて、敗者を徹底的に叩いていませんか？豪州では凶悪事件でも被疑者の顔写真は報道されません。シドニー湾の子鯨は昨日安楽死。案の定「日本の捕鯨を非難できない」という的外れのコメントも。

OZはTVや五輪に無関心？

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Desperate mass-media
Sat. August 23 : fine

I return to Japan 2 or 3 times a year and I find Japanese TV programs quite interesting because Australian ones are too serious. I get bored by Japanese TV programs in 3 days since they are vulgar, though. Especially news shows put too much overwhelming empathy in everything. I agree with entertainers who give comment on the world issues. On the other hand, aren’t they thoroughly bringing up winners and bushing losers in Olympic news? In Australia arrest mugs are not broadcasted even in heinous crimes. The baby whale in Sydney Cove was put euthanasia yesterday. As I expected, some people gave irrelevant comment, saying “Australia cannot against Japan for catching whales”

Are OZs indifferent about TV or Olympic？

崖っぷち子鯨

8月22日(金)曇

親とはぐれたザトウクジラの子がシドニー湾で停泊中のヨットを親クジラと思ったか、しきりに母乳をねだる仕草の映像が数日前からTVをにぎわせています。親鯨が現れるのを待つしかなす術はなく、次第に衰弱してきた子鯨は安楽死の運命。安楽死反対論も噴出するだろうと思うとマスコミの商業主義に嫌気が差します。日本でも「矢鴨」だとか「崖っぷち犬」だとかマスコミの煽動ドラマがありましたよね。(photo by SMH)

白鯨も騒ぎ過ぎかな？

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Baby whale in certain death
Fri. August 22 : cloudy

The image of a baby humpback whale that had gotten separated from its mother has been crowding TV news for the last several days. It thickly mooches milk from anchored yacht in Sydney Cove misguiding it as its mother. There is no measure but waiting its mother and it will be given euthanasia as it becomes weaker and weaker. I don’t like such a commercialism of media knowing some anti-euthanasia opinion will be swelled. In Japan as well there were sensational dramas about some animals such as “arrow duck” or “dog on cliff”

Are people overexciting about white whale？

強き者、汝の名は女

8月21日(木)晴

北京五輪でのOZの金メダル獲得はほとんどが女性。豪州は19世紀に世界に先駆けて女性参政権を認めた国。ケアンズ市長もQLD 州知事も女性ですが歴代首相にまだ女性はいません。警官、タクシー運転手、牧童、鉱山労働者、ビルの窓拭きまで女性が進出。女性もなかなか楽ではないようです。（photo by SMH）

ケアンズ市長

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Strength, thy name is woman
Thu. August 21 : fine

Most OZ athletes who got gold medals in Beijing are women. Australia is the first country that enfranchised women in the 19th century. The mayor of Cairns and the governor of QLD are both women, but there was no female prime minister in the past. Australian women have forayed in every kind job such as police officers, taxi drivers, cowhands, miners, building window cleaners, and others. Women are not easy to live. （photo by SMH）

the mayor of Cairns

スポーツ楽しんでますか？

8月20日(水)晴

豪州の人口は日本の6分の1の2100万人ですが五輪メダル大国。OZはスポーツ大好き。人口14万人のケアンズのような田舎町でも水泳、陸上、馬術、体操、サッカー、ホッケー、射撃、野球、卓球、ヨット、ボート、ボクシング、柔道、テコンドー、フェンシングなど、あらゆる五輪種目の練習場や競技会があります。スポーツを楽しむというのは、TVの前でビールを飲みながらプロ野球を見ることじゃないですよね？(photo by SMH)

野球とサッカー

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Are you enjoying sports?
Wed. August 20 : fine

Although the population of Australia is 21 million, one 6th of that of Japan Australia is a big power of Olympics medal tally. OZs love sports so much. Even in Cairns there are almost every kind of facilities and competitions for sports such as swimming, track and field, horse riding, gymnastics, soccer, hokey, shooting, baseball, table tennis, yacht, boat, taekwondo, fencing and more. Enjoying sport does not mean watching professional baseball game on TV drinking beer? （photo by SMH）

baseball and soccer

マスゲーム

8月19日(火)快晴

北京五輪は中国の民主化の壮大な実験。世界の人口67億人、うち中国は13億人。世界の5人に1人は中国人。少数の大富豪と無数の貧農を抱えた矛盾の国。商業五輪はTV放映権が主たる収入源。TVの五輪中継は功利主義・金権主義を煽ります。TVに触発され個人意識に目覚めた中国国民が自国政府や世界に反乱を起こした時に軟着陸の方策はあるのでしょうか？

日本の民主化は可能か？

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Mass-game
Tue. August 19 : fine

Beijing Olympic is the big experiment of democratizing of China. The world population is 6.7billion and the population of China is 1.3 billion. One out of five people in the world is Chinese. China is a country of paradox that has the rich minority and the poor majority. The major income resource of commercialized Olympics is TV broadcast right. The live program of Olympics encourages utilitarianism and money politics. When individualistic Chinese who are stimulated by TV start revolting against their government and the world, is there any good formulas of solutions?

Is democratizing of Japan possible？

安全対策

8月18日(月)曇

豪州は窃盗や暴力事件が日本より多い。だから多くの集落は部外者が侵入しにくい袋小路。アパートもセキュリティーが厳しく、住人以外は入れません。かつてユーラシア大陸では城塞都市が当たり前で、日本のような無防備な街はあり得なかった。北京五輪は過剰警備？洞爺湖サミットと50歩100歩だと思うけど。（photo by 中国情報局）

マニラだって城塞都市

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Security measures
Mon. August 18 : cloudy

There are more robbery and violence in Australia than those in Japan. Therefore, most communities are located in the no through roads that are hard for foreigners to invade. The security in the apartments is also so severe that only residents can enter. Once upon a time in Eurasia Continent most cities were castellated and such undefended cities like the ones in Japan were out of the question. Is Beijing Olympics over-guarded? I think it is just same as Toyako Summit.

Manila is castellated city as well

交通事故

8月17日(日)快晴

明け方僕のアパートの前の路上で喧嘩が発生。テラスから見下ろすと10人くらいの若者たちが怒鳴りながら小突きあい。日本でも豪州でも僕たちは9：00ｐｍ過ぎに外出はしません。数日前には交通事故を眼下に目撃。喧嘩も交通事故も日常茶飯事なのでしょうが、なるべく見たくはない。その点VUEは安心できそうです。

喧嘩も事故も酒がらみ

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Traffic accident
Sun. August 17 : fine

A fight happened on the street in front of our apartment early this morning. Looking down from the terrace we saw around 10 young guys crying and hassling. From long time ago we never go out after 9:00pm no matter where we are. Several days ago we saw a traffic accident below our eyes. Although fights and accidents are daily happenings we don’t see them preferably. In that respect VUE seems to be an ease.

fights and accidents cause by drinking