iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/10/2026

What is wrong with me? I let another day slip by without getting out there to tackle the weeding. Guess I'll just have to boil and bake these damn bagels then. At least I can put some of the freshly harvested sesame to use. #baking #gardening

Eight bagels in a cardboard cooling box, ready for kettling and the oven.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/10/2026

The white sesame harvest from stems that dried inside during my two-week bicycle trip. From a tiny 1m x 1.5m densely planted plot. Yield was 122gm, down to 117gm after filtering out chaff and weed seeds. (Now regretting that I didn't go a step further and […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A small pile of white sesame on a wooden counter, shot from above.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

Sicklepod seed harvest from the back garden, grown from seeds gifted by the proprietress of the Monpemaruke cafe on Sakushima in Nagoya Bay. (The harvest of seeds is larger than shown here!) To make "habu-cha tea", the seeds are roasted, then some are boiled […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A large round stainless steel kitchen tub filled with long thin brown seed pod husks, with a small ceramic condiment dish next to it containing shiny brown seeds.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026

I muddled through last year hampered by a bottleneck in the slimming down enterprise. Backing up a bit, two years ago I planted winter wheat, for the first time since Mieko passed away. IIRC it was harvested in a rush before a storm, and I chucked it into […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

On a carpeted floor, there is a small wooden stool with a stainless steel bowl containing wheat and chaff to its left. A large mound of dried wheat lies further to the left. Below, closer to the camera, is a pile of wheat straw stripped of its seed. At the top of the photo, a tiny chair has a pair of leather gloves resting on it.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/08/2026

Today I rode 20km north from Nisshin, to pick up an electric kettle going for cheap on Jimote. It was a hot ride, especially on the return, and after getting back and showering, I stretched out on the floor under a fan and slept five hours straight. No […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/08/2026

どうしよ～ Armloads of basil and sage for processing into pesto and dried spice respectively. #gardening #Japan

A large pile of basil clippings and of sage clippings mounded up inside a sliding glass door looking out on a herb garden. A rack standing to the left is draped with a beige cotton shirt and beige pants used for outside work.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/08/2026

Ooh, that's some 生命力. I started the 25 tomato seeds from a packet in small starter pockets, nut I used the wrong soil, I think, and after sprouting they haven't grown. Today I moved one to a new home with proper potting soil. The transfer was … not great […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A partial view of a planting tray with small pockets resting atop a planting tray with larger pots. Skinny sprouts are growing in the tiny pockets, and one sprout is holding itself up in one of the larger pots.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/08/2026

Trump's path to victory: incessantly threatening the American public with nuclear annihilation. #USpol

A famous cover of the National Lampoon, showing a dog giving the side eye to a hand holding a revolver to its head.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/08/2026

There is a potted laurel tree at the house that died back through neglect a couple of summers ago. With rain and watering it sprouted suckers, I encouraged one of them, and it's come back nicely. So forgiving. I've been eating very simply for the past few […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Two dozen bay leaves laid out on a wooden counter.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/08/2026

Morning matcha. Definitely a fan. When checking out sources, I was surprised at how much green tea on the shelf at the supermarket was in tea bags. 😬 This is Shizuoka tea from Lupicia. When it runs low, I'll be checking out supply in Nisho, en route to my […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A bowl of green matcha tea, with a bamboo tea whisk standing beside.

A silver bag with ziplock closing and a green label reading "Matcha".

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/08/2026

Took a ride around the Aichi reservoir for some light cardio this morning. The water level is pretty low as you can see. Thundershowers are nice and all, but we could really use a typhoon or two. #bikeTooter #Japan

A train tressle over a largely dried out lake bed.

The water inlet to a reservoir, with a long stretch of the foreshore dried out lake bed.

The control weir of a reservoir dam, with a water mark a couple of meters above the current level.

A peninsula of dry lake bed exposed. A municipal incinerator facility is visible in the distance.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/08/2026

Well, this is going to be interesting. We had a *forecast* of 40⁰C heat with rain last month, let's see if August can deliver the goods. Careful out there folks, this could be bad for children and other living things. 🌷 #Japan #Nagoya #weather

A bar chart from a daily weather report, showing 40⁰C at 1:00pm, and a 45% chance of rain at the same time.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/08/2026

The ハブ茶 (habu-cha) plants are spinning out their seed pods! I received the seeds from the owner of the Monpemaruke cafe on Sakushima in Nagoya Bay last year. Reading up, it seems the leaves are rich in protein, and can be fermented to produce a meat […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A plant (Senna Obtusifolia) with leaves drooping at the onset of evening, and long thin pods streaming out from clusters of small orange flowers.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/07/2026

Cooking tomato seeds have arrived! Cleared a space in a bay window that gets partial sun, we'll see how it goes. Twenty-five seeds, if twenty plants take and aren't devoured by bugs, there may be enough for canning. The plants'll have to survive typhoons for […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A seed packet showing mid-size tomatoes with a person's hand for scale. The name of the variety (transliterated) is "Suzukoma." A description line reads (in English translation) "Good producing, early maturing cooking tomato."

A seedling tray filled with soil, with a spray bottle labeled "Plants" by sharpie marker to the left.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/07/2026

Gardening essentials. Suit up, set timer, drop everything to cool off after 30 minutes. #gardening #heatWave

A floppy hat with drop-down mosquito netting, a neck scarf with Velcro ends and pockets to accept the two small gel packs lying stop it, a pair of green gardening gloves, and a timer set to 30 minutes.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/07/2026

Meet the magic teapot. Early this year I fumbled our two-cup teapot and cracked it. This is the replacement that I shopped for in Seto immediately after. It's light for its size and I like the big fat handle. It holds three cups of tea, and almost every […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A teapot resting on a hand-sewn tea cozy pad. The pot is white, decorated in alternating vertical stripes of grey (thick) and red (sets of five pinstripes).

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/07/2026

The kitchen is cooling off, and about the only thing I can think to do with these guys is make a carrot cake. #gardening #carrots #cooking

Three carrots that have been left too long in the ground and split open.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/07/2026

The jump bags against the eventuality of the house being flattened. Bicycle camping excursions made it a lot easier to think through the contents. #bikeTooter #Japan #災害に備える

A heavy canvas shoulder bag (containing a tent, mattress, and sleeping bag) stacked atop a Patagonia duffle bag (containing food, clothing, toiletries, tools, a water filter, and other odds and ends).

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 03/07/2026

Biking to Sakushima again today, I met a Kuroneko van at a blind corner near the ferry terminal that I approached too quickly. Stopped just fine, but I locked the back wheel and blew out a tire. I laughed and waved the all-clear to the driver, who seemed […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A bicycle in the cargo area of a tiny ferry, with various notices in Japanese on the wall behind.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/06/2026

I have a stand of gōya (bitter gourd) on the back porch for shade. Today I went to make a vegetable chanpon with one. Didn't have long onions so I used an onion. Then found I had no mayonnaise so I subbed in paste boiled down from some tomatoes. And then […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A plate of egg + tomato paste + gōya + o ion mush, with chopsticks on the side.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/06/2026

Lunch today is what we always referred to as 簡単スパゲッティ, slightly complicated by the lack of dried spaghetti in the pantry. When feeding pressed sheets through the pasta machine for the final cut, I can't resist calling out "Help me Mister Biiiiill!" (And in […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A hand-crank pasta machine and a serving of freshly cut spaghetti on a wooden counter

A plate of spaghetti tossed in fried vegetables.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/06/2026

I had a one-bicycle accident on Tuesday. My own fault: on a shopping trip I drifted into a hidden drainage channel. Careless, but sometimes people are! Today I reported it to city hall. This particular channel is deep (40cm), so instead of flopping, a bike is […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A drain channel at the edge of a road, covered in steel mesh in the foreground, but open the sky further up the road.

An open roadside drainage channel, open in the foreground, and shrouded in weeds up the road.

A roadside drainage channel almost entirely obscured by weeds.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/06/2026

A devious summer spendthrift plan was put to the test today. A couple of years ago I set up to stretch "shade" canvas from the home center over an external wall. The canvas turned out to provide "shade" from glare, but to be pretty useless at blocking […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A three-meter span of canvas with a facing of black plastic shade netting hung from an external wall and secured at the base to small concrete blocks with rubber bungees.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/06/2026

Over forty years ago, I shifted from the left hand to the right for writing kanji. In subsequent years I developed a tremor in the left hand that made writing impossible, and even wielding a fork or spoon an enterprise to be undertaken with a degree of […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A shopping list written in cursive script.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/05/2026

I've reached the bagels-on-demand part of the learning curve. Knead and shape after breakfast, kettle and bake in the afternoon. 😋 #Japan #baking #cooking #bread

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/05/2026

Donald Trump is a goldbrick. And such a goldbrick that if you told him so, he'd probably find it flattering. #USpol

A gold-colored box in the shape of a gold bar, labelled 金箔栗羊羹 ("gold foil yōkan with chestnuts").

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

The 炊飯器 has taken it upon itself to eighty-six my rice this evening. 🤷‍♂️ #Japan

The top view of a rice cooker, showing the control buttons and a liquid crystal display reading "86".

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

To make the first train connection on the Sado excursion, I need to leave in 17 hours or so. It's a good thing I have everything organized. #bikeTooter

A chaotic jumble of clothing, pannier bags, camping gear, and other paraphernalia heaped up on the floor of a room.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

I got carried away with bike packing porn a few days ago, and the kit arrived today. The tail bag contains the entire house—tent, mattress, pillow, and summer sleeping sack. Better than I expected. So now for the Sado trip I need to decide between this rig […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A red road bike with white trim on the frame lugs, fitted with a large tail bag, a triangle frame bag, a small handlebar bag, and two water bottles.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/04/2026

I think I've figured this one out. Changes since first attempt: * no bulk rise, shape immediately * slow rise 7 hours+ in the fridge * warm water to activate yeast only … * most of the water at room temp * dampen string ends before join * jab join with small […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/04/2026

Hello, the garlic shoots have begun to bolt. ニンニクの芽 is a favorite. 🍽️😋 #Japan #gardening

A garlic plant with the bud of a flower head just beginning to show.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

Since sprucing up the old road bike with a fresh paint job last year, I've been dreaming about using it on camping excursions. I've never been a fanatic about weight savings, but the thought of burdening sew-up tires with tent, water, rations, tools, and a […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Two tiny hammers. On the left is a miniature claw hammer with a black handle. On the right is a slightly smaller miniature ball-peen hammer with a red plastic handle.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/04/2026

This "before" shot may not get an "after" companion. Among the packets in the seed stash, I found a little ziplock bag with tiny seeds and the label "Cooking Tomatoes 2017" in Mieko's handwriting. If I recall, cooking tomatoes worked well for sauce, and were […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A square plastic 25-pot starter tray filled with damp potting soil.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/04/2026

The fire that took this shop in Imaike was a tragedy for its owner, and I hope no one was caught in the blaze. I didn't ask at the senbei shop across the way (もち吉), but from what I can glean from the Web, the fire seems to have hit on March 22. All of which […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

The burned out hulk of a two-story building standing at the intersection of two small streets. A blue sheet partially covers one window, but the structure is otherwise exposed to the elements.

A sign reading お好み焼きの店/栗八/焼きそば・鉄板焼・鍋物 (Okonomiyaki Shop/Kuri Hachi [Chestnut Eight]/fried noodles, teppanyaki, hotpot)

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/04/2026

I replanted a large cluster of bulbs into a border, thinking them to be narcissus, but they've bloomed a bit after the narcissus finished, and they look like this. By noon, the flowers will open up fully into a star pattern. The garden was maintained by my […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

White flowers on short stems growing in clusters. The flowers are compact singles, each with six petals. In this image taken in early morning, half of the flowers are still fully closed up, with green stripes along the buds.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/04/2026

Someone in the neighborhood has begun sticking their rubbish in the city cages on the wrong days. To save the rubbish crew a headache, I put the latest off-day burnable rubbish bag inside the carport, near the gate. In the carport proper, I'd spread out a […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A blue tarp on a tiled driveway, weighted at the edges with bricks. At one corner is a plastic bag with the blue printing signifying burnable rubbish. The bag has been ripped open, a d the contents neatly distributed o er the tarp.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/04/2026

Yesterday I finished cleaning up the mess on the back porch. This morning it's a brand new day. #Japan #gardening

A metal chair and side table on a tiled patio, viewed from above. A Bileta moka coffee pot and a cup are set out on the table.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/04/2026

Today saw completion of a little project I've been planning in my head for a couple of months. The back porch had become a tangle of tools, garden paraphernalia, and, well, dirt and garbage. The tools were the magnet for chaos, and have now been sorted. It's […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Garden shovels and hoes and forks hanging from three steel rods held up by a 2x4 framework fastened into the corner of an outside alcove. A swinging shutter to the side and an air conditioning unit below the tools are visible.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/04/2026

Just three bitter orange half-rinds left to strip of pith and slice into fine julienne strips! Three of, let's see … 14 x 2 = 28 … twenty-eight in this batch, and only one batch left to finish processing the season's harvest into marmalade! Feeling just a bit […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A stack of three orange rinds and a fourth that has been sliced into quarters, each quarter stripped of pith to reveal the stippled texture beneath, all resting on a cutting board together with a pairing knife and a utility knife. A pile of discarded pith strippings lies beside the cutting board.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/04/2026

The north-facing outside planter was populated with christmas rose when we moved in long ago, and by the time of Mieko's convalescence it had become overcrowded. I was at a loss without her guidance, but for a start had a go at replanting with a vine common […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A large external wall planter lined in rough-finish tiles, planted with a row of grape hyacinth in front, a row of lily of the valley behind, and filled in the back with a white/green variegated vine with pale blue flowers

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/03/2026

The spinach that was planted too late in the season last year and then overwhelmed with weeds made it through the winter, and with some top-up fertilizer should grow out a bit before the heat hits us. A planter of narcissus set up last year has come into […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A sign reading ３丁目ミニ農園へようこそ/ほうれん草ができました!/自由に使ってください。/<-お花も<- (Welcome to the Block 3 mini-farm/Spinach is ready!/Feel free to make use of it/<-and also the flowers<-)

Three rows of spinach plants running away from a shovel planted in the foreground, in declining states of vigor from right to left.

A planter of narcissus in front of a driveway security screen, with a small sign in the planter reading お花どうぞ (you are welcome to take the flowers).

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/03/2026

The excitement of the day is that tomato seeds have begun to sprout! Sage, basil, and Italian parsley are also coming along. Today some corn gets planted, as the first step in an offbeat Three Sisters plan with sweet corn, black beans, and watermelon […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A tiny sprouting seed attempting to raise it's head from the soil. The image is blurry, taken with a camera lens not suitable for such a close-up.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/03/2026

Today has ended with a load of prep. I cooked up some daikon with broth and ground pork for an afternoon meal. That left a load of radish tops to clean. In a masterful stroke of avoidance behavior, I thinned out a row of spinach recently rescued from weed […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

A bowl of daikon radish tops, cleaned and washed and ready for braising with bacon .

A bowl of spinach leaves, cleaned and washed and ready for cooking.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/03/2026

Not bad for making things up as I went along. These makeshift trellises made of netting we had in storage serve two large planters seeded with goya. The poles are firmly fastened to the overhanging veranda above, and the rig should (touch wood) survive a […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Green netting hanging from a veranda shading an alcove backed by a sliding glass door. The netting is tied to four poles, two each rising from large tub planters, to form two fan-shaped expanses of netting. Excess net material is rolled at the top and fastened to the veranda overhang. Leaves of a small yellowed tree are visible in the lower right corner of the photo.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/03/2026

A project that grew from idle thoughts. There's a sitting area on the south side of the house that's gotten cluttered with tools and odds and ends since Mieko passed away. To make use of it, and to counter our summer heat and the expected rise in energy […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Three packets of six m5 x 30mm stainless steel wood screws. Four four-hole stainless steel loop plates, and a packet of goya (bitter gourd) seeds.

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rollover country 🗾🚴‍♀️🇯🇵💨 @fgbjr.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/03/2026

Still working on the bagel game. After learning they should be risen just once, for 8-12 hours in the fridge, I fashioned an ad hoc rising container from a cardboard box, and gave it a try. Definitely a better result! There's a persistent problem with […] [Original post on indieweb.social]

Seven slightly overcooked bagels on a cooling rack. One bagel has been pulled apart into two crescents.

A cardboard box, 50cm x 30cm x 9cm, with a sheet of yellow chequered cooking paper lining the bottom.

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