I've never thought about how a model walks. There's a head turn and a spin too at the end of the runway! Walking deserves a separate post I think.

My son is just watching the movie Miss Congeniality, and the part where Michael Caine shows Sandra Bullock how she must walk as a model, he says you must slide, that made me think in this post "sliding"

Thanks so much for your comments, Diana! Clarity is always a great and positive thing to aim for.

A lot of stuff accumulates in the family home over the years. What we don't need we can recycle, especially no longer relevant papers, then we can find what is important. My brothers and my husband and I will be aiming, maybe not emptiness yet, but a lot more clarity. I think that makes people kind, to appreciate the best in each other. Thanks so much, Niall, Billy and Carina

Sliding into the New Year, I was surprised at how it happened. Suddenly a lot of activity, saw many friends Jimmy and Chuck with the chain saw for firewood, and Jimmy's dog, and other friends in North Stamford. And, yes, Aikido movement always reminded me of skating though I never learned to ice skate. I used to tell my students at the local Y, "Skate!" Thanks, Niall for the inspirational writing and photos.

Thanks, Billy. Yes, you are right! In budo sometimes it feels like we don't make progress. Or even slip slide back. And sometimes we just hit a wall. We have to find a way to climb it. Or maybe crash through...? Then looking back later we wonder what the problem was - twenty twenty hindsight!

Dear Niall, great blog as always. The words to "slip sliding away" are so appropriate for our Aikido training. You think you are getting somewhere and then you realise just how far you still have to go. This is so true all them time. Enjoy your soba. Best, Billy

You mentioned the chimes of the clock, Carina. Another interesting custom in Japan on the night of the new year is that the bells of Buddhist temples ring 108 times for the 108 desires of humankind. I can hear one from my house. It's a wonderful sound. We have to overcome them all if we want to reach enlightenment...

Thanks Carina. I'm always very impressed by your excellent and careful translations. That link is http://brainstorm3.blogspot.com/2008...emptiness.html. You can write [ url ]http address[ /url ] with no spaces and it shows the actual http address in the link or you can write [ url= htp address ]any title here[ /url ] The idea of emptiness is very interesting and deep. Thanks for the link.

Great post again Niall, thank you very much also to allow me to translate your writings. In Spain we eat 12 grapes when the clock gives the 12 rings of sliding in the new year, one grape for each month, it will bring good luck, if you are able to eat one grape in each ring. About the cleaning I like to add a link of the principle of emptiness for reflection http://brainstorm3.blogspot.com/2008/09/prinnciple-of-emptiness.html