Where has the hot summer gone?

The hot summer seems to have gone, on the other hand a typhoon season has come.

I'm relieved to manage to survive against or with the hot summer. This summer, it was very very hot.

While the cool season came, my thumb started to hurt.

So I often do OKYU-- moxibustion.

It's not so bad.

 

Anyway, Monday has started. I cooked appetizers (often they become my main) for this week.

Now it's in a season of eggplants. Luckily I often get lots of eggplants.

Sometimes I grill them, sometimes I simmer them. This time I deep-fried them and soaked them with soy sauce and Dashi.

Our usual day has started

You see two pairs of chopsticks. Our usual quiet day has started.

Yuki went to work, and I -- don't have lesson today, I'm going to the gym ( so my vacation has still continued.)

 

The bright noisy sound has gone -- I miss her and I relieved.

The very hot weather seems to have gone. Today it's rainy and cool. I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt. This coolness comforts me.

Yuki and I really enjoyed with our grand daughter. We are really  happy.

 

 

Last summer, she was born, and now she can play with lots of things.

==== for her just riding on it is fun, we don't need put a coin in the box.

 

See you Akari!

Before OBON vacattion

 Next week we have one-week vacation called OBON vacation.

Lots of people go traveling or visit their parents or grandparents.

It means another busiest week with our granddaughter will come.

So before the busy OBON vacation, fortunately Yuki could take a day off, so we visited a hot spring nearby. 

In the late evening we got there, and walked around the inn.

There we took foot-bath, and had beer in a cafe?bar? .

And we stayed there one night. We had a traditional Japanese breakfast-- I forgot when I had such a breakfast. I have stayed a hotel or an inn sometimes for these years, nevertheless, probably all of them served or we choiced Western style.  

Then we started hiking. We walked for 20 or 30 minutes and met a waterfall in the forest.

In this area there are some small but beautiful walls.

 We saw two waterfalls.

It was before OBON vacation, so there were not so many people and we could stay at a reasonable price. If we stay there in OBON vacation it costs more than double for the weekday price.

Well, well, another busiest (or happy) week with Akari will wait for us.

Before true OBON vacation, Yuki is going to golf  this weekend, and I have to attend two events with my students, though the events are fun for me.

Akari got one year old -4-

One hear has passed since Akari was born.

When M came back to this home last summer she said " I will go back to Tokyo as soon as possible but anway I have to stay here in one month". She was so --- offensive, or she says " at that time I was till your child, I was rebbelious." Now she is a mother  --- she is very clever, it means she takes more easy way, So she often come back here. Of course there are some reason. One reason, another Akari's mother is not so in good condition, so she has to go to Sendai. However it's a little bit difficult to go straingt to Sendai, so first she comes here and stay one night and she goes to Senday by burrent train to and from. And  --- she stays with us for a few days to take a rest.

 

Anyway I made this photo book as a memory.

I downloaded an application in my ipad and ordered this photo book using photos on my ipad.

It was very easy and not so expensive.

I added some HAIKU (short Japanese poem) in each page.

On the other hand M made photo book to go to a photo shop.

 

One year changed us a lot.

To tell the truth, Yuki and I are very happy when they come back here, however, I don't like vacuum after they go back to Tokyo.

And probably I do to much for them and after they go back to Tokyo I'm really tired.

 

So this is our today's breakfast.

 

 

 Well, well, our usually life of two of us has started.

--- though in one week OBON vacation comes.

Akari got one-year old. -3-

During M's staying, she usually takes a lesson of architect at school for one day here in Utsunomiya.

So I was taking care of Akari on a weekday.

 

First I went to a baker to have morning snack at 10 o'clock.

Akari ate baby rice crackers.

Then I went to the library.
On the day from 11;00 to 11:40, story time was held for babies--- of course in Japanese.
Additionally  on the third Tuesdays from 11:00 "I" do story time in English for babies.

She listened to the storyteller hard, and played or read books.
Then we had lunch at restaurant.
At this restaurant they serve low-allergy menu, it means eggs, milk, wheat are not included. These days during having baby food they recommend not to eat eggs, mile and wheat much. So there Akari "ate" rice-bread, soy milk stew and baked potatoes,  I ate "stake".
Additionally the price of Akari's food and my food were alomst same.

Akari got one year old. -2-

During M & Akari staying, Yuki had a holiday.

So we went to a mountain to escape this hotness.

There --- we got on a lift.

It is a ski resort in winter, and during the summer it is opened as a lily park. And to climb the mountain ( or hill) one ski lift works.

We didn't expect that AKARI was accepted. HOWEVER, she was accepted.

So all of four got on a lift and went to the top of the mountain.

On the top of mountain it was really cool.

So we decided to climb down the hill on foot. (Her baby car also got on a lift together, this was another surprise.)

 

You can see M, the baby car and Yuki.

I took the photo on the half way to the "goal" ( it means the rest house).

For young mother "M", and the person who is getting used to walk on the golf course, this walking must have been not so bad. HOWEVER for me --- it was foolhardy.

--- My stinginess ( or my thrift) brought this result.

Well, well the scenery is really good.

However the fee is 1000 yen a person (It's OK, because I got two free tickets), and the fee of one way lift is 700 yen  a person.

(Additionally it doesn't cost money to carry a baby car. But it was funny and strange. because, four of us, though Akari was carried in M's arms got on one lift, and the baby car , itself  got on another lift with no one.)

 

It was a good hiking course, so many people climbed up and down with sneakers.

So probably next summer "I" will use a lift to and from.

Akari got one year old. -1-

Since I updated this blog last time, one week has passed. It's August!

During the last week,  our younger daughter M and our grand daughter Akari was staying here in Utsunomiya.

We celebrated her one-year- birthday.

 

This is her lunch.

I cooked simmered vegetables (tasted soy sauce a little), grilled hamburger stake ( not only for her but also ours) and made cold potato soup.

 

They and Akari's father came here to Utsunomiya around noon, so in the morning I cooked some (for me lots) of dishes.

 

The main was hamburger stakes, because Akari also could eat it.

The hamburger for adults were "huge", because I bought 1kg grand pork, and  ----" this is a very important point ". Yuki said,--- Yuki kneaded the ingredients of hamburger. In his life it was the first time, and I hope it wouldn't be the last time.

 

And the special is --- the cake with her likeness.

Near my house there is a Japanese sweet shop, these days probably the owner's son help his parents and he is good at cake. So now the sweet shop serves Japanese sweets and cakes. And he makes such a cake with likeness.

Akari doesn't eat such cake yet, and unfortunately she didn't seem whose face it is on the cake. But Akari's mother (our daughter) and father seemed very happy.

It is not a Japanese custom, but I like this idea.

Akari's birthday is July 24. It is a weekday, so Akari's mother and father celebrated the birthday instantly the early morning at their house in Tokyo,
Next day they came to Utsunomiya, and we celebrated her birthday again like this way.
Then next day they went to Sendai. There another Akarai's grandmother and Akaria's parents celebrated her birthday again.
It means she got three year old in three days.
In Senday, Akari carried "ISHOU MOCHI" which is huge rice cake on her back and belly.  To be collect they tried to her to carry them but failed.
It is a Japanese custom in some area ( I knew this custom when I came here to Utsunomiya). It means the baby will never suffer hunger.
And on the same day M and Akari came back to Utsumoiya, Akari's father came back to Tokyo.