laughter yoga with "my" healthy tea

Yesterday, I hold a laughter yoga club at my house. Three ladies came and we had lots of laugh.
The other day, I wrote about my herbal tea on this blog. Yesterday, I didn't serve my herbal tea.
Instead of them ---- can you guess what are they?

I picked some loquat leaves from the garden  I baked them in the oven, and made tea.
Loquat tea is one of  traditional healthy tea in Japanese.
Did I tell you that why a loquat tree is here in my garden.
When my daughters were little, they were suffering from skin trouble, and someone recommended me to use some traditional Japanese home remedy. I believed some things worked well.
And one of them was loquat chink, loquat water , and loquat tea.
At that time, in my mother's house there was a loquat tree, so it was easy to get some leaves.
And my daughter and I put some loquat nuts in the ground. They got big more quickly than we expected. Now I keep one loquat tree (Others were cut down).
In summer, I always make loquat water for my grandmother.
And this time I make loquat tea.
Not so bad.

 

 

medical herb???

Did I tell you I'm learning about medical basic herb of 15 herb plants.
And the basic test is hold next week.
Though I'm going to take the exam in Tokyo, I'm not sure whether to go.

Anyway, the other day I took special lecture from a teacher and my fiend.
For her I baked apple crumbles with lots of cinnamon and clove.

 

 

Let me introduce what I'm using now.

To week the symptom of pollen allergy, I started to drink a tea of elderflower and nettle.

I also made the chink.

 

 

This spring, I'm going to plant nettle, though they have some spines.

And I'm also going to plant a lime tree.

 

Taking some herb tea might effective to me, however they are a little bit expensive to take some daily. So according to my "frugal retirement life plan" , it is good to take my special herb tea consist with plants which grow in my garden and some a little bit expensive herb I buy on the net.

 

Well, well, I also constantly dry them, ginger, sage, and laurel.

Season word 0222 Adonis amurensis

Is this word familiar with you?

I also checked the word "pheasant's eye", but its typical color seems to be red, it's not FUKUJYUSOU.

Anyway this flower is so familiar for senior people and Japanese garden lovers.

Nowadays people tend to like European style gardens, so not so many people have this potted flower of Fukujyusou.

I have it.

 

Though I want say that " they come out ", I can't.

Actually when we bought this house about 30 years ago, my friend presented one. It became big, and bloomed many flowers 10 years later . But since then it got little by little, and unfortunately it didn't appear the year before last year. I think it told us for our area as a parent tobe finished.

So I bought another one last year and planted.

 I hope it will get bigger. It shows our new "senior couple" area has started.

Fukujyusou, what happiness  will you bring? , go forward into the future
Fukujyusou, why you can bear so hard, my favorite flower

Though we decided to go out to a little bit far place ---

Yesterday, I took an examination in the morning, and went out to a little bit far place with Yuki by car. It took 50 km from here, we went there using a kind of expressway which cost 210yen.

There a small Hina doll exhibition was hold there, it was free.

 

Our main aim was to see a indoor exhibition of potted flowers of peonies.

I found an article on the newspaper, and was interested in it. The place organized it to attract people even in cold winter. The fee was 200 yen.

 

However the exhibition was hold in a "not big" hall, and --- if we enter in it, we have to pay 400 yen.

(You can guess, how small the hall is)

We were wondering whether to enter there or not. And we noticed that many people stood in front of the gate and they peeked inside over  the gate, and they left there.

So we did the same thing. We could see the inside over the gate and it was enough.

I thought it must have been expensive to pay 400 yen for 5 minute look.

 

Anyway we decided  to come here, so we drooped by at the "big" souvenir shop. The shop was larger than the hall.

We bought fresh salmon which cost 400 yen. You might ask how long we stayed there. Anyway we stayed there for longer than five minutes.

 

I cooked salmon and beans marinated salad.  And grilled sparerib

 

HABUTAE MOCHI

 

I got this sweet from a friend. This sweet dealt with a local Japanese confectionery is getting very popular, so I was very pleased to get them.

 

 

Though it is a little bit different, it is a kind of strawberry rice cake.

If you are interested in it, let's see the following youtube.

For you, it might be strange  --- strawberry and sweet beans combination , like the combination of turkey and fruit sauce (for me)

season word 0214 Chinese Year

 

"Chinese New Year" , this word was introduced on today's news paper as a season word.

However does it get familiar with us?

When I hear the word, with things  I come up with are  a large crowd in Yokohama China town and a new word (for me) shopping spree.

 

On Chinese New Year, watching the news of a large crowd (in Yokohama China Town), licking my lips

(because they are enjoying lots of special treats)

 

Shopping spree I learnt a few years ago, Chinese New Hear at Ginza, gone are the days

arranged flowers

This Sunday Yuki and I drove to a park where it took about one hour by car.
A big flower festival was held, and a work of one of my friends was displayed.

 

 

She likes gardening, and she is also interested in group planting.

And --- now she is a professional teacher of this area. She got a license to teach how to make group planting nicely in Japan gardening organization. She obtained it after she retired from her work.

 

 

 There a workshop was held. So I also did group planting easily and quickly.

 

As you can guess, for Yuki it was not so interesting.
However, the area it was very famous for SANO noodle.
So we had SANO noodle at a famous shop.

As you can also guess, I don't like it very much.

Valentine's day and Hinsa festival

The day after tomorrow is Valentine's day, isn't it?
Have you prepared something for your Valentine?

Anyway here in Japan "Valentine's Day" is one of foreign and commercialized culture.
As you know here in Japan women present chocolate for men who are only a man next to you or a very important man.
On the other hands, girls like to  exchange handmade sweet for each other.

Anyway, thank to my friend J, we enjoyed our Valentine's lesson.
What is our Valentine's lesson? Yes, cooking. Through cooking we know, we try to understand Valentine's day, or --- it is a good excuse to enjoy cooking time instead of usual lessons.

 

 

And in the early March we have a traditional event, Hina festival.

March 3 is not a holiday, however girls celebrate Hina festival.

So I put some Hina dolls on the entrance hall.

 

The small pair of dolls in the center were made by my grand mother.

Anyway tomorrow is the day of Karaku, so I prepared cholate for the master to show my thankfulness, though it is early Valentine's Day.

 

Change some items into new ones.

As I told you, I've tried to discard or recycle 10 things a week constantly.
And as you know our house seems to be far from being empty, because we buy new things "sometimes."
Anyway we discarded lots of my children's goods, however, instead of them lots of Ah-chan staying goods are here.
Usually they come here with just a small bag, because all of things including M's clothes are here.
Anyway I need to check the balance what we bought and what we discarded.
However I try not to mention replacing.

For example, I changed these towel cloth shelf, and tissue case into new ones.

 

I'm very surprised, because why I didn't change much earlier  --- probably because of troublesome.

While I was replacing them, I checked other things.

 

Finally I saw a hole on the table clothe, I have another one but this is my favorite.

  

 

And --- that's it.

This weekend comes, I need to discard 10 things and if I buy some things this weekend I'll show the list except daily foods.

Do you have any plans for this weekend?

 

season word 0208 snowshoes

 

A season word of this week on the news paper was  "KANJIKI". snowshoes.

Yes, actually they are snowshoes, but, how many "young people" know this word?

Even though I know the word, I've never put them on, and probably see them directly.

However this winter in north areas in Japan, they have had unexpected lots of snow. So some people put them on to go outside.

Of course nowadays Kanjiki is made from light plastic material.

 

KANJIKI is a very traditional old tool.

Though it is spoken in Japanese, if you are interested in it, please show it.

 

 

However when I found this video, I was very surprised.



With Kanjiki, people have to walk, who expected that?
(This winter, in the north area, they are having unexpected lots of snow, so some people have to put modern Kanjiki on)

Nowadays, light-weight Kanjiki, it's simply divine.

sweets!!

 

Yesterday, for my friend I baked this one.

And I baked another one, because I had lots pumpkin. And I gave to my neighbor.

 

In the evening she came with sweets.

So this morning--

 

We had sweet breakfast. It was not so bad.

 

As I told you, I organized my "inherited" kimono, and one idea came up to mind. 

 

I put this broad sash (a kind of gadgets for Kimono) as a table runner.

It looks not so formal, but friendly and cozy, doesn't it?

 

 

an aquaintance comes

I used the word "acquaintance" instead of the word "friend". I happened to know her at a meeting. There we talked much, and instead of changing our business cards we told our Facebook account each other. Since then we haven't met each other.

As I tell you, I constantly discard (or recycle) 10 things a week.
We already took our lots of used books to a used book shop. So we don't have many books we don't use now in my house. However I kept some ( or many) English reference books. Some are still used, and the others are seldom used.

So I decided to give away these four books, and --

before  taking just four books to a used book shop, I ask the people who are contacted with Facebook,
--- and an hour later, to be surprised I got one comment from "her".
I didn't know that she is interested in English.
Anyway she will drop by my house after her work.

These days I'm always thinking how I deal with my Facebook site. It has good things and bad things.
Anyway, this time I thank my Facebook account.

Now I'm baking cake for our evening tea break.

annal gastro endoscopy

This morning I took an annual gastro endoscopy. Since I removed Helicobacter Pylori, I take annual gastro endoscopy. The result was all right though I still have chronic gastritis.
Have you taken gastro endoscopies? If you have, how do you take it?
When I took it for the first time, I had a terrible experience. At that time probably the skill and the apparatus must have been not so good. (It was about 30 years ago.) Now they must be improved, but anyway I take it with sedative medication.

In winter, my stomach is not so good, it seems to be caused from cold in my body.
The doctor suggest to get things which make you warm, like ginger. ( I already takes everyday with tea).
And he also suggest to do exercise to make you warm. About this advice, I keep quiet.

And this time I noticed that on the notice board where what field he deals with, "Japanese herb medication". So I asked him to prescribe some Japanese herb to make me warm.
Usually I buy some Japanese herbs at drug stores.
This time I could buy a Japanese herb at a reasonable price because the cost is covered by my insurance partly.

Well, well, anyway I'll go to a gym to do exercise --- from now.

With two high school students

Do you think it's important to pay compliments to the people surrounding you like your friends, family members? A boy said. Yes, it is very important. Paying compliments gives good influence both of speakers and receivers. When we speak highly of others, they must fell happy and show a big smile. seeing smile makes everyone happy. So paying compliments to the people surrounding us is necessary to get along in peace. A girl said. No, I don't think so, though getting compliments makes me happy. We don't need to focus on paying compliments to others. Nowadays in everywhere and from every adults we are asked to pay compliments to others. It is the natural when we want to say something good, we will do. Before talking this thing, more adults should show the attitude to pay compliments to others naturally. Well, well, And I said. My opinion is no. I don't think it is important to pay compliments to the people surrounding us. However it is very important to find or focus on their positive and bright sides instead of minor or negative sides. When we focus on their positive sides more than on negative sides, we naturally express our positive feeling with positive phrases, though the phrases might not compliments. We tend to compare each other, and when we find negative sides or lower-level acts than us, we tend to be pleased with ourselves. It is only a bad effect for both sides. Of course sometimes it is necessary to comfort each other. However while we are young, we try to always focus on positive sides. What do you think of it?

Draw a pig!

 

Today it is snowing, so I "can't" go to the gym to workout, though Yuki went to work as usual.

And My car wears winter tires. --- it is a just a excuse.

So today I stay home, and probably organize my classroom for next fiscal year.

 

Today I'll share an interesting article which was read the other day with my junior high school student.

 

First draw a box on the paper.

And ---

Let's find out about your personality.

Please draw a pig in the box.


Where is the pig in the box?
If it's at the top, you're positive and optimistic.
If it's in the middle, you're a realist.
If it's at the bottom, you sometimes think and behave negatively.
Which way is the pig's body facing?
If it's facing left, you're friendly and remember dates well.
If it's facing to the front, you're direct and not afraid of having a discussion.
If it's a facing right, you're active and creative.

Is the pig drawn with four legs?
If it has four legs, you're confident and stubborn.
If it has less than four legs, you're not so confident.
Finally, the size of the ears shows if you're a good listener or not.
The bigger, the better.

Well, I show you this picture -- drawn by my student, though I don't get his permission.

Here it is.

 

 

Seasonal word 0201 Japanese smelt

Do you have this kind of fish?

We usually eat them as wakasagi-tempura, deep fried wakasagi.

This winter, I haven't eaten them. 

Wakasagi, with "jyu! jyu!" sound (while deep,flying ) , without plates ( as soon as they are deep fried, we eat them instantly)

Going is fun, waiting is unbearable ( on a frozen lake) , fishing Wakasagi