Last weekend

As we had the big holiday this month, we didn't need to visit our mothers in Tokyo for the rest of this month.
So last weekend we could go to the comedy show at Futaara shrine. It was the second time for us.



This time we could watch it buying walk-up tickets. But it seems to be getting popular, so it might become difficult to buy them, though walk-up tickets make us easy to access.
We went there by bus.
So on the day I (or we) could walk more than 5000 steps.

And this time we dropped by a café-bar,
It means they serve coffee, and alcohol. Usually when we order alcohol, we have to pay extra charge, But at this café, it was not needed. And the price was the same as a cup of coffee.





We enjoyed a glass of wine, and went home. Of course we had dinner at home.

what is my( or my and Yuki's) goal to discard 10 things?

Though it is still May, it has been hot and humid like early summer.
It is the season of black mold because of the humidity.
I changed the cover curtain of the top shelf in the bathroom.



Of course I tidied up the shelf.
Well, well, the curtain is hold by a tension rod.
Changing curtains is not so difficult, it is easy.
But attaching a tension rod is , now I can do it, but probably will become difficult even with ladder.

So I decided to stop using such a cover curtain.
I used them in the bathroom, and two toilets.


 

First I discarded 10 things and more.
Next I went to a home center and got some boxes.

The shelf of the toilets looks simple.


The shelf of the bathroom looks also simple.


I did it!

The goal of our discarding things is simple and easy to access and clean.

I did it!

  Though it is even May, it feels like summer.  According to the weather report it will get cool as usual this weekend, but, I decided to change the covers.

I started doing it from around 10 and  finished before 12.

I  ooked my lunch by myself and had it.

Well, the winter covers are piled up.

Another day, I'll take them to a laundry shop by car. 

In a week the laundry shop starts sales week, though I know, carpets are not included as things for sale. 

voluteer reading at the library and luch at a cafe

Last Sunday it was a day of my volunteer reading at the library.

A friend came to help me.

On the day many events were held in Utsunomiya, but four families joined us, and two of them were regular families.

I introduced these two books, saying "happy belated Mother's day".

The friend is my good model to learn how to spend our retirement life.

Her husband used to work at the same office of my husband, So she knows very well about our financial situation. She has two daughters and the daughters don't live in this town. The situation is very similar to ours.

After the activity, we dropped by a bakery café, and shared this big baguette.

 

 

We had free refills on coffee. What a economical café it is!

 

We talked about "FU-genn- byou".

There are two meanings. One "fu" means husband, the other "fu" means wife.

Both of them are kind of disease caused by husband's presence, or wife's presence.

Starting a retirement life, for both a husband and a wife, It is for the first time to stay at home together all day since they got married. So each presence might be stressing each other out.

 

What do you think of it?

 

I boungt pairs of supports for my knees and ankles

Even now I continue doing walk of about 5000 steps and going to gym more often.
Why?
The urgent reason is I thought it is now to do such thing, I should do that before coming humid and tough summer.
And the main reason is that Yuki's retirement life is just around the corner. I'd like to go out with him.
And do you know that his pedometer usually shows over 10000 steps. Additionally when he goes golfing, it shows about 7000 steps.
Getting to the point, He wants to keep his current exercise situation. So even when we go out by car, probably we walk lots there.
For him, 7000 steps is not enough, but OK. For me, 7000 steps  is now too much, but I want to be able to do it. So I've started this training.

However, my ankles seemed to be too tired. Sometimes they hurt a little.
It seems to be a tuning point. To do it much more won't be good, but to keep it will strengthen my knees and ankles. So I bought ankle soft supports, and knee soft supports. When I walk or do exercise I put them on. They seem to work enough.
On the other hand I constantly feel tired on my legs (calves).

Do you know these flowers? They are flowers of potatoes.


Po-ta-to flow-ers  Step creep-ing up  smooth-ly One month has passed

a concert at noon on a weekday

Though not so many, they organize a music concert by famous artists in my town. The sponsor is our city, or us who pay city tax, so that the fee is very reasonable.
It is a noon concert (we call it lunch concert), so about 1-hour concert.
This time it was full of people. Probably it was for  the first time to be full in the hall since this project started. At first some local musician performed, but unfortunately they didn't appeal to us so much. Then some famous artists were asked to perform for this project. And gradually the high  popularity and the  good quality spread by word of mouth.

The next "lunch concert" will be held in September. Oh, our retirement life will have started.
I wonder we will go there together.

I'm happy to go there together, actually many senior couples were there.

On the other hand --- one of my pleasure things might be lost.
It is to drop by a café.
I payed some money for the concert and the café.
Well if I keep the same price, --- I won't be able to drop by a café.

 

wisteria at a private house

It happened on a  weekday  last week.

I heard that a private garden is wonderful with wisterias. It is not so far that I can drive there by myself. So I was going to go there when I had free time.

One day I talked with a neighbor and told this information. She was so interested in it, and we decided to go out there in 15 minutes. 

Coincidently another neighbor passed by, so we asked her to go there together. She gave a big smile.

In 15 minutes we went out. It was 25 minute drive.

 

 

 

 

 

For the 15 minute preparing for it, I prepared thermos with coffee.

What a big garden it was.

What beautiful wisterias they were.

There were some tables under the wisterias. We had a good time with coffee and sweets (another lady brought them.) and talked for about 20 or 30 minutes there.

It was about 2 hour tea time including the start and end.

 

I'm almost in my 60's, another is almost in her 70's, and the other is almost in her 80's.

A lady is a widow and doesn't drive. Another lady has a husband who is in his late 70's so they don't drive so far.

 

Well, well, I talked about my husband. And I said "he might be a good chauffer when his retirement life starts." Every one laughed saying "Oh, sorry, but we won't hesitate. Please say hello to your husband and please take care of us!"

 

 Our retirement life must be full of laughing with our senior neighbors.

 

 

 

How many steps did I walk 0520

Since this big holiday I have continued doing walking.
Well, more than 30 minutes walking seems to make my knees, ankles, and muscle too tired.
To keep walking,  I try not to do much.

Anyway, as I always tell you, I don't like exercise very much.
So to bring fun to my walking, I installed "what glass it is --application" on my cell phone.

 

These are Katabami ( I don't know the name in English).

I did 8416 steps. It was too much.

 

Katabami; Lower your eyes  Find kindness

 

They are also pink Katabami.

I did 3400 steps.

 

Katabami; The first step, Bring me power

Before concert, I walked around the area.

This flower is marguerites.

Marguerites; Make my back straightened  up  By Young violinist

 

 

 

I attended a workshop at a kindergarten where my daughters graduated. It was the first time for me to go since then.

And I had never walked there.

I walked back home. It was nearer than I expected. I did less than 5000 steps.

 

Rice fields;  Kids with their mud hands Nostalgia runs deep

 

I hope someone will give me more suitable phrase.

 

Pre-cooked dishes and discarding 10 things 0519

Today, it is the day of volunteer reading at the library, in 2 hours I'll go out.
I have already done my weekend chores.

 I pickled raddishes. I light-boiled spring onions and carrots with  chikicensoup, and Japanese raddishes with Japanese soup stock. I made Bouled yam salad. Probably there are preserved for a couple of days, and served for our breakfast.

I also discarded 10 clothes including some sockes which don't have the other one, (pleas don't laugh . We are not very thorough. )

I've started to write in our cloth diary. 

Well ugh I am using " pre-cooked dishes" of my weekly cooking. Is it a suitable word?

Pre-cooked side-dish? Pre-cooked ingredients?  Reguraly used ingredients?  What do you think of it?

At Soba noodel shop

Last weekend Yuki and I went to a concert where a daughter of my friend performed. It was held at night, so before the concert we had "dinner" outside (nowadays it is unusual) at Soba noodle shop (it is also unusual for us.)
Why we chose soba noodle shop for our dinner.
First we had to have dinner early night than usual, so we wanted to eat light dinner.
There were not so many restaurants which open from 5:30 PM.

As soon as the shop opened, we entered into it.
What made us surprised, most of the seats were booked.
Just two tables are open for free customers.
And in 10 minutes the tables which were not booked were occupied, and there were already some people who were waiting without booking.

 

The restaurant seemed to be very popular.

Lucky us!

The price was reasonable. Probably it is one reason why the restaurant is so popular.

And they serve not only soba noodle, but also small dishes.

 

We were going to stay there until the concert would start. But we knew some people were waiting.
So we dropped by a café.

The concert was full of energy of the youth. It was very nice concert.

We had a good evening and night with good noodle, good coffee, and good performance.

 

This weekend ---- It is the volunteer day.

 

I'm enjoying my herbs

For garden lovers this season is the busiest and the happiest season, isn't it?
Even for me, who is just interested in gardening and won't make efforts  so much, it is a good season to enjoy my garden. I do weeding a little bit constantly, and pick some fresh herbs to trim them.

Most of people who suffer from pollen allergy, must be relieved by passing the pollen season. However I have still a small trouble, so continue to drink my special blended herb tea. One herb of it is pepper mint. Luckily my pepper mints are growing. Of course they are chemical-free but I don't know they are considered as organic plants, because I don't give anything except water.
I use my fresh herb for my daily herb tea.

Parsleys are also grown largely.

I made massaman curry. massamam curry is Thai curry, it is really mild. Before my daughter went Thakland,  I had already known it. Luckily it got easier to get my favorite massmam curry paste.

 

I used my parsley instead of "pakuchi" (coriander).

At that time I also bought a whole of melon, but it was not so sweet, so I made jam.

This is our breakfast.

Well, well, this morning I also cut some herbs in my garden to prevent them from growing too big.

I put them into a vase. Looks good.

Now it is a really green season. And it is also a really "economical" season.

 

Go to cafes!

Since the big holiday was finished, one week has almost passed.

For the week, I had a chance to go to a café twice.

The first one is this photo.

 

A friend brought a souvenir (it is the way of Japanese, you can say a present) which she bought during the big vacation. Though we were going to have tea at my house, we decided to go to a café where she had never been though she had heard the popularity, and was near my house.  

 

I chose tea instead of coffee. Because there they serve tea with pot, so I can enjoy three cups of tea.

--- I know it is a really petty? stingy? or economical reason.  ??? I have a question what difference are there between "economic" and "economical". And in this sentence, which is suitable?

 

This café is an inner room of a cake shop. So we don't need to consider about the number of customers. Though we might have been troublesome customers who had occupied seats for many hours, we didn't mind and had a good time.

Yesterday it was the day of Karaku.

Some regular customers came. I had a really good time. 

 

Though these days I don't like sweets very much, I have some sweets which I really enjoyed. I don't know how I chose what I don't like or I prefer.

How much herbs are becoming popular in your country?

Herbs, are probably kind of grasses, some of are used for food, some of are used for medicine, and others are --- ???

Here in Japan "herb" is called "hah-bu"in Katakana Japanese. I thought they are popular among young adults.
However they are getting popular among all generation.

I was really surprised that in the news paper which are mainly read by middle and senior adults, "herb crosswords" appeared.




In this crosswords, there was only a kind of  herbs I don't know.
It was Angelica, however -- Oh I've known it, as an ingredient for baking.
One reason I knew all of them is that I studied medical herb.
But, probably Yuki also knows many of them, because most of them are involved our usual life in cooking, gardening, tea world, and "health" world.
We were really surprised at it.

licorice, parsley, allspice, caraway, coriander,
tarragon, chive, roquette , rhubarb, borage, roselle,
Angelica, calendula, nasturtium, savory, fennel, marjoram, basil
Chinese hawthorn, Korean perilla

Have you ever heard of all these names?

Now in my garden, peppermints have been growing. I've already started to use then for my special blended herb tea.




Also to prevent my herbs to grow bigger, I always cut and put them into the vase.

a old way to scrab a scoched pot

As I told you, this big holiday I stayed with my daughter. (Additionally, my husband stayed at his mother's house in which my mother doesn't live now, but the house is still hold and sometimes some ones stay there to keep it. And there is no space to stay in my daughter's house for two of us. So he commuted every day to our daughter's house. It is near, just 15 minutes drive.)

 

I "had to", or "wanted to" cook meals for them, so I went there with my special big pot.

Well, one morning, I baked big bread-budding.

 

 

The taste was good. But the pot was burnt heavily.

In her house there was no kitchen cleanser. So I put some vinegar and water and boil the pot.

After that I try to pill off the burnt part with cooking spatula.

 

Not so bad.

And after I went back home, I tried it again.

One more time I boiled the pot with vinegar and water, then I scrubbed with  heavy brush and cleanser.

 

 

 

How about it?

 

Looking back on this holiday -5-

I wrote, that our holiday started with breakfast at a café and ended with breakfast at another café.
This big holiday was brought by changing the name of era from Heisei to Reiwa.
We didn't any thing special to celebrate Reiwa by the last day of this holiday.
So we went to Nikko, which was one of a famous historical places in Japan.
On the way to Nikko we had lunch outside.
It was a really heavy and delicious breakfast than we expected. So it got bunch.(we didn't need to have lunch,)

The bread was wonderful, and later I knew that the bread is baked by "the" famous Kanaya bakery.

 

After the bunch or breakfast, we went ahead to Tamozawa park in Nikko.

 

There we sighed the "special" or "one-off" register book.

 

 

looking back on this big holiday -4-

During this big holiday, the gym I usually go was closed.
So I tried to do walking as much as I could.
According to an article, for people who are more than middle age, it is good to walk about 8000 steps or for 30 minutes little bit quickly for our health. However I'm not used to doing it, so probably 5000 steps is enough, and  usual 30 minute walk is enough. But I realized, even though just for 30 minute walk outside, It takes more for me to do it. I need to prepare for walking. So for 30 minute walk it took one hour to do it including preparing for it and rest time after it.

Anyway I walked around my house.

First I went north and back home. It was 6255 steps.


Dogwoods; Without purse Walk cheerfully

---- What is a suitable word instead of walk cheerfully --- march? strut?

 I went west and back home.  It was 7183 steps.


Green barley; Splendidly  My shadow walking

I went east and back home. On the way home I dropped by Mac and had a 100 yen coffee.


Magnolia: Have a coffee alone The time to go back

I went south and back home. It was 7651 steps.


Early summer; Not-yet, not-yet 7000 steps

I walked from the library to home.


Purple iris; What kind of it? Found myself wondering
Well, while I was walking  I saw many senior couples walking. It might be a good way to kill time, keep their health, and keep their good communication.