English Haiku 0227

Haiku in English

heron

drawing out my bootless foot

from the deep snow

 

How do you explain this Haiku>

Winter herons are herons they were not able to return south, and remain there.

Probably heron is a season word in winter.

And he or she coincidently went into snow without wearing boots, and her or his foot might get stuck. And also a heron stand in the snow field.

 

However in a traditional Haiku world, boot and snow are season words.

So I try to avoid to use them.

heron staying in the north;
wearing normal shoes
stuck my foot

I like the word of left heron

I made another one.

Heron staying in the north
mother sitting alone
hearing the TV

I'll introduce another seasonal word related in birds.

 

Japanese bush warbler;
hear the usual warble
bring a smile

Today's drill is to avoid supposition.

First we choose a seasonal word. -- I chose Japanese bush warbler

Next you make Haiku using one word of the list;

chair, bulb, confession or profession, pelican, and letter

So your season word might be unexpected word.

Japanese bush warbler ;
change a bulb
when the next

 

The current bulbs have long life. So when is the next after I change the bulbs in my mother's house.

 

An article

Let me introduce an article on Japan times newspaper.
pola exhibition

The excision is held until Marchi 15th.
Because of corona viruse, Ginza town is not crowded, not so many tourist. On the other hand, people who are really interested in arts must visit it including art dealers. It is not a concert, so anyway the artists keep the opportunity to show their works.

The other day Yuki and I  watched this documentary movie at the the movie theater, it was very interesting.

Ehglish Haiku 0220

The Haiku on February 20 which was introduced on Mainich news paper was

winter holidays
spiders slide
in the bathtub

During the winter holidays, no one is there in a house, so spiders enjoy playing in the bathtub???

Or

During the holidays, a family visits their second house after a while, when they prepare the bath, the previous owner family of spiders falls down in to the bathtub??? (it might be a mean explanation.)

What do you think of it?

Anyway this Haiku is fun, isn't it?

I try to make another Haiku.

winter holidays
in a perforated basket
full of washed plates

Today's seasonal word is "leap year".

This year, it is a leap year, isn't it?

Leap year
earn one yen
smile inwardly

Today's drill is to make people convince saying now that you mention.
Chose one animal which might be odd, or ugly  as a seasonal word.(Most of them are for summer)

What do you think of the animal.
Ants, they are cute when we see them outside, but once they come into the room , they become nuisances.

ants line
clean them up
under the bottle
 

weekend chore 0217

I cooked usual pre-cooked dishes for this week.
It is getting warm little by little. So the pre-cooked dishes should be eaten within 3 or four days. Since our retirement life started, without my concern, pre-cooked dishes are eaten within three days.

I also organized my garden. And I discarded 10 things, anyway.
I found some sprouts. I moved some of them to other places.



Additionally when we visited my mother in-law by car, we came back with 5 big plastic bags of unnecessary things ( as you guess, kind of garbage).

lunch diary 0217

Monday: We left home at 9 in the morning to what? -- to file our final returns. ( It is the first time for me to use this word. Is it right?) While Yuki was a businessman he didn't need to do that. Additionally we might have done it to get some tax refund. But we were not interested in it.
We have done it once. At that time my elder daughter was hospitalized. So we could get some tax refund for our healthcare const. And we got 1000 yen. For doing it Yuki managed to take a day-off. Because tax office opens on only weekdays at that time. We waited in a long line, and his half of day-off was used for "wasted hours" --- he was really irritated. Now he forgot such a tiny thing, but I remembered.
Our filing was finished in the morning. Then, we had lunch outside.
Then I went to an orthopedic clinic. I had to wait for two hours. I'm afraid that my foot bone was not connected yet. My afternoon was finished at the clinic.

Taxpaying season: Let go of the paper Feel expansive



Tuesday, I sautéed fried Touf with vegetables. In the afternoon I performed a small concert at karaku. It was a holiday, so some unusual audience came. That week, it was "Valentine's day week". So I gave small piece of chocolate to audience.

Winter roses; sniff the smell of cocoa beans with friends



Wednesday. I had lunch at home alone. Yuki went to play golf as soon as he got up.
Seeing his breath; Playing is exciting While seeing the sunrise



Thursday, I managed to cook a whole head of Chinese cabbage.

Putting forth the leaf buds; Relax in the garden With a water can



Thursday, I cooked frozen fish with Miso. Only fish and rice are too low calories for us. So we also ate rice cakes. These days our freezer is easy to become empty. I really understand we are living with two of us.
The day lengthens; we can't wait for   the weekend bustling

Valentine's week has gone!

This week, we heard the word "chocolate" here and there. As you know it is a Japanese custom to present chocolate to familiar people. (Currently not to only male, but also female). I gave chocolate to familiar deliver men and ladies, a dentist, audience at Karaku (Last Tuesday it was the day of Karaku where I played the piano), students and of course Yuki.
I also got cholate.

Valentine's week was very exciting.
At sushi restaurant, they serve "chocolate BURI". Buri is  a kind of yellow tail fish.
I went out to have it with a friend.




Chocolate Buri means, they are fed by special food including oranges and the brown part shows clearly. And the brown part is called "chocolate" for this season.



It was interesting.

English Haiku 0213

 

empty track

leaves racing

to the finish line

 

Probably this person is the last person and no one runs after him. But what he can do is just to run forward his goal.

 

This Haiku doesn't have a seasonal word.

I'll try to use this seasonal word, "EKIDEN".

 

 

 

 

Long-distance road relay;
No one runs after me
To the finish line

Now I'll try today's drill.

This time, I have to make Haiku without using emotion words and use seasonal words instead of them.

 

At first I make a list of  a happy thing and a sad thing these days using Haiku style.

The finish word is Makes me happy and Makes me sad

 

Staying at an inn A dream comes true; Makes me happy

Aged mother Broke her knee; Makes me sad

Next I have to change the last phrase into a suitable seasonal word.

Kawaji hot spring A dream comes true ; Winter mansion
-- Winter mansion has the image of quiet and big luxurious inn.

Aged mother Has broken her knee ; KONOHAGAMI (Loose her hair like winter )
If some one knows a suitable season word instead of KONOHAGAMI, please tell me.

 

weekend chores 02

Our weekend was a usual weekend.

I cooked precooked foods, I boiled pumpkin, mashed it, and made pumpkin jelly.
It is a good dish for our breakfast.


I also organized my classroom, and of course discarded more than 10 things.
Probably this spring, the number of students will be less than 5. But the students still will come here.
It makes me very happy. And anyway I advertise my classroom through my HP and  newspaper inserts a little. While I can't determine to close my class, I'll continue my class.
My friend always lend her flower arrangement in this season. It makes the entrance enjoyable.

lunch diary 0210

Now it is already in the middle of the week.  But I'll look back on the last week.
Last week we were really busy.


Monday, we went to Tokyo by car with rice balls as our lunch. We visited  my mother in-law.
She broke her knee the week before the last week, and still now she is in hospital.

Throwing beans; Drive highway without stop  Having rice balls





Tuesday, it was a big sales day at  a nearby supermarket.
So we bought some preserved foods, and these take-out spring-rolls.

Counting beans; Recognize our age With stringy Natto

On Setsubun, we have a culture to eat beans as many as our age.





Wednesday, our lunch was rice balls again.
This night we stayed at a special inn in Nikko. We didn't have special events on New Year's holiday. So we booked an inn in this season. Because, as you know, it costs lower.
We were going to stay there lazily. But suddenly we had lots of errand including my mother in-law's. So anyway we went there and stayed one night.




Thursday on the way back from the inn, We had branch at a café.
We have been there a few times. This time we knew this café is going to close this spring because of the owner's age. It means he is going to retire.
Flurry of snow; A Showa's fragrance  Pass off




Friday; Yuki visited his mother by himself. This time he went to Tokyo by local train.
Winter viola;  Thinking of old mothers Having lunch alone 

weekend chores 0203

I cooked pre-cooked dishes for this week.
I simmered Japanese radish. I cooked sweet potatoes and apples with sugar.
I also made mashed pumpkin tasted chicken soup. Later I put meet sauce on it and baked it in the oven.

We enjoyed them for our breakfast. Today it is Wednesday, and this pumpkin dish has already gone.


I also did discarding 10 things.
I collect Japanese cypress chips when I find at free market and so on.
I hang a bag of the chips in the bathroom or else and enjoy the smell.
I knew I collected too much, so I discarded. It is easy-- because I put them in my flowerpots.
I also discard some plastic bags.

lunch diary 0203

It is getting warm, but it is still cold.

Monday, we went to a butcher's for good beef. Last summer our familiar butcher closed his shop because of his age. It means he decided to retire. And he introduced another butcher to us. The beef was really good, but sorry the photo was not good. I was lazy about serving. I also went to see a doctor but I have still slight sprain fracture. In two weeks I have to go again.
Additionally the reason why I went to the butcher's was that we were going to celebrate my fully healed foot.  Of course we ate the beef stake to hope my fully healed foot in two weeks,
Enough to see my breath; Tired of waiting  To see a doctor


Tuesday, in the morning I hold a laughter yoga meeting. 4 regular members came. In the afternoon Recorder practice meeting was held in my house. So I cooked one-bowl with chicken, spinach and eggs, quickly.
Going to snow;  just a glance out of the window  can't stop chatting




Wednesday, I deep-fried fish. While I was cooking lunch, I also cooked soup for our dinner.
A cold is going around; listening to radio news , worry about kids



Thursday, a neighbor got this big Tofu steak.
It was very yummy.
A cold is going around; given dish  and the leftovers.



Friday, I simmered fish with ginger.
A mountain in winter; keep in contact by phone, but a long way to go
The night before the day  we got a call. My mother in-law broke her knee.  She was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Friday her daughter in-law went there. Saturday her elder son went there. Sunday her youngest son went there. And Monday (yesterday) we went there. Though she is still in hospital, she is fine.