lunch diary 0627

Monday, we went out to eat Ramen-noodle. I accepted Yuki's request.
It was a very cold day, so Ramen made me very hot. After that it is Yuki's turn to accept my request. We went to see hydrangeas at a shrine.

In rainy season; accept his request reluctantly, go to Ramen restaurant



Tuesday, finally I restarted to go to the gym. There free space was closed. Instead of it, exercise mashies were set keeping social distance.
I bought TAKOYAKI on the way home.
During the rainy season: iron sportswears ; only mine


Wednesday, it was frozen  food, but I boiled asparaguses.
I walked to do errands.
Sunblock: enemy is behind the clouds,  I feel it.




Thursday, Yuki went to see a skin doctor. This time I also went there together, but I was waiting for him in the car reading books. On the way home we bought Japanese fried chickens.
I sometimes cook Japanese fried chickens, but mine are small. It is difficult to cook this size because my pan is small.
Cold rain season; make Miso-soup from scratch

Friday, I forgot to take a photo. I cooked fried-noodle to use all the rest of vegetables.
Humid rainy season;  hang out the laundry, poles are not enough

lunch diary 0622

Though these days I update this blog once a week, I'm fine ---, to tell the truth it is a little difficult for me to catch up with this gloomy Japanese rainy season.
Monday, it was a hot day, though the weekend was very cool or for me cold. I felt dizzy and went to see a doctor. Two kinds of Japanese medicine were prescribed. On the way home I dropped by a supermarket and bought delicatessen. It was liver sautéed with leek.

Though rainy season; bring me smiling , occasional  sunny day



Tuesday, I have an enough appetite. So I sautéed meet.
Did I tell you? Three weeks ago I fell down and hurt my eyes. This day my right eye hurts.
Gloomy rainy season; "His" house errands means, stirs meat



Wednesday, I went to see a doctor again. Not so bad.
I made fried salty noodle. I used up one bunch of cabbage.
Through the window, sparkling green rice fields; at a clinic



Thursday, I went to see my friend and got a haircut. And I took these croquets.
I walked there. 3522 steps.
Cloudy rainy season; do some errands, with quick steps



Friday, we went to go to a restaurant and had these steak.
It was very cold.
Cold rainy season; meat juice brings us  hot and energy

lunch diary 0614

This week has already started. Since this weekend, rainy season has started. But this time, it seems to be different from usual Japanese drizzling rainy season. Last night we had terrible snowstorm, thunder and lightening.
And, to tell the truth, I'm not so good. BUT, I'M OK.


























Monday, we cooked steak. In the morning we went downtown, and did some errands including going to the city hall. And we bought this good meat.
BUPPOUSOU (Oriental dollarbird); seeing the thick steak, feel our antiaging power

Tuesday, suddenly we had to go to Tokyo by car. Finally Yuki's mother would be able to get out of the hospital on the next day. Before she came back to her room, we had to "organize" and "discard  lots of things" to make more space.
KIRARA-bug (silver fish?) discard lots secretly from 90 year-old mother's room



Tuesday, though we were really tired Yuki went to play golf and I did lesson in the evening.
An old warbler; hear the loud voice, how admirable

Thursday, I went to take an acupuncture care. I hadn't been there in more than 3 months.
I just grab bread. And we had early lunch and dinner.
Before rainy season, looking up the sky, do weeding



Friday, I grilled fish.
My gum started to get swollen, so I went to dentist.
With a new sun umbrella;  not for only sunshade, also against heavy rain

lunch diary 0608

More than one week has passed since I updated this blog.
Our life in Utsunomiya is getting "new normal". Schools have started.(Well, colleges haven't started actually, they continue online lessons.)


Monday I made  pasta with horse beans.
I got fresh horse beans. Do you know that the beans keep the good taste only three days after they are picked.
Horse beans, only three days life; how I cook them.




Tuesday, our lunch is the prepared meals I cooked last Sunday.
Summer breeze; usual simple standard meals, with calm



Tuesday, it is almost the same as yesterday's lunch.
Summer breeze, keep the window open, feel like being outside.



Thursday; We went to drive to a "river". I attended? his fishing  for 20 minutes. He caught one fish for  such a short time. And we went to (or Yuki attended?) a farmer's market.
We bought these meal.

Summer clouds, he disappears for a moment, with  only a fishing rod




Friday I made matsaman curry with ram and coconut cream last night, and the rest of it was our lunch.
Update our wardrobes; not catch up with the popularity, not discard them

English Haiku 0519

Today's Haiku in Haiku in English is that;

 

dandelion seeds

my backyard garden

rearranges itself

--

Agus Maulana Sunjaya (Banten, Indonesia)

Selected by Dhugal J. Lindsay

 

The word of rearrange is really effective, isn't it?

The other day when I was walking I was attracted weeds with nice bushy ears

They are called "Chigaya" in Japanese. I didn't know the name. In English, it is said "alang-alang". Is it right?
In the language of flowers, it signifies a god for children, or I want to be with everyone .
Alang-alang; finally acquire the word, solve one quiz

Alang-alang is a seasonal word for spring.

Today's seasonal word is  sericulture.
Well, the word sericulture itself isn't a seasonal word.


Silkworm, or mulberry leaves are seasonal word for spring.
There are two low mulberry trees in my garden.

I planted to enjoy my own mulberry tea.
Mulberry leaves; pick them up enjoy the tea


Today's drill is try to make Haiku using a figurative phrase.
Figurative phrases have two kinds; one is simile, the other is metaphor.

Do you know butterbur sprout?

What image do you have in such kind of wild  edible plants ?
bitter, just spring, TENPURA, cute, adult.
 Let's make Haiku.

astringency adult taste; butterbur sprout

Weekend chore 0518

I organized a cupboard. These dishes are mainly used when some guests come.
Well, When will I be able to use them?
Anyway I organized, but I couldn't discard any things.


So I discarded 10 cards of my lesson materials.


I also cleaned the windows of the sunroom.

Well, of course I cooked pre-cooked dishes

 .
And I got bamboo-shoots again. So I baked bamboo-shoots bread.
そして筍のフォカッチャ。・・これで、筍は今年はおわりかな？

walking diary 0518

On the day, I walked 7781 steps. Probably I walked the most in recent.
In the morning it was fine, but in the afternoon it got cloudy, and I felt tired. So I took a nap in the evening, and after having dinner I went to bed earlier than usual.
Spring grass flower; dislike working, dislike being leisured


I walked 5816 steps. I found some grant Japanese irises in a field. When I went back, I organized my garden, and collect weeds and leaves in a big plastic bag.
Japanese irises how giant and tranquil; spiritual state of nothingness





I found strawberry candles. They are a kind of herb, or some people say they are just weeds.
I walked 5500 steps.
With weeds, red clovers, stand out

lunch diary 0518

It is getting hotter, though it suddenly gets cool or cold. So The follow thing often happens; I turn on an electric fan one day, and the next day I turn on the heater.


Monday; it was like a real summer day. I cooked Korean style fried rice; it means I fried rice with pickled vegetables.
I washed covers of a sofa, and put it away in the closet. Instead of it I covered the sofa with a green thin cover.
On RIKKA (the first day of summer);  change orange cover  to green





Tuesday; it was cold (or you could say cool). I turned on the heater. I felt a slight dizzy, so I took medicine. I had the leftover of Monday. Since this day Yuki's tennis club has started.
Bamboo-shoot rice;  for lunch and another lunch, with different plate




Wednesday, in the morning it started to rain suddenly, and it stopped at noon. It was really busy to open the windows, or close the windows. We don't have used  air conditioners in any room yet.
Green breeze; keep the window open,avoid corona


Thursday, I cooked fried noodle. But I was still hungry? NO, "my mouth felt lonely". So I went to a nearby Japanese sweet shop. (not a convenience store).
And We had this sweet. ANMITSU

Willing to a sweet shop, though feeling weariness, willing to a sweet shop, for MITSUMAME



Friday, I cooked bamboo-shoot rice for our lunch.
And I also baked bamboo-shoot pizza.
Probably it was the last time to eat seasonal bamboo-shoots.

Bamboo-shoots; the day before weekend, eaten them up

English Haiku 0511

Today's English Haiku on Haiku in English is that;

 

spider furnishes

the snow boots-

deserted city

--

Vincenzo Adamo (Trapani, Italy)

Selected by Dhugal J. Lindsay

Does it sound dark?
The word of snow boots is a seasonal word of winter, but the first phrase is "spider".
And "spider" is a seasonal word of summer.

So this place might be a winter refuge.
Now there is no one who enjoys winter sports. There are only a pair of boots living a spider.


Today's seasonal word is "wheat harvest time" in Japanese MUGI NO AKI. And when the Japanese one translated directly, it is "fall of winter". I think "fall of winter" is more interesting. 



Now in Utsunomiya, wheat fields are still green. "Greeny wheat field" is a seasonal word of spring. But these days we have often hot days like summer. In the late of May, the fields are going to turn golden.


Fall of wheat, leaving the heater open the window

It seems to be similar of the spider's Haiku.

Today's drill is omit a verb or subject in the Haiku.
Let's make a Haiku to describe the following scene, omitting a verb.

At the beach, someone is quietly pondering about the place of Kanazawa, chrysanthemums, and so on.
----
At the beach;  the place of Kanazawa, Chrysanthemums.
It seems to be too simple. It is all right.

Weekend chores 0511

I did usual weekend chores.
First I cooked pre-cooked dishes, though this time they were only three kinds.


I mushed potatoes, and next day, I cooked kind of meat cake.

I also baked lemon square cake.



I also cleaned drawers on the kitchen selves.


And I re-classified or re-organized inside of the drawers.

lunch diary 0511

During the long weekend, one thing was competently different than before.
We had meals three times together. Luckily from this weekend Yuki's tennis circle restarted, though not every day. So when he goes to play it, we usually have lunch separately. And everyone do the dishes by themselves.



Monday; no meat! Sometimes it is good, isn't it?
Japanese parsley; put them into a bottle,  picking some everyday

Tuesday, I grilled salmon. I use a Teflon-coated pan, but it is easy to burn.
It seems to be about time to buy a new one.
Carp-streamers, trying  to discard some old photos, only looking at them




Wednesday, it was raining, and cold. The library didn't open yet. We went to a used book store to get some books to read.
Spring rain; thinking of tomorrow weeding, might be fun



Thursday. This night we had a plan to grilled steak. So I steamed fish simply.
After Rikka, quality wine in the fridge, celebrate nothing




Friday; this serving didn't look good. While we were walking together, we happened to see his former colleague. I also knew him. He is the same age as Yuki, but he chose extension of retirement. He seemed to enjoy his "holidays", and we were in usual days.  I felt a little bit strange emotion, though Yuki seemed not to care about it.
Spring breeze; working former colleague, stand aside from

Walking diary 0511

A long weekend was finished. Usual days have started. In this city the state of emergency got relaxed. So from today, we can borrow books at the library. During the long weekend, I did walking exercise.

On the day, it was really hot like summer. (Additionally, the next day it was cold for me , so I turned on the heater.)
It seemed to be difficult to walk 5000 steps at once. I walked twice in the early morning and in the late evening. And I walked totally 6300 steps.

Wheat of fall; in the balmy morning and evening, walking twice

Wheat of fall is a seasonal word of spring in Haiku world.  The harvest season of rice is fall, "wheat of fall" is used as a counterpart of the rice harvest.

Actually, this city is one of province cities. So I'm happy to find nature easily.
These are bamboo-shoots. They are grown too much to eat. And this spring I got lots of pre-cooked bamboo-shoots from our neighbor.
I walked 6800 steps.
Bamboo-shoots; which is more high-maintenance  you or me?

 

It was a really windy day. I walked 6200 steps.
On Japanese? lunar  calendar, "summer" we call it "rikka" has started.
It is time to reconsider what indoor sports I can do -- at home.
After Rikka, what we need to change, only reconsidering
 

English haiku 0505

From the site of Haiku in English  I chose this Haiku.

early thaw 

 I suddenly hum

our favourite song

--

Cezar-Florin Ciobika (Botosani, Romania)

Selected by Dhugal J. Lindsay

early thaw, means probably melting snow.

 

Today's seasonal word is KOINOBORI, it is carp-shaped streamers

KOINOBORI SONG

 

What is Koinonori

Carp-shaped streamers; with my granddaughter,　Look up at the sky

 

Well, today's drill is,

one sentence with about 12 syllables  and a seasonal word about foods or sweets.

And  the first phrase is ==== friend,


Dear friend, make my daily life easy; Bamboo-shoots

 

Usually, bamboo shoots has some troubles to have been eaten.

So I'm really happy to get fresh bamboo-shoots which are already pre-cooked.

 

 

weekend chores 0503

My weekend chores are the same.
I did pre-cooked dishes.

                   I also discard 10 things after organizing a shelf.
And cleaned another shelf.