annual pickled RAKKYO has come

Right now, I received a parcel, it is a bin of pickled Rakkyo that my friend made.
To tell the truth, I don't like pickled Rakkyo, but I "love" hers. I can eat only hers. Rakkyo is Japanese shallot, but they seem not to be in the same group.
Thanks Micchan.

my speech at Toast Masters

Yesterday I participated a club meeting of Toast masters, and made a speech for the first months after a few months. I'll show the contents.


Today’s title is about English people.
I found an interesting book, the title is "How to be Alien". The author is George Mikes who was born in Hungary. When he moved to stay in England, he knew in England everything was different from other European countries, and he understood he was an alien in England. He writes what English people are like in this book.
Well, I learned a thing from an English man, people say “England”, they sometimes mean “Great Britain”, sometimes “the United Kingdom”, or sometimes “British Isles”. I’m sorry, this time I’ll use just England or English without thinking of the difference.

Let me start my speech.
To live in England without troubles, you should understand some important rules.

First “Speak slowly and quietly”
In England they learn to speak slowly and quietly, in Europe important people speak loudly and clearly. And in England only stupid people try to show they’re clever
It’s interesting, isn’t it?
Thinking of Japanese people, some people say speaking loudly is not sophisticated.
And usually we don’t show our cleverness. “He who knows most speaks least” is one of Japanese proverbs.

Next, “Pleased meet you” is a necessary greeting sentence.
English people won’t shake hands if you put your hand out, they smile and wait. When you stop trying to shake hands, they try to shake your hand and say “Pleased to meet you”, in Japan we usually bow instead of shaking hands.

The third is “nice” is the most useful adjective.
The author says, for the first three years you do not need to learn or use any other adjectives, just “nice” is necessary, you can say that the weather is nice, a restaurant is nice, Mr. So-and-so is nice, Mrs. So-and-so’s clothes are nice, you had a nice time. And all this will be very nice.
In Japan probably two phrases are at least necessary, they are not adjectives though. Sumimasen and Arigato. And if you are an office worker, you should learn one more phrase, Otsukaresama. And if you are a teacher, you should learn “Ganbatte”

The forth is “The English hide their feelings by speaking very little.”
If a man really loves a woman, he just says “I really quite like you, in fact”. He doesn’t say anymore.
It might be similar to old-type Japanese men.”Follow me without grumbling” is an old phrase when to propose marriage.


He also tells the easiest way to show that you speak good English.
It is to finish all your sentences with the question tug “isn’t it? “

In this book the author mentioned about tea. England tea is very famous. He said “Tea was once a good drink with lemon and sugar. It tastes very pleasant. But then the British decided to put cold milk and no sugar. They made it colorless and tasteless; tea became an unpleasant drink, even though it is called tea...
Well, I love milk tea, though.

There are more rules, if you are interested in them, please read the book of "how to be ailen".
According to this book, English people seem not to deny directly. Thinking of Japanese people, you probably know this phrase, “Japanese people can’t say no” .This phrase is said to show the Japanese character. Additionally another popular phrase is “American people can’t say sorry”.
Toaster masters club started in America, and now in many countries the club meetings are held. Every club in every country or even in every city has their own style. But in any speaking styles, like they speak clearly, or vulgarly, loudly or quietly., we can understand each other through oral communication. And if we know there are various styles of speaking, we will be able to accept and understand each other more easily.
We’ll build an amicable relationship with other people, instead of exclusive one to aliens.
Thank you for your listening to my speech.

The end

P.S I could organize this speech thanks of supporting by Tim. Thanks.

Angel visit

We live in the city, but fortunately we have trees. And my neighbour, they have some birds. So we hear birds singing. But yesterday I heard a bird singing(or yelling) loudly. It's unusual.

Yes, a bird was in my house. It came from a window in the bathroom. It was calling to help to (probably) its parents. Actually outside some birds were flying with twittering or crying.

To tell the truth I'm not good at treating animals. But I have to do something. So I put a big water bowl on it, scooped it up, and let it out from the window.

It was not injured, so it and its family flied up in the sky.If it had been injured, -----

Do you remember? Once we had a cat, which name was CHORO.

When she came to my house, she was a stray cat because she had a color, and she seemed to really starve. So we decided to have her as our pet.

Well, now most plants (mainly herbs) of our small gardeing have flowers motestly.

Rainy season has started

According to the weather report rainy season has started. Probably it's right. Last Sunday it is humid and cloud, the day before yesterday, it was raining. Yesterday it was sunny and humid. And today until 10 o'clock, it was raining, now it is sunny.

I don't have drying machine, so this morning I didn't washing. But suddenly the sun came out, so I did washing quickly, and dried them out. In one hour my classes will start. So I already take them in the room, and now, I turned on air conditioner in the class room to dehumidify.

Well, Well, do you know rusk? In America it seems to be called Melba toast. We often see at bakeries, it makes sense, because usually rusk is made from bread which gets dry or hard. Of course at bakeries, they seem use broken bread or excessive amount bread.

To tell the truth, I don't like bread rusk very much.

But these days my friend baked butter cake rusk, and she said "it was delicious". (Unfortunately I couldn't taste it, she lives in another prefecture.)

And instead of it (it happens coincidentally), I got rusk of puff shells.

"It is delicious."

Opt. it starts raining again. I have to close the windows.

Garden 2

Now actually we have May weather.

Not so hot, not so cold, it is good for me. And of course we have sudden thunder

To tell more concretely, suddenly on a fine day, it gets dark with clouds and we hear thunder with heavy rain ( the day before yesterday, we had hail), and after a few minutes it gets sunny again.

Thunder and lightning is one of characterising things in TOCHIGI. So some people who are not born in TOCHIGI says "Why people in TOCHIGI are not afraid of thunder and lightning".

I have one rose tree, and it started blooming. And Chinese rampions also started blooming.

Today, Lea comes to eat dinner with us. It will be the last day we(Yuki and I) see her. She will return to France on Friday. She came "here" last September. It is true time flies like arrows.

The day before yesterday one man came to eat dinner with us. Do you remember the blog about Mexican cooking lesson. Last winter? we took his Mexican cooking lesson. At that time we made tacos, but they were not so"hot" for Yuki, so I want to let them to eat "hot" tacos. But -- I failed. the tacos or salsa source I made was not enough hot for them. Anyway they enjoyed tacos with pepper sauce and jalapeno sauce.

Well, well, probably for a while we will not have any guests. Both of us , for a while "dedicate" to each jobs. I have to attend "business"meetings on some weekend, and Yuki is going to go to China on business.

Thanks of Jan, new habit added to "my" way to enjoy eating. I usually don't drink alcohol. But "a little" vodka with much cranberry juice is good. Now the expensive vodka has already gone, and instead of it usual vodka bottle and expensive SHISO juice bottle are on the table.

Garden

In these days my small garden is getting full of greens.

The flowers of sage has started to open. Around the pot mints are growing. So I enjoy mint & sage herb tea.

And "one day lily" (the Japanese name is KISUGE" ) opens. unfortunately it will fade at night. Anyway when I see the blooming, I know rainy season is just around the corner.

And now "MITUSBA" is now in the season in my garden. It is eatable. It seems to be Japanese vegetable, and is a group of parsley. I pick some of them, and "flash-cook" them.

But the way of my flash-cooking, is just put it into the pan and put the lid for a few seconds.

Strawberry Jam

Now in this area, for farmers their strawberry harvest season is finished. They dig out all strawberry plants and start growing new seedlings.

So, sometimes I get lots of good strawberries from my friends free. To tell the truth, I got last week, and made jam. And yesterday I also got baskets of strawberries. So I'm making jam again.

Lea, can you hear me??? I hope you see this blog. ( I know you could reach this blog in these days.)

Yesterday, she drooped into my house. She is going back to France in two weeks. I know her Japanese is being really improved. But now she is standing in front of big hole, or, wall.

Everybody except Yuki and I praise her for her Japanese. It is right. But like my English, it's not so good. Everybody praise her, so she assumes that her Japanese makes sense. Unfortunately, try to talk with her more, it is getting hard to understand what she wants to say.

Learning Japanese from conversation has its limits. Reading and writing are necessary.

Halfhearted Japanese sometimes causes misunderstanding and troubles.

Lea, you had a good chance to know " practical & casual" Japanese, so when you come back to France, you should start to learn "clear (or formal)" Japanese.

I know you have good ears, so reading and writing make your Japanese perfect.

Well, Well, --- on the other hand, while 10 days with Jan, my English was --- really bad. Sorry Jan. To tell the truth, I gave up to thinking something in English. I know not only Lea, I have to study English more, especially in my case to train my ears.

It's cold!!

During Jan's staying it was like summer, now it is like early spring. It is necessary for me to turn on the heater.

Yesterday a couple of carpenters came and attached another windows in the kitchen and bathroom. And they changed another windows in the kitchen into double windows.

In my family "I" was only sensitive person about the coldness in this area. But these days Yuki also said "it's cold, isn't it". I don't know why, one reason is both of them getting old , on the other hand the earth seems to get warm. Another reasons is now only there are two members in our house, so we don't have enough energy to keep the room warm. Actually sometimes I use the kitchen as a lesson room. At that time, only one heater is enough. But after they disappear, I turn on another heater.

-- Well, of course I mentioned our winter season.

And precaution is necessary, we think. So we decided to attach another Windows.

I don't know whether they work well or not until next winter comes.

Well, today "I" ironed 5 Yuki's Y-shirts. This week Yuki went TOKYO on business every day. So he had to wear business suit. It means "I" have to iron his shirt after the washing machine washed his shirts. Additionally this week I also stayed in Tokyo with Jan in my mother's house, and I use some street shirts, (usually I wear casual cloths), so I ironed my shirts.

Ironing is for me not usual chores, so today it is cold.

You know, we have such a phrase. Doing unusual thing causes raining.

Ironing is not "unusual" thing. I do sometimes, so today it is cold instead of raining.

And I cleaned the rooms including organizing the kitchen.

Now ---

I'm thinking today's menu of dinner, probably I will cook rice for the first time in 10 days.

Jan went back to America

I'm afraid that just only twice she wrote my diary during her staying. It's my fault. I organized her schedule too tight.

On the other hand thanks of her coming, I reaffirmed that a lot of friends are around me. And everybody is different, of course nobody is likes me. It is an usual thing that each person has a each character.

Thanks of Jan, I thanked to my friends once again.

Well, Well, out side we ate Japanese food, and inside (it means at home) I tried to serve Japanese American?? food. And thanks of her, we could also taste something Japanese American food?? for the first time. Her staying was sometimes a good excuse for us.

This is the breakfast on a day.

Can you guess what kind of "cheese" I try to use.

Usual Japanese bins of milk, Japanese cornflakes.

And my original yogurt shake with bananas and green grass powder.

And , And, I baked rhubarb pie with sower cheese, baked potatoes with natural cheese. And as an appetizer Yuki bought natural cube cheeses with MOROMI (refined soy sauce)

I think for her the most characterized person among the people she met must have been my mother. She is like---- yes, actually she is my mother.

Jan can you hear me? when you are available, pleases describe the old Japanese woman.

Well, she might be the second person. The most characterized person might have been the "ground golf " champion woman who is 80 years old.

Anyway with being them, any language doesn't work well, they speak their own language --- it's a joke.

Anyway, of course visiting foreign countries as a tourist is fun, and visiting foreign countries as a member of family is also another fun.

more adventures with Mieko

Hello again, This is Jan who is visiting Mieko and Yuki in Japan. Mieko insists it is my job to write her blog this week.
After a few days of hot weather, last night it started to rain and it is raining again today with cooler temperatures. We are going to visit a woman whom I met last visit who is a farmer. There are rice paddies all around the town and she also grows rice, among other crops.
Yesterday we toured the agricultural labs at the university where a friend is a researcher. She showed us her three-year project which involves testing degradable potting pots to see which ones produce the best plants.
Last night we went to the night club where Yuki plays jazz every month after a Japanese steak house dinner.
The visit is going fast! Jan

Jan visiting Mieko

Hello to Miekos friends...This is Jan from South Carolina visiting Mieko and Yuki. This is my second visit to their home in four years. They both came to South Carolina last spring to stay in our home so we are good friends. My last trip was as a tourist but this time I came to be a part of their family and daily life. Today Mieko and I are going to the children:s center to read English picture books to two groups of small children and then will meet some of the people I met four years ago for dinner. She is very dedicated to introducing young children to English by reading and making it fun an exciting for them. We have an interesting schedule the rest of the week, seeing how Japanese people work and live...teaching in the university, on a farm, at a pottery factory. Mieko and Yuki have bought many news items for all of us to try at meals and we are having great fun tasting new things. The weather is warm and the late spring flowers are in full bloom. It is a beautiful area and I am happy to be here. Jan

How was your Mother's Day?

In the morning, I got a call from my mother saying "Thanks for the mother's day sweets". These years, on seasonable days I send ordinal sweets at a sweet shop in KYOTO to my mother by online shopping. To tell the truth, I don't like online shopping, I like shopping through oral communication. On the other hand, on the web we can get wide-ranged information, and interesting things. I sent some Japanese cake.

This is the homepage where the ordinal Japanese cakes in April are introduced. What flowers or scenery can you image from these sweets?

Yuki called to her mother, later I'll sent something to her.

And my daughters ---.

Yesterday my elder daughter called me in a big town. I asked her to some socks , while she browsing some shops, she sent some photos of socks via her cell phone. Unfortunately they were not what I wanted. So I thanked for her attitude, and I said to her " when you find the socks I want, please buy them at that time."

And today from my younger daughter this pot of flowers arrived.

And she also called me in the afternoon. She said "I can't find what you want, so I sent this usual gift ".

At snack time (about three PM), my neighborhood came here with cake, and in the evening Yuki came back with pack of beef that was today's prize at a golf game.

Oh, I almost forgot. This early morning, my friend came with bamboo shoots.

Today, somebody called or came one after another. I was busy, so it was a really good Mother's Day.

Thank you for your comments

Though somebodies sometimes add their comments, the characters are garbled. So I'm sorry I deleted them. We can read this diary only in English.

The last half of Golden ween, it seemed to be like summer. Today it's cloudy, and a little bit cold.
In the morning I'm going to go to a nursery school to read books. After taking a rest, from 4 o'clock, my usual lesson is going to start.

And tomorrow is of course Saturday.
Have a nice day.

Golden Weeks

In Japan now we are in Golden Wees, consecutive holidays.

Usually our mothers come to stay with us, but this time, for me they are usual days. At 4 o'clock, students come and of course at 8 o'clock, junior high school students come. (My consecutive holidays of this year starts two weeks later.)

Today, Yuki is at home. So in the morning "we" are cleaning the room. But now I"m at the computer.

Why???? We cleaned the spaces where we can see, and Yuki has started to put away the hidden place, that is under his bed, while he reinstalling the previous computer.

I'm waiting for his break time. During his break, we are going to go shopping to the home center nearby.

Today it is "hot" like early summer.

What's this?

I bought it on the web. Can you guess what this is. Yes, it's a kind of cap, and it's a kind of bandanna. It's called a bandanna cap. It is a cap, so you don't need tie it up. and when you wear it, you look wearing a bandanna.

Why did I buy it??

Just a caprice, just a fun.

Just I wanted to cheer up me when I did house chores in the house. And the result is ---

It has been cold for these days, so I don't do house chores , I'll say more concretely, I don't clean up the rooms hard.

Toastmasters

Do you remember that I'm a member of Toastmasters club ?, though I attend to the meeting sometimes. Yesterday I attended to it. Probably three months passed since I attended to it. Usually I do something with women, or kids. This meeting is organized by mostly men. Yesterday 14 members were there, 6 businessmen, 2 ALT men (assistant language teachers, one is from England, one is from America) , and 4 office ladies, and one housewife, me.

A man brought his new gadget ... can you guess what it was. Yes it was "iPad". The scene was the same when a boy show his new NINTENTOU, or PLAYSTATION to their friends.
Additionally, he is like my younger brother, so I asked him "do you get a permission from you wife?" He said with grinning, "a person saying such a thing is only you".
Additionally again, iPad doesn't sell in Japan, he bought it in America during his business trip.

The themes of table topics were
1. Even now What would you do if you were involved in a situation with sudden flight ban and waiting for a space of plane home?
A man made a short speech. According to him, what he would need are magazines, beer, and sightseeing(if he comes there as a traveler).

2.How would you promote our Japanese pavilion of Shanghai Expo?
A man said "We displayed **** cars, ****PC".
According to the newspaper, the other day it ad a rehearsal, but unfortunately Japanese pavilions didn't catch many people. On the other hand at a Motor show in Beijing, the display of Japanese cars caught people.

3. What are you going to do this Golden week, if you have some good dating plans, please tell me. (The person who made these topics is single)
Another single man made a short speech, and he recommend him to a new multiplexed movie theater.

About the travel chaos, one of my friend was involved, and her travel to Denmark was canceled. So now she is enjoying her one week vacation at home. And if I were there, what I would thing at first is medicine.

About Shanghai Expo, no one surrounded me talk about it.

And the Golden week's dating course??? I don't have any idea.

Anyway I enjoyed the meeting.

Today's book

This year? this half of the year ? until summer? or his spring? --- any until "someday", I try to read all unprocessed books that I have to read and I want to read.

Yesterday I wrote about the book of "Bill Gates the road ahead". This book is , I think, it's really American. Compared the book -- How to be an Alien.

Do you know the book? (I hope, Tim can hear me.) Though some parts were difficult to understand including jokes, this book gave me enough image about Englishmen and Englishwomen. And this book reminded me of Sherlock Holmes ( I got his image from books I read in my childhood in Japanese)

And on some parts the image of Englishmen is smiler to stubborn but gentle Japanese men who were born before ,during or since World War.

Now it cleared up. Though it is a little bit cold, it is nice afternoon, isn't it?

I feel itchy.

Today, it is raining and cold. Now I'm sitting in front of "my own" heater. Well, it is just a heater for a room, but my husband call it "Mieko's own heater".
I was relieved to have had the gardener trimmed the garden yesterday.

As you know, I'm in the house now. If it weren't raining I would go walking while listening to some English proglams. (Someone say " what an offensive woman.", or someone say " why don't you wear the rain coat?")

In the morning, I practiced English words, listened to some podcasts, and read some English reference for high school students who comes tonight, and read some easy English books.

One of the books I read was "Bill Gates, The Road Ahead". These days when I'm available, I'm at the computer. And I think "it's not good ". The one side of me twitter that you should return to the analog world. The other side of me also twitter that you should keep up with the current world.

Anyway Bill gates, he is one of geniuses, and he is really working hard, making efforts.

Well, Well, now I feel itchy. Yesterday I "help"ed the gardener with weeding. ( I don't know what he thought). Probably at that time I seemed to be bitten with leaves of grasses. My back of neck and shoulders itchy.

Almost the chocolate cake is done, it is an unusual thing that there is no sweets at home. So I baked chocolate cake for "myself".

Today it was like an early summer.

Though I'm wearing a "thin" sweater, today it was really warm, like an early summer.
The students who came in the afternoon were wearing T-shirts. And the gardener who had trimmed the trees in my house since yesterday, was wearing "thin" overalls that were different from yesterday's overalls.
I hope the weather will get normal spring weather, but according to the weather forecast, it will get cold again this weekend.

Do you remember how was the weather last summer or last winter??
I remembered the last winter was really really cold than the year before last year. (or we can say the winter the year before the last year wasn't so cold than usual years)
I had forgot the weather in the last summer. But I remembered it was really humid than usual. Because I bought a new dehumidifier in my classroom.
Why I' m writing about the weather, is --- the gardener said "Why this year there are lots of worms on the trees".

Anyway he omitted lots of small worms, but probably in the rainy season, hidden worms are going to come out. So he is going to come to spray expellant in the rainy season. It will be the first time since we came here.

More than ten years have passed since I knew the gardener. At that time he was in the thirty's, and he posted his brochures into each post. Coincidentally I talked with him when he was posting, and I was asked to trim our trees at really low price, and he comes to my house once a year at the same price. Now he incorporates his business, he has some employees, and he constantly undertakes some public works.

Well, Well, students in the next lesson comes. Talk to you later.

Probably I can get e-mails

Good morning.
These days we can't get private e-mails well. Probably now we can.
If someone sent us e-mails, for these days, please send them again.

Well, the weather in "Japan" is terrible. On last Friday we had snowy rain, or snow. Actually when we got up Saturday morning, the roofs and gardens were lightly coated with snow.
But yesterday, and the day before yesterday, they were warm, actaully it was spring.

Today, it is sunny and seems to be warm. Tomorrow??? I don't know.
Anyway this week has started.

The list that I have to do is ...

Ask to deliver kerosene
Ask to order our favorite coffee beans
make lots for my classes
make a monthly newsletter for my students' parents
make a small test for my students

go "walking" to a groceries store nearby and a bank that is a little bit far
---- on my schedule, I'm going to go walking, but -- I may go there by car.

For a while, I am at this PC.