season words in June

Kids' summer vacation has started, so everywhere every morning in July kids and senior people get together to do radio gymnastic exercises in each local community.

 

 

If you are interested in it, try it!

 

Another season word is "stag beetle".

 

 

Can you find stag beetles in woods or parks naturally?

Nowadays many kids think they are bought.

 





 

 



Eel and river fish

Yesterday, we went out. The main aims was playing near the river. 

However, it was too hot, we ( more collected three adults) gave up being outside.

So, we se eels and river fish, which are speciality of this town. 

We did one hour drive to play near the clean river and buy these things 

While driving Ah-chan was sleeping. So we didn't know whether she enjoyed the drive, but, anyway we were really satisfied with this dinner.

Hot, hot, hot

Hot days have been continued
Though it is said that it is unusual, nowadays, every season seems to be unusual everyhere.
Since our daughter and grand daughter came, 20 days have passed. All of us are getting used to be this life.
Serving breakfast is Ah-chan's chore, she decides, which bread is for whom, how many kidney beans should be put on each one's plate.

Today she made rice balls.

Sounds fun? Sounds noisy? Sounds troublesome? 

Kitchen seems to be messy? It seems to be exciting? 

According to the weather report , the hot day will be continued during this month.

It is OK to coninute the not days. However , in our house only two aireconditoners work at the same time. It sometimes causes a problem, especially Yuki is at home.-- someone has to bear to stay in the room without air conditioner, if he or she wants  his or her personal time.

seasonal word 0712 report card

 

It is a season of report cards.

Every the end of a term, students are handed in their report cards.

Actually I also -- not am handed in, have to hand report cards to my students.

I thought  until high school students, their parents knew their scores.

However, I was very surprised that I got a report card from university when my younger daughter was in university.

==== And they did individual interview with parents checking up the report cards.

I wanted to say that "it is not my business" ---- but I couldn't do that. Just I was listening quietly to her professor with patience. Her score was on the whole, not so bad. However the contents were --- A or D. It means what she was not interested in, her attitude to study seemed to be very bad.

It can't be helped. It is the "her".

 

--well, well, it is a nostalgic memory.

 

At Karaku

Yesterday it was the day of Karaku. I went there to play the piano. It was my only day after 10 days.
I always complain about being lonely. I know I'm not very good at spending my leisure time by my self.
On the other hand, I used to spend "nosy" days.
So I remembered at Karaku that the day of Karaku was a relaxing time and my day without kids.
Since I started to play the piano there, more than 20 years passed.

Yesterday I enjoyed sweets after the performance as usual.
And I bought some cake for my family.
---- actually at that time I would often buy sweets there for my kids, though I seldom buy ones for Yuki.

summer cold

Now there are four members in my house. From Ah-chan's view,  her grandfather, her grandmother, her mother and her.
When she came, she was already caught  a "slight" summer cold with a runny nose.. though according to her mother, that was the way small kids being are. Actually she and her mother were fine.

First I caught a cold. I had sore throat for 4 days. Today it is not so bad.
Next Ah-chan ran a high fever on Saturday morning.
And  on the afternoon, her grandfather caught a cold with a sore throat and a slight fever.
Though her mother had no problem, she cringed to her. So she did not anything to help me.

So this weekend all of us were staying home.
And yesterday ( it was a weekday) her grandfather took a sick day from work. Probably three years passed since he did it.
He was not used to getting sick, so he was in very bad mood. Of course Ah-chan was also in bad mood.
I'm not used to being in such situation. It made me being in bad mood, too.
On the other hand, my daughter is with "great presence of mind" (Does it make sense?)
It makes me mad more on the other hand I really admire her attitude.


Anyway he went to work, today Tuesday.
And I'm going to Karaku café to play the piano.

Three month new life has started!

For while my daughter and our granddaughter live together. In October they are going to leave Japan for Thailand. Her husband has already left Japan and started a new life there.

 

Though our granddaughter Ah-chan went to kindergarten in Tokyo, here she doesn't go to such school. She spend all days with our family.

From late July to early September they have summer vacation at school. So we decided not to let her go such school.

On the other had we let her join some after-school programs. On Mondays and Thursdays she goes to sports club to swim and do exercise. On Tuesdays and Fridays she goes to educational school to learn math and Japanese.

Usually my daughter take her there, I do lessons at home.

What are we going to do in the morning.

For a while my daughter is busy in paper work for leaving for Thailand. They have to take health check , get some vaccines, and etc.

So for a while I need to take them places they have to go by car. My daughter can't drive.

 

Anyway our usual day has started since before 5 o'clock.

 

laughter yoga in June

Our laughter yoga in June was finished. Three members took part in it.
Unfortunately a regular member couldn't come because she had to go to hospital.
Mothers sometimes aren't able to participate  in meetings because their children sometimes get sick.
The elderly sometimes aren't able to participate in  meetings because of their sickness.

Anyway the other three members enjoyed the laughter yoga.
And I served this rhubarb syrup.

 

In this season some people make Japanese plum syrup. I used to do it.

However this year, I got lots of fresh stalks of rhubarb, so I made this bottle of syrup.

Well, well, I planted rhubarb in my garden. However  it doesn't grow well.

--- my favorite phrase "It can't be helped".

 

Discarding 10 things

How are you doing? I'm OK.
I've been continuing to discard 10 things.

The other day we went to Tokyo, and helped my mother  in-law with changing seasonable clothes. To tell the truth I thought most of her clothes should be discarded. However I never say it. We (Yuki and ) know, once I ask her whether this dress is needed or not, the chores won't be proceeded. Anyway we changed 7 big boxes of clothes.

And I know, before I mention such a thing, I should discard my clothes.
So I did it.

I did "discard", but not took them to the garbage corner, oar not a used shop.

I went to a café.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There I had lunch, and

I joined a changing clothes meeting.

 

 

 

 

Everyone who brought some clothes has a right to get any clothes.

I didn't need to change clothes, just brought some "new" clothes which are not used.

It was fun to talk with the participants.



 

a season word 0614

 

Do you know the word "water clock"?

Water clocks are one of the oldest time-measuring instruments like sun dials.

 

Or have you seen a water clock?

Though I haven't seen it, there is a modern water clock in Osaka.

 

Osaka is a very famous city as a noisy and cheerful city. Or you might have heard it, "in Osaka, every one spend all money on food."

 

Water clock, the combination with Osaka city, ridiculous

 

I also found this site in Japanese.

 

 

Handmade water clocks, enjoying with my granddaughter, brings a warm feeling

 

 

pre-cooked dishes

I'm continuing to cook pre-cooked dishes for a week.

One reason is I ordered a box of vegetables to a farmer once a week. So without my feelings a box of vegetables come once a week. I don't want them to be wasteful

I got fresh DAIKON with leaves, so I also cooked them.
And this time I got too many eggs.

So I made lots of crape, and froze some of them as our snack.




And I managed to go out to buy some organic lemons, and made lemon custard cream with the eggs.



I have cleverly used them up. What a good housewife I am!

dairly life --ironing

As I often (probably) tell you, I don't like ironing much.

I want to live carefully? or graciously not against time. And probably it is the time to be able to do it because of my age.

However I want to do something trouble.

Well, well, though it is in a rainy season, I like wearing shirt in this season which is of course, ironed.

 

Yuki usually wears a polo-shirt. So I don't need to iron his cloths often.

Sometimes he wears a Y-shirt, but they are usually permanent-press ones. (This time I learnt this word). So I don't need to iron them so often.

 

However my summer  shirt is made of cotton, and I've used them carefully. So it is very old.

To keep them good,  after I wear them, soon I wash them by hand, and iron them before dry.

Or sometimes I take them to the cleaners.

 

I'd like to change them into cotton permanent-press ones. I see ones for men's, but I don't find for women's.

So I can't discard them, and continue to use carefully while ironing.

 

The other day I saw this article in Japanese.

 

 

Currently the production is falling off, because very cheap cotton shirts go on sale.

And I know the cost of cleaning a men's Y-shirt at the cleaner is lower. (Only men's Y-shirts)

 

I don't like ironing, but I like to see senior men wearing Y-shirt neatly.

So I hope to keep the production without rising the cost.

 

my left shoulder hurts!!!

Though I'm fine, my left shoulder hurts.
It is called frozen shoulder syndrome, stiff shoulder due to age, or in Japanese 50 years old shoulder.
Of course I went to see the doctor, and he said "I'm afraid that it is stiff shoulder due to age, so it will take about one year or more to get well. It is getting well naturally."
He also recommend to take manipulative treatment.
I started to take Japanese herb medicine.
It works as a painkiller, but the main effect is to warm the body.
 

 

Of course I have to do exercise.

So I bought this "traditional" tool to make our body warm, and to strength our knees while stretching our arms.

 

 

It seems to be called bamboo stepper.

Do you know the word?

try to make a craft with dry rose petals

This year I had a lot of chance to see roses, visit rose gardens, and get many roses.
As I told you, I enjoyed making rose jam, taking a bath with fresh roses, and making dry rose flowers.
I just put some dry rose petals  with rose aroma oil as potpourri, not so bad, but I wanted to use them more effective.
So I got a glass of 100-yen candle at 100 yen shop.
And

 

I made is smaller.

And I dissolved  the wax by putting the bowl in hot water .

 

 

I put some dry rose petals around the candle.

And I poured the dissolved wax on it.

It's sometimes OK to stay home and do something like this by myself instead of going out (to workout).

Anyway, today I have to go out to do exercise at the gym. I use some money for them.

 

season word 0607 wheat harvest time

 

 

The kanji is called "bakusyu".

This time I learnt that "bakusyu" is a season word of early summer.

Actually "bakusyu" is translated as "wheat harvest time" in this article, it seems to be translated as "early summer" once in a while.

 

Baku means wheat, and Syu means autumn.

Usually harvest season is autumn in Japan, however, the wheat harvest time is in June, so we call this season "wheat (baku)  autumn (syu)".

 

On one day in Bakusyu, before bustle of children, full of quietness

--- Children's summer vacation is just around the corner. During summer vacation as soon as the sun rises, we are covered with bustle of children.

 

Bakusyu  contrast green rice plants with golden wheat

We see grenn rice plants and golden wheats at same fields.

 

 

The last day of a strawberry season in this year

Last Sunday I went to a strawberry farm. The farm opened for a group to pick up strawberries for free.
It was the last day of a strawberry season for this farm. They don't get the strawberries on the market .
So they clear the strawberry farm, and start to grow new seedlings for winter.
There were still lots of strawberries, which were small.
Everyone enjoyed picking them up.
I just attended to assist the event, however when I saw lots of strawberries in sight, I couldn't help picking them up automatically. And I was one of three people to pick them up the most.

The owner is a young man, who took over this job from his father.

And now he tried to make regular sweets using his strawberries.

 

 

Since this group started this event, 18 years have passed.

The organizer of this event is my friend. She wanted to encourage the seniors living in this area.  And some seniors who have own strawberry farms offered the help. And now the seniors are too old to do it, and their children continue to held this event once a year.

 

beneficial of a kind of money coupons

This year, I also got a kind of limited money coupons.
I applied 2 months prior to them with an advance payment.
And it costs 10000 yen, and its real value is 11000 yen.
However the place we get them , is a concert hall.
It means we hear a concert or talk show for free.

 

This year it was a talk show. It was held on a week day, however it was full of people (ladies) and from the young (but it seems to be in their 30's) to the senior.

 

The speaker was a familiar singer (or actress, or performer) for our generation.

 

 

I was really surprised that she is no 66.

I thought she would be about 70. Because when I knew about her name, she had already an adult lady. My mother and my mother in-law remembers her name as a singer and the most famous song.

 

And I thought she is "still" shingle, but, she said that she married when she was 59.

Did she fell in love? No, (well, of course she loved partner). The reason to get marry was to support the partner's mother.

 

Her philosophy is Ka,Ki,Ku,Ke,KO.

Ka means Kansya, thankness  We are always supported by surrounding people.

Ki means Kihin, gracious         While we accept our aging (not against), keep gracious

Ku means, Kurou, difficulty    Living  is challengeable and has some difficulty.

Ke means, Kenkou, health       Physically and mentally we keep our health.

Ko means, Koukishi curiosity  Getting old is always an unknown world, so go ahead with curiosity.

 

How overwhelming it was!

The concert was really overwhelming.

What concert?

 

 

Have you ever heard of the name Tateno Izumi?

I found the article about him in English.

 

He used to be a very famous pianist as one of able-bodied pianists.

Suddenly his right body got numb.

However he is still active and famous as a professional pianist with only left hand.

The performance was great, the sound was beautiful, however probably the most suitable word to describe the concert was "AKKAN ", probably in English overwhelming.

He was born in 1936, his right body is numb. However he is still active and continues to play as a professional pianist.

 

Yuki and I went to this concert together.

 

Additionally I was going to go to the concert in Kimono.

However because of my shoulder hurts, I was not able to have my left hand behind the back, so I was not able to wear KIMONO.

My shoulder and left upper arm hurt!

Visitng my firends' garden

This year I could visit my friends' garden again.
Her garden was beautiful as usual.

She is the first person I became friend when I came to this town.
So We've been friends for more than 30 years.
When both of us worked, we managed to try once a month to have lunch.
Though we had continued to do it, since she retired, when she was into her gardening she got very busy, and she debuted in a garden world.
So it was going to have more time together for us, we seldom talk each other.

Anyway I went to her garden and had an opportunity to talk with her.

 

 

 

 

I wanted to talk much more, however, while my staying visitors who want to see her garden drop by one after another, So I gave up and left her house.

 

I got lots of fennel. I have them in my garden, but they are not so good.

When I came home, I marinated fennel.

They suit to various foods.

season word 0531 Japanese folding fan

 

BYAKUDAN, I learnt the aroma of it, from the folding fan of my grandmother

 

Flip-Flap, my father waves in his face, black Japanese hand fan

 

---------

The folding fan sounds elegant, and hand fan sounds functional,

So I use the word of folding fan on my grandmother's one, and the word of hand fan on my father's one.

 

Did you know that the origin of folding fan is in Japan.

They were exported and in Europe they use silk clothe instead of paper. And the European ones were imported to Japan.

I found an interesting article.