SAKURA-Cherry Blossom

The season of cherry blossoms has come:)

I visited some famous spots in Tokyo last week.

Firstly, let me share some photos of Chidorigafuchi.

This is located in the northwest of the Imperial Palace,

The 700 m-long pedestrian path was covered with the blossoms of about 260 cherry trees of different species.

Despite the fact that we visited on Monday, the waiting time of the boat was two hours.  We gave up riding a boat and headed to the next destination, Shinjuku Gyoen.

Here is also a representative spot for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo.

We had to wait for 15 minutes to enter the gate...

Shinjuku Gyoen is a huge park, but was crowded with lots of people...

In Japan, you can enjoy cherry blossoms anywhere.

It is common that they are planted as street trees, like this.

I took a walk along the river of my neighborhood in the evening.

The cherry blossoms glow with the setting sun:)

There were few people in this park .

I could get this beautiful view all to myself:)

Thank you for dropping by!

Walking in the Rain

I would like to show you my favorite place:)

A creek runs in my neighborhood, where we can enjoy various flowers.

Although it was a rainy day, I walked there to see hydrangeas along the stream.

Umm... where are they...?

Oh, here they are!!!

It was a little bit annoying to take pictures putting an umbrella up, though...ahaha...

This creek is a little bit famous for spot-billed duck parent and children.

borrowed the image

 

I think color of the each flower looks vivider in the rain...

We are in the middle of rainy season...

But it was a pleasure walking along this creek to see the seasonal flowers and ducks:)

Do you have any amusements on rainy days?

Thank you for stopping by!

NZ...Epilogue...

It happened just two weeks before I left for NZ. 

"Dad has passed away..." My mom's words with a quivering voice on the phone brought tears to my eyes...
...which I'd never expected...

Canola flower fields along the rode to Lake Tekapo  

I had been thinking that I would never cry even if my father would die... 

Baby sheep in a farm near Christchurch

He was strict and demanded that his daughter achieved as he wished. When he was angry, his tanned face from playing golf always scared me. I spent my adolescent years rebelling him, and had a lot of arguments with him until I left home.

Tiny flowers in Ruth's garden

My father used to tell me, "If you learn English hard, you might have many chances to go to foreign countries."

But my least favorite subject was English in my school days.

From the top of the hill in Devonport, Aukland

 

After seven years of leaving home, I found myself practicing golf hard.

After twenty years of leaving home, I found myself studying English hard.

And now, I found myself wanting to see him and talk to him...

I might have been wanting to prove myself to him...

Finally noticed it after I've lost him.

   

Landscape go by from the car window

"Why don't you cancel the trip," someone said.

But I decided to fly to NZ carrying his photo with me. I wanted to take him to a foreign country where he wished to visit.

Morning glow from the hotel window in Aukland

I was impressed by the grandeur of nature, there. Majestic mountains healed my broken heart, and the still lake made me feel tranquil.

But what healed me the most was all the people I met there...   Deeply touched by their tender hearts.

I will never forget this trip...

そして　お花を贈ってくれたみんな

香りに癒されました

ありがとう

Garden Wedding

 

 

 

My garden friends, P-chan and Yucchin have just married!!!

 

 

 

 

 

They decided to hold a marriage ceremony in their own garden.

 

 

They are keeping this beautiful garden, which has over 500 kinds of roses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look forward to seeing the garden improving!

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations!!!

 

My Living Room, Full of Precious Memories

Do you like Sawing?  Knitting?  Cooking?

My answer is "NO." As a good mother or a wise wife, I should have been good at those things. I can barely sew a button to my shirt.
But I've been enjoying making verious things to display, which are not any benefits to my family at all, hahaha...

Today, I want to show you some of my artworks in my living room!

 

The wreath in the above photo is made of a paperback. Just by tearing some pages from the one you've already read, you can easily make such a wreath.

 

 

 

 

Put some Annabel in an antique bottle. Like collecting those kind of antiques from Western Countries.

 

  

 

Look at the lights over the table in the photo above. I looped the wires with leaf-motifs around the bare light bulbs.

In Christmas season, I made the tray above with dried leaves from my balcony, hanged between the light bulbs.

On the iron panel, hanged a  Maidenhair Vine planted  in a rusty tin painted white.

I also made this  wall decoration with an antique match case. Made some little yarn ball to be put.

 

 

I have a collection of tiny houses. Among them, the Wind Mill is what I made from chunk of wood. It was fun to make it with friends. The most difficult part was scraping blades so that they could practically whirl.

 

 

 

 

As indicated above,  I spent several years to make those things by myself. Although they might mean nothing to you, I have good memories of each:)

  

 

 

 

 

 

The other day, a few people from  magazines visited me and took photos of my living room:)

 

I'm happy to share my room, full of my precious memories, with readers.

 

 

Oh my god!

I completely forgot to ask him the release date.

 

 

 

But they sent the magazine a couple of days ago:)

 

 

Excited to see my living room in print!