Mini class reunion

North pole

We had a mini class reunion at Mrs.T's house yesterday.

Five women got together.
I often see or call Mrs.T and Mrs.O and I met Mrs.S about six years ago at a lecture meeting.
But I hadn't seen Mrs.I T for thirty five years though I sometimes heard about her.
The period was very very long, so I was worrying a little.
Seeing her, I found there was no problem.
Mrs.T cooked delicious lunch for us and we had a good time eating, drinking and chatting.

Everyone has been leading a happy and busy life, but has a free time now after raising children.
So I want to have opportunities like that from now on.

Of course I took pictures of the meeting with my digital camera.


Powdered green tea and Japanese sweets

Do-ku-da-mi

These are 'Do-ku-da-mi'.
Though it smells peculiar, the white flower is neat and clean.
It is also called 'Jyu-u-ya-ku' as it has many kinds of medicinal effects.
So it has been used as a private medicine from old times.



The flowers of Creeping saxifrage;(Yu-ki-no-shi-ta) are also in full bloom beside 'Do-ku-da-mi' now.
The leaf has some kinds of medicinal effects too.
And we can cook the leaf, 'tempura' for example.

Swallow

Baby swallows are growing day by day.
I saw their pretty faces with yellow beak appearing from the nest today.

Datura

A Datura;(Chyo-u-se-n a-sa-ga-o) bloomed last night for the first time in this season.

Though the flower is very beautiful, it has a deadly poison and is famous for Seishu Hanaoka using this plant as narcotics in late Edo period.
He used it when he operated on surgery of the breast cancer.

It blooms only at night throughout summer season.

Preparation for rice planting

Farmers are busy preparing for the rice planting.

They cut the weeds on the footpaths around the field and burn them after drying.

After nine days

　Sprouts of rice plant are like this.
They are about four centimeters now.
My husband uncovered the white vinyl cloth and covered this net lest the sparrows shoud come to eat them.

Taking this picture, my neighbor who are also growing rice plant came to see these sprouts.
She asked us to give her some as many of hers withered because of shortage of water.
Perhaps ours will be too enough, so we will be able to give her some.

Growing rice needs much care!!

Pomegranate;（Za-ku-ro)

There is a pomegranate in the yard.
Now some bright orange flowers are blooming among the green leaves.
They will bear fruits like a ruby in fall.

The seed of this tree was brought by a bird many years ago.

Swallows

Now swallows are feeding their baby birds busily many many times a day.
Every time their parents fly to the nest, the baby birds cries loudly to get food.
I'm not sure but there seems to be three or four birds in the nest.

Soon I will be able to see pretty birds flying from the nest.

Only when thier parents fly to the nest, I can see the faces of the baby appearing from the nest.
But when I go near the nest to take pictures, the parents are cautious about flying to the nest.
So it's difficult to take pictures of baby.

After six days

Six days after the paddies were scattered, we can see about five millimeters sprout of rice plant.

Proverb 39

Verbena tenera;(Ta-pi-a-n)

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

It is necessary not only to study but also to play for children to grow up healthily.

Sprout of rice plant

Sprout of rice plant
We arranged these boxes to the ground.

Now we must water them twice a day.



The sun light is so strong that we cover the boxes for a while.

Spring onion

Tiny flowers bloomed at the top of the spring onion.
We can't eat them any longer.
They are too hard to eat!

Ｃｕｌｔｉｖａｔｉｏｎ

Farmers are cuitivating rice fields using a farm tractor now.

They are busy preparing for the rice- planting.
The fields are cultivated a few times.

Scenery in the country

Bamboo grove

Scenery in the country is wonderful now.

Fresh leaves and flowers are growing day by day and the greens are the most splendid in the year.



Mallow;(Ze-ni a-o-i)



Hills and rice fields

Flower thief

Ta-ni u-tsu-gi

Taking a walk last Saturday evenig, I saw a stranger breaking off the twigs of this tree by the road.

She asked me whose tree it was, and I answered I didn't know.

I said to her "You are 'taking' the flower and I am just 'taking' a picture".

She wanted to ask the owner of the flower to be given some, but she couldn't.
So she broke off a few twigs and went away.

Both of us didn't know the name of this tree, but later I knew it was 'Ta-ni u-tsu-gi'.

Today the flowers of this tree are very few .
'The life of the flower is short',isn't it?

And 'The flower thief is permitted', isn't she?