the last taste of sweet cherries

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when i stopped by my local supermarket only two days ago,

i was surprised that cherries were on the shelf.

they were still around in the heat of the scorching summer!

japanese cherry season is so short,

it usually ends by mid-july.

have you heard of anyone on earth who does not love to eat cherries?

they terribly look sweet and cute as well.

they are so lovely to taste and behold.

come to think of it,

i kept missing a chance to post on japanese cherries i’d had them in early july.

so, here they are.

to mark the last day of july and the cherry season!

in the mean time,

there are loads of various stone fruits arriving now.

i can’t help but look at them in shops and blogs.

what a joy!

i’m sure you all are enjoying the harvest.

have a great summer weekend!

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a nordic dream

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are you on vacation or stay-cation?

there’s no hot news this week either,

but temperature-wise,

it’s just way too hot.

japan is sizzling.

i’m not lying!

when air-conditioners can’t beat the heat,

i always start a home-decorating project.

as a matter of fact,

i am in the thick of it.

i know i sound like a crazy ant.

i’ve been painting my living room floor nordic white.

it’s more like taking a swedish-style sauna than decorating, though.

the living room looks almost done,

so i can make a move on my bed room, then.

my dream will be drifting around the norwegian wood?

looking at summer flowers,
the bog sages, in the park as well as on my balcony, are blooming,

they are as blue as the summer sky.

white geranium is among my all-time favourites, by the way.

their petals resemble white butterfly wings, don’t you think?

enjoy your hot (or cool?) summer weekend, my friends!

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tricolore floral

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it’s le quatorze juillet, la fête nationale for the french.

we japanese have never had such a “revolution” in our history.

so i do admire those who fought for liberation and idealism.

in japan, the anniversary is called 巴里祭 (festival of paris)

in an extremely nostalgic way,

and has been adopted as sort of a day for enjoying french things.

nowadays, almost no one talks about it, though.

but at least, one francophile here.

i shall personally celebrate bastille day with the french flag tricolour.

le drapeau de la france ou drapeau tricolore, oui... 

bleu,

blanc,

rouge,

vive la france !

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learning from a lotus

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i’m kind of feeling low at the moment.

tt is something i, and even good people, sometimes and inevitably experience.

it feels like everything sucks.

the fate will never smile on me?

but, that’s not true.

could i pass this melancholic spell by living like an oriental lotus in the park?

focusing an image,

being receptive enough,

without losing grace and dignity,

and standing still whatever happens for some time to come…

it’s almost 禅 zen, isn’t it?

at any rate, i will enjoy life. and the weekend.

so will you, my dear friends!

a cherry bomb

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the peak season for cherries is now!

so don’t miss it.

the thing is, which one should i try first, japanese or american?

generally, japanese cherry is lighter and more subtle for taste.

they are quite different from each other.

after all, i grabbed american ones from a shelf in my local supermarket.

not because they were less expensive than japanese ones (true),

but because it was dark cherry that’d go with dark chocolate.

i thought i’d need to use up chocolate bars before it got hotter.
lately, sunday has become my baking day. well, sort of.

i made a classic black forest with a modern twist...

using fresh cherries instead of ones in syrup,

 using melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder with lots of sugar for the sponge,

and making curls to garnish only the top.

using rum instead of kirsch, simply because there was no kirsch in my cupboard.

in spite of all the twists i’d made, it still was a calorie bomb!

i really have to take extra long walks this week.

have a great and healthy week, everyone!!