xmassy week special #6

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hoping that you are having lots of fun out there.

hoping that all the conflicts among people are over.

but, hoping, wanting and giving are essential.

happy christmas!  

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xmassy week special #5

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i've heard of really good news!

maybe angels and santas prayed for that, too.

so did you?

the news...

just wonderful!

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xmassy week special #4

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hi, everyone!

i guess you are on holiday.

 with your loved ones and friends, i suppose.

and, you are having lots of chats, drink and rich food, aren't you? 

have lots of fruits, too!

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xmassy week special #3

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my place has no fireplaces or mantelpieces.

still, it's fun to hang my sock on. 

have a peaceful week, everyone!

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xmassy week special #2

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i am not christian, in my country, neither are most people.

but yet, we do enjoy the (mock) festivity.

i am getting into the mood.

you are already in it, aren't you?

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xmassy week special #1

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hello friends!

are you ready?

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september

on the last day of september, i felt inclined to say hello to the blog world.

this summer was a long and unbearably sultry one.

indeed, the climate change was turning japan into a tropical country!
but “my season” has arrived at last.

i did lots of ironing.

and adorning my place with wild flowers.

i am getting happier to see my environment as you can see here.

enjoy the beautiful autumn days!

xxx

many many thanx for all your lovely comments ;)

 
 
 



my herby baby

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as i am living alone, i sometimes think of having a furry companion.

it would be great if i could walk him or her in the park.

i always find myself being negative, though.

not only because of the neighbourhood residential regulations i have to keep,

(banned from raising dogs and cats in our housing complex, still some do)

but also because of my possible heavy responsibility.

i doubt i can be a better caregiver than i am now to my potted herbs.

i love them like my babies.

but, no matter how well i look after them,

some would get sick or do a perish unexpectedly.

tending furry animals can never be easier than that.

i admire all the animal guardians.

so, i settle for being a happy herb-grower.

they look pretty on my balcony.

besides, my babies are edible.

and it’s time to pick a little,

...hang them in my kitchen

how’s that for my green babies?

...then put them in jars.

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all herbs are good.

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enjoy the last weekend of beautiful june, my friends!

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hydrangeas in the rain

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rain, rain, rain…

i am living in a nation blessed with rain at the moment.

but who’d love a rainy month all the way through?

only thing people love about this wet month is hydrangea.

hydrangea is the june flower in japan.

they are blooming on my balcony, too.

so i am happy to forget about rain adorning my home with them.

i love that.

maybe, happy monday?

wishing you all a happy new week!

p.s.

dear vale, n and kate,

thank you very much for your wonderful comment on my mulberry post!

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springtime strawberries

people’s (probably) most favourite sweet little red things are in season.
well, as a matter of fact, over here in japan,
traditionally somehow, strawberries should appear around christmas time.
so, many people could be bored, or not be bothered, with them by now.

i don’t mind that its season gets earlier and earlier year by year.
i could bring my brother a big punnet of strawberries
whenever i visited him in hospital in january, february and march.

but, the real season is now, isn’t it?
as i would enjoy pan-baking upside-down cakes at weekends,
this time was…


the aroma of baked strawberries is as fabulous as they taste.
fresh ones are also sweet and fragrant, of course.

voilà…

no matter what you find at your local fruiterer’s,
i hope you can enjoy the real season as much as possible.

strawberries forever!

xxx

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thinking pink

the most romantic colour i always associate with is pink.

like pink camellia and cherry blossom?
i’d swoon over the softness and exquisiteness.


indeed, they took my breath away
when i looked at their delicate petals.

meanwhile, it’s got unseasonably chilly the last couple of days.
besides, the cold april rain is falling outside my window at the moment.

so, just like the song “my favourite things”
from the sound of music (still makes me cry),
i simply remember this pink-petal confetti.

have a lovely weekend!

feeling flowery

springtime makes me wanting something classic, chic and cute.
like liberty’s floral print.


i don’t really remember if i’ve ever wanted dresses from cacharel.
i adored sarah moon’s commercial work for cacharel, though.
then and now, i am not a floral-dressy kind of girl,
but, i must admit, i always long to be.


i used to have tons of fabrics in my aluminum trunk.
(which belonged to mr. pianoman’s parents, so it’s no longer mine or with me.)
i used to sew sweet little things like un petit sac.
although most of my fabrics and things went missing somehow,
i still use my favourite liberty print bags i made a long long time ago.

looking at these with overwhelming nostalgia,
i just wonder where my mother has her liberty print blouse now.


have a lovely week!


xxx

viola, violet, violetta

hello my friends, thank you all for visiting my blog from time to time in far off in the distance.

spring came along while i was absent from blogging. a few weeks ago, when i felt tired of gloomy wintery days, i bought myself new cups and saucers, for a change and for a spring-like bright mood, so to speak. they are cheap, but still elegant, don’t you think?

meanwhile, i’ve been still working on my translation project since december. and, i am now finalizing it – checking, checking, checking! – with my editor working from tokyo prior to publication in may. he is always kind enough to send me copies of various books.

this time, two copies of two titles arrived. one was “radio-cuisine” (in japanese) written by edouard de pomiane, who is often mentioned in the book i’m working on. another was “elle” (in japanese) written by j. b. pontalis (in japanese), which was published by my publisher.

when i took its jacket off, the mauve colour, which is just the same as violas i’d picked from my park the previous day, appeared. i was charmed by the cover. of course, the content was charming and interesting enough to read at one sitting or two, though.

imagining you have beautiful spring colours in your home, too!

xxx

suddenly and briefly

we had a couple of spring days last week. but now, it’s turned cold and wintery days are back. i am loving my new item (a poster) on the sideboard and enjoying the scent of my white hyacinth that came into bloom when spring was here.


my humble life, and painstaking work, seem to go on in this depth of winter.


have a great weekend, my friends!
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toties quoties

on new year’s day, i had the same feast with my old mother as last year. certainly,

that was when i felt happy about the new year.

these are the dishes we ate

(you might remember my 2009’s pics and find these boring, though) :

the feasting time is over now.

still, my memory of the 2010 new year feast stays ;)

have a great week, everyone!!

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