2012/4/29
What a beautiful day!
Yesterday I enjoyed walking downtown, Shinjuku
with two ladies of Harmonica Circle.
Ms. W, one of us, was a very good guide.
We met at 10:00 at Tanashi Station
where Ms. W lives.
We took a train for Seibu-Shinjuku and got off
at Shimo-ochiai Station.
First, Ms. W took us to 東長谷寺 薬王院.
The temple is famous for its peony flowers 牡丹.
We were ratherlate to the flowers at their best.






Then Mrs. W took us to 林芙美子記念館.


A volunteer guide showed us around the house.

林芙美子lived here for her last ten years—
from the year 1941 to her last year 1951.
(kitchen)

(study)

(garden)


I remembered the saying "All is well that ends well."
After having a late noodle lunch at soba restaurant,
we went to Nakai Station and came back to Kokubunji.
I was glad I could walk 14127 steps in a day.
2012/4/29
In Friday English class we read a short story
from the book ‘Chicken Soup.’
There was an expression ‘alphabet soup’
in the story.
Have you ever tried ‘an alphabet soup’?
It is a common dish made from alphabet pasta.
In the story we read, the expression‘an alphabet soup’
is used in the following sentence:
President of Mali, brought together ‘an alphabet soup’
of UN organizations—UNDP, UNHCR, UNPKO, UNIDIR.
Now I know ‘an alphabet soup’ is used as a metaphor
for an abundance of abbreviations or acronyms.
‘an alphabet soup’ is a very interesting expression.
p.s.
One of my friends in Niigata wrote to me about ‘alphabet soup’.
The Newbury House Dictionary of American English
says as follows:
‘alphabet soup’ means a mixture of many different things:
The population of North America is an alphabet soup of people
from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
Thank you, SS-san.
2012/4/26
The cherry petals have almost fallen off the trees.
They paint the ground pink just as in watercolors.
Now I see fresh green leaves on the trees
in the apartment complex.
These were all bare of leaves when I moved in.
Everything I see is alive.
I like to walk along this alley in the apartment complex.

(koharu’s karin)
2012/4/22
Last evening I attended Harmonica Concert 2012
with two ladies.
It was held in the Nissho-Hall in Minato Ward.
The instructor of our Harmonica Circle was to perform
in the concert.
He has been absent from our Circle for these three months.
He felt ill at the end of last December and went to see
his doctor.
His doctor discovered that he had developed cancer
in his both lungs, his liver, his stomach, his brain and
his lymph gland (リンパ節).
Yes, the cancer had already spread throughout his body.
His doctor said that his remaining days would be 90 days.
But our harmonica instructor, who is called 演歌の帝王,
was strong.
He survived those 90 days and stood on the stage!
He played 浪曲子守唄・風雪ながれ旅・ああ上野駅
on the harmonica.
I listened to them with tears.
I had not seen him since this January.
He got thinner, I thought.
When the concert was over, we, three ladies, went
to him.
I shook hands with him.
His hands were warm and soft.
He said, ”This is a miracle. I promise I will come back
to your Harmonica Circle again.”
We, all members of the Harmonica Circle, miss him a lot!

(by the roadside)
2012/4/17
Last Saturday when I was running the vacuum
over the rug, I had a sever backache.
Three days have passed and now I’m feeling better.
I’m sorry I cannot walk on briskly.
I’m sorry I cannot go a long way.
But I’m glad I can walk slowly and softly
to my daughter’s house.
I hope I’ll soon be all right in a few days.
(the sky, last Saturday)

(today's sky)
2012/4/14
Yesterday, in our Friday English Class,
our Americanteacher showed us how to make
Easter eggs.
We had been told to take some boiled white eggs.
1. She prepared some bowls of colored water.
(using a pill of coloring matter, vinegar and water)

2. We drew something on the eggs with a magic crayon.
It looked like a candle. We could not see what we drew
on the eggs.
3. We dipped the eggs into the colored water.

4. The eggs were all dyed leaving the lines we had drawn.

It's my first time to make Easter eggs.
A friend of mine gave me an Easter egg.
She is a Christian and this is what she made.
This beautifully decorated Easter egg is empty.

koharu liked it very much and put it in her doll house.


Our teacher gave us two boxes of Easter chocolate.
We enjoyed sweet Easter chocolate when we had a tea break.
2012/4/12
Spring break is over and everything has started again.
Wow! Time flies and koharu is a junior high school student!
She was only 6 months old when I came to live in Tokyo.
On April 9th , koharu attended the entrance ceremony
of a public junior high school.
She made an address of pleasure as the representative
of the first year students.
koharu’s mother said, “koharu was not nervous at all.
Yes, she did it very well.” What a relief!
On April 10th, koharu’s mother was busy
and I stayed at her home.
Yesterday, I attended KIFA’s Wednesday English Class.
KIFA stands for Kodaira International Friendship Association.
This year we use a textbook titled ‘Person to Person.’
Our teacher told us to read a dialogue in the textbook
every day and learn it by heart by next Wednesday.
I’m sorry I have a very poor memory.
What shall I do?
Today a mini-concert was held in our Harmonica Circle.
I played the song ‘Home, Sweet Home’ on the harmonica.
Tomorrow I’ll attend Friday English Class.
Oh, I must boil an egg hard and bring it to the class.
We are going to make Easter eggs.
On Saturday I have an appointment with the dentist
to have a regular check.
Yes, I am busy every day and I like my way of life.
(cherry tree nearby)