karin's English Writing Ⅱ

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2016年

March

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13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

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2016/3/29

「coming back from Niigata」　　

I came back from Niigata to my apartment in Tokyo
last night.

On the morning of March 25, I felt well
and decided to go home to Niigata.

I left my apartment at 10:20 a.m.
and arrived at Tokyo Station around 11:30 a.m.

I was in time for the 11:45 Shinkansen for Niigata.

(from the Shinkansen)
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My good old friends of mine had planned
a lunch party at a hotel in Niigata
but I was not sure if I could attend the party
because I was not in perfect condition.

Oh, how happy I was to attend the party
and see my good old friends!

It was a delightful party.

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My neighbors in Niigata City were very kind to me as ever.
Mrs. TE said to me, “Call me whenever you feel sick.
I'm always ready to help you.”

How kind of her to say so!

(my hiiragi)
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(my daughter's elementary school)
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On the morning of 27, I took the Shinkansen to Nagaoka.
Then I took a taxi to Tochio, my hometown (birthplace),
where my sister and her husband live.

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My sister's husband found it very difficult to stand up.

It took him a long time to stand up.

Then he walked several steps holding on to the pillars
or feeling about with his hands.

My sister always watches him anxiously.
She helps him only when he asks her to.

She knows her husband wants to stand up
and walk by himself.

She is very patient, I think.

I've never heard him complain of his condition.

How strong he is!
How devotedly she looks after him!

I stayed overnight at my sister's.

My sister, her husband and I talked and laughed a lot.

We had a very good time, indeed.

==============================

On my way back to Tokyo, I enjoyed speaking in English.

An Indonesian couple sat next to me
on the Shinkansen train.

The wife said to me, “Do you speak English?”
I said, “Yes, a little.”

And we three enjoyed talking in English.
They were as old as my daughter.

They have an only daughter who goes to high school.

They came to Japan last week and will go back
to Indonesia next week.

They said, “What a beautiful country Japan is!
We'll come back to Japan with our only daughter.”

I was very glad to hear that.

I learned an Indonesian word for thank you---

TERIMA KACIH （タリーマ・カスィ）.

タグ：新潟市　長岡栃尾　インドネシア

投稿者: karin

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2016/3/21

「Tonogayato Gardens in early spring」　　

Yesterday I visited Tonogayato Gardens
（殿ヶ谷戸庭園）near Kokubunji Station.

It was my first time to visit the Gardens
in early spring.

I wanted to see flowers of カタクリ,
‘Dogtooth violet’ in English.

It was cloudy in the morning but the weather
began to clear in the afternoon.

It takes only 15 minutes by bus from my apartment.

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The lawn will soon be green.

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I was a little late to enjoy カタクリ　in full bloom
but I was glad to see them.

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The following flowers made me happy, too.

（シデコブシ）
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（トサミズキ）

What flow is it?

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What a mild day of spring!

タグ：殿ヶ谷戸庭園　カタクリ　国分寺

投稿者: karin

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2016/3/19

「March 19, 1974」　　

To my Darling---

42 years have passed since you passed away.
Many may say it is a long time ago now
but I feel as if “it were only yesterday.”

I've fulfilled the promise I made you.

Yes, our only daughter has grown up to be
a very good mother.

I'm glad her husband says she is a good wife.

She is now a university student again
and is studying astrophysics, which I do not
understand at all.

She loves physics as you did, Darling.

She is very happy, I think.

She became 48 years old on March 11.

Let's celebrate our daughter's
belated birthday, Darling!

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(at 4:30 p.m. today)
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タグ：生前の約束　誕生日　スイートピー

投稿者: karin

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2016/3/15

「a Sunday afternoon concert」　　

On Sunday I attended a Sunday afternoon concert.

It was held at Miyaji-gakki Hall which is only one minute
walk from Musashi-koganei Station on the Chuo Line.

The concert was named
“the International Chamber Music Festival.”

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All players are amateur players from the Netherlands,
Germany, UK, USA, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.

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All of them got together to play here in Koganei
and they are now playing in Atami.

Admission Free!

I enjoyed classical music by Mozart, Brahms, Reicha,
Beethoven and Schubert.

I went too late to get a program of music.

They printed only 100 copies and more than 100 people
came to enjoy the concert.

The concert lasted for 2 and a half hours.

As the leaflet says,

“Music really is the world's universal
language.”

タグ：国際室内楽音楽祭　市民交流センター　宮地楽器ホール

投稿者: karin

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2016/3/10

「voluntary waitress」　　

Today I worked as a voluntary waitress
in the one-coin café in the community,
as I do every Thursday.

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I was very busy as there were a lot of
customers coming to enjoy coffee or tea
for 100 yen.

They were enjoying talking over tea or coffee.

All of them looked happy.

Many of them said they were happy to come
to the café and enjoy talking together.

(today)
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(today's BGM)
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I was busy serving coffee, English tea or green tea
with simple cakes.

I washed the dishes, a lot of dishes.

I was very busy and very happy too.

Yes, keeping myself busy seems to be
the best way to stay cheerful.

タグ：ボランティア　地域ふれあいカフェ　１００円カフェ

投稿者: karin

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2016/3/5

「walking downtown, Ginza」　　

Today MH-san and I met on the Chuo Line Platform 1
in Tokyo Station at 1:30 p.m.

I found a notice on a wall whiling waiting for my friend.

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The notice shows how hard the station staff are trying to help
visitors from foreign countries, I suppose.

First we had a late lunch at a restaurant
in Daimaru Department Store,　「たん熊北店」.

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「たん熊」is one of my favorite restaurants!

When my daughter was a university student in Kyoto,
we would often have dinner at 「たん熊」in Kyoto.

Today MH-san and I ordered 北山 and a glass of wine.
It was a delicious lunch.

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Then we started walking from Tokyo Station
toward Ginza Mitsukoshi.

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Here we are!

It's Saturday and the road is closed to traffic—
歩行者天国(pedestrian paradise).

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Ginza was crowded.
I love strolling in Ginza.

After enjoying 銀ブラ, we walked to Yurakucho Station.

On the way both of us bought Green Jumbo lottery tickets.
Will I win the lottery? Maybe not.

On my way back I spoke to a foreign couple on the Chuo Line train.

The man was slightly drunk and staggering back.

So I told his wife to let him be seated in my seat.
She said, ”No. Thank you so much. ダイジョウブデス.”

When I was getting off at the next stop,
I spoke to her again.

Then the couple said to me　again and again,
“Thank you so much. アリガトウゴザイマス.”

The wife told his husband to be seated.
But her husband said, “No, no, no. You sit down.
I'm all right.”

I said, “See you around,” waving to them.

They said, “ Thank you, アリガトウ. See you around.”
Both of them were waving back to me.

I had a very good day today.
Thank you so much, MH-san!

I walked 13259 steps today.

タグ：たん熊北店　銀ブラ　英会話

投稿者: karin

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2016/3/3

「Hina Matsuri, the Doll Festival」　　

Did you celebrate Hina Matsuri to pray for your
daughters' happiness and their healthy development?

I remember the day when my mother, my two elder sisters
and I took hina dolls out of old boxes and placed them
on the display shelves, ひな段.

Each hina doll was carefully wrapped in soft paper.

We took care of them very gently and carefully.

Where have those hina dolls gone?
How I miss those happy days!

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