Clear Blue Sky

I think I can't see a clear sky most of the time during the summer in Japan because of moisture in the air. That's why I am happy to see the sky that is a nice blue and reflected off water like this morning.

Summer Vegetables

I got some eggplants and cucumbers from one of my neighbors today. I can also see tomatoes, green peppers, watermelons, pumpkins, bitter gourds and more vegetables growing in his garden. I really appreciate this fresh gift.

Morning Mist

I saw beautiful clouds this morning when I woke up. The lake was veiled with morning mist.
I liked the contrast of the sky and the lake.

Red Sunset

We sometimes go for a walk in the evening. The sunset is often amazingly red. Here is picture of Andrew looking at the red sky over the lake. I didn't add any effects to this picture.
Here is some grass around the lake. They are taller than us.

Swimming

Today was the yearly swimming on the lake day for the local elementary school children.
The kids were swimming and adults helped them by swimming next to the kids and on boats.
There was one police boat in case of an accident.
All of the kids swam about 1 km safely to other side of the lake.

Morning View

It was misty on the lake this morning. I like it and decided to take a picture.

Library Books

I often go to the library and borrow books to take home. You can borrow 12 books for 2 weeks. I usually request some books online. My closest library emails me when the books have arrived there so I can pick them up. I appreciate that the libraries have many good books and keep buying new books for our city. I sometimes visit different locations just for fun. I hope more people would use the library.

Sunrise

I saw a nice sunrise at 5:50AM today. The sun was over the crowds and reflected on the lake.

The Food Van

There is a van that comes to our neighborhood twice a week selling food. It comes at exactly 1:00 pm every time.
It's very convenient for the older people in our neighborhood since there aren't any grocery stores near here and they always know what time the van will come.
I could see many snacks and bread in the van this time.

Trimming the Trees

When I was doing the dishes this morning, I saw my neighbor from the kitchen window. I was curious what he was doing because I don't have many chances to see him, so I used the zoom on our camera to get a photo of him.
He was standing on a ladder and trimming his tree.
After he finish trimming, he carefully came down the ladder. His tree looked very neat after his hard work.

Barber Shop in Iwata

My sister and her husband moved to the city next to Hamamatsu and opened their own barber shop last month. On Saturday, we went to visit them and see the new shop.
Andrew got his hair cut and he likes his new hair. I am sure my brother-in-law has great skill.
My sister, her 6-month-old daughter and me. My niece is calmer than my other two nephews.
Here is the flier from the barber just in case you are interested. A haircut is 1,500 yen and a haircut with shampoo is 2,000 yen. The name of the barber shop is charmant.

Collecting Bamboo

I want to hand-make a duster. I went out looking for some bamboo sticks that are light but strong.
I met one of my neighbors on the way to bamboo forest and he helped me to cut down these young bamboo trees.
The lake water was clear and I could see many small oysters at the bottom.
I also saw a ladybug before I went to home.

Walks on Windy Days

We live just next to a lake. It is windy most of the day during winter. Today, the wind was strong but we went for walk after the sun had set.
We could see the afterglow of the sunset getting darker and darker. Usually, we pass our neighbors and their dogs many times during our walks.
This house is build in the corner. They have a big steal wall to protect it from the winter wind.
The colour of the lake, the sky and the clouds look different every day. I like to watch the clouds change shape all the time.
We quickly went back home after seeing nice view. Andrew went back faster than me because I walked slowly.

Picnic

One beautiful sunny day, we went to a park close to our house.
There were many magnolia flowers blossoming. I especially like pink and white magnolias. We had a sandwich lunch there and enjoyed some relax time.

Cycling To Work

Andrew follows the lake shore by bicycle when he goes to the train station for work. After he left this morning, I tried to take pictures of him from our house. I waited some time and saw him.
I could get picture of him. He looked relaxed and enjoying cycling in the nice spring weather.
I've zoomed in on the previous picture...can you see him?

Tea Time

Around 3:00 pm today, we decided to have a break. I enjoyed choosing some jams and marmalade that we have. We finished the last bottle of orange & lemon marmalade that I made last May. And we opened a jar of jam called Apple Pie in the Jar that I received from Barbara. We liked both of them.

Blueberry Pancakes

These days, I have been eating pancakes every morning. When I wake up, I boil the water for tea and squeeze some mandarin oranges. At the same time, I melt some butter and mix an egg, sugar, salt, milk, baking soda, whole wheat flour and some blueberries in a bowl. When the tea is ready, I start to fry the pancake batter in the frying pan. I make two pancakes for Andrew and one for me. After I enjoy eating them, it's time to leave home for work!

View while driving

When I drive to work, I look up at these trees from my car every morning. I can feel that the seasons have changed when look at these trees. I see them full of pink flowers in the spring. The leaves change color quickly from new green leaves to green in summer. After lots of leaves fall down at the beginning of fall, I can see the clear sky between the branches during fall and winter.
On the way home in the evening, I sometimes see a beautiful orange sunset over the lake. I like the nice view around here so much. I will miss this when I stop driving this route.

At home

I basically like to stay at home. I am happy if I don't have any plans on the weekend. I bake, read books with some tea or coffee, organize my recipes, write blog entries and watch movies after dinner. Time goes by so fast.

Stained Glass Quilts

I went to a small craft exhibition the other day. They displayed some calligraphy, knitting and quilts. I saw some interesting quilts called stained glass quilts.
This one remains me of some Canadian Indian artwork that I like.
For me, these stained glass quilts are the most interesting that I have ever seen.