Lunar April starts from today, meaning a new moon at night. 染井吉野 has long been expected to bloom in the same month on solar calendars, yet often does within March these days. On the other hand, iris seems to stay in their best season. 乙戸沼 Park accommodates a lot of aquatic plants including that violet beauty, gives Shin and Mei-Shun a kind of relief.
Do you kind 405 followers wonder why Mei-Shun mentioned her ring in kabuki dance lessons? Actually, students are supposed to remove any metal accessory when they meet masters. Master Mei-Shu never told her last 名取 about it, while the latter learned that custom from 嘉咲-san who showed her sample lessons. It was amazing 13 years before, fills her mind with admiration and thankfulness.
So the time has come for Shin to resume weight control toward an annual health check. Mei-Shun is always happy to join him, cooking a lot of vegetables, tofu and konjak. The last one is also called “devil’s tongue” or “elephant foot, perhaps by its color and black grains within, while a great food with no calorie yet full of dietary fiber. Incredible 2 bags of sugar might be seen on a scale the other day, yet the wife never believes it.
Oh, how lovely fruits your branches are full of! Shin and Mei-Shun visited 乙戸沼 Park together after almost half an year. They missed 八重桜=yae-sakura, petal-layered cherry blossom here, yet could greet children of that beauty. It might be the biggest difference between above breed and 染井吉野. The latter is so artificial that has no pistils for reproduction.
Golden Week holidays are over, returning many of us to normal workdays — yes, normal. It seems to Mei-Shun that understanding of current normalcy really depends. For example, an owner of a beauty salon she visited today is a pottery lover. 陶炎祭=hi-matsuri held in 笠間 has been her annual destination of this season, yet cancelled to avoid crowd.
Children’s Day has come. It represents 柏餅=kashiwa-mochi and 粽=chimaki sweets for Shin and Mei-Shun, rather than streamers shaped like carps or samurai armors and helmets. We also have 立夏=rikka, the 1st of summer 二十四節気 today. It should mean a beginning of dry, comfortable season full of sunlight, yet too stormy to go outdoors this year. Above couple decided to make stay-home exemplar.
Mei-Shun meant to visit Master Bando today with a kimono in blue, cherry blossom patterns sewn by a friend of beloved Master Mei-Shu. However, iris one is available in current season only while the above all through the year in our country. She therefore wrapped the former into 小風呂敷=ko–furoshiki a small, square piece of silk and changed 眼差しの貴婦人 to Ms. Blue, her engagement ring.
So one of Mei-Shun’s favorite months started. A bit cold this morning before 6 : 00 when she got up to see Mikan-chan, living room temperature was under 20 degrees Celsius. Mr. Blue still gives good jobs, immediately warm them enough to let the latter relax on the sofa while the former prepare breakfast and bath for Shin. Thanks a lot for dining out yesterday to enjoy German dishes and beer.
It is the last date of April, on Friday this year. Mei-Shun feels it nice because her weekday schedule ends with a month. Golden Week holidays started from yesterday, yet Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo Prefectures are under the 3rd Covid-19 state of emergency. Faraway from relaxation in mind, she would just be careful not to gain any sugar bag around waist.
Today is Showa Day, named after a late emperor who represented an era Mei-Shun was born. Good rainfall continues from early morning. How do you take it, recent all-dry 2 weeks around here? Mei-Shun does as a kind of relief, hearing exultation song from everybody in our garden including Ms. Scarlet. Ms. Piano, shall we sing moonlight scores in order to ask clear sky tomorrow?
