walking downtown, Shinjuku

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.

alphabet soup

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.

season of fresh green

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)

believe in a miracle

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)

backache!

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)