koharu's last concert at high school

koharu, my granddaughter, was only 6 months old
when I decided to live in Tokyo.

How quickly the baby koharu has grown!

She'll be a third year high school student this April.

She belongs to the brass band club at school.

Last evening I attended her last concert
with my daughter and her husband.

The band played the following program of music.

第一部
★エル・カミーノ・レアル（アルフレッド・リード作曲）
★歌劇「トスカ」第三幕より（ジャコモ・プッチーニ作曲）

第二部
★ミュージカルステージ　「美女と野獣」

第三部
★オーメンズ・オブ・ラブ　（真島俊夫　編曲）
★アニメヒロインコレクション　（渡部哲哉　編曲）
★J-Best ‘16～２０１６ベストヒッツスペシャルメドレー
　（宮川成治　編曲）
★ディスコ・キッド　（東海林修　作曲）
★エル・クンバンチェロ　（ラファエル・エルナンデス　作曲）

She plays the oboe.
She is a student conductor.
She conducted the following three works:
★歌劇「トスカ」第三幕より,
★オーメンズ・オブ・ラブ and
★アニメヒロインコレクション.

The concert lasted three hours!

Their music excited and delighted us so much.

=== to koharu ===

You really have put a lot of energy into
brass band club activities, koharu.

You've had almost no holidays—no Sundays,
no summer vacations nor spring breaks.

You like music best of all
and you've done your best in the brass band club.

Now you have one more year at high school.
You'll be a third year student at high school.

Enjoy your last high school days,
koharu.

Alfons Mucha's world

Yesterday Mrs. M and I met at Shinjuku Station
and went to The National Art Center, Tokyo.
（国立新美術館）



We enjoyed Alfons Mucha's paintings.
（アルフォンス・ミュシャ展）





Mucha (1860—1939) was born in the Czech Republic.

His life was full of ups and downs.
He lived in a turbulent age.

I was deeply moved by The Slav Epic ----

a series of twenty huge paintings depicting the history
of the Czech and the Slavic people in general.
(cited from Wikipedia) （スラヴ叙事詩）

There was a room we were allowed to take 5 pictures
of The Slav Epic.











I was watching his paintings remembering the days
when I traveled in Czech, Slovakia and Hungary.

I felt
as if I were in Prague.（プラハ）

I am glad to know
I am getting my health back.

Thank you, Mrs. M,
for always watching over me.

spring flowers I saw this morning

It's very fine but very cold this morning.

I've just been went to the supermarket for shopping.

I felt like walking, so I went a long way around
and enjoyed little spring flowers.

Some of the buds will soon burst.


What an impressive 菜の花！


Oh, I remember William Wordsworth’s poem—
The Daffodils
which is one of my favorite poems.



And I remembered the day
when I went to the Lake District in UK.

I visited Dove Cottage
where W. Wordsworth lived
from 1799 to 1808
and composed the peaceful poem,
The Daffodils.

What a happy memory!

Friday English Class, today

Oh, what a beautiful day!

I walked 30 minutes and attended
Friday English Class at Chuo Kominkan.

It was chilly but I enjoyed walking to Chuo Kominkan.

(a cherry tree on the way to Kominkan)


We read a story from “Chicken Soup”—
Pets Teach Peace.

Our American teacher Ms. J had thoroughly prepared
for the story and explained carefully and clearly
about difficult expressions to us.

Ms.J is an excellent teacher,
I think.

----------- ---------

Chatting over a cup of tea, I told her
that March 19 is the 43rd anniversary
of my husband's death.

I said to her,

“43 years may sound a long, long time ago,
but I can't believe 43 years have passed since his death.
I feel as if everything had happened only yesterday.”

When the class ended,
Ms. J suddenly came to me
and gave me a big, warm hug.

I almost cried and thanked her heartily.

to my Daughter

Happy Birthday, dearest!



At birth you were very small.

You were born two weeks earlier
than I had expected.

Now you are 49 years old,
a strong, tender mother of two children.

You are happy your husband is
a devoted father and husband.

You are their sunshine
in your family, they say.

You live a busy life and you look always happy.

You are busy managing household affairs
and studying astrophysics (宇宙物理学) at university.

Keep studying physics
as long as you can,
feeling thankful to your family.

I do love you, Daughter!
You are my life.