common cattail
Recently, degraded farmland can be seen here and there.
There are various reasons.
FArmers become old and can no longer cultivate, rice price is not worth the lavor, machines are very expensive and so on.
As a result, scenery around us became like this.
The beautiful scenery of rice fields covered with fluttering ears of rice is gradually disappearing.
This is the sunset of yesterday evening.
Pink sky was refrekted in the rice paddies filled with water in preperation for rice planting.
I thought it woud be sunny tomorrow, but it was cloudy most of the day.
Hydrangea macrophylla
June is the season of hydragea and there are verious kinds of hyｄrangeas.
My daughter prezented this flower to me on a mother's day a few years ago.
I planted the flower in the alley and it grew like this.
Okuraleaf hydrangea
heart-leaved houttuynia, Fish Mint
I made Dokudami tincture by soaking the flower in alcohol last year.
It is useful when I am attacked by mosquitoes.
I did the same with it's leaves, but Ihaven't used it yet.
It seems to be lotion that is gentle on the skin.
Swallows are warming eggs in the eaves of the barn.
It seems that they are having a hard time with the lack of places to make nests these days.
They are making their best to protekt eggs from external threats such as crows and snakes.
I hope they grow and leave the nest safely.
Christmas illuminatio0ns in my neighborhood
Christmas illuminations at Takahashi culture hall
It's very cold today and heavy snow fell at some places in Japan.
It is said that two men died because of the snow at Shikoku area.
By the way, the days are very short these days.
But beautiful Christmas illuminations are shining everywhere.
I also can see the illuminations near my house.
This is one of them.
It's October 1 today.
Comfortable autumn has come at last.
It's cool early in the morning and at night though it's sometimes hot during the day.
Scenery around us is the one of autumn.
By the way, I like autumn better than any other seasons. 
Rice planting is over and the scenery around my house is the one of early summer.
Planted rice plants are growing day by day and the rice fields will be beautiful green before long.
Flowers of weeds looks pretty by the rice fields.
Two ducks living in the pond flew to the field to eat something.
It became cold and I feel the coming of early winter.
I went to a pond while I was taking a walk the other day.
The leaves were turning to yellow, brown or red.
Cold winter is around the corner !
These are the pictures I took there.
Please click !
sunset
Very hot summer days had passed away and cool autumn days have come though it's hot in a daytime yet.
It's very comfortable at night and in the morning.
And the scenery around us has changed to the one of early autumn.
We can see many red spider lilies here and there.
Though it's hot in a daytime, I feel the sign of fall here and there.
It's cool in the morning and in the evening.
And I hear the sound of insects at night.
flower of leek
I can see the little white flowers and ears of rice plant.
After a month or so, we will harvest them and will be able to have delicious rice.
ear of rice plant
These are some sceneries these days.
The scenery these days is the one of late autumn or early winter.
Color of hills seen from here is turning to brown day by day.
pond of lotus
fallen leaves
seeds of cotton rosemallow
down of a weed
This is a picture that I took when I went to Kurashiki.
The atmosphere of "The beautiful area of Kurashiki" is calm and gentle and was crowded with many tourists.
The place is a location site of NHK morning drama " carnation" that is under televising now.
Please enjoy this slide show !
These are thumbnails.
Chinese milk vetch in a rice field
Chinese milk vetch are in full bloom in a rice field near my house.
A farmer grows them every year there, so we can enjoy the scenery in this season.
By the way, dust storm ( ko-u-sa) from chinese continent has been floating in the air since yesterday.
The air wasn't clear and the dust fell down on the car, laundry drying in the air and so on.
Besides it isn't good for our health.
I hope it will disappear tomorrow ! 
sunset on November 23
pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/yayoiaa/iEsxk#
slideshow http://picasaweb.google.com/yayoiaa/iEsxk#slideshow/5541983836762901042
