sugar in the rain

it's been raining a lot, was perfect to spend nights re-sorting out my cds... re-sorting always turns out to be re-discovering, "sugar in the rain" by sid ramin was one of so many and made a treasury inspired by the melody. umbrella, rain drops, birds, girl in a lovely dress, fresh veges and a sweet tea time etc... i love spring rain.

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another treasury titled "dogwood yellow" is curated by sealmaiden, love the yellows!!!

koinobori

a golden week is coming, families with boys often display warrior dolls and miniature armor in their homes and the above is ours, every single part is made of old kimono, it's about 10" but has a great presence in the corner of our japanese room. 

"caramel corn" + "koinobori/carp banner", a special package for children's day/May 5th. the below is how it looks, crunchy - fluffy texture is OOAK!!!

another koinobori item is a tiny sake cup that i recently use for makgeolli. yum inside out!!!

a song for you...

The new school term has started and the entrance ceremony of my niece was held this morning. Sakura/cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Little things seem extraordinary sometimes, the beauty of spring is such a one this year. Faint pink here and  there, it makes my daily dog-walk like a special event.  One month has passed after the tohoku earthquake. What we read in the newspapers and what we see on TV might not be saying all as is. What we can do from the west seems so limited but making donations is one powerful thing for now and the future, not only for them but for "all of us" with hope.

Tohoku earthquake

I'm living in the same country but about 1250 km away from the tohoku areas, our life hasn't changed anything, as calm as before March 11. The devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami seems so unreal, far beyond all imagination.
I've received so many e-mails since Fri, thank you so much all for your kind thoughts, wishes, prayers and messages to Japan. May the souls of the victims rest in peace...

from my kitchen lab

my new pet/natural starter with organic raisin and yogurt works great so far. simple raisin bread(above) and petits pains with grained earl grey(below) both smelled and tasted fantastic!!! it's so moreish...

Happy Girls Day

 it started snowing few hours ago but then the sun shines beautifully now 

what a girls day... we've got winter and spring in a day

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i've been working on next update and having troubles with photos as usual...

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banko's tummy clock is like a cuckoo clock, she barks as the clock strikes 17:00

it's time to prepare a petit feast for Hina matsuri !!!

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Happy Girls Day

雛祭

It's Girls' day tomorrow ! Such events seem loosing  our original Japaneseness year by year  but my ladies of the house won't and several hina dolls have been decorated here and there. I always feel like celebrating the evening with our traditional old menu (chirashi zushi, shiro-sake and shortcake with berries as dessert)!!!

Happy Girls day!

begin now to enjoy tomorrow...

to enjoy tomorrow...

delish portrait

food smells often evoke our old memories and this video was such a one. this video was filmed in the old quarter where i stayed during my long holiday, their beautiful language is now resonating in my ears so nicely with good memories... it's time to cook supper now, i do feel like a bowl of phở hà nội with fresh hearbs...

thanks anastasia of LAccentNou for including my earrings in the treasury "dream big"!! 

春、spring

it's around 15 dgrees here. the sky looks so different from a week ago, so blue and fresh!  it's time to change my wardrobe from wool to cotton...

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thanks claudia of NangijalaJewelry and sealmaiden for sharing beautiful treasuries with me!

"so here it is, all soft and rosy and sweet" 

"Anticipating Spring"

baking, stitching and knitting

N&Y invited me for yakitori-dinner this evening and i baked my favorite tricks "caramel cheese cake" and "brownie" as souvenirs. they both turned out great, hope they're not on a diet...  

january really flew by and it's already february...  it's supposed to be my luckiest month of the year by a fortune teller, i have to let my eyes and mind widely open!

茶時間

all the leather pieces look same in the pic but each one of them is different in thickness. the basic course is almost done and i've ordered a lovely embossed leather piece in beige/white for a bigger  bag, can't wait to receive it to make one with my own style!!! 

my mum's friend brought a box of wagashi called "mugikko kurikko" the other day. it's pretty crispy on top like macarron and filled with a big chestnut and bean-jam, goes perfect with coffee and my favorite hojicha. i lost 3 kg during the sick week but have gained back already, aie...  

knitting in January

it's been much colder than normal this winter, but still there're some lovely flowers blooming in our barckyard. cyclamen is one of them, they look even prettier with snow!

when i was sick in bed, i also spent hours knitting, that's something we can do everywhere and anywhere of course in pj's. i made some little stuff mostly for kitchen. making stuff without a complicated gauge is totally stress-free and relaxing.

my dear friend hanae visited me over the weekend and we had a wonderful time together. we did enjoy super fresh-and-delish food from fish to pasta, wine, music, and chat-chat-chat. she brought me her hand-knitted bolero (above)!!!  i'm simply so touched and feel warm inside out. what a nice gift, i love-love-love it!!! 

SAKEROCK in bed

 

i've been down for a bad flu, spending days and nights only in my room and what i listened most were SAKEROCK and 星野源. i love hoshino's lyrics, so believable like short docu-dramas.

thanks to intravenous fluids, good music, DVDs(i watched so many) and warm tea, i feel much better now and ready for new work!

it's too late to say but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!