2011年12月15日木曜日

towards the end of this year


In the northern area must have snow cover worldwide, yet in this region we have not seen the first snow despite of the coldness in the morning with temperature below zero.


After the cold rain some rain drops are shining on some fruits of nandina(ナンテン).

Rest of them were already eaten by some birds.


 
 
 
 
I often see some white- eyes ,ox-eyes, bulbuls in my garden, besides sparrows which are common birds in Japan are seldom observed recently.




I've read that sparrows have decreased sharply in this two decades because of rice-reduction and fewer suitable space for making nest under the eaves.

 
 
 
 
My husband made a small table for a plate with water and I sometimes put a few of grains of rice on it.


It was effective to invite some sparrows in our garden. This couple (maybe the same ones)is frequent visitor.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On a yuzu( sort of lime) tree in our garden yuzu fruits have grown in abundance.


I gathered some of them for making some acidic sauce which is needed for winter cuisine called nabemono.

Making it I look forward the day of new year when my sons will come back.

 
 
 
 


I will have a break time after some preparation for Christmas and new year.


To bake bread became to my husband's brother's hobby these couple years, and he sent us home made Stollen from Tokyo.

I've heard that in Germany people enjoy thin Stollen slice by slice waiting for coming Holy night, and the slices become tasty day by day.


a corner for Christmas. the tapestry and the small white tree are my hand made.

神もたぬわれにも聖夜近づきぬ ショーウインドウに降る紙の雪 haricot




Holy Night is getting up close


even for me who is infidel.


I stopped for a moment


to look at fake snow fall


in a store window


It is going through a period of grief in Japan by triple disaster, earthquake , Tsunami and leak of radio activity, and the end of the year is approaching.


I hope the new year will have a positive sign.

Let me wish you all the best in it.



33 件のコメント:

In My Wild Eden さんのコメント...

Such a beautiful post. Your sparrows are so pretty. I don't think we have that kind here. We have lots of sparrows but I haven't seen any with the lovely spot on their cheeks. Your handmade tapestry and tree are beautiful! I am so sorry about the troubles Japan is going through. I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Dave King さんのコメント...

Superb post. Lovely pics and an inspired text. Thank you.

Celeste さんのコメント...

Salut Haricot,

magnifiques photos, ces baies avec des gouttes de pluie......
Nous aussi nous avons des niches dispersées dans le jardin, et les oiseaux viennent toute l'année se nourrir,et on adore les observer...
Amitiés.Celeste

Z さんのコメント...

I always love your photographs, and those sparrows are especially delightful.

Japan has suffered so much this year. I was in London the day before the earthquake and I passed a Japanese family who were looking in a shop window with a Japanese themed display and smiling. I thought of them the next day, and how shocked they must have been. Best wishes to you and your family, dear Haricot.

Jen さんのコメント...

Dearest Haricot--what a beautifuly complex post you have written. Nourishment for the body with the wonderful foods you write about; nourishment for the spirit with the birds and family and poem. I love your Christmas corner--so sweet and eclectic. My heart aches for your country, and the trauma you have experienced. My warmest wishes to you and your family! (And how nice that your sons will be home!)

Jen

stardust さんのコメント...

Only two weeks are left this year – time flies! I feel so many to do with so little time but I’ve tried to calm and collected to finish the task one by one. You nicely expressed the feeling as a housewife and as a mother at this time of year which I can relate to, haricot. In your photography, a crystal-like rain drop almost dripping from a berry of Nandin is a nice capture and the little sparrow makes me wonder what he is looking at ant thinking. Your handmade white tree is lovely and your handwriting “from haricot” adds more warmth to this post.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Yoko

ruma さんのコメント...

Hello, haricot.

  Lovely your works, full of JOY!

  Thank you World-wide LOVE.
  and, your Support.

  The prayer for all peace.
  I wish You all the best.

Have a good weekend.
Greetings.
From Japan, ruma ❀

Christine さんのコメント...

Lovely post. I enjoy your explorations of your garden and wider world. I, also, hope that Japan will prosper in 2012 after so many problems this year.

Tomoko さんのコメント...

Hi,Haricot.
今年も足早に過ぎていきます。Haricotさんの手作りのクリスマスのコーナーは、きっとご家族の方にとっても心温まるものだろうと思います。きっと同じカップルすずめさんでしょうね。居心地のいい木のお皿を忘れずにやってくるのですね。我が家にも春になるとカップルのメジロが来ます。同じ目白なのだと思っています。

先日お向かいの奥様が天国に召されました。
お互いに趣味が似ていて、親しくさせて頂いてたのですが、彼女は仕事をもっておられて毎日忙しく、私も高齢の義理母と同居していますので、いつか暇になったらTea time しようって楽しみにしていました。クリスマスも待たずに逝ってしまって.......

来年は少しでもポジティブな気分で過ごせるような年でありますように。
Haricotさんも、どうぞ良いお年をお迎えくださいね。
See you again.
Tomoko

sarah さんのコメント...

I can understand "神もたぬ...聖夜は近つきぬ....”I always make Christmas wreath every year. And I baked a Christmas cake or had a feast before.
You are happy to get a stollen.
I wish you have a Merry Christmas.

Jenny Woolf さんのコメント...

I like this post and the poem makes me think of mixed feelings, about not being involved and yet understanding the significance of it.

I have often heard of yuzu fruit but I have never seen one here for sale. There is a Japanese food shop around the corner from us and perhaps I will go tomorrow and ask them if they have yuzu fruit. I am imagining it is a bit like a lemon or a lime, not sweet to eat but they might explain to me, if they have one.

I also wish Japan and Japanese people much better luck and better things in the coming year. This past year has been such an ordeal for some of my Japanese friends. That is certainly one of my wishes for 2012.

haricot さんのコメント...

in My Wild Eden

Thank you for your kind comment.
I didn't know about the sort of spparows and different kinds exist
in other countries.
Have a nice week and happy Chrismas.

Dave

Your warm comment makes me pleasant. Thank you.I wish you merry Christmas.

Celeste

Merci beaucoup. Maintenant je vois que vous avez des niches et vous pouvez observe les oiseaux dans votre jardin. C'est amusant, je crois. Joyeux Noel.

Z

Thank you for your comment and your concern about the aftermath of the disaster in Japan.
Have a good week and Happy Christmas.

Jen

Thank you very much.
Your comment always make me encourage. I wish you have a happy week and Chrismas.

stardust

いよいよ暮れも押し迫りましたね。今年も大変お世話になりありがとうございました。
ご家族揃ってよいお年をお迎え下さい。

haricot さんのコメント...

ruma

お元気だと分かって嬉しいです。
くれぐれもご自愛の上、よいお年をお迎えくださいますよう。
Thank you for your visit and comment.

Christine

Thank you for your concern about the tragedy in Japan, and for your visit and comment on this post.
have a good week and happy Christmas.

Red Rose

同じくらいの年齢の身近な人を亡くすのは本当に残念で、身につまされます。無理は出来ないと感じますね。どうぞtomokoさんもご自愛なさってよいお年をお迎え下さいますよう。
Thank you for your kind comment.

sarah

Thank you for your warm comment.
いつも手作りのリースとケーキでクリスマスを祝われるのですね。いつかケーキのレシピ教えて下さい。風邪をひかないようにして、よいお年をお迎え下さいますよう。

Jenny

Thank you for your comment despite of your busyness.
I(we) use the sauce made of yuzu for generally nabemono, but do not use for sukiyaki( according Wikipedia, nabemono includes sukiyaki).
have a nice week and merry Christmas.

☆sapphire さんのコメント...

What a lovely post, haricot! I so enjoyed this! Your yuzu fruits are really something!!
The decrease in the number of sparrows made me sad. Sparrows were very common birds when I was a kid. In my Mom's garden, I often come across white-eyes. My mom also feeds birds with slices of oranges. The small table your husband made looks great! I wish I had one like yours in my small garden.

今年はいろいろありがとうございました。また先日はコメントをありがとうございます。忙しくて私のブログへはリコメしておりません。
どうぞよいお年をお迎えくださいませ。

haricot さんのコメント...

sapphire

お忙しいのにコメントありがとうございます。うちにも目白はよく来てくれてお皿の水で水浴びすることもあります。なかなかシャッターチャンスはありませんが。
どうぞ、お体に気をつけてよいお年をお迎え下さい。

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

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°º♫✿ ♪FELIZ
°º✿ NATAL!!!
º° ✿♥ ♫° ·.

haricot さんのコメント...

Magia da Ines

Merry Christmas (^^)/~

Dave King さんのコメント...

All the blessings of the season to you and yours.

Ekaterina Trayt さんのコメント...

Thank you for this warm post, haricot!

I like to feed birds from my windowsill in autumn and winter. Sometimes they wake me asking for food, if the night was too cold. Sweet little critters ^.^

Merry Christmas to you too!

haricot さんのコメント...

Dave/ Ekaterina

Thank you very much.
Have a happy holiday!

Macy さんのコメント...

Merry Christmas Haricot! A new year is turning all over the globe!

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

♫♫♫ Feliz Natal!!!


…………(¯`O´¯)
…………*./ | \ .*
…………..*♫*.
………, • '*♥* ' • ,
……. '*• ♫♫♫•*'
….. ' *, • '♫ ' • ,* '
….' * • ♫*♥*♫• * '
… * , • Feliz' • , * '
…* ' •♫♫*♥*♫♫ • ' * '
' ' • . Navidad . • ' ' '
' ' • ♫♫♫*♥*♫♫♫• * ' '
…………..x♥x
…………….♥
Que o Natal não seja apenas uma data, mas um estado de espírito a nos orientar a vida.

FELIZ NATAL!!!
Beijinhos.
Brasil

haricot さんのコメント...

Macy
Thank you! Happy Christmas to you, too.

Magia da Ines
I like to hear your happy music.

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

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¸.•°`♥✿⊱╮FELIZ 2012!!!

snowwhite さんのコメント...

Haricot,
These are lovely lovely photos! Especially I love little birds’ ones. Not only sparrows but also swallows have hard time to survive. I saw many broken nests done by crows. That
is a nature law the strongest survive, but every time I saw a mother swallow perching near the empty nest, I felt so sad.
I wish your Happy New Year.
keiko

haricot さんのコメント...

Magia da Ines
Thank you for your song again.(^^)

snowwhite
鴉は燕の卵を狙うのでしょうか。巣作りは大変な仕事なのに、毀すのはいとも簡単、、、。お忙しい中コメントありがとうございます。
どうぞ、よいお年を。

ruma さんのコメント...

Hello, haricot.

 I was given many crops from your glorious works.
 We are far distantly each other, but this human interchange has cultural significance.

 Thank you for your heartwarming message and many visit, in this year.


 Healthy and Happy new years for you and yours.

Close spring, ruma ❀

haricot さんのコメント...

ruma

Thank you very much, ruma.
I wish you a very hopeful New Year.

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

Que 2012 traga novos sonhos, novas alegrias e muita inspiração para belas fotografias!
Beijinhos.
Brasil

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¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ª“˜¨¨ª“˜¨
¨¨¨¸.•°` BOAS FESTAS!!!
¸.•°`♥✿⊱╮FELIZ 2012!!!

Unknown さんのコメント...

素敵なプログですね。
私のブログにお越しいただきありがとうございました。
コメントとても嬉しかったです。
来年も宜しくお願いいたします。
良いお年をお迎えください。

ruma さんのコメント...

Dear haricot.
Happy new year 2012.

  Your time is yours, with your heart.
  The prayer for all peace.
 
Close spring, ruma ❃

haricot さんのコメント...

Magia
Thank you again, and Happy New Year to you.

h. muraishi
Thank you for your visit on my blog. Yous is superb!

ruma
Happy New Year!
Thank you for your encouragement.

Unknown さんのコメント...

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