There are three main vacations (not private) in Japan; one is New Year's day,
Obon vacation, traditionally Buddhism custom at the mid of August, and Golden week, the first week in May including the final two or three days in April.
Golden week is over and the ordinary days came back to me.
That of my family was not gilded but really descent; my three sons and his family (one is married and they have a little daughter) visited us ( my husband and I)in turn, and we enjoyed some home made dish together,
and when we were alone we drove shortly in the countryside avoiding traffic jam, and we spent a day in a town nearby.
This is out of the scenes we saw alongside of a river where we stopped by.
The river, Kizu(木津） river,runs near the border of Nara and Kyoto.
On the bank we saw some golden yellow area in the field of weed and shrubs.
These flowers which look like rape blossoms are カラシ菜, or Mustarｓ, Brassica juncea.
They were immigrants as edible plants and became wild gradually, and in this season the tiny massive flowers color along some rivers and rail roads.
In autumn this bank is covered with Japanese pampas grass, and I glanced at a bird among dried pampas grass' stalks. I thought it was a lark because I could hear their gentle chirp above me. But it may not be a lark and it flew away soon and disappeared.
The narrow path between Mustards' flowers leads us to the riverside.
When my sons were much younger we occasionally came here for enjoying barbecue.
In those days we took a former dog called Lucky who died at her seventeen years old.
I hesitated to have a dog again but my husband was eager about having one for taking a walk together. Ten years has passed since Daisy became my beloved second daughter taking after Lucky in many ways.
In the river there is not abundant of water because of few rain in recent days.
The sky is pale blue as well as the river, and it let larks' song fall continually.
ふかぶかとあげひばり容れ淡青（たんじょう）の空は暗きまで光の器 高野 公彦
The pale blue sky
gets some larks into it
and became a vessel of light
which darkens
the bottom of my eyes
Kimihiko Takano(1941～)
