Homegrown

What? What Hydrangeas? Mine have crashed and burnt since the first day of Summer.





How can Jap's summer be so hot?!?! Some regions were even having 39.4 degrees celcius yesterday!


Given the oven-like climate, it's hard sitting still even for lunch. Only by night when the breeze is cool and inviting, I'm finally acting human. There's a regimen of sitting by the window before bed, to watch the stars and ease the nerves before bed else I couldn't have slept after all that day of fidgets.





And do my careless gaze across the room like the other night, and I caught Rowndy, whom I've forgotten to blog about out of busyness, showing signs of withering. It has fully bloomed since 3rd May, 23 blooms in total, and lasted this long. =)











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Yup, Rowndy is a darling to have, my homegrown pride whenever friends shower praise over it ( well, those friends who understand orchids ). I just hope that it'll be kept healthy always...


While Rowndy is soon retiring to a dormant state again, look what I'm starting to ganer to the table.





' Very very sweet tomatoes. Wait a minuite, are they.... '

' Yes sir, they are our very homegrown. '

Summer!

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We're in the first legs of a brand new Summer! The temperature rocketed to 31 degrees celcius after the cooling monsoon. Pant pant...





It's gonna be a cool season anyway : lotsa ice-cream, desserts, shopping and long drives.


Good news, my spouse-visa is renewed to a permanent one! You have no idea how much trouble it takes to settle documents in this country, so Bear is totally elated about having it done. =)





We'll be receiving 2 complimentary trees thanks to having our place merged with Matsumoto. And finally found the most suitable symbol tree for the landscape. =)





So, things are looking good though the unforgiving heat can be quite a pain. For the time being, I'll just concentrate on hydrating myself and keep an eye on progress of stuff... =)


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Special thanks to friends who've mailed with concern. I had to be away to see to things thus the lack of posts. Praise be to God, He's smoothed out even the most knotty issues - miracles that constantly remind us that our God is in control.

I'm definitely back, on a good note! ;)

Deflated

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Dear God-Blessed Box,





Sometimes, I'm lost at how to document you ...

Like today. The weather is unusually good ( read : hot ) despite the monsoon we're having. The Lavenders smell incredible. And cute Kermit has come to stay with us again.


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Besides a nasty sore throat, sleepless nights are still bearable... I mean if I can't give thanks or praise from the inner soul, I don't want to end up sounding ungrateful, or pass this negative energy to anyone who didn't drop by for it.


But many a time, I yearn for a personal space to let it out.


Especially when disappointment, betrayal, or let down gets too large to go unnoticeable... If effort is meant to fall like dominoes after all, I wish I haven't tried so hard in the first place.


Why should I let him? WHY do I let him??


Ultimately, the problem lies in me? The problem lies in me letting him, right?


...



Can I just fly away and let things be?





Tell me that I'm not alone. Tell me that I'm not the only one who tidies up real life messes because the responsible person is not owning them. Then maybe I'll pick myself up, move on and force myself over the hurdles which shouldn't be there in the first place...



Sometimes I find myself surrender to fantasies - I wish I'm more like a scatterbrained, an idler, some kinda unmindful, anything but rational! I wish I could at any time just lounge back and say, ' Oh well... ' , pretend that nothing happened, and w.a.t.c.h. setbacks form a tidy mount without battling an eyelid!



But before I could entertain the thought for a quarter second, every fibre in me will start screaming that things get collected in place, damage mitigated at once, do something right away, and make things happen! I'm reminded again that I'm not designed like that!



God, if you haven't let things happen to defeat me, ENABLE me.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Pslam 18:2

This one is for the deflated, and hope we all get better soon enough for weekend precious.

Fluttering...

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As the butterflies do... a silly back and forth one I'm doing though. Hoping that things get settled real soon.

Paragraphs in the midst of monsoon

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Nothing's so happening here - it's a wet season running a dry spell.



~The garden~

Good news! It's finally getting fixed starting July! YAY!!!




~The bike~

Obviously, Bear wanted it at our place instead of our in-law's garage. Did I mention for how many donkey years Bear hadn't touched his toy, and that he had to hurt himself with a fall 2 years ago? And how he almost got me killed 2 times in earlier summers? I insisted on escorting him from behind on Father's day - the longest journey that made my tummy churn laminas away. I almost tore the wheel out whenever Bear shook me off. I prayed so hard that God stopped 2 rains in between that hour ( or we can accuse Bear of his hell speed that threw the raining clouds behind us ). Imagine my relief when we got back in a piece, THANK JESUS!




~ We heart shiitake ~




Yep. The Japs call this mushroom 'shiitake'. Bear loves it so much that he almost got some logs home to nurture home-grown shiitake at the rear. ( It's the fun he's after, not quite the shiitake. )


If you agree with me, the tiny one on the surface can almost pass as a heart!





~イナダのさしみ~

We've been frequenting this fabulous Japanese restaurant that always surprises us with extraordinary cuisine, always artistically presented. I wish I've brought my camera to explain what made us we jump from our seat last night. A raw fish 3/4 the length of my arm and twice my 'biceps' thick was brought up before Bear! It was a grotesque sight, with the fish head bigger than my fist; seemingly smiling and alive! Its flesh cut out in generously thick sashimi and... did I see blood? Unpalatable I'd say, YUCK! We laughed so hard after leaving the restaurant, it was definitely the most unforgettable dinner experience to date.



~Nothing too small~

I have this problem everybody is having, always hesitant about praying over trivial things I thought I could solve on my own, till there were close moments when pressure almost blew me up! But God was in control. Again, and again, and again, I've learn to put things at His feet ~ the great things and small ones too. Nothing's too insignificant I can't bring up before Him, for He's the fatherly figure that cares...


Thank you Father, for the garden thingy, the bike thingy, the heart shiitake, the garden thingy again thus the celebration at つづみ. We're blessed.





P/S : Dear MJ, you may have been gone for a year today, we still have you in our playlist. Always will.

Holey

It's monsoon.


Garden thingy isn't progressing like how we've hoped, and monsoon is always only good at decelerating things. Nevertheless, I'm pinning high hopes on the company we're meeting tonight. Please please, please make it work! =/





As I didn't see the vegetation plot commencing fast enough, I started seedlings of tomato and herbs on a planter early spring. Amazingly, the fellas are developing faithfully by inches despite a lack of sunshine. Given the less than ideal conditions, I should be more than thankful even with an average harvest this year.









The thing is, before I can touch them, who is munching on my basil leaves?






Now if Bear is right, where.are.the.caterpillars?? Every morning, I'll find my choicest leaves gone!


Incidentally, the defeated leaves sorta delineate the spirit inside - holey. The garden that isn't getting done soon enough, has a good chance of getting in the way of other serious business later. Landed vegetation isn't a piece of cake like balcony vegetation, especially if I want it done organic. I've overestimated myself.



But stuffs can be sorted out right? Right? I shouldn't sweat over what's resolvable right? Gotta tame this anxious heart.


~ Ok, you had the basil. Leave my tomatoes and rosemary alone, alright? ~


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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6

Hydrangea, at last

First time I laid eyes on Hydrangea, my heart felt like a thousand flowers bursting from inside. Still unable to verbalize its spellbinding effect on me... Always mesmerized by the clustered blooms in magical blends of pastels and tones, so delicately layered. It's an everlasting passion unfolded.



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Japan being famous for its Hydrangea breeds, attracts collectors from around the world. The late Princess Diana who was fond of Hydrangea, would seize several back to England whenever she managed to travel Japan. Very often, I would wonder which were the ones lucky that left with her.










After all these years, I've finally started little pots of Hydrangea at the rear, in pastel pink, blue and purple. Their heads drooping at rainy intervals and all perked up on sunny days. In a couple of years, I'd have a surplus for cuts at the niche.



It still feels like how I've seen them for the first time. =)



Please share anything if you're a lover of Hydrangea too.

Home Alone II 2010

Home alone since Wednesday, or maybe not so alone - I had friends over for the past days!


Bear had better stay out when pals come over. ;P First batch was the 'wives-club'. College friends turned fiends when they took over the next day. Mahjong tiles lugged out, hair let down, we laughed, talked, snacked, made so much noise like brash teenagers. We forgot where we were.


Gotta love them. Oh, one of the girls who left us last year, has returned and probably staying here for good. =D


Home looks like a battlefield after the bash. And I'm still trying to make it the same old place before Bear returns tonight. Ha!