『"This year's cherry blossoms are...』

It was cloudy this morning, with occasional light rain.

I took a walk near my house.

It seems the cherry blossoms bloomed a little later this year than usual.

The cherry blossoms in my neighborhood were only about 30% in bloom.

Today was warm with a high of 25℃, but the weather forecast says it will be 11℃ tomorrow, so I'm happy that we'll be able to enjoy the cherry blossoms for a longer period this year.

 

There were two very impressive Japanese andromeda trees（馬酔木／あせび）, covered in many white and pink flowers.

The subtle fragrance was so elegant that I stopped for a while to savor the atmosphere.

 

With spring arriving, you can enjoy a variety of flowers along the walking paths.

『Because of global warming?』

My local supermarket grows seasonal flowers.

I look forward to seeing them every time I shop.

Because of the warm weather that's continued, the cherry blossoms (not the Somei-Yoshino variety) are in full bloom.

The Japanese daffodils are also in full bloom.

At the beginning of this month, the northern regions were hit by heavy snow every day, causing great hardship.

Could we have predicted such warm weather at the end of the month?

…………………  …………………

『It was a warm day.』

The Nanko plum (南高梅) blossoms on my balcony have bloomed again this year.

The pansies are blooming beautifully too.

……………………………　　………………………………

Today was “One month since death anniversary” of my older brother.

My brother wasn't old enough to die yet.

He had a lot of plans for his future.

It's a real shame that all of that went to waste.

『I feel a sense of emptiness.』

My older brother passed away recently.

The doctors ignored his wishes and pushed ahead with treatment anyway, which led to his death.

It was completely preventable.

I'm filled with frustration and regret.

Nothing I say can bring him back now.

I just can't believe this happened.

He's not coming back anymore.

At my brother's funeral ceremony, his fellow music lovers, who cherished enjoying music just as deeply as he did, performed songs and played instruments to see him off. 

 I am overflowing with thanks.

………………………………… ☆☆☆ ………………………………

The Nanko plum tree (南高梅) on my balcony has lots of buds.

☆☆☆  ☆☆☆

『This year's New Year's Eve...』

I ended up spending the last night of 2025 in the hospital.

My older brother is hospitalized, so I'm here to be with him.

My older brother is single, so I take care of him at the hospital and so on.

He had been working normally until three months ago, but he was suddenly hospitalized.

The Christmas tree at the hospital was huge and very beautiful.

～～～～～～～～～～～～　☆☆☆　～～～～～～～～～～～～

I'm making dried persimmons again this year. I hung up some slightly smaller persimmons than usual.

Rape blossoms were blooming beautifully on my walking path.

　

I also planted pansies again this year.

They will decorate my balcony until the warmer weather arrives in spring.

『Autumn Day』

The leaves on the trees visible from my window have turned color and stand out against the blue sky.

 

This is my usual walking path, but the scenery has completely changed into autumn.

The ginkgo trees in the park are also shining a beautiful yellow.

The fallen leaves on the slope also add to the charm.

The cyclamen flowers on my balcony are a vibrant red.

The persimmons were delicious today.

『The long, hot summer is over.』

The daily maximum temperature has finally dropped to 20°C.

These days it feels like the beautiful changes of the seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—are a thing of the past.

 

The bitter melon(苦瓜) on my balcony is at its last, but it still has five fruits.

I'm happy that I was able to collect lots of seeds from it this year as well.

～～～～～～～～～～～～ ☆☆☆ ～～～～～～～～～～～～

Yesterday was my birthday.

As usual, I made "this year's cake."

This year, I decorated it with strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries, along with whipped cream.

A year really goes by so quickly.

As we spend our days busy, we grow older.

On my birthday, I feel empty and regretful that I wasn't able to do the things I had set out to do this year.

I hope to have a birthday next year that doesn't make me feel empty.

I will do my best to make my wishes come true, even if just a little, while being considerate of the circumstances around me.

『My car is now 27 years old.』

I decided to get new tires again during this inspection.

Four years have passed since my last tire change, and I've started to notice small cracks in the tires.

 before

 after

I've had new tires many times before,

but I was a little hesitant to change them this time.

The reason is that this car will be 27 years old in September, and I wondered how long it would continue to run smoothly as it is.

This is the fourth car I've owned since getting my driver's license.

This is the first time I've kept a car for so long.

I changed my three previous cars every few years.

There were reasons for each, but there were also cars that I really liked and had to reluctantly give up.

Thinking about it now, I probably should have thought it through a bit more.

I had so many dreams when I bought this car 27 years ago.

But I regret that time has passed before I've been able to fulfill even half of those dreams.

This car has been with me for so long, I'm very attached to it.

Anyway, for now I plan to stick with this car until the end.

……………………………… ☆☆☆ ………………………………

 I ate some " Golden Oriental melon(黄金マクワウリ)" from Nara Prefecture.

It had a nostalgic taste that reminded me of my childhood.

『Late summer greetings』

I hope you are staying cool during the remaining heat of summer!

This year, the cicadas that I could hear at the beginning of summer have completely disappeared since mid-August.

What's going on?

It's strange.

 

Figs from Wakayama and peaches from Fukushima.

Seasonal fruits give me energy.

 

 

Taro, bitter melon, turmeric, and shiso leaves are also growing well on my balcony.

Tomatoes have lovely flowers, too.

Since the hot days continue, I'm watering the plants on my balcony twice a day.

It looks like the hot summer will continue for a while yet.

『I hope you'll be well this hot summer.』

On hot days, I drink plum syrup juice.

It goes down smoothly and I feel like it helps relieve fatigue.

When I was a child, I would eat watermelons grown by my grandparents during summer vacation.

The watermelons they grew were big, sweet, and truly delicious.

 

The other day, I bought a watermelon at a roadside station near my grandparents' house.

I ate it while thinking back to my childhood.

It made me nostalgic for my grandparents.

I have bitter melon growing on my balcony.

I'm busy watering the plants on my balcony every day.