The Blues and pinks and green edamame

Hydrangea are in full bloom, everywhere. 

You can see hydrangeas bloom almost at every corner in Tokyo. Seem to make the humid rainy season more enjoyable and something to look forward to. 

There are so many types and colors and sometimes the color is mixed pink to blue. The other day while driving by the tamagawajosui, which is a man made stream which was made to bring water to Tokyo back in the day, I discovered so many hydrangeas planted there! It was great to see the different colors along the long stretch.  I wouldn't have known if I didn't drive at this time. 

Around this time I get inspired by the vibrant colors and choose clothes that are the shades close to the hydrangeas. 

So this is my skirt, and a daifuku. 

Daifuku is rice cake, very soft and usually has red bean inside. They are one of the confectionary that is less sweet. This seasonal daifuku has edamame inside made to a paste with little chunks still remaining. A little sweet and I bit salty. So glad I am here to taste this because I do love edamame. So many things that are seasonal to enjoy by taste and also through scenery, I am still not bored with you Tokyo~!  

Thyme

We have been growing herbs in our little balcony and this little guy is our thyme.

I love how the leaves are so tiny and the shades of green are just right.

The other day I decided to sketch it and really see how it grows.

It was almost like when I was in elementary school where I had to draw the plants growth over summer break and note how the plant changes.

There two coming out, and then another come out from here, and that merges to here but this is connected to here.....

The sketching and note taking actually made a big difference. There is a pattern to the way plants grow, and I din't fully understand till now.

It is probably something that anyone who knows about gardening or growing plants knows, but it took a good long sketching time for me to realize. But I'm glad I made the time to do it.

It really made it feel that I need sketch more often.

In my art school days, I remember going out to different buildings and houses to sketch. We would measure with our eyes, and see if the height or the length has a patterns or repetition, how it was designed...

It would be fun and good to get in the habit of doing~

Mid May

   

Love it when the weather is perfect!

The trees and plants are soaking all the sun and everything is turning green all around us.

At our little balcony garden, this year there are lots of flowers on the citrus tree.

The fruit is called Kabosu, in Japanese, it is similar to a lime, it is green and small but smaller, more round and  but I think is tastes a little sweeter.

The smell is so strong it makes me want to leave the widows open all day. The breeze even carries the scent inside the studio at night.

During the day, there are butterflies, small bees, big black bees with black wings that come to the trees. We wait patiently so they can do their job and we can enjoy the fruit in autumn~!

feels like Spring

It really feel like Spring is here when you see cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Every year I forget how pretty they are!!

This year I wasn't able to go to any area where the cherry blossoms are famous but I was able to see them bloom in my usual neighborhood.

This is the closed park from where I am. Small park but really great trees.

This was in Shibuya. It's really funny that cherry blossom trees are so appreciated this time of year but you forget the trees lining up the streets are cherry trees.

It is a also great to see them at night specially when it is lit up.

I know it's not that great quality but even my father who was visiting had to stop and capture that moment.

Then a week later another type of cherry blossoms are in full bloom!

They are the type that cascades downward and creates a really pretty walkway by the stream.

Here we are back at the small park. I love how the ground is now covered with the petals.

Rain is also happy that the weather is getting warmer.

The tradition is to have a small get-together and enjoy the cherry trees. There would be more people under the trees just a week before. But I thought this season is really nice, too. It's almost like snow falling but pink petals!

I never get sick of looking at the cherry blossoms every year. So pretty.

And sometime they surprise you by following you all the way home on a train back to you house~

getting ready for spring

So I looked up the other day, and there it was! Plum blossom. 

I was just in time to see the pink buds ready to burst.

I like the plum trees with a few flowers and those pink buds, and their the branches that usually  grows upwards. 

It doesn't feel like spring yet but there are a lot of signs from nature.

Like the frogs in the pond....... very loud and big!

so pretty

I love it when I have flowers in the studio.

This one is special because it was given to me by a neighbor.  She plants and grows them each year and when the flower blooms she gives it away to her neighbors.  Everyone can see them getting taller and taller in her garden when we pass by her house until it blooms at last. She gives us all to look forward to.


The gesture is so nice, and she does it every year.
It's also right when it is starting to get colder, more cloudy days and shorter days. Nice to see some colors. 
This type is my favorite of the bunch.

Thank you for this years flowers!