Snow on New Year's Eve

First winter snow

This morning it was drizzling miserably, then rain turned to hail, and hail transformed to snowflakes. Here is the first fall of snow for this winter. Hopefully tomorrow will be whiter!

Anniversary Outings

For our anniversary, Sir S and I recently returned to the ryokan where we had our wedding reception last year. We feasted on a sashimi and tempura set lunch whilst admiring the riverside willows and the brave ducks bobbing upon the cold waters.

A Matsue Christmas

Kinoko (mushroom) and Kitty-chan baubles

Christmas trees and shoji screens

Beautiful Yule Hearts made by the crafty, nimble-fingered Miss Violet.
One hangs them on the tree and fills them with nuts, fruit or chocolates.

Our tiny, be-tinselled tree.

Haigh's chocolate pud, sent by express pigeon from Adelaide.

The stash of Christmas presents and stuffed Yule hearts
(I refrained from filling the bottom two hearts, in case the tree toppled over at an awkward moment).

The Christmas feast at Mistress P's manor: featuring vegetarian nut roast (front), mushroom gravy, roast vegetables, cranberry and blue cheese salad, turkey, cranberry and apple sauces and vegetarian stuffing.

On Christmas Day, after Sir S and I had our usual present-opening frenzy and Haighs' chocolate pud consummation before the Christmas tree, we spent the day at the manor of Mistress P of the Turkish Cigarettes, where we ate and drank until we were unconscious. Mistress P laid out a sumptuous spread, serving up delicious mince tarts, golden roast vegetables, mushroom gravy and a spiffingly moist plum pud that looked dramatically aflame in electric blue. I baked a nut roast from this recipe which turned out, I'm pleased to say, most famously! I had even ground the nuts using a teatowel, hammer and eye-goggles. It was worth the effort! The apple sauce accompaniment was delish. How can one ever tire of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice flavours?

Christmas? Love, actually!

Christmas in Japan is intertwined with romance, and Christmas Eve is the, shall we say, climax of the festivities (oo er!). Couples usually go out on a Christmas Eve date and dine together at restaurants, many of which offer Christmas Eve candlelit courses for the starry-eyed. A young Japanese woman's common lament at Christmastime is about the absence of a beau and thus no Yuletide love!

Some families in Japan tell their children the story of Santa Claus, decorate the house with a tree & c and give presents to children, but usually in the Teutonic style of Christmas Eve present-giving and feasting (roast chicken being the favoured Yuletide flesh).

A popular festive sight is that of the Christmas illuminations. On the recommendation of a student, Sir S and I ventured out into a rainswept evening to view the illuminations amid the rice fields of a wealthy farmer. Sadly the fairy glow prettiness was blurred in my viewfinder due to the treacherous weather.

Last visions of autumn

As the Year of the Boar stampeded to its close, so did autumn fade into winter.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

In the last days of autumn a rainbow appeared on the other side of the river across from our house. The riverside houses could be seen through its multicoloured gauze. In fact, the rainbow's end could be seen misting into the grass, although it was without gold. This is the first rainbow I have seen in Japan!