Hi, ladies!!
Yesterday I watched an interesting movie on TV about Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), “Miss Potter.” I had long wanted to see it, because she spent her youth in the Victorian era and later greatly contributed to the conservation of the Lake District in England. That scenery was absolutely beautiful, of course.
She seemed to be born in a rich, middle class family (I don’t know it correctly), which kept many housemaids and a governess. I found very intriguing when her mother had eagerly struggled to urge her to marry as soon as possible, while Beatrix was making her own way as a writer of picture books. Then she met a man who worked in a publishing company, and both succeeded in publishing her first book of Peter Rabbit in 1902. They fell in love, but her parents strongly opposed their marriage due to his lower class as a tradesman. Soon, a tragic affair happened…
So, I recommend you this fantastic movie.
See you next, have a good weekend!
8 comments:
Hi, ladies!!!
It’s already Friday, which I cannot believe. How fast time flies!!!
It has been another balmy and pleasant summer day in Sydney, albeit a bit hot.
Cherry, thank you for letting us know about the movie Miss Potter, which I haven’t seen, although I watched a biographical narrative program on cable TV about a year ago, which was quite intriguing to me. It seems that she was a woman of strong will and determination although she spent lonely days as a child, according to the TV program. I am very glad that you’ve got great interest in Victorian people and social customs, Cherry, since we have been having tutorials in Victorian society.
Alice, thank you for giving us a detailed account of your report and Professor Ueno’s seminar. Prof. Ueno is a world famous academic, and so please make great use of this opportunity of studying in her class. Not many people are so lucky, are they?
As I told you previously, I’ve been having new experiences ever since I got to Sydney, and the most challenging one so far is to learn how to use my daughter’s WINDOWS, which looks like a monster to me.
I started to use a computer in the year 1997 and bought a Mac laptop in order to write my thesis. Since then, I have used only Mac computers, the use of which is fairly easy and no one has to go to any school to learn to use an APPLE computer. Even I could learn to operate it very quickly. But WINDOWS is totally different, and there are too many icons to remember. It took a long time to learn which icon indicates what. Very tiring. I really respect and admire those who use WINDOWS without any problems.
At our three o’clock afternoon tea time, we had nectarines, plums, and pawpaws, all of which were so sweet, flavory and luscious. What is the best about Australia in summer is that there are various kinds of tropical fruit sold at veg shops. I love rocklemons, which are so huge and juicy but really cheap--perhaps one and a half dollars for one. Grapes and watermelons are also good but strawberries taste terrible. Don’t buy any strawberries in Australia. Sweet strawberries are sometimes seen at veg shops but still a large majority of Australian strawberries are not so sweet as Japanese ones.
We took Kenjin to a nearby photo studio to get his picture taken for his passport. He is only three months of age but soon will have his own passport.
I hope all of you are having a great time. It is almost time to go to bed. Goodnight to you all, my precious friends.
Hello, Cherry and my Friends.
It’s Friday. It has been raining since late afternoon. It’s so pleasant, cosy and comfortable to read your day-to-day happy stories such as pawpaw or icecream on the blog, my precious friends.
On the contrary, my son, Yoshio and his wife, Yuko including us are now facing an oppresive, heavy, and hash reality.
My grandson, Taiga was rushed to NICU(Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) in Fujita Health University hospital by ambulance yesterday, just only one day after he was born. At first I didn’t understand what happened to him.
According to Yuko’s explanation, a new born baby naturally discharges the first bodily waste, 胎便 within a day but in Taiga’s case, he did not, or could not.
So Taiga had a big, swollen tummy because of gas.
My husband and I rushed to the hospital with Yoshio and Yuko. When we got to NICU, what we had to do first was to sterilize our hands and wear a kind of aprons, caps and boots covers, leaving all the belongings such as bags, coats, even a watch and a ring on lockers.
Inside the NICU, newborn babies were lying on tiny beds with tubes in the noses. Some premature babies were in the incubators only with nappies.
We waited for a doctor to explain Taiga’s condition.
The young doctor told us unexpected report.
Taiga seemed to have a serious problem in his intestine. In other words, 10 centimeters of the intestine connected to his anus has no nerve; his intestine dysfunctions in the last part.
Operation would be necessary for him when he becomes six months old. To make the matters worse, there may be the high possibility of other serious disease. The result of blood test would reveal his real sickness in two weeks.
One day has passed since the information was told to us.
My husband and I have to accept the reality as a fact. What is required of us now is to support Yoshio and Yuko spiritually, and physically.
I’m sorry to tell you such unhappy news, but we have duties to accept the reality. Moreover we’d like to accept the cold reality not grudgingly but rather positively.
It’s time to say good-night, my precious friends.
It took longer than I had expected to finish this message.
Hi, ladies!!!
It’s Saturday, January 31, 2009 today and it’s been another lovely day in Sydney.
Sunflower, I am very sorry to hear that your grandson has a serious problem in his intestine. It must be very hard not only for your son and his wife but also for you and your husband to know what happened to Taiga. I sincerely hope that his surgical operation will be successful if he has to take it and he will grow healthy and strong.
I also would like to know his blood test result if you do not mind when it comes out. Please look after your son and his wife since they need your warm support, I believe. Please also look after yourself, Sunflower. I know it is a difficult time but I hope you put yourself together and encourage your son and his wife. I pray for you…
Dear Sunflower.
Hello.
After reading your comment late last night, I became really sad and sorry for you and your family.
He is only a baby. That's unfair.
How could I give you words when thinking about the coming 6 months you and your family face?
I pray for him and you. Let's hope he can get a high level of medical treatment.
Please take care of yourself.
Hi, ladies!!!
It’s Sunday, February 1, 2009, today and it’s been another mild and pleasant day in Sydney.
Sunflower, how are you today? Are you feeling a bit better now?
Yesterday, which was quite hot, my daughter, her sons and I went to Centennial Parklands, a huge park, near the University of New South Wales. The first thing we had to do was to find a nice shady place under a big tree, which we could do. Spreading a mat and a blanket, I placed Kenjin on them and put myself beside him. No sooner had my daughter taken Yujin to the playground 20 or 30 meters away than I lay down with Yujin’s ball as a pillow. In the sky some letters came out, which read STAY COOL. Some more letters appeared but some sticking out tree branches prevented me from reading them, but it appeared likely to be some ice scream company’s name. So it was a commercial message written in the sky!!! The letters stayed for 20 or 30 minutes in the sky, eventually dissolved and finally disappeared.
Tomorrow is Kenjin’s three month birthday, and so we are going to buy a sea bream at a nearby fish monger’s shop to celebrate it together (definitely Yoji, not my daughter, will cook it, I assume) and I will get Kenjin a baby dish set at East Garden shopping complex, which is not far from her flat.
In three weeks I will be back in Nagoya, the thought of which excites me so much but simultaneously horrifies me. There will be much to do awaiting me at home when I get home since I will have been away from home for such a long time, which will make me so busy, panicky and miserable. Alas… I am just complaining to myself, my dear friends. Please ignore me.
It’s getting late in Sydney. I will get ready for going to bed, my precious friends. Bye-bye for now.
Hello, Cherry and my friends.
It’s Saturday. It was a crisp winter morning. I breathed in cold fresh air from the window in the kitchen when I got up at 7 o’clock. Yet in the daytime, it was windy and very cold, wasn’t it? We should stay warm.
Alice and Plum, thank you for your kind and encouraging words.
I'm trying to be fine.
Today Yuko left a maternity clinic in good condition in the early afternoon while Taiga was still in NICU(Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) in Fujita Health University hospital.
We wanted to congratulate Yuko on leaving the hospital and therefore Yoshio, my son invited us to the Japanese restaurant to cerebrate the birth of the baby.
It was so nice to exchange our opinions and feelings what we have to do and we're going to do with Taiga frankly, honestly and openly.
Taiga really seems to bring each of our family members into one.
We are very happy to have Taiga. Accidentally he cannot nurse strongly enough, which made us feel sad and painful. But he is our treasure.
Yuko and Yoshio visit Taiga every day to hold him in their hands, talk to him gently and take some pictures. It appears that he likes to be with his mother and father, of course.
I’m expecting to see him tomorrow with Yuko in the afternoon.
I hope he’ll be able to scuk milk from his mother's breast and grow bigger and stronger so that he will be able to endure his surgical operation.
We’re planning to have our third essay discussion meeting tomorrow.
My essay is not progressing well as I expected, which made me unhappy and regretful. But there remains another one month to tackle with it.
Good-night, my sweet friends.
Hi Cherry and friends,
I’ve just got home from my sister-in-law’s house. My mother-in-law passed away last Friday afternoon and I’ve been at her house with my relatives since then. It was too sudden, though she had been sick. She was eighty-four years olds. She was a very kind, gentle and patient person and always cared about other people around her. Everybody loved her and respected her. I miss her so much.
Sunflower, I’m so sorry to hear about your new born grandson. It must be unbearable and tough for your family to accept the fact. Your continuing support and encouragement will give your son and his wife a great power and hope, I believe. Please take a good care of yourself, too. I’m hoping the operation will succeed and your grandson will be growing healthy and bigger.
I pray for your grandson.
Good night.
Dear Cherry and friends,
Good evening.
On Friday, Gloriosa, Violet, and Alice had the first essay meeting in Okazaki. It was held in an apartment room which a friend of Gloriosa's has been renting as her office. It was comfortable and perfectly suitable for our humble meeting. Actually, our essays have been humbly written.
Through the meeting, I learned some Japanese women activists and educators who lived in Meiji Japan. Gloriosa has a profound knowledge about Kubushiro Ochimi, one of the leaders of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Another interesting woman studied by Violet is Fuchizawa Noe who was the first principal of Myungsin Girl’s School, in Korea.
As for my essay which is about Victorian female missionaries, I was asked to distinguish the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan from other Japanese protestant denominations. I found it difficult to even decide whether it is denominational or superdenominational.
Some Anglican and Episcopal societies who sent missionaries to Japan formed an association called the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, but most Anglican churches in Japan have not joined the United Church of Christ in Japan. I will keep working on this issue.
Good night.
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