My mother has been hospitalized almost three weeks, and she committed to rehabilitation during that period.  GOOD FOR HER!

Undergoing rehab/

Anchorage for tomorrow/

Oh, rose periwinkles/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

https://www.facebook.com/Calligrapher.Chio/

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３週間近い入院でしたが、その間母はよくリハビリを頑張ってくれました！

https://www.facebook.com/Calligrapher.Chio/

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Year after year, a kind neighborhood lady gives us gorgeous hydrangea flowers.  Just for a moment I thought of bringing them to my mother’s hospital bedroom.  However, I changed my mind, since she will be back in a couple of days.

Girl split up/

Thrusting up/

Balls of hydrangeas/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

https://www.facebook.com/Calligrapher.Chio/

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毎年いただきますが、今年もご近所からもらいました。

母の病室に持って行こうかなと考えましたが、２〜３日もすれば帰ってくるので止めました。

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My mother and I found this while taking a walk.  I wish I could take a picture when it was stretching its neck to the maximum.

Blue heron dances/

Waiting for the rice planting girls/

To appear/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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母との散歩の途中で見つけました。ぐんと首を伸ばしたところを撮りたかったのですが・・・。

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Gerbera daisies that late Mrs. M. who was a very good friend of my mother’s gave us bloomed this spring again.

If primulas are grandpa’s flowers, gerberas are Mrs. M’s flowers.

Gerbera daisies/

Keep on blabbering/

In the darkness/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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今はもうおられない母の親友のお庭からいただいたガーベラが今年も咲いてくれました。

プリムラがおじいちゃんのお花なら、ガーベラはMさんのお花です。

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Because the task for today’s practice session was to choose and write one letter from our own name, in other words, the same as the last time, this time I chose one from my mother’s name.

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今日のお稽古の課題は、先日と同じように自分の名前から一文字とって書く、というものでした。それで、私は母の名前から一字書きました。

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In our garden, primula flowers are beginning to bloom year in, year out.  My mother told me my granddad liked this flower and when she got married and came to our house to live, the flowers were already there.
My mother and I didn’t know the name and used to call this flower “granddad’s flower” until the lady next door who is a keen gardener taught us it was “primula”.

Granddad/

Is a very warm/
Stub/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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今年も毎年のように庭のプリムラが咲き始めました。母によると、祖父がこの花が好きだったようで、母がお嫁に来た時には既に咲いていたそうです。母も私もこの花の名前を知らなかったので、「おじいちゃんの花」と呼んでいました。ガーデニングがお得意のお隣の奥さまに教えてもらうまで。

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Today I paid a visit to the grave of my mother’s family, which I do twice a year.

In my mother’s hometown, I have always felt more sunlight, that is, less shaded areas, and the air with much more dusts compared to Kyoto, my hometown.

In the spring sunlight/

Only dusts are/

Rising up/

Nothing has changed/

In mom’s hometown/

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今日は、母の実家の墓参りをしてきました。だいたい年に２回のペースでしますが。

母の実家の町は、私が生まれ育った京都に比べるといつも陽射しが多くて、つまり日陰が少なくて、埃っぽい気がします。

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My mother’s name is Kinue and mine is Tomoko. I put these sounds Ki, Nu, E, Tomo, and Ko at the beginning of each line and wrote a poem.

I got this idea from a wonderful poem with a warm taste I found at a calligraphy exhibition I visited the other day.

Apparently, a mother wrote a poem putting the sounds of her daughter’s name at the beginning of each line, which I heard made the daughter so very happy. I tried the same manner.

Who are you?

What a strong bond we have had!

Like a coloring picture/

Let us continue painting together/

This picture of our lives, so VIVID/

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母の名前は、絹江。私の名前は知子。それで、その文字を行の頭に置いて歌にしてみました。

このアイデアは、先日見学した書展で、お母さんがお嬢さんのお名前でほのぼのとした良いお歌を書いておられるのを見て、ちょっと真似したものです。それで、お嬢さんはとても喜ばれたそうです。

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This is another one I sent to the exhibition.　It has my own tanka and haiku about my mother and looking after her. However, as I was afraid my poetry writing was not good enough to convey my feelings and present situation, I put a commentary as well.

Star and Moon/

Facing each other like smiling at each other/

To their beauty/

Mother offers/

Gratitude/

Taking old mother’s hand/

Flying in the universe together/

Starlit night/

I was pleasantly surprised to see my mother offering her gratitude to the beauty of the Venus and the Moon facing each other as if they were smiling at each other, when I put her in her wheel chair and went out for a short walk, because she became fretful after dinner one evening in fall.

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新春書藝展に出品したもう一つの作品です。母のこと、介護のことを短歌と俳句に書いて、それだけでは拙くて分かってもらえないといけませんから解説も付けました。

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My mother and I went to the new-year exhibition of the works by our teacher and her students. My mother is smiling so delightedly.　Just as the last year, I asked her to write one letter, this time “flower”.

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先生のお弟子たちのグループ展で。

今年も母に一文字だけ書いてもらいました。今回は「花」。

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I chose a tanka by Hakushū Kitahara for a collaboration work with my mother. As I did last year I asked her to write the last one letter meaning “flower”.

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白秋の短歌を書きましたが、最後の一文字だけ母に書いてもらいました。去年と同じです。

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This is what I desire the most at the moment, peace of mind.　However, I definitely want to keep on challenging even for the sake of my mother who continuously gives fits to me.

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今一番欲しいもの。でも、挑戦はし続けたい。私を心配させ続ける母のためにも。

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My mother with mental disorder seems to be forgetting many things from the past.　She definitely liked shaved ice, however, it doesn’t interest her any more at present.

Kindness called forgetting/

Oh, shaved ice/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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精神を病んでいる母は、昔のことをどんどん忘れていっているようです。かき氷が大好きだったのに、今では興味も示しません。

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Since both my mother and myself caught the flue for the first time in years, I haven’t been able to post a new entry for long.

A child suffering from flu/

Insists/

Yokai ogre caused it/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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長い間、新しい記事を書けませんでした。母も私も何年かぶりにインフルエンザに罹ってしまいましたので。

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These are for my mother and myself wishing us have a very good first dream of the year.

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いい初夢が見られますように。母の分と２枚です。

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The couple next door to us have been really kind and considerate to both my mother and me.　Yesterday, my mother and I practiced calligraphy for the first time in months.　The photo shows what she wrote for them, including as you see, something out of season.

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お隣のご夫妻は母と私に本当に良くしてくださいます。昨日は母と久しぶりにお稽古をしましたが、母は写真の色紙などをお隣さんのために書きました。中には季節外れのものもありますが。

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I keep taking walks a couple of times day after day asked by my mother who loves going out.　Just despite myself, I made an eardrop from the flowers blooming at the side of our usual walking course and put it on my mother’s ear for fun.

Red spider lilies/

Splendor both/

In clusters and alone/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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母にねだられて、散歩、散歩の日々。思わず彼岸花で耳飾りを作って、母親をネタに遊んでしまいました。

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September 11 was my teacher’s birthday.　He was born in the year of dragon, and also my mother was born in the year of that imaginary creature.

“Dragon flies up into the sky.”

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今日は師匠の誕生日です。彼は辰年生まれでした。母もそうなんです。

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After my mother wrote this the other day for my old friend, she also created this one, “happiness”.　Because the creator herself loves her own work, I had it made to be displayed.　I can’t stop wondering if she is happy living with me.

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先日私の旧友のためにこれを書いた後、母が書いたものです。本人が気に入っているので表装してもらいました。母は私といて幸せなのかな、と考えてしまいます。

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Mother in her childhood again/

Is laughing and clapping to the/

Sunshine reflected by the/

Sun catchers/

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幼子に還った母がはしゃいでる/

サンキャッチャーが弾く太陽（ひかり）よ/

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Today falls on July 7 according to the old lunar calendar, which marks the star festival.　I wrote my own haiku again.

On the night of tanabata festival/

Both mother and daughter (me)/

Are in the space/

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今日は旧暦の７月７日です。先日書いた自作の俳句をもう一度書きました。

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Just as the last time, I tried to create a work of my own haiku.　I will write it on a bigger, longer piece of paper shortly.

On the night of tanabata festival/

Both mother and daughter (me)/

Are in the space/

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先日に引き続き、自作の俳句を書こうと思いました。これは近いうちに半切に書きます。

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My mother turned 88 years old yesterday.　Wishing her longevity and in commemoration and for a happy memory for both of us, we went to see lotus flowers at the Kyoto Botanical Garden.

After that, in the afternoon, I asked her to write the letter for lotus, and I added a phrase from an ancient Chinese poem, describing women picking lotus flowers.

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植物園に蓮の花を見に行きました。母の米寿の祝いの記念になるかな、ということで。

そして午後には、母に「蓮」を書いてもらい、蓮の花を摘む乙女たちを詠った漢詩の一節を書き加えました。

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Again, just like the other day, my mother wrote these for her old friend and my old friend.

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またまた先日に引き続き、母の旧友と私の旧友のために母が書きました。

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The photos show both sides of an uchiwa fan.　I wrote my own haiku on the back side, which was my first attempt.　At first I wanted to write a haiku written and exhibited by an entertainment personality who belongs to Johnny & Associates, Inc, however, my teacher told me to write my own.

On the night of tanabata festival/

Both mother and daughter (me)/

Are in the space/

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写真は団扇の裏表です。裏の俳句は初めての自作挑戦です。初め、ジャニーズ事務所のタレントがTVで披露していた俳句を書いたのですが、先生が「自分の句にしなさい」とおっしゃいましたので。

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My mother wrote these just like the other day for my cousins and my good old friend who are visiting us soon.　I hope these will please my cousins and friend.

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先日に引き続いて、近いうちに遊びに来てくれるいとこたちや私の旧友のために書きました。

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The photo shows a two-parter collaboration by my mother and myself, which decorates our entry.

The idea of creating a diptych came afterwards, though.

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母との合作を二篇。玄関に飾っています。

初めから二部作にしようと思っていたのではないのですが。

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The photo shows uchiwa fans with my mother’s calligraphy on them for her best friend.　I am certain her longtime friend will be very glad to receive them.

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母が昔からの仲良しさんのために書きました。喜んでくださると思います。

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Today is my birthday.　I think my mother’s calligraphy is the best birthday gift for me.　For, her works are all very good because they show well how properly she looks at my samples and how skillfully she imitates them.

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母にはどんどん書いてもらっています。ちゃんと見て、ちゃんと書けているところが、私への誕生日プレゼントだと思います。

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Days spent regarding each other as treasure.

The word meaning treasure （明珠）is by my mother.

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互いに互いを寶と想う日々よ。

「明珠（寶もの）」は母が書きました。

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