sea of poppies...

had to stop the car and cause a hold up...... also the name of one of my favourite books, am waiting for the next two in the trilogy..

married life...

instructions to mix this with rice for dinner ; )

fluffy catapillars...

everywhere, boy do they move, wonder what'll he'll turn into?

a forest of fern crowns....

just love the way these look, standing up tall in perfect circles in the dappled forest, any idea what they're called...?

i don't get it...

this is the car park for the beautiful wooded lakeside camp site 100m's away....but the concrete seemed more attractive?? don't want to dirty their tents??

shining rice feilds.

lunch..

what exactly are weeds...

these are supposedly weeds, but one they are beautiful and two you can eat the leaves and roots, what makes a weed a weed?

temple ceiling...

more flowers, this is such a colourful, yet simple ceiling in a temple that is very open to the elements, always reminds me of india for some reason, perhaps its the wind blowing through and all the colours...

wild flowers...

everywhere you look, of every colour, shape and size, i'm not a particularly flowery person, in that i don't know the names, but i don't tire of admiring their beauty....any idea what this is?

food...

the more i see of cows, the less i want to eat them, they are so sweet and peaceful...

view from.....

work on an industrial estate...the lighting was beautiful, to me anyways..

old prefectural office...

looked so elegant with all the tulips, i've been going past, and around this building for 11 years, even had my wedding pictures taken in the garden on the other side, yet have still not been inside it!! must pop in for tea sometime soon ; )

one of my favourite...

vegetables, and certainly one of the cutest around, i just love the way they curl around into little spirals, who can get tired of eating such prettiness ; ) and the smell, i love it, like walking on a wet day in the woods.. anyone know what the english name is, think it's kogomi in japanese..

what a day..

to be outside under such a sky! my first time to help in the field, i'm always eating the vegetables, so thought i better help dig a little....

love all things yellow..

seem to be very drawn to yellow this week, and these are so fluffy!

beautiful..

peaceful, nothing like a real fire...

aahhhh.....

flower, bird, wind, moon cafe....

sounds much better in japanese, delicious if not teeeny, white chocolate gateau...

night time blossom fan..

recently i think i prefer flowers against black, seems more vivid and somehow more gorgeous..

just my cup of tea..

delicious ; )

night time hanami...

in the graveyard..

poor daffodil..

seems to have given up in the icey rain

will spring..

ever come?

cherry blossom concert....

without the cherry blossoms....they're late! it was freeeezing, but nice all the same..

another one bites the dust...

another old house to dust....traditionally built with earthen walls, probably to be replaced with something plastic or a parking lot.... : ( such a shame...

cycling by...

and for the first time saw these guys sitting on a bridge over a little stream tucked in between houses..

changed...

a lot since i used to wear this...

ryoanji..

the famous rock garden, it really is my favourite spot, dragons and rocks ; )

spontaneity...

i love this painting on the paper doors of ryoanji temple in kyoto... it's so free and alive..

10 day Vipassana...

this was what i could see from the garden, taken on the last morning, 10 days no communication, no camera, no phone, no paper, no book, no pen, nothing. everyday sitting..... think i may go again..

i know the feeling...

this dog was soooooo desperate to get a sniff of the outside world...

perfect cappucino...

in kyoto station...a perk me up after passing out for the whole train ride..

bullet train lunch..

i just don't seem to tire of food pictures, it's always so colourful and varied...

lovely lunch...

with a lovely friend....this was just a very small part of my friend's lunch tray...everything was so small and colourful..