Two Michikos. I had two centimeters trimmed off the ends of my hair at the salon. I’m good friends with the owners, Kobayashi-san. I’m “Michi 1,” and the beautiful Michiko-san is “Michi 2″—nicknames I jokingly use for us at the shop. (Michiko)
It has been a rainy September. Due to my hip osteoarthritis, I try to limit walking outdoors when it rains. I’ve rearranged the table and chairs to open up more space and am actively doing indoor walking exercises. I have been diligently attending rehabilitation sessions at the orthopedic clinic every week, but the orthopedic surgeon has finally given me some stern advice: I need to undergo hip surgery while I still have the physical strength to handle it. I hear that hip surgery has advanced in recent years. I have now resolved myself to go through with the procedure sometime next year. Taking my time to prepare for that. Step 1 of the doctor’s instructions: I applied for long-term care insurance as part of the post-surgery preparations. The next step, I was told, is that once I decide to go ahead with the surgery, a referral letter will be written to the hospital where the procedure will be performed. (Michiko)
The rain has eased, and it is a cool day. I had an energizing lunch with Baba-san. A gentle, peaceful time. It felt as if I had set down an invisible burden that had accumulated over the hot summer. (Michiko)
I cherish my days by thinking of small things that bring me joy, surrounding myself with favorite little objects, and keeping unwanted intruders at bay. These small, accumulated moments create a wonderful richness of spirit. (Michiko)
We are heading toward mid-September. As the final breaths of summer’s melody fade, we are gently ushered toward the arrival of autumn. Moving toward that moment and beginning anew from there. The transitions in a musical phrase and the transitions in nature. There is no curtain in either case. Just a quiet sign. (Michiko)
I polished my violin with cleaning oil designed for string instruments. It is an instrument my parents bought for me, and I have been playing it for over fifty years, the violin itself is more than two hundred years old. Music is my invisible best friend. (Michiko)
This is a story about not having a 100-yen coin. I usually make an effort to avoid letting loose change pile up in my wallet, simply because it gets heavy. This happened while I was waiting for some paperwork to be processed at the city hall. I decided to visit the 9th-floor observation deck and opened my wallet to buy a 100-yen coffee from a vending machine. Oh no!No coins, no 1000-yen bill, and the machine wouldn’t accept a 10000-yen bill. I was thirsty, so I was disappointed! I took a photo and headed back down to the first floor. (Michiko)
This is the park, Enmore Park. I go to most days now. I really like Enmore Park because it has my fitness centre here and also within this centre is a heated 50 m pool that can be used all year round because it’s heated. Right now even in mid winter it’s great swimming in the pool -even though it’s cool at first within moments I’m heated up and the swim is very refreshing and invigorating. I practice weights and yoga at the fitness centre. I particularly enjoy upside down poses at the end . I started up weight training again last year because when I was doing a long walk in the mountains suddenly it hurt to go down hill and I realised I need to build strength. The middle of winter in Sydney is not my favourite time because it’s dark and cold by 5pm it can be a bit challenging. However is great in the middle of the day when it’s sunny as the sun is the perfect balanced heat.
This is a 120-gram pack of precooked (retort) rice. I steam it in a pot. It’s easy! I also like glutinous barley rice, but it’s only sold in 150-gram packs. For me, 120 grams is the ideal portion size. I dislike having appliances cluttering up the kitchen, so I got rid of my rice cooker. I don’t use a microwave, either. I keep the sliced bread frozen, toast it in a rectangular omelet pan, and add olive oil and butter. Quick, easy, and delicious!(Michiko)