There's a way.

As I anticipated, my daughter came down with the flu. She and I didn't sleep a wink last night.
She had a high fever and seemed to have a hard time having some sleep all day. I wish I could take her sick instead...


★ネイティブの添削★
1)　getting any sleep at all
2)　I wish I could take her sickness onto myself...

My daughter said last night that she had been feeling odd in her throat. Not a sore throat, she tried making it clear. She hated being sick because it would be quite boring.

This morning, she had a slight fever despite having had a good night's sleep. I have been wondering whether I should take her to a hospital because I know some friends of hers have been down with the swine flu for the last 5 days...!


★ネイティブの添削★
that her throat had been feeling odd

We went to Saikai Pearl Sea Resort in Sasebo city this morning. There was an exhibition of various types of jellyfishes. I was astonished to watch them. How beautiful they were! Like a dream...
The picture on today's journal was taken by my 8-year-old son.


★ネイティブの添削★
The picture in today's journal was taken by my 8 year-old son.

I've visited Nagasaki with my family. Right after driving in Nagasaki, we went to the amusement park called Hizen Yumekaido. Unfortunately, it started raining, but my children seemed to be happy to watch a Ninjya show

What a beautiful song this is! I like her voice very much.

Today, three of my friends visited me to have lunch together. One of them is supposed to move to Osaka next month, and today's lunch meant "the farewell party" for us. 　Watching our children playing together, we chatted over coffee after lunch. We enjoyed every moment, but how sad it was because we perfectly understood we would be parted in a week. I didn't mean to show my disappointment with my loss, but I couldn't help reducing to tears when I saw her off.
Thank you, my dear friend. I owe you a lot especially when it comes to learning English. You're a determined woman and I always wanted to be like you. Bye for now. I hope we'll see each other soon.


★ネイティブの添削★
so today's lunch was meant as a "farewell party" for us.

I'm sitting outside now, waiting for my son who has just finished his baseball practice. September is around the corner, but we still have the summer days. Trees give us pretty comfort zones for me.

わかりかねます。 ... Wa ka ri ka ne ma su



When you are asked about something and have trouble finding an answer for it, you can say わかりかねます meaning "I'm not sure," or "I don't know." I'd say かねる means "cannot do." This phrase sounds too polite to use toward your friends. If you'd like to make fun of, it might be effective.

My family is in a swimming pool now! It is around 10 am, but the pool has been already packed with people. I am sitting under a tree with books because I am unwilling to wear a swimsuit at my age.


★ネイティブの添削★
has been → is

Happy Birthday (2003/01/28) Gidon KremerKremerata Baltica View detail of this item

Today's my daughter's 11th birthday. I can't believe that my daughter becomes 11 years old now. I can recall the moment when I gave birth to a baby girl for the first time in my life. I had to put up with unspeakable pain, so I was quite happy to see my baby crying vigorously. Taking care of her was a hard job because she was always crying no matter how I tried to ease her. Now, she is a sweet girl as I expected. Happy birthday!


★ネイティブの添削★
has become 11 years old

The park I often visit has a beautiful garden...and weird blue houses. People who don't have anywhere to live have been gathering around the park and building makeshift barracks with some abandoned blue sheets as you can see in the picture I took..

I understand that those people called "the homeless" must have some reasons for being in trouble, but I feel a bit uncomfortable to see them hanging around in the park day and night. Are they satisfied with their lives? If not, what are they going to do? With this thought, I'm getting very nervous and I don't want my children to play in the park alone. Oh, yes, it might be called a prejudice, but I can't help it... To be sad, I've always had mixed feelings about seeing those shabby houses behind the beautiful garden.




★ネイティブの添削★
I understand that the homeless must have their reasons for being in trouble, but I feel a bit uncomfortable seeing them hang around in the park day and night.

While walking in a park, I found a bunch of flowers in a side of the pavement. Many people are making a complaint about hot season, but the flowers looked happy under the sun.


★ネイティブの添削★
by the side of ...

I went to take a checkup for my eyes. (I often need it because I have been wearing contact lenses for over 20 years.)
Everything went well except for one thing. It turned out that I had been worn my contact lenses in a wrong way! I mean,I found that the right one had been in my left eye...



★ネイティブの添削★
"had been wearing"　or "had worn"

This is a room called Cha-shitsu that used as a making tea and having it with guests.

You can pretend to be an emperor called Shogun when you are looking down from a window of Honmaru Goten.

What a shinning room this is!

This was a room that used to be used as a meeting room called Ume no Ma.

This was a place for preparing each meal in Edo era.

I am at Kumamoto castle now!

I had a real fun time on the river again. While my father and my children were swimming, I was immersed in my reading.

It was refreshing to be surrouded by nature! I felt I was a totally country person,

Around 18 years ago, an abandoned puppy was taken to my workplace. He looked feeble and I thought he was about to die, I picked him up to take care of him for a while.


Against my prediction, the dog has been a part of my family ever since. He is getting old, of course, but I cannot think of our life without him.

My children and I have been staying at my parents' place since yesterday.


The children had been eager to go swimming in a river, so we went to a camp site near a river.


The river was full of clear water and my children could not keep swimming after a few minutes.


I totally enjoyed myself reading the book called 'Anne's House of Dreams.'

I've come back to my hometown with my children, and my parents seem to be quite happy with their grand-children.

We are planning to go to a river tomorrow. For now, I am reading my favorite book in the room that used to belong to me.

After taking my son to his baseball club, I strolled in the park next to the ballpark. It was a fine day yesterday. Trees cast a nice shadow on the path, and I felt refreshed by walking.

Downy Ultra Liquid Fabric Softener, Free & Sensitive, 40-Load Bottle (Pack of 6) (2006/08/09) Downy View detail of this item

My neighbor who lives on the upper floor often drops the laundry into my veranda. Yesterday, I got an email from the neighbor and it said "Sorry, I did it again!" It was okay for me to pick up their laundry, of course, but I had been wanting to know the reason why their laundry always smelled good, so I asked her which products she was using.
"I have been using Downy because I like its effect."
Is there anyone who has tried this out?

One of my daughter's friends came over to my place and I took her to a swimming pool with my children. Her mother is a single parent who has been working very hard. The 10-year-old girl often has to be alone until her mother gets home at night.
Because my mother was working, I had to spend time being alone when I was a child. I hated being alone, actually. Waiting for my mother, I could have everything my own way; however, I thought children can't be grown up with only food. I had to fight against my loneliness.
I also used to be a working mom, so I can relate to the girl and her mother. I like the girl looks happy with my children. I like to see her smiling. As a stay-at-home mother, if there is something I can do for them, I'd love to. In fact, just being together means a lot to children who feel lonesome...


★ネイティブの添削★
I like it when the girl looks happy with my children.