These Days

These days I have been very busy with work.  I work six days a week, but finish at lunch time on Saturdays, so it's not too bad.  I enjoy most of my twelve classes because of the nice students.  On Friday afternoons I'm a part-timer at Kyoto Sangyo University.  I used to live in Kyoto, so I still have many friends there and enjoy seeing them on Friday night sometimes.  Sometimes I go to a friend's house for a barbecue on the weekends.  One guy lives beside Lake Biwa, so we swim there after eating and drinking a beer or two. 

On weekends I try to do something with my family, even if it's just going out for lunch one day, or taking my daughter to the park.  She will be six years old in August, and is very cute.  A few weeks ago I went to the Emperor's Cup horse race in Kyoto with my family.  My wife loves horse racing and horses, especially Goldship, a beautiful grey stallion.

I also work in the garden in the yard at my house.  At this time of year there is a lot of work to do (trimming trees and hedges, spraying for insects that attack the plants, watering etc.).  I'm growing tomatoes and zucchini too.  There is a large pond just across the narrow lane in front of our house. Many different kinds of birds live the, and in summer it becomes covered with lotus (pink flowers).  This is a photo of it.