Former students do remember my two Japanese cats, Momo and Chouchou… They are now living with me near Neuchâtel.
I brought them back from Fukushima begin of January. The journey was quite long: it started at 2:30am, going to Narita airport by car from Fukushima, health check at Narita airport, about 13 hours flight, health check at Zurich airport and about 2 hours car drive to Neuchâtel.
After about 3 weeks, they are now nicely settled…
An idea just popped into my mind.
What if knitters all around the world would unify and knit warm blankets (using 100 % wool yarn) for Tohoku people who lost everything and are now living in temporary housing…. and show how creative they can be ?
Here is an example of mixing colors, using wool left overs…
This is the blanket I used last March in Fukushima city, when we were without electricity for a few days after the earthquake.
Follow my knitting challenge on my other site…
These are pictures of temporary housing in Fukushima city, Fukushima Prefecture.
There are about 20 such buildings and one building probably houses 3 families…
They are located near the Aeon mall.
* * * * * * *
We are now begin of 2012. A new year and, for some, a strong desire to forget how awful 2011 was. But although Tohoku is no longer in the international news, people there still suffer. These past 9 months have been very hard on these communities.
It is now winter, with very low temperatures and snow. Most people who lost their home are now luckily living in temporary housing. And they are grateful to finally have some privacy. But, at the same time, these walls can’t be tick enough in an area that can really get very cold. For those not in Japan: in general, Japanese houses made of wood tend to be insufficiently insulated (from a Western and even a Japanese point of view).
I am in contact with J., a foreign lady in Iwate prefecture who was spared by the tsunami. Through family relations, she got to know about small communities that lost everything and are still struggling.
Thanks to her connections, she receives items from friends of friends and can give them to these communities.
Items people still need: warm clothes (coats, jackets, sweaters, etc.), shoes, blankets, towels, etc.
Used items are OK, but they should be useable…
Warm fabric, knitted items, wool/yarn and knitting needles also welcome.
J. cannot pay for postage (NO chakubarai, please).
Contact me if you can send J. some of these items.
As for me, I am sending J. items that won’t follow me to Switzerland, including clothes, fabric, wool yarn and a sewing machine… A total of about 15 boxes…
あけましておめでとうございます。
去年、ありがとうございました。今年も、よろしくお願いします。
アンヌローズ
Prewarm the oven (180 C).
In a bowl, mix 4 small (or 2 large) very ripe bananas with 2 packs of vanilla sugar and some milk.
In another bowl, add about 100 gr of sugar and 60 gr of softened butter. Mixed with an electrical mixer for 1 or 2 minutes. Added 3 eggs (one at a time) and mix lightly. Add about 150 gr of (cake) flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder plus some salt to taste. Mix lightly and then add the bananas.
Put the mixture in a baking pan and bake it for about 1 hour at 180C.
Bon appétit !
Do you know “Glühwein” ? It is spiced wine that one drinks warm.
It is usually served around Christmas markets.
You can either buy ready made Glühwein (like the one above) or add spices like these below in normal wine.
I like to add some more spices to Glühwein and boil it for about 20 minutes. Then, all the alcohol evaporated …
RIP Steve Jobs….
Apple and Macintosh have been a part of my life for almost 20 years. Way before Internet…
Here is the transcript and video of a speech Steve Jobs made in front of Standford University graduates. It is very moving. Good practice too 
これから、またレッスンが始まります。
今回、オンラインレッスンのみ、日曜日だけです。
よろしくお願いします。
アンヌローズ
今年の３月まで、一緒に外国語の勉強をしたのは、本当にありがとうございました。
３月１１日の地震は大変でしたね。入江町でも、その後、電気、電話、水道、ガスのどもなかったです。でも、がまんのことができました。
そして、福島市より６０キロメートルにあるの福島第一の大問題もでましたね。
スイスの家族がテレビで毎日、毎日、日本からのこわいニュースを聞いたり、見たりしました。スイス大使館も心配しました。何回も”スイスに帰って ください”を聞いて、３月１６日にスイスにもどるときめました。いろいろがあったので、そのかんたんで福島市をでるのはできませんでした。
１７日に高速バスで仙台までに行って、６時間を待てて、イギリス大使館の特別なバスに乗って、仙台から山形、新潟を通って、１８日に朝３時に東京 に着きました。その後、成田空港に行きました。スイス航空でスイスまで普通１３時間ぐらいかかりますけど、今回、２０時間ぐらいかかりました。１９日にス イスに着きました。すごく疲れていました。けっこう歩けなかったです。
２週間ぐらい休んでいるのは本当によかったです。
前に６月にスイスにもどる予定を言いましたね。福島第一のこと、ざんねんですけれども、また大問題ですので、これから、ずっと、スイスにいると思 います。もちろん、できれば、福島にもどて、荷物をスイスに送って、猫ちゃんを持って帰ってつもりですけど、本当にいつになるのはまだ分かりません。
今、スイスの父と母と住んでいて、仕事をさがしています。まだ、何も見つかりませんでした。見つかったら、新しいアパートもさがすつもりです。まだまだです。
福島を急に連絡なし出たのは本当にごめんなさい。ちゃんとうさようならを言うのもできなかった、ざんねんですね。
また、がんばりましょうね。
アンヌローズ