{My 6th Blog Award & Secret for my Size and Weight}

Okay, it is long due but I had way too much on my plate for doing this right away. On March 15 I received notice from Rose Marie, from the blog El arte de Rosiña about my Stylish Blogger Award...

Well, it is not that easy as I am supposed to tell seven things about myself and than pass this on to 15 other bloggers... That takes time to work this out.

There are 4 duties to perform to accept this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

So here are 7 things about myself:

1) Dark chocolate is my favorite.

2) Avocado is yummy for breakfast (we eat a half one each day!) and great for skin.

3) Love to set a pretty table with fresh flowers and candles...

4) Love china with roses and linens with roses...

5) Love people in general.

6) Love languages as each one is a window to the world.

7) Love to read and love to write!

These are the 15 bloggers that I want to pass it on to:

1. Janny from Roses pour toujours

2. Lene from THE ESSENCE OF THE GOOD LIFE

3. Christie Chateau De Fleurs

4. Edith Mit Liebe zum Detail

5. Bikim Un peu plus jolie

6. Lilo Moment

7. Mari A pocket full of roses

8. Victoria Slightly Shabby

9. Celia's FurBaby Dolce's Adventures

10. Cecilia desde my ventana

11. Chelle French Charmed

12. Spreading the Love Roba Dolce

13. Michela Mami G Maison

14. Rosabella 'Rosabella ~ la vie en rose'

15. Zondra Zondra Art

Please do have a look at their blogs!

Related links:
{SUGAR is your #1 enemy!} | previous post by me

Flat Belly Diet Foods - Meet the MUFAs! | previous post by me

Foods that Support the Skin | previous post by me

Natural Healing Chart for almost all Sickness | previous post by me with a wealth of information!

{9 'Harmless' Habits That Age You} | previous post by me with great tips

{Japanese Yubikan from 1692 that I visited at Iwadeyama Osaki JAPAN, collapsed by earthquake}

Got some sad news about one of Japan's national historic sites, the Yubikan at Iwadeyama Osaki, collapsed by the earthquake. On July 12 of 2007 I did visit here... This historic building was from 1692 and it was the oldest place for academic activity in Japan. I call myself very fortunate for having been to this place as a chaperon and team leader, during our cultural exchange trip to our Sister-City of Osaki in JAPAN. See my previous blog with {News from Our Sister-City Osaki in JAPAN}.

Squatting down as to not obstruct the view of this ancient building...

The Japanese garden has trees that are over 300 years of age. Together with the big pond it was a beautiful site to visit and that's what we did, we walked and also entered the building. You can see the Osaki City Official Website by clicking on the hyperlink.

This is the image that I got today from our International Association of Osaki City's chairman in Japan via Facebook. He got the tap water coming to his house on Saturday so he could take a bath. They still have difficulty buying gasoline though.

The Japanese photographers made us squatt down slightly as to not obstruct the beautiful building; rightly so!

Now let's enter this special place for family education, after first removing our shoes...

That day I was wearing my barrett with sunflower for a purpose, as the town of Sanbongi, where we lived with our host families, does sunflower farming and  has about 420,000 sunflowers on Sunflower hill during the summer. Read more here: Sunflower Hill.

Okay, let's get on the bus and visit the Bamboo Arts Workshop before lunch. In the afternoon we did go into the mountains where the hot springs are. Beautiful scenery all over.

We all got our apron and a sharp knife to cut some bamboo, in order to make a kind of a propeller on a stick that you rub between your hands and it takes off...

Learning the tricks of the trade; the sad part was that we moved on and thus my skills lasted only very briefly.

Almost done...

It yielded me two bamboo propellers and they ended up with our family in Germany, in the Eifel...

{Our Euonymus japonicus 'Ovatus Aureus' (Golden Euonymus)}

• One more garden gem I want to share with you today. There are several things to show right now but this is a very special form of Euonymus japonicus 'Ovatus Aureus' (Golden Euonymus) that bears pinkish fruits in winter. The young leaves are such pretty golden right now; let's have a look.

• The flower buds are already being formed. This picture is from Monday the beginning of spring and also very much the beginning of the 'pollen season' as you can see on its leaves. But the sun created such a nice striking light in the late afternoon, that I had to capture it. 

• This photo was taken five years ago when Pieter did get it here at a local nursery in exchange for some exotic plants that he had grown. It is a shrub and will not grow very tall.

• Pieter took this photo a week ago, you get an idea about its size and you also can see that the new growth of this evergreen shrub is really golden; hence it's name 'Golden Euonymus'

• This photo also was taken by Pieter a week ago. And below you can see the fruits that it bears in winter.

• Those older leaves are no longer golden. They are loaded with the pollen of today. That only gets washed off with a heavy rain. But that's just the time of the year now. 
• Cars and everything gets 'yellow' and we also have yellow cats...

• Such light at 5:40 PM (17:40) it makes one really happy that spring is in the land.

• If you're in the area, stop by and have a Garden Tour with tea in the gazebo afterwards. Check to Book an Event.