Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Time for a quick look...

 ... it will be all about the sakura this week... (87/365, 28 Mar 2022)

Counting down the days until the end of the current academic year and the beginning of the new one on Friday. Not that it feels like there has been any rest of sorts. Certainly, not having to teach, prepare classes, deal with all that related stuff, provides a bit of 'respite', but the meetings continue. It is a long time since I worked in a non-academic job, but sometimes it feels like those of us in the teaching professions seem to do at least three distinct jobs at once...

But enough, those are speculations for another time, the other blog. Today, or this week at least, will be all about the sakura, the cherry blossoms. So after a couple of meetings today, I had just enough time to head out to do some shopping, and see what I could see on the way home.

The last couple of days, the blossoms in Tokyo are said to be at 'mankai' (満開) or to have reached their fully-bloomed status. Of course, the blooms are sensitive to a whole range of environmental sensitivities so while it is officially the season, the trees remain in various states of bloomage, to coin a phrase. Even yesterday's trees were in different stages, despite being in the same place.

It is the same in my neighbourhood. One tree I saw last week, gorgeous, but I didn't get a pic. This week, all gone. A couple of others around the block have probably reached 'mankai' status, and yet the ones in the park nearby are still at the budding stage. So there may be lots more pics yet. (I think it might be time to visit the Tokyo Daibutsu again...)

Although it was early evening at the light was fading, another feature I like about the sakura in bloom is the way the branches seem to 'track through' the blossoms in full cloud mode, they look like roads through the petals, like stories to be told. 

A different angle on the one I can see from my front door, the one where birds flock together 




Something 'painterly' about these branches and petals


I like them from a distance, but they are also nice close-up


More to come.

Today's view through the Canon EOS M5, 18-150mm lens.