Natural discovery

Along the road side of Obachan's land grows a plant I knew little about, only that in its powder form it is yellow-orange in colour. I think the first thing that brought our attention to this plant was its beautiful, long lasting flower. I also didn't know what amazing medical benefits this plant can do for ones body. What is this marvelous plant? Have a think and try not to scroll down just yet...

It is in fact turmeric which is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial of the ginger family. It favors climates that are between 20-30 degrees, which is why it is a native to southeast India. It also grows well in Izu, which experiences mild temperatures during the year. Since we have a constant water flow from the nearby mountains our turmeric crop thrives well in its current position.

Health wise it is widely used in India to treat stomach and liver ailments and to heal sores and cuts, based on its antiseptic properties. I've also heard it helps with inflamed joints. Apart from this, I found it interesting to learn that it is also used to dye saris and Buddhist monks robes in India and Bangladeshi. Indian cuisine also uses turmeric in many of this delicious dishes. 

Here we unearthed one of our turmeric plants to find a healthy crop once we washed each piece.

We have sliced it, pickled it and used it in curries, which I am here to say is quite tasty. 

I've even experienced a turmeric latte, which was... well...interesting.

 We once placed its flower in the vase at Obachan's tomb stone and we were surprised to see it still thriving a couple weeks later when we visited. 

We will be propagating the rhizomes each year so that we can benefit from this amazing plant in the future. But first I need a hot onsen! It's starting to get colder here in little old Japan!

Antique treasure

So here we are in 2016 the Year of the Monkey. As promised I want to share a discovery we actually made ten years ago at Obachan's when we initially cleared out things, but are just now rediscovering it again. Perhaps some of you have already worked out from this first photo what it is.... without scrolling down!

As you can imagine it was covered in dust, but we gave it a wipe over to reveal this beauty!

Obachan's Fuji Janome treadle sewing machine. Made around the 1950's....we think.

Don't you just love all the intricate detail?

We haven't tried to get it working yet, but it's in pretty good condition. While its not worth a fortune by any means, we just love it for its artistic beauty. My idea is that when we fold the machine down under the folding table, we will use it as a desk. I just love having dual purpose items.

Can you see that the smaller metal plate under the large one has been mounted upside down?Anyone know why? It reads, "MADE IN DEMOCRATIC JAPAN" Japanese people are known for perfection, so it seems odd that they would do this without thinking.

Look at the detail on the face plate....just beautiful.

Back side of the machine and again more detail imprinted into the hand wheel.

The wrought iron base, which I didn't have time to clean well. I look forward to giving it a good wipe over again and maybe a paint or maybe not. Not everything needs a lick of paint. Sometimes just left natural is the best way to respect a piece.

Can you remember being a young child and seeing something new or in this case old that you had never seen before, but it was a new discovery? Little did Obanchan know that many years later her great-granddaughter would be sitting at her sewing machine in wonder.

Finishing off odds jobs 2015

When we arrived at Obachan chi's one Friday evening, I thought our stay would be a cold one, after all it is winter! How wrong was I! The weather is generally warmer in Izu than where we are based in Yokohama. Surprisingly despite the little old farm house being far from seal prove and with air escaping from cracks throughout, we usually always stay warm. However I must add, that we do love our old kerosene heater! We are warm as toast. So what am I trying to say....well working on outdoor jobs is pretty comfortable weather wise in Izu.

So...moving onto my first job. In all honesty I wish I could present an exciting before/after reveal for you to see, but in reality we need to finish off some end of year jobs before welcoming in the new year. We also need to discuss the next job and what the budget will be and how and what we can recycle and then think some more. One thing is for sure, I didn't realize how satisfying it would be to repurpose something. I've got the bug!

                                                     

Returning to Obachan's I was keen to see how the replanting of the bulbs were going and if they were happy growing along the fence line....or not! While the presence of weeds was expected, once I had pulled them away, it revealed that our efforts had paid off. 

Look at all those weeds!

The bulbs were indeed happily growing along the wall as I had hoped. I can't wait to see them in full bloom towards the end of February, early March. And when they are I will definitely share my simple, gardening efforts with you. It's really rewarding when a no cost project produces such satisfaction! 

Our next essential job was to re-attach the blue tarp to the right-hand side of Obachan's roof. We suspect that a recent typhoon had blown it off. Over the years the timber has deteriorated and holes have appeared in the knots of the wood.

                                      

This was not an exciting job, but so necessary because over a decade the water has gotten in and bowed the ceiling.

                                 

So until we can actually change the timber, our bandage up remedy is to cover it over and hope that no more water leaks in through the ceiling. 

Growing in the local area (actually our neighbors down the road) are these sweet persimmons which are now being dried along bamboo sticks by the locals. Winter has come to this peaceful little part of Japan.
I'll be back in the new year to share some discoveries we found at Obachan's, one benefits your health and the other is an antique find.

I'd like to thank you, my loyal followers who check in to see our progress on the little old farmhouse. It truly is a labour of love for us, which also gives back to us with its peaceful setting. Wishing you all an exciting 2016 filled with much happiness, love and good health! 

Opening Pandora's Box

You know when you have to start on a task or job you don't want to do, but you know that once you start you'll feel better for doing it? Well the "black hole" or rather the kitchen was something we kept talking about, but avoided doing. So, when we got an offer from a relative to use his small tip truck, it was the nudge we needed to clean out the rubbish. Boy was there still a lot to clean out!

So what I am talking about you say...the kitchen can't be all that bad...right?! Well think again! Let's open the side door and take a look inside shall we.....

See what I mean? It's a total mess and has been left for more than ten years. Believe me when I say that we did clean out this area ten years old, but somehow there was still a bit more to clear out. To the left of the platform is a shoji screen that leads into the tatami area, which is the main living area. We have since removed the platform you see below, because the support joints had been chewed by termites! 

View from the side shoji screen

Collapsing kitchen sink

The kitchen traditionally in this type of farmhouse has a dirt floor due to safety factors (so I've been told, or really it could just be how it was back then). The bathroom is also part of this area.

In the end we ripped the old sink 

The ceiling had some old ply board hanging down, so we removed it, which  exposed the blackened beams

There was even a very old irori (open fire pit)

 The kitchen also shared the bathroom, but it has seen better days. Now you can see (below) the state of the bathroom and also understand why we have so many onsens!!   One thing is for sure, this area will make great before and after pictures!

So the initial plan is to clean out the place and then start laying a timber frame for the floor boards. It's a physically tiring job walking around in the rubble, but we'll survive and keep thinking of the bigger picture. We are also thinking about moving the kitchen to the extension area. It then gives the kitchen  a better outlook at the front of Obachan chi's than the present area which is at the back of the house. There is much to do and as you can see it is a very big project. We'll be taking small steps and of course thinking of the budget and how we can use recycled materials, which in all honesty is more satisfying at the end of the day.

*A very "Happy Birthday" to my mum today, who's encouraging comments (as we work at giving this little house some love), mean a lot to us! 

First impression- Part I

The entrance before entering the genkan area looks.....well....very sad. Like all the areas that are in need of some TLC around Obachan's they wait patiently for there day. The concrete had broken away welcoming weeds to grow and for dust and dirt to fly into the genkan, which bugged me no end! This project is a two part process. First we will concrete the rectangle area you can see below and the second part is the area in front of the engawa to the far left, not seen here. But don't worry I will share it all when we get to it.

So we initially pulled away the broken pieces of concrete.

A shallow trench was dug to lie the plank of wood in which then held the concrete in once poured.

All ready for the concrete.....

We went for the pre-mixed concrete again with it being such a small area and because its easier to use.

It was quickly spread out....

A creative idea came to me after the concrete was poured....I know bad timing!

See the roof tiles on Obachan's place...

........well we had a couple of spares (at the time I thought they were spares...oops!) and I thought this would look fun set into the concrete as a personal touch.

Yes I know...... the poor front sliding door is looking worse for ware! It is patiently waiting its turn for beautification. We have plans for our front door!

So this is where we are at the moment. It's coming along slowly, but it's an improvement.

I think you know what I'm going to say next....yeah...it's time for a well deserved onsen.

Unwanted visitors

If you have been following along with our little veggie garden that we planted sunflowers and  corn in at the end of summer, I must tell you that we had very rude guests who visited us while we were away. They ripped our sunflowers out from the ground and dug some rather large holes looking for small crabs. Yes, our dear neighbours from the mountain, the wild boars were in town. While we did plant the corn a bit too late, we were hopeful for at least one cob of corn. But it wasn't meant to be...

So we started digging up the ground and unearthed what would seem like hundreds of wild jonquil bulbs. Remember these are safe from the wild boars chompers! We also dug up the concrete blocks and formed a simple, uneven pathway. Trust me, its temporary for now. 

 My assistant was hard at work digging up bulbs and repotting them into her pots.

While I wish I could click my fingers and our little garden could look something this......

   

                                  gardenoholic.com

The reality is that this is the end result for now. It would be great if the grass could grow covering the bare patch of ground and the bulbs would bloom along the pathway, but we will see if our neighbors pay us another visit. Next time we hope they show us some manners. It is hunting season now, so there number might be up! 

                              
My sore muscles are heavy and tired from all the digging, chopping and lugging concrete blocks, but a hot onsen will fix my aches.