Running with Wind

Kite-flying is one of the popular traditional childhood pastime during the New Year holiday.

My grandchildren headed for the nearby multipurpose grounds with a kite in each hand.

The day was so windy that kites easily flew up to the sky.

They enjoyed kites dancing in the air feeling the tug of the strings.

Y and F, Jan. 1, 2020

The photo below is four years ago 

when the eldest F was five.
She had to run across the park with hardly any wind

after a kite was tossed up into the air.

Kites flew along with lots of wind

 rising up to the sky through clouds.

When one child carelessly let go of the spool of string,

the kite looked having gained freedom

but unfortunately the runaway kite got tangled in a tree.

Photos from 2015 to 2020

The youngest will be running wild in the park, too, next year.
Each child is happy to be outdoors even in the cold wind
as is called "child of Wind" in Japanese saying.

M and boy Y, 2020

Last but not least...,
I had hoped the start of a promising New Year
but things don't look so easy.
My prayers and thoughts for all who/which have struggled to survive
in disasters both natural and man-made.

Wish you, Friends, good health and peace of mind for 2020.
When there comes strong wind, may you can rise high against the wind 
like a kite.

Linked to Mosaic Monday

Abstract light art on the water canvas

Here are some fascinating flowing reflections and patterns 

made by the autumn colors, light, and ripples.

When I was walking along the moat of Osaka Castle late afternoon,

 an empty golden sightseeing boat came drifting.

I stooped down looking into the lens of my camera

so that the boat looked adorned with the red leaves.

The changing light cast magical reflections on the water.

Speechless.
I was absorbed in the liquid gold and red reflections and the patterns.
The fleeting moments in the last rays of the sun,
the golden hour before another fascinating blue hour.

Osaka Castle

As for my family, December is an eventful month.
There were three birthdays to celebrate, F's 9th, M's 2nd, and my son's.
Making Christmas trees or Santa's hat or simply playing around,
they are enjoying the air of the last month of the year both inside and outside.

Linked to Mosaic Monday

This is my last post this year.

Thank you for your visits and nice comments all the year round.

Wish you a happy Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year.

A deep autumn in the garden that once existed in Umekita

December, 2017

Umekita is the area expanding north of JR Osaka Station.

The empty lots in the photo above is the Second Phase Development Zone of Umekita.
The First Phase Development was Grand Front Osaka which opened in 2013.
Old posts; Night Strolls at the Grand Front Osaka
Winter illuminations and reflections around JR Osaka Station

Construction works are under way. 

8 hectares of spaces in total for the entire zone will include commercial facilities, 

office buildings, and a spacious 4.5 hectares urban park at its center. 

It will be open in 2024.

Today's post is a deep autumn found in the Umekita Garden 

which used to be in the valley of the tall buildings and was closed in March of 2018.

Umeda Sky Building on the right; Panoramic views at the "Sky Walk" (a post in 2013)

Looking up to the high-rises

Free and comfortable in the warm sunlight

Autumn color palette

Merry-go-round of flower cages go round up and down.
Season is changing, so is the city-scape.
This garden disappeared one year and 10 months ago.
I look forward to seeing what this area will look like in 2024.

Linked to Mosaic Monday