Hello everyone! Hope you are doing well and enjoying your summer vacation! Since we can’t travel too much these days, it’s kind of fun to figure out new ways to get out of the house and move. It’s pretty hot during the day so I like to take walks during the evening time. I love the night sky so it’s a perfect time to take pictures and get in a little exercise!

What do you like to do on your vacations? 

Have fun everyone, and enjoy the rest of these days off!

昨日、白木先生も投稿していましたが、

もうすぐEnglish Dayです。

白木先生同様に、今まで夏の時期にはサマースクールに行っていたので

個人的にも何年かぶりのEnglish Dayになります。

ですので僕もすごく楽しみにしています。

今年は日帰りですが、

小学生の皆さんにとってこの夏一番の思い出になればと思います。

皆さんこんにちは。夏ですね！

8月10日はEnglish day！僕はこの時期はサマースクールでアメリカに行っており、English dayには行っていませんでした。ただ一度だけ大学生のときにボランティアで参加させてもらいました。暑かったですけど非常に楽しかったのを覚えています。なので今年は久しぶりに行くことができます！久しく会えていない生徒にも会えそうでとても楽しみです！体調に気を付けて、水分補給をしっかりして、目一杯楽しみましょう！

写真は僕が参加させて頂いたときのEnglish dayの朝です。

I like to bake. I tend to only do so when I feel like it, though, and nothing makes me feel like it more than finding some random, interesting ingredient at the store and thinking to myself, “How can I eat that, but with more carbs?” My most recent ingredient subjected to such a thought process was edible flowers.

I’d heard of edible flowers before, but I’ve never actually seen them at the store before, from what I can remember. However, when I saw these edible flowers at MaxValue the other day, I impulsively purchased them on the spot, and only then went on the internet to look for recipes I could use them in. I stumbled upon a citrus shortbread cookie recipe that sounded both delicious and beautiful, and then I got to baking. The shortbread cookies were super delicious, but my flower choice was less than ideal for this recipe. My flowers were all too thick, and they either burned or the cookie under them came out underbaked. The recipe also called for fresh mint leaves, which I could not find, so I substituted sweet basil leaves instead. The basil leaf cookies actually turned out fantastic, and I ate them all before it occurred to me to take a picture, haha. It makes me want to try mint leaves even more.

While my actual flower cookies weren’t very good, I learned some new things with this spontaneous baking adventure. I learned to follow the instructions about what kinds of flowers to top such a recipe with. (And also to actually read the instructions for once; I usually just read the ingredients and then do what I like.) I learned that making these cookies with edible, flavorful leaves is a recipe for greatness and beauty alike. And I learned that this is a really good citrus shortbread cookie recipe that stands on its own beautifully. Honestly, I’m liable to make these cookies again just for the shortbread!

I’d like to make another attempt with better flowers and proper mint leaves. And also with no foliage. It’s a great recipe either way. You can’t win first try with every recipe, but I’m looking forward to trying again to hopefully better results.

It is now August. To everyone else, this is the last month of summer. But, to Americans, this is the start of football. And by football I don’t mean soccer or rugby. This is American football. It is similar to rugby except the ball is different. American Football uses a traditional spherical ball. Rugby uses a longer unusual ball that is easier to grab and carry. Rugby also has more players on the field than American Football. But, what makes football exciting is the energy from the fans. There is nothing like it. If you ever visit America, you should watch a football game live. It is an experience.