Plum Blossoms Are Here!

The Thundercloud plum trees in our yard finally blossomed, starting with the pink one:

…. followed by the white one next:

These pictures aren’t great, as I took them on top of a ladder with my arm stretched as high as I could while holding a mobile phone. But, I am happy with the results.

As readers may recall, plum trees are among my favorite, and once again I am reminded of this old poem by the famous scholar Sugawara no Michizane (菅原 道真 845 – 903) when he was in exile:

Japanese	Romanization	Translation
東風吹かば	Kochi fukaba	When the east wind blows,
にほひをこせよ	Nioi okose yo	let it send your fragrance,
梅の花	Ume no hana	oh plum blossoms.
主なしとて	Aruji nashi tote	Although your master is gone,
春を忘るな	Haru o wasuru na	do not forget the spring.

Enjoy!