Abide.

Well Dan has done it again with his usual derring do, carrying on the correspondence relating to our hapless Dude. Ever seen the movie 'Starman' Dan? "You're not from around here are you?"

Love the stamp man. Thanks Dan.

Homework.

The restless human mind is ever inventing new ways to enhance our lives and certainly the subject of Debbie's etegami must be one of the more bizarre inventions. Toilet paper printed with English phrases to allow learning the language on the toilet. Luckily there are no assignments, handing in the homework might be a bit messy!....This etegami gave me a big chuckle when it came, thanks Debbie.

Tropical breezes.....

All the way from Hawaii, a card from Linda, a lovely illustration of a beautiful flowering tropical tree. Coming as it does on a day when the temperature here is a maximum of 16 degrees C, it stirs feelings of envy as well as delight on receiving it!

Thank you Linda.

Poor Tororo!

A delightful card from Fumiko to tell me that her little dog Tororo is sad because it is the rainy season in Japan and he is missing his walks, perhaps Fumiko says, he would be happy to go if he had some "Wellies".

Thanks Fumiko (and Tororo).

The Dude.

For anyone who has not seen the Jeff Bridges movie "The Big Lebowski", please do so and this card will mean a whole lot more to you. Dan (hereinafter referred to as 'the Dude') and I exchanged some playful remarks about an etegami by him and that led to this one. Dan pleads with me not to treat this rug in the way the one in the movie was mistreated...you really have to wee (Oooops!) see it yourselves!

Thanks Dude.

Ainu folk tales.

This card from Debbie is one of her series illustrating Ainu folk tales. Debbie has dedicated herself to preserving the Ainu lore and translating it into English to reach a wider audience. The Ainu are the native folk of Japan and are considered to be quite different but sadly their culture as are so many indigenous cultures, is dying out, absorbed into the wider Japanese culture. Some of her workd are included in her Sketchbook Project book currently doing the rounds of American libraries.

 

From the back of the card. Thank you Debbie.

A treasure trove in my mailbox.

I have long admired Tatuaki san's work on the Etegami Fun Club Facebook page and finally plucked up courage to send him a card, hoping for a card in return. Bonanza! I got three!
Tatuaki is a teacher of etegami and his work embodies the spirit of the modern etegami movement, while I may not understand the words, the the very "Japanese-ness" of the cards is so appealing!

This little googly eyed goldfish is so cute.

Currently working on the translation for this one!

 

                                                                                                                                                               Last but not least, "A quiet moment". Thank you Tatuaki san.

 

What a mouth!

"What a mouth, what a mouth, what a North and South, blimey what a mouth she's got!" The lyrics of this song could amost have been written with the Tawny Frogmouth in mind. A nocturnal bird not unlike an owl but as Leeanne says on her fantastic etegami, most decidedly not an owl! I knew what it was the moment I saw it, those whispy little feathers around the beak are a givaway. The frogmouth is known as such because of its spectacularly wide gape which it uses to great effect catching moths and other insects. Rather a comical creature, it extends it's neck and pretends to be a dead broken branch in a gum tree during the day. I love it Leeanne! Thank you.

Shungo does it again!

A beautiful card from Shungo  to celebrate the loquat trees fruiting in his neighbourhood. Loquats are an underused fruit in Australia, partly because it is the loquat which hosts the early fruit fly who then build up their numbers and attack later fruit. Be that as it may, the loquats in Shungo's card are just as delicious as he real thing, I look forward to the fruit in the early summer.

Thank you Shungo!

Bowled over!

Dan the Dude from Shropshire has decided to annoy me by rubbing in the fact that The Poms are doing well at International cricket at the moment...just you wait Dan.......

Thanks Dan (in a voice dripping with sarcasm). :)

A warm card from a cold climate.

Maria from Iceland who is spending time in Norway at the moment has sent this card showing the tools of her 'trade', she is having a painting holiday I think and is showing the places she has been.

Thank you Maria!

Thank you Hideko.

Hideko has only recently joined the group on Facebook but it is clear she is no Beginner! Her work is very accomplished whether it is etegami or the superb illustration she does. I admired her painting immediately, it appeals to my love of precision but she can be free too as this lovely card of edemami shows. It must be coincidence but edamame are my favourite things to eat when I go to the local sushi train restaurant, yummy!

Thank you Hideko.

Thank you Patricia.

This lovely little picture of a vase of flowers comes from Patricia in California, she says on the back,"Time heals all wounds and sows the seed of friendship". Patricia is certainly making a lot of new friends through the Etegami Fun Club on Facebook where she is an enthusiastic poster.

Thank you Patricia!

Thank you Fumiko.

My mailbox was filled with the warmth and colour of summer yesterday when I received  this lovely stamped etegami  from Fumiko showing delicate hydrangea blooms. We certainly need that kind of cheeriness here to combat the wild wet and windy weather we are experiencing at the moment. Every beautifully coloured leaf has been stripped from the trees so now we have only the tracery of bare branches to look at for the next couple of months. Thank you Fumiko, by the way where is Tororo lately?

I love the little windchime signature stamp.