Carpe Diem Extra - September 17th 2020

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First I have to apologize for not being present here the last few months. I had hoped to restart after Corona, but we have had another outbreak in the facility were I am working as an oncology nurse. So there was no time to be productive for CDHK.

I hope to restart our CDHK on October 1st 2020, that will be our 8th anniversary month. Eight years ago I started this website to spread the haiku and other Japanese poetry forms and I am glad that CDHK is still here.

Next month as we will celebrate our 8th anniversary all our prompts will be prompts we have had in our rich history.

I will however change a few things. I will only publish on weekdays. So there will not be a weekend-meditation anymore. Ofcourse several special features like "Renga With ..." and the "Tan Renga Wednesday" will be present. I also hope to start a new feature titled "Basho's School of Haiku".

I hope to see you all again here at CDHK and I hope we can continuing with the joy of writing haiku and other Japanese poetry forms.

Our New Logo For October 2020

Hope to see you all again in our anniversary month.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra August 1st, 2020 update

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know the plan was to publish every day after the corona crisis, but as you have experienced, that plan didn't work. At the moment I am very busy, not only at work, but also in private. Last Monday July 27th, I started to clean up the house of my mom. It's sad but she is becoming more confused and her dementia is starting to become worse. It's not possible anymore for her to return to her own home, so we are cleaning her house to give our youngest son the opportunity to start his own life.

It is a sad and very emotional time for me (and my family) so I cannot follow the plan I had to publish on a daily base. I hope that you all are understanding this. It is just not possible to hold on to my promise. It really makes me sad ...

memories
fading away more and more
she ... a child again

© Chèvrefeuille, your host

Have a great weekend.

Carpe Diem Extra April 27th 2020 - update CDHK "lock-down"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It has been a while that I did CDHK in "Lock-Down", because of my busy life as a healthcare worker during Covid-19. It seems that the Covid-19 pandemic is on its return, at least here in Europe and especially in The Netherlands, but in healthcare we are still very busy.
Patients from hospitals are now being transferred to the nursing home where I am working, so I will stay very busy the upcoming weeks. Therefore I have decided to stay in our CDHK "Lock-Down" for a few weeks. I hope to publish again in about, say ... 2 or 3 weeks. Sorry for this, but I need to focus on my work as a healthcare worker.

feeling lonesome
missing the warm embrace of family -
stay safe

© Chèvrefeuille, your host

Take care my beloved CDHK family

Carpe Diem Extra December 30th 2019 an update on my mom

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First my apologies for not publishing our traditional feature "Seven Days Before Christmas", because I had a lot to do while caring for my mom. Today I wish to bring you an update on my mom.

My mom has been institutionalized (?) on Christmas Eve she had to move to a nursery home for the elderly people. Her dementia looks very progressive at the moment and it wasn't possible anymore to take care for her in her own home. So we had to decide what to do. The nursing home for the elderly people was our only option ... so she lives now in a nursing home. One positive side to this is, that she now lives in the nursing home were I am working myself. So I can visit her very often even when I am at work.

Nursing Home were my mother lives now

It's sad that we had to decide this, but ... it also gives us rest and peace ... I try to cope with it as does my mom. We will find peace within for this new way of being a family.

To conclude this CD Extra:

I wish you all a wonderful inspirational 2020 ... I hope to start publishing again on Monday January 6th 2020. And ofcourse I hope to see you all again here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Nagoaka Fireworks Festival 2019

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra December 6th 2019 ... CDHK on hold

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I feel the urge to tell you how it's going here in The Netherlands. As you all have noticed the last weeks I am not publishing on time or sometimes not at all. I love to explain why. As I told you in one of my earlier posts my mother is diagnosed with vascular dementia. The last weeks her dementia is very progressive. She looses the hold on her life and brings her own safety in danger. I am the only one left, next to my mother, of our family, so I am almost on a daily base at my mother's home.
She is really loosing the hold on our life and needs almost 24/7 care, but at the moment there is no place in the nursing homes for the elderly.
You all will understand that the care for my mother takes all my time and that makes me sad, because you all are in a way my family and I just want to give you all the attention you deserve. That's not possible at the moment. I am exhausted and running towards a nervous breakdown.
So I have decided to take some time off. Ofcourse with pain in my heart, but I cannot cope in a good way with the progressive dementia of my mother ... I hope you all will understand my decision.

I hope to be back as your host in a few weeks, because I really love CDHK and I love to do our traditional "Seven Days Before Christmas" feature ...

it dribbles tears

The man
I used to meet in the mirror
is no more.
Now I see a wasted face.
It dribbles tears.

© Masaoka Shiki

This Tanka by Shiki, gives you an idea how I am feeling right now.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra -- September 17th 2019 reduction of posts

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Good day to you all ... I have an annoucement to make. I have four weeks off from work, yes I have vacation, so to have the time I need to relax I have decided to reduce the posts for the next four weeks. I will not publish an episode of CDHK on Wednesdays starting today.

peace of mind
lotuses reach for the sun
growing from the dark

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope you will understand this choice.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host.

Carpe Diem Extra May 22nd 2019 -- forgotten kukai August 2018

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know I have a week off, but that doesn't mean I am not busy with Carpe Diem. I ran into a "lost list of the 2nd Troiku-kukai". That 2nd Troiku-kukai we had in August 2018. So I will gather those Troiku and will publish them this week for judging.

My apologies for this inconvenience.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra May 1st 2019 Tanka Splendor re-opened

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have re-opened our Tanka Splendor weblog on WP. It's the place for you if you like to create Tanka and share it with the world. Tanka Splendor will be published every Wednesday. I will give you a theme or a tanka to work with  Feel free to visit and participate in Tanka Splendor.

This week I have chosen for a beautiful tanka by Jane Reichhold to inspire you. You can find Tanka Splendor by clicking on the image at the right side of our Kai.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra March 21st 2019 ... sneak preview 2nd quarter 2019

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to give you a sneak preview for our 2nd quarter of 2019, but first I have a question for you all. This month we are on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage, but it seems like you all have not enough inspiration for this month. So I love to hear from you what is the matter? CDHK was a blossoming group of poets that share their love for Japanese poetry, but ... I don't know what is happening but it looks like CDHK has no future anymore.

As you all know I love to create CDHK, but if enthousiasm starts to become smaller than I don't know if I will go on with CDHK. Ofcourse there will be all kinds of reasons why the responses are not that much anymore. Maybe it's the theme for this month or maybe it takes to much of your time. So please let me know what I can change to bring back your enthousiasm. Maybe you have ideas for new themes, new features or maybe another way of making CDHK.

Okay ... let me tell you my ideas for the 2nd quarter of 2019.

April 2019:

I have ran through our rich history and I found a few months in which there was an awesome response. Those months were all about classical and non-classical kigo (seasonwords). So in April all our prompts will be classical and non-classical kigo for Spring.

such a sad event
young cherry blossoms frozen
in a cold spring night

© Chèvrefeuille (2016)

May 2019:

Another theme on which your responses were wonderful were the Tan Renga Challenge months. That wonderful kind of chained verse that brings poets together. In May I will create a month full of Tan Renga Challenges with ofcourse also several hineri (with a twist) episodes.
Tan Renga is a chained verse of two stanza, the first stanza has three lines and the second stanza has two lines. The second stanza is created through association on the scenes in the first stanza. Tan Renga looks similar with Tanka, but is written by two poets (as in a renga).

morning sun
the twinkle of stars
still in the dew                                                      (Jane Reichhold)

her bright shining eyes
she unpacks her new doll                                     (your host)

June 2019:

In June I will challenge you (again) because in that month I hope to bring a month full of Troiku, that creative new way of haiku-ing that I invented back in 2012. In June I hope to challenge you to create a Troiku Hineri every week.

morning dew
vanished in a second as the sun rises -
life is short


morning dew
makes the spiderweb crystaline
nature's treasure

vanished in a second as the sun rises
the fragile hoarfrost on the branches -
ice skating

life is short
I see the thin grey hair of my parents
I become grey too

© Chèvrefeuille

I am looking forward to this 2nd quarter and I hope you will too.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra March 19th 2019 Delay

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

During circumstances and lack of time I hadn't the opportunity to create and publish our new episode. I hope to create our new episode later on on March 20th 2019. My excuses for the inconvenience.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra February 25th 2019: Kumano Kodo ... a new pilgrimage

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know I love to go on a virtual trip somewhere on our planet. I think it's time again to go on a new virtual journey. So next month we will go on a pilgrimage through the "motherland" of haiku, Japan. I have found a wonderful pilgrimage to go on together.

In March we will be pilgrims on the Kumano Kodo: One of Japan's most remote and rewarding journeys, the Kumano Kodō (hiking route) weaves through the mountainous Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka. Once a sacred pilgrimage reserved for emperors and samurai, the ‘Kumano Old Road’ is today open to all modern-day seekers and wanderers.

So we are following the trail of Emperors and Samourai on the "Kumano Old Road" (Kumano Kodo) and I am looking forward to it. I hope you all will go with me on this pilgrimage in March.

Logo CDHK March 2019 "Kumano Kodo pilgrimage"

We have still a few days in February ahead of us ... so be patient.

Have an awesome week.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra December 21st 2018

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have to make my excuses to you all. I am far behind with commenting during circumstances. First through my new job and caring for my mom. So I hope to catch up as soon as possible, but I cannot promise that I will visit all your submissions of the last weeks. It will take time to catch up and I really hope to catch up before New Year's Eve.

My apologies for this inconvinience,

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra December 14th 2018 ... No new post today

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I think you already noticed ... no new post for Friday 14th posted. I haven't had time to create the new episode in our "Haiku-ing along the Pan American Highway" because of lack of time. I will try to post our new weekend meditation later on today, but I cannot promise that. As you know I sarted on my new job and because of traveling time I now need to go to my new job I don't have the opportunity to publish. I am sorry ...

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host.

Carpe Diem Extra December 2nd Mr. Linky widget

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I already encountered a problem with the new Mr Linky widget, I cannot use the "linky" every day. So I have decided to go back to our old linking widget. If you have already linked your weekend meditation submission than please link it again in the new (former) linking widget.

I know it's terrible to have to wait 5 seconds before you can see the post through our former linking widget, but ... well I think that's not a big "gap" to step over.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra November 2nd 2018 ... commenting

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know I am in the middle of a bankruptcy of the hospital where I am working as an oncologynurse. That means my head is spinning and the result of that is that I am far behind with commenting on your submissions. I hope to catch up soon.
According to the bankruptcy of "my" hospital: there is hope to restart it. The board hopes to tell us more next Wednesday. There are a few organisations that have the intention to buy the hospital and restart. So ... I hope there is a little bit light at the end of this dark road.

peeking through dark clouds
she ... the moon ... sends her light
towards earth

© Chèvrefeuille, your host.

Carpe Diem Extra October 29th 2018: 2nd Troiku Kukai

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

During the circumstances I am in now, unployment and so on, I will not publish the results of our 2nd Troiku Kukai this week. I hope to publish the results and the starting of the judgement a.s.a.p.

My excuses for this inconvinience.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host.

Carpe Diem Extra October 25th post delay

Dear Haijin,

I have to apologise for not publishing our new episode. During circumstances I hadn't time to create our new episode.
The hospital were I work has been closed during bankruptcy and so I am unemployed now. I hope to publish later .

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille your host.

Carpe Diem Extra - October 20th 2018 - invitation to participate in a new contest

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Maybe you can remember our collaboration with the FB-Group "My Haiku Pond Academy" last year. We had a contest with Troiku and as you know Celestine Nudanu won that contest. Today "The Haiku Pond Academy" and Carpe Diem Haiku Kai have organized a new contest together. In this new contest you are invited to create a "fusion"-haiku from two given haiku.

You all are invited to participate in this new contest, here is the URL of this new contest:

Fusion-ku

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra September 26th 2018 Pre-Announcement of CDHK's Autumn Retreat 2018

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Autumn has started so it's almost time for our seasonly Retreat, a period of 30 days to write haiku or tanka every day on a specific theme. This tradition is really awesome and it needs "focusing" because all the haiku and tanka created during the Retreat have somewhat to do with the theme given.

For this Autumn Retreat 2018 I have chosen the theme "Love Eternally" and I think it speaks for it self. As you all (maybe) know Tanka is known as the "love poem", but I think (and I have said that often here at CDHK) that Haiku can be a love poem too. So for this Autumn Retreat 2018 I challenge you to create haiku (and tanka) on love eternally.

Our Autumn Retreat 2018 starts on October 15th at 10:00 PM (CEST) and will close on November 15th 10:00 PM (CET). So are you with me again this seasonly Carpe Diem Autumn Retreat? 

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Extra September 14th 2018: Last Call For Submissions Troiku Kukai 2nd edition

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,


Our 2nd edition of the Troiku Kukai is almost over you can submit your Troiku created from the following haiku by Yosa Buson until September 15th 10:00 PM (CEST).


Springtime rain -- 
little shell on a small beach, 
enough to moisten it


© Yosa Buson (Tr. unknown)


Email your Troiku to our email-address: carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com Please write Troiku Kukai 2 in the subject line.


!!! Last call for submissions !!!