Journal

CABBAGE LEAVES 

by

Joanne Okano

     This week I have been on a diet again.  I named this one the Danny Kaye diet, because he is one of my favourite celebrities and a person full of hope and I like being full of hope myself.  In this diet, I listen to the Holy Spirit about how much weight it is safe to lose.  I am fitting into my Sunday-best dress more nicely now, so this one is finally working, but I have been fighting the battle of the bulge for most of my life now.  I have been fat and thin and in-between.  My favourite weight is 140lbs. for myself.  I tried the Winnie-the-Pooh diet and the Annabella diet (eat healthy Italian food) and had a fun time but didn't lose any weight.  The Annabella diet I tried because in Italy when I visited in the 1980s, I noticed many elegant slender people, who walked a lot around the towns so I wanted to walk a lot and eat Italian food.  Annabella is a famous cookbook author.   She wrote a very nice chestnut soup recipe I tried in her book Annabella In Cucina (this book is in Italian, and the title means Annabella In The Kitchen!).

APA!

I used to live in Switzerland

For that's where I was born.

In Zurich, in a flat I lived,

And woke up every morn,

A cheerful, laughing baby.

Mother took me out to play.

I said "Apa!" to the men

As they passed me all day.

~

Next we went to Canada

At 'round the age of three

Where I saw a baby bear

It came close to my knee.

"I see a little animal!"

I said to my Mama.

Father picked me up under his arm

And ran in very fast!

~

Next we went to Sweden

With my new sister, Robin,

(She was born in Montreal.

Before we moved to Sweden -

I used to walk all down the street

And bring my friends to see her.)

She was the cutest baby

And we became great friends - yeah.

~

In Montreal I attended preschool

In French of course you know.

In Sweden it was all different

We spoke Swedish there and so

I learned another language

At kindergarten too.

I watched the Monkees on t.v.

And danced to songs I knew.

~

Next we went to England

Where lives the English Queen

I attended the friendly school

In the land of my dreams.

At Piccadilly Circus, 

There were taxis everywhere.

I felt on top of the world

In Trafalgar Square!

~

On weekends we went to London

To art galleries and museums

Watched movies and went to church

And watched plays.  I was so keen

To do all these great things.

I went to school during the week

To Baston School in Hayes

Where I did knowledge seek.

~

In the summer holidays

We went to Europe's continent

To travel in the car and see

Sights outside of Kent.
Later we bought a cottage

On Normandy's sunny shore

And went there every time we could

For puppetry and more.

~

We wandered up and down the beach

And cycled on the sand

We bought pommes frites at the seafront.

At muraling I tried my hand.

~