Blossom Watch 2006 - Final Entry

This is the last peep you'll hear out of me this year about cherry blossoms. The season is nearly over. It's been great but there are some downsides to enjoying these beautiful petals.
The other day was beautiful, warm and sunny, with a very strong wind. This is the perfect sort of weather to enjoy some 花吹雪 (Hanafubuki - a blizzard of petals).
As the petals wither and fall from the tree, they are caught up in the breeze and come falling down around you ina torrent like a blizzard of snow.
It really was a great pleasure but a foolish thing to do for someone who suffers from allergies. The experience was like a shot of pollen to the veins. I've spent the last couple of days 'riding the pink dragon' - the exquisite pain of some serious cherry-petal-induced hay fever.
I should be right in a few more days.