今日は４年ぶりの「２月２９日」

　地球が公転軌道上を一周するのに必要な時間は365日5時間48分46秒と計測されてます。これは恒星を観測して分かることです。１年が３６５日では公転軌道上を１周するのに不足し、長い間には暦と季節がずれてきます。

　このため、閏年は通常４年に一回行い、１年を３６６日にしてます。だからと言って、閏年を４００年に１００回行うと多過ぎるため９７回になってます。

　公転軌道上を一周するのに毎年、３６５日では５時間４８分４６秒不足してるのですから、この半端の時間を４倍すると２３時間１５分０４秒であり、これでは１日には足りません。それなのに、４年に１度３６６日にしてしまうと、今度は暦の方が先に行き過ぎてしまいます。そのために、４００年に１００回ではなく、４００年に９７回に減らしています。

　今年は閏年に当たり、珍しく２月が２９日あり、今日がその日です。オリンピックは毎回閏年に開催されます。なでしこジャパン、パリオリンピック出場おめでとうおめでとうございます。

　ところで、今日２月２９日は語呂合わせで４年に一度の「ニンニクの日」ですから、元気をつけたいものです。また、東京スカイツリーが完成した日です。

　今日は例年より１日多い日なので、どう過ごしましょう。そうだ、１日得をした日なので、今宵は楽しくお祝いしましょう。「こらっ！またか」と言う声が聞こえてきそうです。

Dear my earthlings

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

......................

　It is estimated that the time needs for the Earth to complete one revolution in its orbit is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. This can be seen by observing fixed stars. 365 days in a year is not enough to complete one revolution on the orbit, so that in the future the calendar and seasons become out of sync.

　For this reason, leap years are usually held once every four years. The leap year makes 366 days. That being said, but, 100 leap years in 400 years would be too many, so the number is 97.

　At first I didn't understand why there were 97 leap years in 400 years, but after thinking this early morning, I realized the following.

　Every year, it takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to travel around the orbit, so if we multiply this extra time by 4, we get 23 hours, 15 minutes, and 4 seconds, which is not enough for one day. However, if we change it to 366 days once every four years perpetually, the calendar will go too far ahead of season. Therefore, instead of 100 times in 400 years, human being has reduced it to 97 times in 400 years.

　This year is a leap year, and February has 29 days, which is rare, and today is that day. The Olympics are always held in a leap year. Congratulations to Nadeshiko Japan that can paticipate in Paris Olympic.

　By the way, today, February 29th, is "Garlic Day," which is a play on words that occurs once every four years, so we want to cheer up. It is also the day when Tokyo Skytree was completed.

　Today is one more day than usual, so how should we spend it? That's right, we gain a day than usual, so let's have fun tonight and celebrate. It may be heard a voice saying, "You go again to the tavern!"

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

 　  　

今宵は下弦の月

　現在、東の空に出ている月齢１９の月です。この月が西の空に沈むとき、弦の部分が下になるので下弦の月です。

　直径２００Kほどあると推定されるクレーターが右上に見えます。私たちを載せた地球も、この月の姿と同様に暗黒の宇宙に浮かび、太陽光が当たっています。

Dear my friends as earthlings

　The moon is currently in the eastern sky and the moon phase is 19 tonight. When this moon sets in the western sky, the string of the moon is at the bottom, so it is a waning moon.

　A crater estimated to be about 200km in diameter can be seen in the upper right. The Earth on which we are placed, also floats in a dark space, just like the moon, and is illuminated by sunlight.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

早春から春へ・・・花の季節始まる

　早春の今、庭では各種の花梅が咲き、自称「倉賀野梅林」は花盛りです。一方、温かな廊下では、早くも西洋シャクナゲが咲き始めたり、君子蘭は１月上旬から咲いており、今でも新たな蕾が出て来て来月いっぱい咲きそうです。

　素人であった私は、失敗を通して、君子蘭を良く咲かせるコツを、やっと掴めたと思ってます。先ず、根が充分に張れるように大きめの鉢に植え、君子蘭用の土を使うことです。君子蘭は南アフリカが原産地ですから、寒さに弱く、冬季は室内で育てます。本来、森の木陰で咲く植物なので直射日光を嫌います。直射日光に当たると花の色が褪せます。ガラス越しなら大丈夫です。

　一方、西洋シャクナゲも寒さに弱いので、小さなものは室内で育て、大きなものは室外の軒下で冬を過ごします。日本シャクナゲは日本の気候に慣れてるので室外で大丈夫です。殆どのシャクナゲは４月～５月の開花です。現在、すでに蕾が膨らんでおり、今春も期待できそうです。また、牡丹もすでに蕾がいっぱいです。お近くの方はもちろん、ＮＺなど遠望の方も見にいらして下さい。

　それにしても、植物は個性豊かな花の色彩で周囲を楽しませてくれます。今まで比較的暗かった私も、今後は、植物のように取り巻く周囲を明るくできるでしょうか。人間が植物から学ぶことは多いです。

Dear my earthlings

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

.........................

　Now, it's early spring, various types of plum blossom are blooming in the garden, and the self-proclaimed "Kuragano-Plum-Grove" is in full bloom. On the other hand, in the warm hallway, Western rhododendrons have already started blooming, and Kafir lilies have been blooming since early January, and still now, new buds are appearing so that it they will bloom till next month.

　I was an amateur, so that through my mistakes, I think I've finally mastered the trick of making Kafir lily bloom well. First, I plant it in a large pot so that the roots can spread out sufficiently, and use the suitable soil for Kafir lily. She is native to South Africa, so she is sensitive to cold weather and should be grown indoors during the Japanese winter. Originally, it is a plant that blooms in the shade of trees in the forest, so she hates direct sunlight. The color of the flowers will fade if exposed to direct sunlight. she is okay if through glass.

　On the other hand, Western rhododendrons are also sensitive to Japanese cold, so small ones should be grown indoors and larger ones should spend the winter outdoors under the eaves. Japanese rhododendrons are accustomed to the Japanese climate, so they can be grown outdoors. Most rhododendrons bloom from April to May. Currently, the buds are already swollen, and I expect the blossom this spring as well. Also, the Botan peonies are already full of buds. Please come and see it, not only those who live nearby, but also those who are far away, such as in NZ.

　Even so, plants entertain their surroundings with their unique flower's colors. I have always been relatively dark in personality, but from now on I wonder if I can brighten up my surroundings like plants. Humans can learn a lot from plants.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　　

悲しくないのに、時折、涙が出る

　私の視力は遠方がよく見え、車の運転に不都合を感じたことはありません。しかし、寄る年波でしょうか。近年、悲しいことがないのに、時折、右目に涙が出ます。

　今日は３ヶ月振りに眼科医に掛かりました。そして、近くの薬局でご覧の目薬を受け取りました。病名は結膜炎のようです。

　折角、この世に生まれてきたのですから、いつまでもこの世の不思議なことをよく見たいです。それらは植物の樹形や花の色彩、世界共通である楽譜、群馬県内外の山岳の素晴らしさです。

　しかし、何と言っても顔を見ながら人と会話したいです。もちろん、フェイスブック友人のお顔もしっかり見たいです。特に女性です。早速、目薬をつけましょう。

Dear my Facebook friends abroad

　My eyesight is good for long distance, and I have never had any problems while driving a car. However, is it due to the increasing annual waves? Lately, even though I haven't been sad, I occasionally get tears in my right eye.

　Today I went to the ophthalmologist for the first time in three months. Then, I picked up the eye drops as you see at a nearby pharmacy. The name of the disease seems to be conjunctivitis.

　Since I was born into this world, I want to always see the wonders of this world. These include the shapes of plants and the colors of flowers, musical scores that are common throughout the world, and the splendor of the mountains in and around Gumma Prefecture.

　However, more than anything, I want to talk to people while looking at their faces. Of course, I also want to see the faces of my Facebook friends. Especially ladies. I will apply eye drops immediately.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

不思議な動きを見せる惑星たち

　未だ多くの人たちが眠っている早朝に、東南の空の地平線近くに一際、明るく輝くのは明けの明星「金星」です。日の出前で、他の星が見えなくなりつつある中でよく目立ちます。また、金星のすぐ右下にも一つの星が見えます。これは火星です。

　どちらの星も地球のすぐ隣りの惑星ですが、太陽の周囲を回る位置関係により、火星は真夜中でも見ることができます。しかし、金星は未来永劫、決して夜中には見ることはできません。常に太陽の近くにあるからです。

Dear my earthlings

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

..........................

　Early in the morning, when many people are still asleep, the morning star Venus or we say lucifer shines brightly near the horizon in the southeastern sky. It stands out well before sunrise when other stars are disappearing from view. You may also see a star just below and to the right of Venus. This is Mars.

　Both planets are situated Just next to the Earth, but due to their relative positions around the sun, Mars can be seen even in the middle of the night as well. However, Venus will never be visible at midnight. Because it is always close to the sun.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

私の教科書

　昨日、高崎市の本屋でご覧の「天声人語２０２３冬号」を購入できました。この本は年間に４冊が発行され、朝日新聞に掲載されたコラム３ヶ月分がまとめて日本語と英文で書かれてます。今回は２０２３年１０月～１２月分が掲載されてます。

　扱われるテーマは日本社会、国際情勢、文学に歴史、科学技術など多岐に亘り、特に「時事問題にはっきり意見を述べること」に重点が置かれてます。ですから、これがしばしば論争の種になります。

　同じ内容を日本文と英文を比べながら、読めるように同じページに並べて記載されてます。近年は、日本語を勉強する外国人の読者も少なくないので、漢字にはルビが添えてあり、この本で日本語を勉強してる外国人の便宜を図ってます。

　私たち日本人には、通常の漢字は殆ど読めても、漢字には訓読みと音読みがあり、その時によって読み方が異なり、また、漢字の数の多さは外国の方にとって本当に難しいものと想われます。

　その努力を知ると、日本人が英単語・熟語を習うのは未だ楽なのかもしれませんが、私には英語は難しく、勉強はいつになっても終わりがありません。しかし、この天声人語には現代英語の表現が使われ、私にとって教科書です。平均して１日一つのテーマで読んでいくと５月下旬に読み終わり、その頃、２０２４春号が発刊されます。

Dear my overseas friends

　Yesterday, I was able to purchase the "Tensei Jingo VOX POPULI VOX DEI 2023 Winter Issue" at a bookstore in Takasaki-City. This book is published four times a year, and is a compilation of three months' columns published in the Asahi Shimbun, written in Japanese and English. This time, the contents from October to December 2023 are published.

　The themes covered are wide-ranging, including Japanese society, international affairs, literature, history, and science and technology, with a particular emphasis on "expressing clear opinions on current events". Therefore, this is often a bone of contention.

　The same content is written side by side on the same page for easy reading while comparing the Japanese and English texts. As you know, in recent years, there have been many foreign readers studying Japanese, so the kanji Chinese characters have been added with rubies to make this book more convenient for those who are studying the Japanese language.

　Although we Japanese can read most of the normal kanji, there are two way of kanji readings such as Chinese style phonetic reading and Japanese pronunciation reading, and the way of reading differs depending on the time, and the large number of kanji can be really difficult for people from other countries, I guess.

　Knowing their efforts, it may be easy for us Japanese people to learn English words and idioms, but English is extremely difficult for me, and I will never stop studying. However, this Tenseijingo uses modern English expressions, so that it is an ideal textbook for me. If I read one theme a day on average, I will finish reading it in late May, and the 2024 Spring issue will be published around that time.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

樹木に剪定が必要、人生は改革が必要

【画像をクリックし、拡大すると香りまで漂う感じです。】

　庭は、一本一本微妙に異なる梅の花の色彩と、その香りに包まれてます。最後に咲き始めたご覧の肌色に近い紅梅は色彩にとても優しさが表現され、心が和みます。実は、この花梅は元々背が高かく、その後方にあるサルスベリが夏季に開花すると、サルスベリの花が見え難くなることから、３年前に思い切って幹を下から１mの所で切りました。

　結果的に、今度は横からたくさんの小枝が出て、樹木全体がふんわりした良い形になりました。剪定したことで、おまけに花の色彩が向上したので、やはり剪定は樹木に大切と感じてます。

　一方、剪定が大切と感じたのは柿の木もそうです。こちらは味がちょっと渋かったです。ところが、たまたま幹の下の方から新芽が出てきたので、こちらも３年ほど前に思い切って幹を切断したところ、今ではその新芽がすでに３mほどの高さに成長し、昨秋は実がたくさん生り、甘く食べることができました。

　剪定は本来、樹形が目的ですが、それとは別に、花の色が良くなったり、実が美味しくなることを知りました。

　同様に、人生もマンネリの状態を改革するには、思い切って自己改革の必要があるでしょう。一度きりの人生です。出来れば、今までにない新たな人生の模索です。人生は「もう」ではなく、つまり年齢には関係なく、「まだ」これから一花咲かせる意気込みが生きる喜びに変わると確信します。

Dear my friends abroad who hope for an affluent life

　Each plum blossom has a slightly different color and the garden is enveloped in its scent. The red plum blossoms which are the last to bloom, are close to the skin color as you see, and her color is very mild and soothing. In fact, this flowering plum tree is originally tall, and when the crape myrtles behind it bloom in the summer, it becomes difficult to see the flowers of crape myrtle, so three years ago I took the plunge and cut the trunk 1m from the bottom.

　As a result, many twigs came out from the sides, giving the whole tree a nice and fluffy shape. Pruning also improved the color of the flowers, so I feel that pruning is important for trees.

　On the other hand, I felt that pruning was also important for persimmon trees. This taste was a little astringent. However, new shoots happened to come out from the bottom of the trunk, so I took the plunge and cut the trunk about three years ago, as the result, now the new shoots have already grown to a height of about 3 meters, and last fall they produced fruit. It grew in abundance and was sweet to eat.

　As you know, the purpose of pruning is originally to improve the shape of the tree, but I learned that it also improves the color of the flowers and makes the fruit more delicious.

　Similarly, in order to get out of the rut in our life, we need to take the plunge and reform ourselves. Our only live once. If possible, I would like to explore a new life that I have never had before. I am convinced that life is not "already". Regardless of age, the joy of living will be replaced by the enthusiasm to bloom "From now on".

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

今宵は旧暦の１５日で満月

　本日、中国では春節から１５日が経ったので、今夜は十五夜です。そのうち東の空に満月が出ます。

　太陰太陽暦を使っていた大昔の日本もそうでしたが、紙が無く、カレンダーのない時代は、三日月が出たら３日であり、いざよいの月は１６日であり、月の満ち欠けで暦を知るとは確かに便利だったことでしょう。もちろん、上弦の月、下弦の月もそれぞれ上旬と下旬になります。現代と違い空気が澄んでいたので、月と生活は密接に繋がっていた想われます。

　ご存知の通り、私たちの身体には、月を部首に持つ漢字が多く有り、それらは腹、腕、筋肉、脚、肢、腸、肺や、心臓や内臓などです。生活面でも、朝、服、期間、望みなどに月が含まれてます。これらの漢字を考えた人間は月のパワーを信じていたのでしょう。

　日本列島と比較すると月の大きさ【直径3,474km】が理解しやすいです。月面は広大なので、もし、人類が月面に行ったとしても、移動手段はないので、ほんの一部に留まるだけでしょう。

　不思議なことは月面から地球を見ると、地球が浮いてる所は常に同じ空間です。地球の位置は未来永劫不変で動きません。しかし、月面の場所によっては、地球の見える高さや方角が異なり、違った空間に動かずに浮いてます。もちろん、地球が自転してることはよく分かります。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my dinner in Japan time.

　......................

　Today, 15 days have passed since the Spring Festival in China, so tonight is the 15th night. A full moon will appear in the eastern sky.

　This was also the case in ancient Japan, which used a lunar-solar calendar, but in the days when there was no paper and no calendar, when the crescent moon appeared, it was the 3rd day, and the 16th day of the moon was the 16th day. That was certainly convenient. Of course, the waxing moon and waning moon are also in the early month and late months respectively. Unlike today, the air was clear, so it seems that the moon and life were closely connected, I guess.

　As you know, there are many kanji was connected with the moon and our bodies, such as abdomen, arms, muscles, legs, limbs, intestines, lungs, heart, and internal organs. And, in terms of life, the moon is included in morning, clothe, period, wish, etc. The person who came up with these kanji probably believed in the power of the moon.

　It is easy for us to understand the size of the moon [3,474 km in diameter] when compared to the Japanese archipelago. The moon's surface is so vast that even if humans were to go there, they would only be able to visit a small place of the moon because there would be no means of transportation.

　The strange thing is that when we look at the Earth from the moon surface, the space where the Earth is floating is always the same. The position of the earth in space will remain unchanged forever. However, if depending on moving by human-beings on the lunar surface, the height and direction of the Earth in the space can be seen differs, and the earth are floating motionless in a different height and direction. Of course, we know that the earth rotates.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

植物を通じて、観察力を養う

　冬至の昼の長さは９時間４１分【群馬県】でしたが、調べてみると、早春の今日は日照時間が１１時間１１分と随分長くなり、太陽高度【正午】は冬至では３３°でしたが、今日２月２４日では４４°です。これは、私たちを載せた地球の公転上の位置が黄道十二星座の一つ「しし座」の方向へ来ているからであり、結果的に、地上の自然環境は大きく変化し、植物たちは躍動する姿を見せてます。

　数日前に地上に芽を出したチューリップ(写真上)は、私が数年前に球根を植えました。チューリップはこの築山以外でも、すでに庭のあちこちから芽を出してます。下の写真は水仙で、こちらは半世紀ほど前に、花が好きだった両親が球根を植えたものであり、近年、私がこの築山にすべて移植しました。日に日に勢いよく伸びる新芽を見ると誠の生命力を感じます。数本の芽は早くも蕾を膨らませてます。

　ところで、もう一度、上の写真をよ～くご覧ください。地上に出てきたチューリップの芽が皆で力を合わせて重たい土を持ち上げてます。これこそ「生きる力そのもの」で私はこの姿に感動です。今後、背が高くなり、色彩豊かな花を咲かせます。

　果たして、人間の私は日々このように「全力を出し切っているか」を思い知らされます。肉体的に概して楽なことばかりの傾向で、鍛えることや働くことを疎かにしがちです。精神的にも怠け癖が多く、「新たなことへの挑戦に積極的ではありません。」チューリップの芽が重い土を押し上げる力から「全力で生きる」ことを教わります。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

.......................

　The length of the day at the winter solstice was 9 hours and 41 minutes [Gumma Prefecture, Japan], but when I looked into it, I found that today in early spring the daylight hours will be 11 hours and 11 minutes which is much longer than before, and the solar altitude [noon] was 33 degrees at the winter solstice. However, today, February 24th, it will be 44°. This is because the position of the Earth on which we are placed, is in the direction of Leo which is one of the zodiac constellations, and as a result, the natural environment on the ground has changed significantly. The plants appear to be vibrant.

　I have planted the bulbs of the tulips a few years ago (above photo) that sprouted on the ground a few days ago. Not only on this Tsukiyams that means the artificial mound for plants, tulips are already sprouting all over the garden. The photo below is of a daffodil. My parents who loved flowers, planted the bulbs about half a century ago, and I have recently transplanted them all to this Tsukiyama. When I see the new buds growing vigorously day by day, I feel their real vitality. A few buds are already swelling.

　By the way, please take a close look at the photo above. The tulip's sprouts that have emerged from the ground are working together to lift the heavy soil. This is "the real power to live" and I am moved by their phenomenon. In the future, it will grow taller and produce colorful flowers.

　As a human being, I am reflected whether I am doing my best like that. I tend to focus on daily life that are physically easy for me, and I tend to neglect training and working. I also has a tendency to be mentally lazy, and "do not activate on new challenges." The force of a tulip's sprouts that are pushing up heavy soil teaches me to "live to the fullest."

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

Tell me about real well-being

　どうしたことでしょう。今宵の群馬は寒くて仕方ありません。このため、近くのコンビニで群馬の銘酒「赤城山」と、ご覧の砂肝ニンニク炒めをゲットし、これから一杯やります。

　心では、フェイスブック友人の皆様とのオフ会ですので、よろしくお願いいたします。では、庭の梅を見ながら乾杯します。盛り上がって、歌が歌いたくなった方には私がピアノ伴奏致します。

　自分の国の国歌が歌いたくなった人は、何処の国であってもピアノ伴奏致します。

Dear my Facebook friends

　What happened? I feel Gumma Prefecture in Japan is very cold tonight. For this reason, I bought Gunma's famous Japanese sake named "Akagiyama" at a nearby convenience store. So I have a drink from now on with the fried gizzard with garlic as you see.

　In my heart, this is an offline meeting with all my Facebook friends, so I look forward to your support. Now, let's have a toast while looking at the plum blossoms in my garden. If you get excited and want to sing, I will provide piano accompaniment for you.

　If you want to sing the national anthem of your nation, I will provide piano accompaniment no matter where you are.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

今朝は驚きました。

【画像をクリックし拡大すると、ピントが合います。】

　昨日に引き続き、群馬県は今日も天気が芳しくありません。皆さんの地域では如何でしょうか。春先は天気の急変で体調を崩しやすいです。お互いに留意しましょう。

　今朝はどうしたことか、朝食におにぎりが食べたくなり、近くのコンビニへ行き２個買いました。味噌汁は自ら作り、具は生ワカメ、豆腐、ホウレン草、椎茸、そしてブロッコリーを入れ、手前味噌ですが、結構おいしいです。健康のため減塩味噌を使いますが、味が薄いとは感じません。朝ドラ「ブギウキ」を見ながら朝食です。

　ところで、今朝のニュースには驚きです。昨夜から今朝にかけての米国株ダウは４５６ドル以上値上がりし、何と３９０００ドルを超えました。一方、私が関心を寄せてるハイテク企業やIT関連の企業のナスダックは４６０ポイント値上がりし、１６０４１ポイントという近年にない値上がりに驚愕そのものです。「世界経済は日本人が就寝中に動いている」のです。まさに、朗報寝て待てです。

　現役中は給料で家計を担ってましたが、退職後は給料が来ません。このため、以前は不動産に投資してましたが、１５年前のリーマン・ショックの煽りをもろに受け、未だにそれが尾を引いてます。

　この苦い体験をその後に生かし、今になってやっと「投資の基本は何か」を考えてます。「以前は、価格が下がると落ち込みました。しかし、現在では、逆に、価格が落ちたときこそチャンス」と捉えます。一方、「世間が良いと騒ぐとき、購入はすでに遅し」と考えます。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

..............

　I have summed it up due to excessively long sentence.

　By the way, I was surprised by the news this morning. From last night to this morning, the US stock market Dow rose more than 456 points, reaching over 39,000 dollars. On the other hand, the NASDAQ, which is a high-tech and IT-related company that I am very interested in, rose 460 points to 16,041 points, which is an unprecedented rise in recent years. "The world economy is running while Japanese people are sleeping." This is really just wait and see the good news by sleeping."

　During my active duty, I was responsible for the household finances by means of my salary, but after retiring, I no longer receive a salary. For this reason, I used to invest in real estate, but I was deeply affected by the Lehman Shock 15 years ago, and it still lingers for me.

　After this bitter experience, I am finally thinking about "what are the basics of investing?" "In the past, when prices fell, I was depressed. But now, on the contrary, I understand the opportunity when prices fall." On the other hand, I think that when the world makes a fuss that something is good, it is already too late to buy it.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　

一際鮮やか・・・今日の紅梅

　群馬県の今日は雨天ですので、却って紅梅が色鮮やかになりました。二階の窓から撮りました。画像を拡大すると臨場感が出て、花見してる感じになるでしょう。

　私一人で眺めているだけではもったいないです。時々は前の道を行き交う人が足を止めてます。概して、若い人は歩きスマホで、そちらに集中してます。

　今日の午後は眼科に行って、点眼薬をお願いして来ます。1週間に１回ほど、悲しくないのに涙が出るのです。本質はやはり、今の環境に身体が反応してるのでしょうか。幸運にも、遠くは良く見えるので運転には差し支えません。

Dear my overseas friends

　It's rainy today in Gumma Prefecture, Japan, so that the red plum blossoms are even more colorful. I took this photo from the second floor's window. Enlarging the image will give you a sense of realism, and you'll feel like you're viewing plum blossoms near by.

　It would be a waste to look at it by myself only. Sometimes people passing by on the path in front of the garden are viewing. Generally speaking, young people use their smartphones while walking and concentrate on that without seeing the plum blossom.

　By the way, I'm going to the eye doctor's office from now on to ask for eye drops. About once a week, my tear flows even though I'm not sad. Is my body reacting to the current environment? Fortunately, I can see distance well, so driving is fine.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

今日２月２２日は何の日でしょう。

　今日２月２２日は２が続く日ですから「何の日」か調べてみました。

　世界友情の日(ボーイ・ガールスカウト創始者の誕生日)、猫の日(ニャン、ニャン、ニャン)、行政書士の日(行政書士法の施行日)、食器洗い乾燥機の日(食後にゆとりができ、夫婦にっこり)、ヘッドホンンの日(２チャンネルで左右に２つ)、おでんの日(フーフーフーと息を吹きかけ食べる)、竹島の日(島根県の所管とした日)とのことです。

　どうしたことか、実は、私も２が好きで車のナンバープレートも、ご覧の通りです。もしかして、一人暮らしに飽きて、２に憧れてるのでしょうか。

　ところで、２のことを外国では何と言うでしょう。拙い経験でインドではドーでした。中国ではアールでした。因みに英語ではtwo、調べてみると、フランス語ではdeux(ドゥ)、ドイツ語ではzwei (ツヴァイ)、お隣の韓国ではイー、ロシアではドヴァー、フィリピンではdalawaのようです。

　２月も残すところ、あと１週間です。明日から三連休の方もいるでしょう。天気は今一のようですが、有意義に過ごしたいです。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

　.....................

　Today, February 22nd, is the day of number of 2 continues, so I looked into what today it is.

　World Friendship Day (birthday of the founder of the Boy and Girl Scouts), Cat Day (meow, meow, meow), Administrative Scrivener Day (enforcement date of the Administrative Scrivener), Dishwasher Dryer Day (after meals husband and wife relax ) Headphone day (2 channels, 2 on the left and right ears), Oden that means devil) tongue day (we eat by blowing breath), and Takeshima day (day when it was made under the jurisdiction of Shimane prefecture).

　For some reason, I actually like 2 as well, and the plate number of my car is as you can see. Maybe I am tired of living alone so that I may yearn for a pleasant second life with a sweetheart.

　Not change the subject, but how do you say 2 in foreign countries? Due to my poor experience, doh in India. In China it was Earl. By the way, in English it's two, and when I look it up, it's deux in French, zwei in German, ih in neighboring Korea, dovar in Russia, and dalawa in the Philippines.

　There's only one week left in February. Some people will have a three-day weekend starting tomorrow in Japan. The weather seems to be not so good, but I want to live significantly.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

驚きと心のときめき、そしてユーモアを大切に！

　現在、認知症になる確率は年齢と共に高まり、 およその数字ですが、６５才以上では５人に1人、７０才以上では４人に1人、８０才以上では３人に1人、９０才以上では２人に１人と言われてます。

　私はすでにこの年齢に達してますが、もし、認知症になっても「人間らしく生きていきたい」と思います。しかし、可能であれば、認知症を未然に防ぐ日常生活を心掛けるべきでしょう。

　以下は、私が考える認知症対策です。

　　

１、低栄養を防ぐ、・・・・特に朝食を十分に摂る。

２、筋肉と骨を減らさない適度な運動の励行・・・日々、空気のよい自然環境で行う。

３、社会との関わりを持つ・・・積極的に地区の仕事をする。常にユーモアを大切に！

４、夢中になれる絵画、音楽など好きな趣味に生きる・・・「驚きと心ときめく」時間を持つ。

５、記憶力を磨く・・・今からでも覚えられるという意志を持つ。

　ところで、世界の人口の９８％は日本語が分かりません。このため、私はフェイズブックやブログでは英文での発信を心掛けてます。

　　

　若いときやった勉強法の「この英語の意味は何か」でなく、日々「これを英語で何と言うか」という逆の観点で、英単語の記憶に挑戦せざるを得ない状況に自らを置いてます。ですから「和英辞典」は私にとって誠に福音です。

　最近、ダジャレで覚えた英単語です。低体温症はhypothermia・・・ハイポウ寒みや．整形外科はorthopedics・・・整形外科は大沢先生だ。

Dear my overseas friends

　Currently, the probability of suffering from senile dementia increases with age, and the approximate years are 1 person in 5 people over 65 years old, 1 in 4 people over 70 years old, 1 in 3 people over 80 years old, and 1 in 2 people over 90 years old.

　I have already reached this age, but even if I become senile dementia, I would still live like a human being. However, if possible, we should try to maintain a daily routine in order to prevent senile dementia.

　The following are my thoughts on countermeasures against senile dementia.

　1. Prevent malnutrition...Especially we should eat enough breakfast.

　2. Encourage moderate exercise that does not weaken our muscles and bones...do it in a natural environment with good air every day.

　3. Have to do with society...actively work in the district. Always with humor!

　4. Live the life with our favorite hobbies, such as painting or music performance or listening to, ...Have time to be "surprised and heart-pounding."

　5. Sharpen your memory...Have the will to memorize even now.

　Not change the subject ,but 98% of the world's population does not understand Japanese language. For this reason, I try to post in English on Facebook and my weblog.

　I found myself in a situation where I was forced to challenge myself to memorize English words from the opposite perspective so far, "How do I say this Japanese in English?" instead of "What does this English word mean?, which I used to study when I was younger. Therefore, the "Japanese-English Dictionary" is truly a blessing to me.

　There are English words that I recently learned through puns. Hypothermia is samiya in Japanese. Orthopedics... Dr. Osawa is the orthopedic surgeon.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

体調回復に努めた今日一日

　昨日の夕方は本当によく歩きました。家から高崎の街中にある馴染みの某所まで５Kをてくてく歩き、食事をして、と言っても生ビールなど飲んで友人と楽しく過ごしました。また、居合わせた中年のカップルとも失礼がないように交流でき、あっという間に無我の境地の２時間が経ちました。

　帰路は電車ですが、高崎駅までと、倉賀野駅からも併せて１.５Kほど歩いたので、昨晩は合計６.５Kを歩きました。

　このため、今日は一日中、疲れが出て生活がパッとせず、午後になってから「吉井ドリームセンター」で入浴しました。そしたら、血流が良くなったのでしょう。体調が戻りました。

　ところて、早いもので、庭の白梅は少し散り始めてます。でも、これから紅白に咲き分ける「思いのまま」の梅もあります。今日はこれから植物たちと、庭に飛来して来る野鳥のために夕方の水遣りをします。

Dear my friends abroad

　I walked really yesterday evening. I walked 5km from my residence to the familiar tavern in the city of Takasaki, had a meal, drank draft beer, I had a great time with my friends. and accidentally I interacted with a middle-aged couple without being rude. I attained the state of selflessness. It's been a really fun two hours.

　My return trip was by train, but I walked about 1.5km to Takasaki Station and from Kuragano Station, so I walked a total of 6.5km last night.

　Because of this, I felt tired all day today and didn't feel at ease with my life, so I took a bath at the "Yoshii Dream Center" in the afternoon. Then the blood circulation would have improved. My health has returned.

　By the way, it's early, and the white plums in the garden are starting to scatter a little. However, there is also a plum named "Omoinomama" that will bloom red and white. Today I will be watering the plants in the evening and the wild birds that will be visiting my garden.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

１年は３６５日でもなく、３６６日でもない。

　今年は２月が２９日まであります。これは４年に一度、閏年を入れ、１年を３６６日としてます。人類の先達は１年が３６５日のままでは「季節のずれ」が起こることを知り、後世の人類が困ることがないよう閏年を入れ、暦を調整しておいてくれました。

　これにより、現代を生きる我々はその恩恵に浴し暮らしてます。閏年がなければ、遠い将来には梅の花が８月に咲くことにもなりかねません。

　ご存じの通り、閏年は通常４年に一度あります。４年に一度と言うことは１００年で２５回であり、４００年では１００回の閏年となる筈です。ところが、もし、この４年に一度の閏年を今後も永遠に続けて行くと、これでは閏年が多過ぎて、遠い将来には再度、季節がズレることを計算してました。

　このため、４００年に１００回でなく、４００年に９７回の閏年になってます。近年では２０００年が閏年の筈でしたが、平年でした。元々１年とは、地球が公転軌道を一周することです。それにかかる時間は365日5時間48分45.168秒と計算され、一年は３６５日では短過ぎ、３６６日では長過ぎるのです。

　調べてみると、１月１日午前０時に真南にあるシリウスの位置は毎年ほんの少し東にずれてます。つまり、３６５日では地球は公転軌道上を一周できてないことが分かります。そして４年に一度の閏年を加えることで、シリウスは元の位置に戻ります。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

　...............................

　This year, February has 29 days. This year is a leap year which is set once every four years, making 366 days in the year. Humankind's predecessors knew that if 365 days continue from now on, "seasonal shifts" would occur, so they added leap years and adjusted the calendar so that future generations would not have problems.

　As a result, we who live in modern times are living with the benefits of their wisdom. Without a leap year, in the distant future we might end up with snow in July and plum blossoms in August.

　As you know, leap years usually occur once every four years. Once every four years means 25 times in 100 years, and in 400 years there will be 100 leap years. However, if this leap year that occurs once every four years were to continue forever, there would be too many leap years, and it was calculated that the seasons would shift again in the distant future.

　Therefore, instead of 100 leap years in 400 years, there were 97 leap years in 400 years. In recent years, 2000 was supposed to be a leap year, but it turned out to be a normal year. Originally, a year means the Earth completes one revolution in its orbit. The time it takes is calculated to be 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45.168 seconds. This means that 365 days is too short for a year, and 366 days is too long.

　When I looked into it, the position of the brightest Sirius which is due south at midnight on January 1st, shifts slightly to the east year by year. In other words, we can understand that the Earth cannot complete one revolution in its orbit in 365 days. And by adding a leap year every four years, Sirius returns to his original position.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

今日は二十四節気の「雨水」です。

　地球から見る今日「雨水」の太陽は「水瓶座」にあります。砂漠や海上ならば日の出直前や日没直後に「水瓶座」の一部が見えるかもしれないです。しかし、通常は眩しくて確認できません。何故、これが分かるかと言えば、半年前の午前０時に「水瓶座」が真南にあったからです。

　地球が公転軌道上を、反時計回りに１５°進むと次の「啓蟄」です。更に１５°進むと太陽は「魚座」の下にある「春分点」に達し、春分の日になります。春分点は恒星の位置を赤緯・赤経で示す基準点です。

　一方、毎日、午前０時に真南にある星や星座を観察すると、現在の地球の公転軌道上の位置が分かります。特に１月１日の【午前０時、つまり、除夜の鐘が鳴るとき】、２１個ある一等星の中で最も明るい「シリウス」が真南に輝いてます。暦はこれを基にできてます。

　雨水の今宵「深夜０時に真南を見ると一等星が輝いてます。」これは珍しく黄道上に輝いてる「レグリス」です。この一等星は有名な「しし座」の前足に当たる部分です。

　毎年１１月１８日頃、出現する「しし座流星群」は、地球から見ると、このレグリス付近から放射してるように見えます。もちろん、この流星群は遠方にある「しし座」とは無関係です。１１月１８日頃、地球の公転軌道の近くに浮遊してる物質が、地球が近づくと大気圏に突入し、摩擦熱で燃える現象です。

　「雨水」の今日、太陽は春分点から３３０°回り、その位置は赤経２２ｈです。そして、約１ヶ月後、２４ｈに達すると春分の日です。

　私たちは、宇宙に浮いてる地球が公転軌道上、現在、どの位置を進んでいるか認識しつつ生活したいものです。「雨水」の今日、地球は太陽と「しし座」の間に達しています。

【しし座と一等星レグリス】

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time. And today's sentence is so long that I summed translation up.

.......................

　By observing the stars and constellations of due south at midnight every night, we can recognize the current position of our Earth in its orbit. As you know, especially at midnight on January 1st, when the New Year's Eve bell rings, Sirius which is the brightest of the 21 first-magnitude stars, shines due south. The solar calendar is based on this phenomenon.

　Usui that means rainwater that indicates one of the 24 solar calendar in our tongue is today. When you look due south at midnight, the first-magnitude star will be shining. This is Regulus, which is rarely shines above the ecliptic. This first-magnitude star is the front leg of the famous constellation Leo.

　The Leonid meteor shower that appears around November 18th every year appears to be radiating from near Regulus when viewed from Earth. Of course, this meteor shower has nothing to do with the distant constellation Leo. Around November 18th, some substances floating near the Earth's orbit enters the atmosphere of the Earth, and burns up due to frictional heat.

　Today, in Usui", the sun has turned 330 degrees from the vernal equinox, and its position is at right ascension 22h. Then, about a month later, when the sun reaches 24 h, it is the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere.

　We should live with being aware of the current position of our earth floating in space. Today, the Earth is between the Sun and the constellation Leo.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　

皆さんの名前は、中国では何と発音されるでしょう。

　今日はよく晴れ、白梅枝垂れと青い空がよくマッチしてます。庭の梅の木は花梅がほとんどで、実が生る梅はこの白梅だけで、６月の収穫期にはすべての枝が梅の重みで低くまで垂れ下がります。籠に６杯ほど収穫できます。私に似てお酒の好きな長女が捥いて、梅酒や梅干しにするようです。家の中で咲いてる花は君子蘭です。

　今日の午前中は、廊下で１１月中旬より３ヶ月間過ごした４鉢の「西洋シャクナゲ」を室外に出す作業しました。それぞれ大きな植木鉢で３０～４０kgと重たいです。今のところ、腰は痛くありません。

　庭は梅の花の香りが漂ってます。フェイスブックでは梅の香りまでお届けできません。一方、珍しいことに私は男性なのに、名前に「香」の字が入ってます。

　以前に中国に行ったとき、中国の方は私の事をシーツァオ・ホンフーシャンと呼んでくれました。「香」は中国ではシャンと発音します。「皆さんのお名前は中国では何と呼ばれるでしょう。」知りたい方は調べてお教え致します。

Dear my overseas friends

　It's sunny today, so that the white plum blossoms and blue sky match well. Most of the plum trees in the garden are flowering plums, but, this white plum are the only one that bear fruit. During the harvest season in June, all the branches hang low due to the weight of the plums. I can harvest about 6 cups per basket. My eldest daughter who likes alcohol like me, therefore she picks it up and makes plum wine and pickled plums. The flowers blooming inside the house are kaffir lilies in Full blossom now.

　This morning, I worked to bring out four pots of "Western rhododendrons" that had been staying in the hallway for three months since mid-November. Each large flower pot weighs 30 to 40 kg. As of now, my lower back doesn't hurt. I don't suffer from lumbago.

　The garden is filled with the scent of plum blossoms. To my regret, Facebook cannot deliver the scent of plums for you. On the other hand, it's unusual for my name to include the Chinese character of 香, even though I'm a Japanese man.

　When I went to China before, the Chinese people called me Shezhao Hongfushan. 香 is pronounced "shan" in China. If you want to know, "What is your name called in China," I will look it up and tell you.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

自然との一体感ある生活をめざしたい

　先日、庭で紅梅をカメラに収めていたら、偶然にも6日目の上弦の月が映ってました。花にピントを合わせたので月がぼやけてます。一方、昨日、白梅を撮ったら鳥も来ていました。そして、春風も穏やかにそよそよと吹いてます。

　これらを総合すると、風流な対象として眺められる自然界の景観となり、これは昔から言われる「花鳥風月」そのものです。これこそ「人間の心が落ち着く自然の姿」でしょう。

　それでも、実際には、水が飲めるよう設備を施し、日々、新鮮な水に取り換えてます。このため、毎日、庭に野鳥が飛来し、ピーチクパーチク良い声を聞かせてくれます。

　これからの日々は植物による光合成に感謝し、自然との一体感と共に、快い音楽ある生活を大切にして生きたい。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX1vvAGmskc

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

.......................

　The other day, when I took a picture the red plum blossoms in my garden, I happened to see the waxing moon of the 6th day in the photo. The moon is blurred because I focused on the flowers. On the other hand, when I took a picture of white plum blossoms yesterday, a birds was on the branch. And the spring breeze is blowing gently.

　When we put all these natural things together, we get a landscape of the natural world that can be viewed as an elegant object, and this is exactly what has been said since ancient times about "flowers, birds, wind, and the moon." This is the image of real nature that calms the human spirit as well.

　However, in reality, I have installed facilities to make the water drinkable and replace it with fresh water every day. For this reason, wild birds fly into the garden every day, and I can hear their beautiful voices.

　In the near future, I want to live my life with gratitude for photosynthesis by plants that produce indispensable oxygen for humans, a sense of unity with nature, and a life filled with pleasant music.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

丸ごと「噛んで食う」金柑は、英語でKumquatという

　最近は、この金柑を毎日の昼食に５個食べてますが、なかなか減りません。ご存じの通り、皮ごと食べるので食べやすく、美味しいです。

　調べてみると、金柑の栄養は実の部分よりも皮に多く含まれ、ビタミンＣを吸収して毛細血管を強くしたり、 血中コレステロールを改善して血圧上昇を抑制し、動脈硬化の予防や抗アレルギー作用、そして、発がん抑制作用があると言われ、かなり健康によいと考えられます。

　丸ごと「噛んで食べられる」ので、英語で「噛む食わっと」と覚えました。

Dear my friends abroad

　Recently, I've been eating 5 kumquats for lunch every day, but it doesn't decrease by my eating only. As you know, it's easy to eat including the skin so that it is convenient and delicious.

　According to research, the skin of kumquat contains more nutrients than the fruit, and it absorbs vitamin C which strengthens capillaries, improves blood cholesterol, suppresses hypertension, and prevents arteriosclerosis. It is said to have anti-allergic and anti-carcinogenic effect, therefore kumquat is considered to be quite healthy.

　Because we can "chew and eat" it, I have memorized it Kumquat in English.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

今更ながら「五文型」

　日の出はいよいよ６時３０分になりました。今まで休みでしたラジオ体操会は３月から再開です。日の入りは１７時２６分予定で、昼の時間は１１時間【群馬県】になります。因みに冬至では９時間４１分でしたから、随分、日が伸びてます。

　このため、草木は燃え、このページでも必然的に梅の花の写真が多くなりました。一般住宅の庭なので見に来る人も少なく、ここで紹介させて戴いてます。画像を拡大し、臨場感を味わってください。日々の水遣りや剪定作業が報われ幸いです。

　ところで、ない頭を絞って毎日のようにブログを発信してますが、年齢を重ねつつある私が陥らぬよう注意してることは、1、若き頃の昔話、2、過去の自慢話、3、上から目線の説教じみたことなどです。人は失敗談などから勉強できるものですが、誰でも過去の失敗は忘れたく、わざわざ公のページで示すことは避けたいです。それを扱う場合はさらっとです。

　一方、年齢を重ねても、分野によっては「若い人から学ぶ姿勢」こそ大切であり、生き方としては何才なっても「常に新たな体験に挑み、前進する姿勢」に思います。

　その点、ブログはインターネットなので瞬時に外国でも受信できます。ですから、海外の方に内容を理解してもらうため英作文に挑戦です。日本語と英文で最も大きな違いは語順が逆なので、学生時代に戻り、五文型に当て嵌め、新たな英単語にも今更ながら挑んでます。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

.....................

　Sunrise was finally at 6:30. The "Radio Gymnastics" held in the district which has been closed until February, will resume in March so I am looking forward to it. Sunset is scheduled for 17:26, so that the daytime will be 11 hours [Gumma Prefecture]. By the way, the winter solstice was 9 hours and 41 minutes long, therefore the daytime is getting longer day by day.

　As a result, the plants were burnt, and inevitably there were many photos of my plum blossoms on this page. Since it is a private garden, there are not many people who come to see it, so I would like to introduce it here. Enlarge the image and experience the realism. I'm glad that my daily watering and pruning work will be rewarded.

　By the way, as you know, I post Facebook almost every day, but as I'm getting older, I'm careful not to fall into the following traps such as 1. Stories from my youth, 2. bragging about things from the past. 3. It sounds like a sermon from above. Perhaps, the readers want to learn from my failures in the past, but I want to forget the past mistakes and avoid showing them on public page. If I use it, it's handled a little bit.

　On the other hand, even as I get older, depending on the field, it is important for me to have an attitude of learning from younger people, and no matter how old we are, I think it is important to have an attitude of always taking on new experiences and moving forward.

　On the other hand, since Facebook is an internet service, everyone abroad can instantly receive messages in foreign countries. Therefore, I must challenge the writing English composition in order to help people overseas understand the content. The biggest difference between Japanese and English is that the word order is reversed, so I'm going back to my school days, applying the five-sentence pattern, and trying new English words still now.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　

実に的確な表現・・・三寒四温

　皆さん、今日は一日中、寒かったですね。体調は如何でしょうか。私の住む群馬県高崎市は日本のほぼ真ん中に位置しますが、午前午後共に北西寄りの風が吹き続けてました。このため、運動は家の前の道を行った来たりする程度でした。明日はもっと頑張ります。

　この時季は昔から言われてる「三寒四温」の繰り返しでしょう。この四字熟語をよく見ると、三日寒く、その後それより一日多く、四日温かいと読めます。このため次第に温かくなる意味が含まれ、今の季節に相応しい的確な表現になってます。ですから希望を持ちましょう。

　こんな寒い晩の夕食には食前酒です。と言っても、食事中ずっとですが、お燗した日本酒こそ友達です。そして、今宵のつまみはホッケです。もちろん、不足する栄養素はビタミンＩであり、尽きない何気ない会話です。

Dear my overseas friends including in NZ

　Everyone, it was cold all day today. How are you feeling? I live in Takasaki City, Gumma Prefecture where is located almost in the middle of Japan. Today, the wind continued to blow from the northwest from morning till evening. For this reason, I only exercised by walking up and down the path in front of my yard, but I will try to walk harder tomorrow.

　This season is a repeat of the old saying, "three cold days and four warm days." If we look closely at this four-character idiom, we can grasp the meaning as cold for three days, warm for one more day, so that warm for four days. Therefore, it will be gradually becoming warmer, therefore it is an accurate and suitable expression for the current season, so let's have hope in the near future.

　It's need for us an aperitif for dinner on this cold day. However, throughout the meal, Japanese hot sake is my friend. And tonight's dish is Atka mackerel fish. Of course, the shortage of nutrient is vitamin Ｉ that means love in our tongue, and a constant casual conversation.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

いよいよ「倉賀野梅林」の様相を呈してきました。

　この写真は昨日、二階の窓から撮りました。樹高３ｍの枝垂れ梅がかなり咲いてきたことが実感できます。まるで、花見の雰囲気であり、庭は梅梅梅の香りで、メジロもたびたび訪れ、自称「倉賀野梅林」は華やかになりつつあります。画像を拡大しますと臨場感が出ます。

　前の道を通る人が立ち止まって眺めてることが多くなり、私が庭にいると「良く咲いてますね。」と、つい声を掛けてもらいます。このため、花梅が知らない方との縁を媒介してくれます。

　この花梅は枝垂れであり、ピンクの色彩も優しさをいっそう呈し、その上、幹がくねっているので樹形も鑑賞に値し、人をより惹きつけるのでしょう。

　もしかして、梅の花は、昔、音楽に夢中で過ごした青春時代に共通するかもしれません。梅花も音楽演奏も究めるところ美の追求では共通です。他には未だ、やっと咲き始めてる薄いピンクの梅もあり、一週間後の三連休では、すべての梅が満開となる気配です。庭には観賞用の丸いテーブルが用意してあり、お茶も飲めます。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

......................

　This photo was taken yesterday from the second floor's window. I can see that the weeping plum tree, which is 3m tall, is in full bloom. The atmosphere is like cherry blossom viewing, the garden is filled with the scent of plum blossoms, white-eyes often visit, and the self-proclaimed "Kuragano plum grove" is becoming more and more gorgeous. Enlarging the image will give you a sense of realism.

　People passing by on the path in front of my garden often stand still and look at the plum blossom. When I'm in the garden, she or he says, "It's blooming nicely." For this reason, plum can help me connect with people whom I don't know.

　This flowering plum is weeping, and the pink color makes it even more gentle, and the shape of the tree is worth appreciating because of the curved trunk, which probably makes it more attractive to people.

　Perhaps plum blossoms are something in common with my adolescence when I was crazy about music a long time ago. The pursuit of beauty is common with both plum blossoms and music performance. There are also pale pink plums that are just starting to bloom. Therefore it looks like all the plums will be in full bloom a week from now during the three-day weekend in Japan. There is a round table for viewing in the garden, where we can also drink tea.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　

安くて寛げる「吉井ドリームセンター」

　今日の午後、暫くぶりに「吉井ドリームセンター」の日帰り温泉を楽しんできました。ご覧の通り、昨今では珍しくなった高い煙突が立ってます。高さは３０mほどでしょう。この界隈から出た可燃物を燃焼し、お風呂のお湯にしてるので暖まります。入浴料金が２００円は今のご時世では安いです。

　と言うものの、実は青い愛車のバッテリーが上がらぬよう、車の調整目的のためにも行ってきました。

　ところで、前のページの答えです。左が私が作った「源平枝垂れ桃」で、右がプロの園芸士が作った「八重の枝垂れ桜」です。やはり、プロが作った方が幹のS字が滑らかにできてます。私の作ったのは「源平枝垂れ桃」ですから、紅白に咲き分けます。両方とも、来年に良い場所に直植えします。この植物のお陰で、両方の樹木が大きくなるまで私も元気で生活する目標が出来ました。

Dear my friends abroad

　This afternoon, I enjoyed a day trip spar at Yoshii Dream Center after a long interval. As you can see, there is a tall chimney that is rare these days. The height will be about 30m. The combustible materials from this area are burned to make hot water for the bath, so that it keeps the bath warm. The bathing fee of 200 yen is cheap in recent years.

　However, I have actually adjust to my blue car to prevent the battery from dying.

　By the way, this is the answer on the previous page. The one on the left is the "Bicolored Weeping Peach" that I have shaped, and the one on the right is the "Double Weeping Cherry" that has shaped by a professional gardener. As expected, the way of making S-shape of the trunk will be smoother by a professional. The one I raised blooms in red and white. Both will be planted by me directly in a good location next year. Thanks to this plant, I have a purpose to maintain my healthy until both trees grow.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

さあ、お考え下さい。

【写真をクリックすると、ピントが合います。】

　写真の二本の樹木は生後３年ほど経過した幼木です。ご覧のように幹がカーブしてます。これは生後１年のとき人工的に曲げ、それを暫く紐で縛っておき、１年後に紐を解きます。枝が垂れてるのは樹木の本来の性質で、いわゆる枝垂れです。２本は全く異なる種類ですが、どちらも花が咲く樹木で、片方が八重の枝垂れ桜で、もう片方が源平枝垂れ桃です。

　前述の通り、人工的にこのような形にしたもので、今後はこの姿のまま高さ３メートルほどに成長し、４月にはどちらも八重の花が咲きます。

　実は、この２本の幼木のうち、一方はプロの園芸士がこのような形にしたものですが、片方はアマチュアの私が見よう見まねでこの形にしました。植木鉢に植えたのは両方とも私です。数年後には２m以上に成長し、見事な花をたくさん咲かせると期待してます。

　「さて、ここで問題です。」どちらがプロの園芸士が作ったもので、どちらが植木の好きな私が作ったものでしょうか。ぜひ、コメント欄にご自身のお考えを述べてください。答えは後ほどお知らせ致します。

Dear my overseas friends who like flowering tree

　The two trees in the photo are young trees that are about three years old. As you can see, both trunks are curved. This is artificially bent when the tree is one year old, by tied with a string for a while, and then untied after one year. It is a natural property of trees that their branches droop. The two trees are completely different species, but both are flowering trees. One side is a double weeping cherry tree and the other side is a bicolored weeping peach tree.　

　As I mentioned above, they were artificially bent like a snake, and they will continue to grow to a height of about 3 meters in the future, and double flowers will bloom in April, I guess.

　Actually, of these two young trees, one was bent like this shape by a professional gardener, but the other was shaped like this by me who is an amateur by imitation. Recently, I planted both in the flower pots. In a few years, I can expect it to grow over 2 meters tall and produce many beautiful flowers beyond description.

　"Now, here's the question." Which one was made by a professional gardener, and which one was made by me who love plants? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. I will let you know the answer later.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　　　

昭和時代の教え子が訪ねてくれました。

　昨日の午前中、庭で、水仙の芽など植物に水遣りしていたら、一人の男性が我が家を訪ねてきました。「昔、高商で音楽を教わったＨです。」と言われ、顔に見覚えがあるような気がしましたが、吹奏楽部員なら分かりますが、授業ではたくさんの人数と接していたことから４０年も経過すると、すぐには分かりませんでした。

　彼曰く、「実は今になって、昔教わった有名なギター曲「愛のロマンス」をもう一度弾き始めているが、なかなか上手く弾けないのです。突然で申し訳ないですが、指の押さえ方を教えてほしい。」と言うのです。

　咄嗟のことであり、私も平素ギターをあまり弾いてないことから戸惑いましたが、時間があったので、では室内で弾いてみてくださいと、２０分程聞かせてもらいました。そして、いくつかのポイントを示したら「分かりました」と帰って行きました。

　一般的に音楽の授業で「生徒全員にギター演奏を取り入れることは少ない」でしょう。しかし、音楽鑑賞と歌だけの授業から脱却し「誰でも一つ楽器が演奏できることは後の人生に必須」と考えた私は、後に勤務した富高や前高でもギターを５０台ほど用意しました。授業でクラス全員がギターに取り組み、旋律と伴奏に分かれて合奏すると本格的なギターオーケストラの響きです。 

　ご存知の通り、ギターの良さは、ギター曲を弾く他に、本格的なアルペイジョ奏法で多くの歌の伴奏が出来る特徴があります。おそらく、多くの一般の人は歌の伴奏を生涯経験する機会はないでしょう。ギターが弾ければ、家族が共に歌い「父親が伴奏するという彼らの将来の家庭の姿」を私は夢見てました。

　「きよしこの夜」や「グリーンスリーブス」など、しんみりした名曲はギターによる伴奏がとても相応しいです。我が家を訪ね、すでに５０代後半になった彼は昔の音楽の授業を思い出してくれました。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw4CJDknHSY

  

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

................

　Yesterday morning, while I was watering the daffodil buds and other plants in the garden, a man visited my garden. He said "my name is Hirano, who was taught music by Kakky at a high school a long time ago." I remembered a little bit his face, but if a member of a brass band club would understand, because I had contacted with a lot of students in class, so 40 years ago. As the years passed, it was not immediately clear.

　He said, "Actually, I've started playing the famous guitar music Romance of Love again that I learned a long time ago, but I'm having trouble playing it well. so I would like to know how to hold the fingers. ”

　I was confused because it happened so suddenly and I didn't play the guitar very often, but since I had time, I asked him to try playing it my room and I listened to his performance for about 20 minutes. After pointing out a few points, he said, "I understand" and he went home.

　Generally, in music classes, it is unlikely that all students will be encouraged to play the guitar. However, after breaking away from classes that only focused on music appreciation and singing, I thought that it was essential for everyone to be able to play an instrument in later life, so I prepared about 50 guitars at Tomioka High school and Maebashi High School, where I later worked. In class, the whole students play the guitar, and when they are divided into melody and accompaniment parts and play together, it sounds like a full-fledged guitar orchestra.

　As you know, the great thing about the guitar is that not only playing guitar music, but we can also use it to accompany many songs using the authentic arpeggio technique. Most people will probably never have the opportunity to accompany song in their lifetime. I dreamed of a future home where the family would sing together and their father would accompany them by the guitar.

　Guitar accompaniment is very appropriate for somber masterpieces such as "Silent Night" and "Greensleeves." When he visited my home, he is now in his late fifties, and recalled the old music class.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

「後でやろう」・・・・折角の機会を失う

　今日の午前中、植木を買いに埼玉県花園町へ行きました。高気圧に覆われたことから空がよく晴れ上がり、帰路では、群馬の山並みがよく見えました。

　特に、谷川岳、浅間山がくっきりと見え雄大でした。午後になったら倉賀野から写真を撮ろうと思い、結局、３時頃、家の近くで撮ったら、すでに靄がかかっていて、ご覧の通り、あまり明瞭には見えません。

　何事も「今だ」と思ったとき決断し、すぐに行動しなくては、折角のチャンスを逃してしまいます。そうだ、人生では千載一遇のチャンスをミスミス逃さないよう行動をてきぱき行おう。

Dear my overseas friends

　This morning, I went to Hanazono-town, Saitama Prefecture to buy some plants. The sky was clear due to high pressure, and I could clearly see the mountains in Gumma Prefecture on the way back.

　In particular, Mt. Tanigawadake and the active volcano Mt. Asama were clearly visible and majestic. Therefore I decided to take a photo from Kuragano in the afternoon. So when I took the photo near my house around 3 o'clock, as the result, it was already covered in mist as you can see, I couldn't take a photo it clearly.

　If we don't make a decision immediately and act when we think "now is the time" to do something, we will miss out on a great opportunity. That's right, I will act diligently in my life so as not to miss out on one-in-the-million-chance.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

花梅のシーズン、いよいよ本格的に

　殺風景だった庭は立春と共に、あちこちで梅が咲き始め、早春を感じさせてます。ご存じの通り、梅には梅農家が実を収穫する種類と、花を鑑賞する目的の花梅があります。我が家では、色彩がそれぞれ異なる花梅です。

　元々、私の代になってから植えたもので、埼玉県花園から当時の愛車「いすゞ１１７クーペ」のトランクに根を乗せ、幹の部分は後方に出し運んだものです。それが今や高さ３m以上に成長しました。最も大きな白梅と写真のピンクは、ご覧の通り「枝垂れ梅」です。「何故、枝垂れるか」不思議ですが、私の想像では、もしかして「樹形と色彩をより良く見せるため」本来的に備わっている性質かもしれません。幹もくねってます。

　一方、梅が咲くと、その香りを察知し、どこからともなく鶯色のメジロが必ずペアーで来るので不思議です。昨日も飛来し、蜜を吸うと素早く枝から枝へと移動し、その動きが機敏で魅力的な野鳥です。現在、全体としては２分咲です。今月下旬の三連休にはすべての梅が満開になるでしょう。お近くの方は自称「倉賀野梅林」へ鑑賞にいらして下さい。お茶とピアノ演奏付きです。

Dear my friends abroad including in NZ

　Since Risshun that means the first day of spring in Japan, plum blossoms are starting to bloom here and there in the previously deserted garden. I feel early spring has come here. As you know, there are two types of plums such as those that are harvested by plum farmers, and those that are used for flower viewing. At my garden, they are flower plums with different colors.

　It was originally planted in my generation. I carried its root from Hanazono-district, Saitama Prefecture, into the trunk by my beloved car named "Isuzu 117 Coupe". It has now grown to over 3m in height. As you can see, the largest white plum and the pink in the photo are "weeping plums." It is a mystery as to why the tree droops, but my imagination is that it may be show off their tree's shape and color better. The tree's trunk is also curved.

　On the other hand, when the plum blossoms bloom, it is strange that a pair of nightingale-colored white-eyes always come out of nowhere by scent and It flew in yesterday, and after sucking nectar, they quickly move from branch to branch, so that they are attractive and agile wild birds. Currently, the ratio of blossom is 20 percent overall. All the plum trees will be in full bloom during the three-day holidays at the end of this month. If you are in the area including NZ, please come and see the self-proclaimed "Kuragano Plum Grove". Tea and piano performance by me are available.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...　【ここに上の英文を貼り付けるとネイティヴの発音が聞けます。】

春節の３日は、三日月が出る

　皆さん、すぐに西南の空を見てください。中国では今日が「春節の３日」ですから、それを祝うように「三日月」が出てます。このような自然現象を見ると、月の満ち欠けに全く関係ない日本の正月より春節は神秘的であり、情緒的にも感じますね。

　ところで、日本地図を広げると「稚内から宮古島まで2,722 km」の距離です。写真の三日月の端から端までの距離は3,474 kmと計測されてるので、三日月の中に日本列島を並べると日本列島がすっぽり入ります。遠方に浮かんでいるので小さく見えても月がいかに大きいか分かります。

Dear my friends who are interested in natural phenomenon

　Everyone, please look at the southwestern sky immediately. In China, today is the 3rd day of the Spring Festival and New Year, so a crescent moon seems to celebrate it. Looking at the celestial natural phenomena like this, we feel that the Chinese New Year is more mysterious and emotional than the Japanese New Year, which has nothing to do with the phase of the moon.

　By the way, if we expand the map of Japan, the distance from Wakkanai-city in Hokkaido to Miyakojima Island situated in southwestern Japan is 2,722 km. The distance from the end to end of the crescent moon in the photo is measured to be 3,474 km, so if we line up the Japanese archipelago inside the crescent moon, the Japanese archipelago will fit completely. Even though it looks small because it is floating in the distant space, we can see how big the moon is.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...　【ここに上の英文を貼り付けるとネイティヴの発音が聞けます。】

冬至に比べ、昼の時間は１時間伸びました。

【写真をダブルクリックすると、ピントが合います。】　

　今日は２月１２日です。日の出時刻は６時３６分、日の入り時刻は１７時２１分【いずれも群馬県】予定で、昼の長さは１０時間４５分です。因みに、冬至では９時間４１分でしたから、すでに１時間以上も昼の時間が伸びてます。一方、今日の太陽高度は４０°【正午】の予定で、冬至の３０°と比較して１０°も高くなるので、自然は日々変化を続けてます。

　寒い日々があっても、地球の公転によって植物は日照時間の増加や太陽高度を察知し、ご覧の通り、庭の「白梅枝垂れ」は三分咲きになりました。真っ赤な「鹿児島」という梅の品種はすでに満開で、「ピンクのしだれ梅」や、一本の木でも紅白に咲き分ける「思いのまま」もほんの少し咲き始め、庭は５本の花梅により、次第に小さな梅林の様相を呈してきました。

　ところで、話は変わりますが、私たちは、左手の甲を上にすると皮膚のすぐ下に血管が透けて見えます。その血管の手首寄りを、右手の中指で強く押してから、指の方向へ引き寄せてから離すと、血管が流れることが確認できます。その流れはかなり速いです。実は、これは私たちが生きてる証です。

　普段、忘れがちですが、私たちの体内では常に血液やリンパが流れてます。今度は、両手の手の平を頬に当て、皮膚を横へ擦るように耳の上を通過し、そのまま首筋の下まで擦ることを連続１０回ほどすると、首の周辺が凄くすっきりします。こちらはリンパの流れか良くなるからと考えられます。春です。運動による血流とリンパの流れを良くしましょう。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

......................

　Today, February 12th, the sunrise time is 6:36 and the sunset time is scheduled to be 17:21 [Gumma Prefecture], and the length of the day time is 10 hours and 45 minutes. By the way, the winter solstice lasted 9 hours and 41 minutes, so daylight hours have already increased by more than an hour. On the other hand, today's solar altitude is scheduled to be 40 degrees [at noon], which is 10 degrees higher than the 30 degrees at the winter solstice, so nature continues to change day by day.

　Even when there are still cold days, the earth's revolution allows plants to sense the increase in daylight hours and the altitude of the sun. As you can see, the "White Plum Weeping" in the garden has reached 30 percent of its bloom. The bright red plum variety "Kagoshima" is already in full bloom, and "Pink Weeping Plum" and "Omoinomama" which blooms in red and white even on a single tree, is just starting to bloom, so that the garden is filled with five flowering plums, and gradually taking on the appearance of a small plum grove.

　By the way, when we turn the back of our left hand up, we can see blood vessels just under the skin. You will be able to confirm that the blood vessel is flowing by pressing firmly on the wrist side of the blood vessel with the middle finger of your right hand, and pulling it toward your finger, and then you release it. The flow is quite fast. In fact, this is proof that we are alive.

　Although we often forget, blood and lymph fluid are constantly flowing in our bodies. Next, place the palms of your both hands on your cheeks and rub the skin sideways, passing over your ears and then down to your neck, about 10 times in a row. The area around your neck will feel very refreshed, I guess. This is thought to be due to improved lymph flow. It's spring. Let's improve blood and lymph flow through exercise and rubbing the skin.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...　【ここに上の英文を貼り付けるとネイティヴの発音が聞けます。】

　

懐かしい前高を通過し、新しい道の駅までドライブ

　今日はあまり乗ってない車の調整を兼ね、懐かしい前高の前を通過し、最近、開店した道の駅「まえばし赤城」へドライブしてきました。午前１０時半頃到着したのに、すでに駐車場はほぼ満杯でやっとスペースがあったほどの混み具合です。

　どこが「道の駅」かと思うほどいくつも建物があり、驚くことに、敷地内には郵便局、コンビニ、数百人が入れる広い食道、銭湯まであり、私は折角来たので今夜の日本酒、椎茸、ホウレン草などを購入しました。

　場所については、前橋とは言っても渋川市に近く、歩いて行ける所ではありません。このため、高崎とは違って風が一段と冷たいです。赤城山の麓なので車に乗った高い位置では、群馬の山岳の景色が素晴らしいです。今回は、話のタネに行きました。と言っても、皆さんに、お伝えするだけです。

Dear my friends abroad

　Today, passing in front of the nostalgic Maebashi High School where I had worked, I drove to the recently opened roadside station "Mabashi Akagi" to adjust my car's engine, which I didn't drive much. Even though I arrived there around 10:30 a.m., the parking lot was already almost full and it was so crowded that I could barely find a space for TT.

　There are so many buildings in the site, though it's a roadside station, and surprisingly, there's a post office, a convenience store, a wide dining area that can sit several hundred people, and even a public spar. I came here on a good opportunity, so I decided to buy Japanese sake for tonight. I bought shiitake mushrooms, spinach, etc. 

　Regarding the location, even though it is in Maebashi-city, as a matter of fact, it is close to Shibukawa-City and is not a place people can walk to. Therefore, unlike Takasaki-city, the wind is even colder. It's located at the foot of Mt. Akagi, so the view of Gumma's mountains are spectacular from the high position of driving the car. This time, I went to for the topic of conversation. However, I have no choice but to tell you who access my page.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

早朝の空は季節を先取りしている

【さそり座】

　早くも２月中旬となり、早朝に南の空を見ると、すでに夏の星座である「さそり座」が見える季節です。その形は尾をくねらせ、恰も、地上を睨んでいるかの如くです。このような個性的な形をした星座も珍しいです。

　時間と共に西に進んで見える頭の部分もユニークで、たまたま、この星座は太陽が通過する道である「黄道」に接しており、その位置は高くも低く見なく見やすいです。特に、首の部分にある「アンタレス」という星は全天で２１個ある一等星の一つで、その特徴は明るい橙色です。

　前述の通り、「さそり座」は黄道近くに位置するので、時折、惑星もこの星座に接近します。中でも火星が接近すると、火星も明るい橙色をしており、似たような星が近くに二つ並びます。このため、アンタレスとは「火星に対抗する」という意味を持ちます。

　このように早朝には、すでに夏の星座が見えるのは、地球が軌道上を毎秒約２９㎞の速度で反時計回りに公転しているからであり、現在、地球の公転軌道上の位置は「かに座」と「しし座」の方向に来ています。

Dear my friends abroad

　It's already mid-February, of course in solar calendar, though January 2 in lunisolar calendar and if you look at the southern sky early in the morning around five o'clock recently, you can already see the summer constellation "the Scorpion". Its shape is as if it were glaring at our ground, with its tail twisting. Constellation with such unique shape is also rare.

　The part of the head that appears to move westward usually is also unique, and coincidentally, this constellation is adjacent to the ecliptic which the sun passes, so that it easy for earthlings in Northern Hemisphere to see without looking too high or too low. In particular, the star "Antares" in its neck is one of the 21 first-magnitude stars in the sky, and its characteristic is a bright orange color.

　As I mentioned above, "Scorpio" is located near the ecliptic, so planets sometimes approach this constellation. In particular, when Mars approaches, as you know, it is also bright orange, so that the two similar stars line up nearby. For this reason, Antares has the meaning of "opposing Mars".

　The reason why we earthlings can already see the summer constellations early in the morning is because the Earth is revolving counterclockwise in its evolving orbit at a speed of about 29 km per second. Our earth is coming towards the direction of constellations between "Cancer" and "Leo."

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

若き日の私に、指針を与えた１冊の本

 　昨日のニュースで、世界的指揮者・小澤征爾さんの訃報を知り、思わず声を上げてしまいました。心よりご冥福を祈ります。

　私は高校～大学時代にかけクラシック・サクソフォーンの大御所・阪口新氏にレッスンを受けてました。ある日、レッスン終了後、先生は私にこの本を読んでみないかと一冊の本・小澤征爾著「ボクの音楽武者修行」を貸してくださいました。

　当時、大学卒業後の若き小澤征爾氏がヨーロッパに向かうため単身、貨物船に乗り込み、ヨーロッパではスクーターに乗り、フランスを中心に指揮の勉強に行ったことは知ってましたが、改めて、この本により「若者とは、自ら道を拓くべき」とする生き方に感銘し、今振り返ると、私に大きな影響を与えた本でした。

　私が初めて小澤征爾氏の指揮を拝見したのは高崎市の群馬音楽センターに於ける桐朋学園大学演奏会でした。彼の躍動的にして繊細な指揮は、指揮法について何も知らずにいた若き日の私に強烈な印象となりました。

　たまたま私が大学２年のとき、指揮を専門とする塩谷明先生が群馬大学に着任され、偶然にも、先生は小澤征爾さんの師である斎藤秀雄氏に指揮法を習った経歴の持ち主でした。このため、私は塩谷先生との出会いを千載一遇のチャンスと感じ、その後、先生に指揮法を一から習って、結局、３月の卒業演奏会では群大オーケストラによるモーツアルトの「魔的序曲」を指揮しました。

　そして、翌月４月にはインドの日本人学校に就職となり、カルカッタ滞在中はカルカッタ・シンフォニーのユダヤ人指揮者バーナードヤコブ氏に指揮法を習うことになりました。先生は当時「ブザンソン指揮者コンクール」で優勝した日本人の小澤征爾さんのことを知っててくださり、Mr. Ozawa is very famous throughout the world as a Japanese conductor. と話されました。

　今振り返るとこれが元となり、その後、私は県内の高校(高商・富岡、前高)で吹奏楽をずっと指揮することとなり、小澤征爾著「ボクの音楽武者修行」は人生に大きな影響を与えた一冊になりました。心よりご冥福を祈ります。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

........................

　When I heard about the death of world-famous conductor Seiji Ozawa by the news yesterday, I couldn't help but cry out. I sincerely pray for his soul to rest in peace.

　During my high school and university years, I took lessons from Mr. Arata Sakaguchi, a great classical saxophone player. One day, after the lesson, he lent me a book named "My musical training abroad" written by Seiji Ozawa. Mr. Sakaguchi was saying, "Young people should have this pioneering spirit."

　At the time, I knew that the young Seiji Ozawa, after graduating from his university, boarded a cargo ship alone to head to Europe, rode a scooter, and went to study conducting mainly in France, therefore I was once impressed by this book's philosophy that "young people should create their own future path." So looking back on it now, it was a book that gave a great influence on me.

　The first time I saw Seiji Ozawa conducting was at the Toho Gakuen University Concert at Gumma Music Center in Takasaki-City. His dynamic yet delicate conducting made a strong impression on me when I was young and knew nothing about conducting methods.

　Later, by chance, when I was in my second year at university, Professor Akira Shioya, who specializes in conducting, arrived at his new post in Gumma University, and coincidentally, he had a history of learning conducting from Mr. Hideo Saito who is also the teacher of Mr. Seiji Ozawa. For this reason, I felt that meeting Mr. Shioya was a one-in-a-million-chance, and after that, I learned conducting from him from scratch, and as a result, at my graduation concert in March, I conducted Mozart's "Magic flute overture" with the Gumma University Orchestra.

　Then, the following month, in April, I got a job at a Japanese school in India, and while I was in Calcutta, I learned conducting techniques from Mr. Bernard Jacob who was the Jewish conductor of Calcutta Symphony Orchestra. Jacob knew about Seiji Ozawa, a Japanese conductor who had won the Besançon Conductor Competition at the time, and told me that Mr. Ozawa is very famous throughout the world as a Japanese conductor.

　Looking back now, this experience became the starting point for me to continue conducting brass bands at high schools in the prefecture (Takasaki High School of commerce, Tomioka High School, and Maebashi High School). Therefore, Seiji Ozawa's "My musical training abroad" had a great influence on my life. I sincerely pray for his soul to rest in peace.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

浅間山を眺める度に、蘇る若き日の登頂

　高崎市木部町の鏑川の土手から、午前中に撮った活火山・浅間山です。青空とマッチして優美にして雄大な白銀の姿です。標高２５６８mの威容を見ると、群馬県に住んでいて良かったとつくづく思います。

　しかし、自然は素晴らしい景色という恩恵を与えるのみでなく、長い年月に私たちの祖先は浅間山の脅威に震えました。１７８３年(天明３年)には、地元・鎌原村を襲う大噴火が起こり、２４１年経過した今でも、多くの民家と４００名以上と言われる人命を飲み込んだままになってます。流れ出た熱泥流は我妻川から利根川を下り、５０km以上離れた群馬県東部にまで被害を及ぼしたと記録されてます。

　私が中学生の頃にも、たびたび大噴火が起こり、頂上から５０００m程もくもく立ち昇る噴煙の光景が今でも目に焼き付いてます。

　若き日、元気だった私はこの浅間山に３回登頂し、山頂は別天地のため四方八方の光景が素晴らしく、広大な関東平野と利根川の蛇行、北アルプスの連なり、高く見えた富士山の姿は今でも鮮明に覚えています。

　それ以上に、浅間山山頂で最も印象深かったことは、直径は３００mほど、２００mほど垂直に切り立った深い火口で、常に崖の途中から煙が出てました。人類は月世界に行けても、浅間山の火口底に降りた人は未だ居ないでしょう。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in active volcano

　This is the active volcano, Mt. Asama, taken by me in the morning from the bank of the Kabra River in Kibe-town, Takasaki City. It has an elegant and majestic silvery appearance that matches the blue sky in this season. When I see the majesty of the mountain at an altitude of 2,568m, I am truly glad that I live in Gumma Prefecture, Japan.

　However, nature does not only provide us with the blessings of wonderful scenery, but many years ago, our ancestors trembled at the threat of Mt. Asama. In 1783 (Tenmei 3), a large eruption occurred that hit the local village named Kambara, and even now, 241 years passed, many homes and over 400 people were berried by the volcanic eruption. It is recorded that the thermal mudslide that flowed from the Agatsuma River down the Tone River caused damage as far as eastern Gumma Prefecture, more than 50 km away.

　When I was a junior high school student, large eruptions often occurred, and the sight of volcanic smoke rising 5,000 meters from the summit is still etched in my mind.

　When I was young and energetic, I climbed Mt. Asama three times. The summit was a different world, so the views in all directions were spectacular. The vast Kanto Plain and the meandering Tone-River, the Northern Alps, and the high view of Mt. Fuji. I still remember it vividly.

　More than that, the most impressive memory about the summit of Mt. Asama was the deep crater, about 300m in diameter and about 200m vertical depth, with smoke constantly coming out from the middle of the cliff. Even if humans could go to the moon surface, there would still be no one who has descended to the bottom of the crater of Mt. Asama, I guess.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

一人暮らしの健康法を考え、日々実践中

　以前に「玉ねぎ」について書いたことがありますが、それ以来、夕食に時々「玉ねぎ」を食することが増えてます。寂しい男の一人暮らしですから、それほど凝ったレシピはできません。しかし、私は、料理法より「玉ねぎの栄養価」に注目してます。

　調べてみると、「玉ねぎ」には、さまざまな効用があり、疲労回復、食欲増進、便秘予防、動脈硬化予防などがあり、例えばミネラル類は、食欲を増進し、疲れを取り、体調を整えてくれる作用が大です。 中でも血行を良くし、身体を温める働きが期待できます。ですから、私はこの「身体を温める働き」が健康にとてもよいと感じてます。

　一般的に、冬から早春にかけての時季は体調を崩しやすいものです。しかし、私は身体が寒いと感じることが少ないです。このため、実際は寂しさからでしょう。寒い冬でも時々飲みに出かけ、心の充実も図ります。

　先日書きましたように、私と握手すると「カッキー温かい」と言ってくれます。つい、私は心について言ってくれたのかと勘違いしがちですが、そうではありません。これからも「玉ねぎ」はもちろん、身体が温まる食材を研究し、併せて、キャフレイズを励行し、円滑な血液循環こそ健康法の第一としたいです。良い食材があったら、お教えください。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

..............

　I've written about onion before, but since then, I've been eating it more often for dinner. I'm a lonely man due to living alone, so I can't cook any elaborate recipes. However, I pay more attention to the nutritional value of onion than the cooking method.

　According to research, onion has various benefits, including recovering from fatigue, increasing appetite, preventing constipation, and preventing arteriosclerosis. For example, minerals can increase appetite, relieve fatigue, and improve physical condition. Among other things, it can be expected to improve blood circulation and warm our body. Therefore, I feel that this "work to warm the body" is very effective for our health.

　In general, we tends to get sick during the period from winter to early spring. However, I rarely feel cold. Because of this, it's actually out of loneliness. Even in this cold season, I go out for drinks in Takasaki-city from time to time to enrich my soul.

　As I wrote the other day, when I shake hands with a lady, she says "Kakky's hand so warm." Therefore it's easy for me to misunderstand that she talks about my heart. From now on, I would like to continue to research not only onion but also other foods that warm the body, and at the same time, I would like to exercise "Calf Raising" for smooth blood circulation which is the number one health method. If you have any good ingredients, please let me know.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　　

偶然に早朝のランデヴーを捉える

　写真は今朝、日の出直前に三階の窓から東南の空を撮ったものです。先ず、画像を拡大してご覧ください。

　細い月の月齢は２９ですから、この月は２日後に消えます。すると、明治５年以前の日本ではお正月になりました。この頃になると梅も咲き、確かに、新春の感じが出てくる頃です。これが「新春のお慶びを申し上げます」と年賀状の挨拶に名残があり、この習慣は１５０年経った現在でも使われてます。

　中国やモンゴルなどでは、今年は太陽暦(現行歴)の２月１０日が日本のお正月にあたる「春節」です。しかし、太陽暦では毎年、春節の日が変化します。理由は１年が３５４日の太陰太陽暦だからです。太陰太陽暦には２～３年に1度は閏月を設けて１３ヶ月ある年を作り、季節と暦を調節してます。

　ところで、写真をよく見ると、月の上に「明けの明星」の金星が輝いてます。雪を齎した湾岸低気圧が去った澄んだ空で仲良くランデヴーしてます。明朝２月９日は月が更に太陽に近くなると共に細くなり、地平線すれすれになるので月を見るのは難しいです。実はこの写真には火星と水星も入ってますが、この時間ではもう明る過ぎて微かに見えるほどです。

Dear my friend as an earthling

　The photo was taken by me just before sunrise this morning of the southeastern sky from a third-floor window. First, please enlarge the image.

　The age of the thin moon is 29, so this moon will disappear after two days. Then, it was New Year in Japan before the 5th year of Meiji-era. Around this season, the plum blossoms start blooming, and it's definitely we feel like a new spring. This custom remains in the New Year's card greeting in Japan as "I wish you all the best in the new spring" and this custom is still used today, after 150 years has passed.

　In countries such as China and Mongolia, this year's Spring Festival will be on February 10th of the solar calendar (current calendar), which is cerebrated by the people, the same as Japanese New Year. However, according to the solar calendar, the date of the Spring Festival changes every year. The reason is a lunisolar calendar with 354 days in a year. The lunisolar calendar has a leap month once every two to three years to create a 13-month in a year to adjust the seasons and calendar.

　By the way, if you look closely at the photo, you can see Venus, the morning star or we say Lucifer, shining above the moon. We are having a nice rendezvous in the clear skies after the Gulf low pressure that brought the snow has passed. Tomorrow morning, February 9th, it will be difficult to see the moon because it will get closer to the sun, and become thinner, and barely touch the horizon. Actually, Mars and Mercury are also included in this photo, but they are already too bright to see at this time. Can you see them?

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

姿勢に表れる「筋肉の減少」

　筋肉が衰えると身体活動が減少する傾向です。私たちはこの事を意識し、年令が嵩むに従って筋肉を減らさない工夫を、可能であれば筋肉を増強する心構えが健康維持につながると考えます。筋肉が減少すると、それは先ず姿勢に現れ、運動能力に支障を来すと考えられます。学生時代に習った「ルーの法則」を思い出し、筋肉を鍛える習慣を持ちたいものです。

　人間の身体にはたくさんの筋肉があり、それぞれに名称があります。主な筋肉の名称を覚えて通常の会話でも使いたいものです。筋肉が伸びたり縮んだりすることで、私たちは日常、いろいろの動作をしています。

　その中で、最近、私が特に意識し、増強を試みてるものに「三角筋」があります。これは腕の上部の外側にあり、腕を下に伸ばしてから、手の平を内側にして腕を水平に横に持ち上げる筋肉で、いわゆる肩幅になります。

　通常は軽いダンベルを持って鍛えますが、何も持たなくても、単純に両腕を下から横に水平に上げることで充分に鍛えられます。丁度、鳥が飛ぶような動作です。これを２０回も連続するとかなり効果があり、少し休憩すると再度続けられます。最近の私はウォーキング中、「息を吐きながら」同時に両腕を水平に持ち上げます。

　注意することは両腕を頭上まで持ち上げないことです。頭上まで持ち上げると肩から首筋にある「僧帽筋」を使うので、「三角筋」を鍛えるには水平です。これは、恰も、ここ鏑川に飛来してる渡り鳥のコハクチョウが翼を広げ、優美に水面上を飛行する姿です。

Dear my overseas friends who want to increase your deltoid

　If muscles weaken, our physical activity tends to decrease. We are aware of this and believe that as we get older, we should maintain good health by preventing muscle loss and, if possible, to strengthen muscles. When muscle mass decreases, it first appears in our posture, which is thought to impede athletic performance. We remember the "Lou's Law" that we learned at student age and get into the habit in daily habit.

　As you know, there are many muscles in the human body, and each has a name. We will should remember the names of the main muscles and speak them in normal conversation. We perform various daily movements by stretching and contracting muscles.

　Lately, the one I have been particularly conscious and trying to strengthen is the deltoid muscle. This is a muscle located on the outside of the upper part of the arm that extends the arm downward and then lifts the arm horizontally to the both sides with the palm inward. It creates what is called shoulder width.

　Usually, we can train by holding light dumbbells, but we can get a sufficient workout by simply raising both arms horizontally from below to both sides. It's just like a bird flying. Training this movement 20 times is quite effective, and after taking a short break, we can continue again. Recently, while walking, I lift both arms horizontally while breathing out.

　Please be careful not to raise your arms above your head. If lifting it above your head, you use the trapezius muscle, which runs from your shoulders to neck, so horizontally is the best way to train your deltoid muscles. This is as if a picture of a migratory swan that comes to Kabra River from the continent, spreading its wings and flying gracefully over the water.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

白銀から、白梅へと移行する早春

　私の住む群馬県でも暫くぶりに雪が降り、関東平野では高速道が閉鎖され交通が大混乱となり、トラック輸送による流通に支障が出ました。また、滑って転んで怪我したり、交通事故がかなり報道されてます。人は慣れてない状況になると慌てるものです。降雪の多い日本海側や北海道の方々の冬季の大変さが分かります。

　　

　写真は私の家の前方に見えるお宅の屋根です。屋根の途中に「雪止め」の設備があるので、ご覧の通り、雪は整然としており、徐々に溶ける仕組みです。このため、一度に落雪して危険とならず、また、その下にある雨樋を壊すことを防いでます。私のすぐ前の家の雨樋は以前に降った雪で壊れてしまってます。私たちは雪は柔らかいものと思いがちですが、凍れば堅く、重量は予想を遥かに超える物質です。

　　

　ところで、拙い体験ですが、５月には気温が連日４０度を超える暑いインドでも雪は降ります。それはインドの国土が広いからです。冬休みに北方のカシミールで新年を迎えたことがあり、この一帯は「世界の屋根」と言われる白銀の高い山々に囲まれてます。

　　　　

　今日は天候が回復し、関東平野一帯の雪はかなり解け去るでしょう。季節は「早春賦」の歌の通り、未だ未だ春は名のみです。しかし、庭は白銀の光景から徐々に白梅の開花へとバトンタッチしています。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

...............

　In Gumma Prefecture, Japan, where I live, it snowed after a long interval, especially in the Kanto Plain including Tokyo, many expressways were closed so that the traffic was in chaos, disrupting distribution by truck. In addition, there are many reports by news of slips and falls resulting in injuries and traffic accidents. People tend to panic when face with unfamiliar situations. I can understand how difficult in winter season is for people in the Japan Sea side and Hokkaido, where there is a lot of snowfall every years.

　The photo shows the roof of the house in front of my house. There is a "snow stopper" device halfway on the roof, so as you can see, the snow is well-ordered and gradually melts. This prevents snow from falling all at once and causing danger, and also prevents damage to the rain gutters underneath. The rain gutters on the house right in front of me were damaged by the snow that fell before. We tend to think of snow as soft, but when it freezes, it becomes hard and weighs much more than our expectation.

　Not change the subject, but this is my humble experience, even in hot India where the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius every day in May, I was surprised that it snowed in India. This is because India is a spacious country. During my winter vacation, I celebrated the New Year in Kashmir situated in the north India, and this area is surrounded by high silvery mountains that are said to be the "Roof of the world."

　The weather will improve today, and much of the snow in the Kanto Plain will melt away. As the season goes, as the song "Soshunfu" poet indicates that spring is still only in name. However, the garden is gradually handing over the baton from the sight of silver to the blooming of white plum.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

自然の脅威と恩恵

【画像をダブルクリックすると臨場感が出ます。】

　平野でも久々に積もった雪で、概して大人は困った人が多かったです。娘は所用で東京へ行きましたが、行きは問題なくとも、帰路に関越道が不通で、一般道での帰宅となり、ラインによると家に着いたのが夜大分遅かったようです。

　一方、近所の子供たちは「雪だるま」を作って大はしゃぎでした。特に、生まれて初めて雪を見る小さな子供もいて驚いたことでしょう。今朝は路面が凍ってるので徒歩も車も要注意です。

　庭のサルスベリは７月～１０月まで約１００日間、真っ赤に咲く樹木ですが、今回は、ご覧の通り、真っ白です。しかも、雪の重みで枝が少々下がり、全体として、とてもバランスのよい理想的な樹形になってます。

　今回の雪によって水分が地下に十分蓄えられ、今後、天候が回復すれば、植物には恵みの雪となり、春にまた一歩近づきます。関東に雪を降らせた湾岸低気圧は明日には太平洋に抜けるでしょう。自然は脅威と恩恵を齎します。

Dear my overseas friends

　It had been a long time since snow had fallen on the Kanto plain in Japan, and many adults were in trouble. My second daughter went to Tokyo for her business, but although there was no problem getting there, the Kanetsu Expressway was closed on the way back, so she had to take the local road home, so that according to from her line, she arrived home quite late at night.

　Meanwhile, the neighborhood children were having a great time making snowman. It must have been especially surprising for some young children to see snow for the first time since they were born. The roads are icy this morning, so please be careful when walking or driving.

　The crape myrtle in the garden blooms bright red for about 100 days from July to October, but this time, as you can see, they are bright white. What's more, the weight of the snow has caused the branches to droop a little, as the result, this phenomenon is giving the tree an idea and well-balanced shape overall.

　This snow has stored enough moisture underground, and if the weather improves in the near future, the snow will be a boon to plants, and it will bring us one step closer to spring. The Gulf low pressure that brought snow to the Kanto region will pass into the Pacific Ocean tomorrow, I guess. Nature brings threats and benefits.
　

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

正に「早春賦」を彷彿させる今日の光景

　群馬県高崎市も雪になってます。ご覧の通り、折角、満開になった真っ赤な梅の花に雪が積もって紅白の色合いを醸し出してます。これから夜にかけて益々積もれば、枝が折れるので夕方には雪を払ってやります。

　景色はまさに早春賦。春は名のみの風の寒さや、今日も昨日も雪の空となってます。名歌「早春賦」の作曲者は「中田章」です。彼は私が勤務してた前高校歌の作曲者であり、どちらの曲も、出だしの3つの音は同じです。

Dear my friends abroad

　Takasaki City, Gumma Prefecture, Japan, is snowing now. As you can see, snow has piled up on the bright red plum blossoms, which are now in full bloom, creating a red and white hue. If the snow piles up more and more from now on through tonight, the branches tends to break, so I'll remove the snow in the evening.

　The scenery is exactly like that of the Japanese famous song named "Soshunfu" that means early spring. The poem is that Spring is name only, wind is actually cold, and snowy sky continues from yesterday to today. The composer of the music is "Akira Nakata". At the same time, he composed the Maebashi High School Song I used to work for 7 years as a music teacher. The beginning of three notes of both music are the same.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

庭は一気に春の佇まいへ

【画像をクリックすると臨場感が出ます。】

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2k_PCPcvKY...

　今まで暫くの期間、庭は荒涼とした佇まいでしたが、立春となり、品種の異なる梅たちはあちこちで蕾が膨らみ始めてます。品種名「鹿児島」はすでに満開近くなり、庭は一気に春の様相を呈してきました。

　これからは、花桃、シャクナゲ、ツツジ、水仙、赤紫の藤、牡丹、サルスベリ、東洋錦、１１月の菊の開花まで水遣りに忙しい日々になります。年令を重ねつつある現在、【しかし、気持ちは未だ青年】自然と共存する生活ほど充実することはありません。理想は、花咲く森の中の一軒家です。

　若き日は、寝ても覚めてもクラシックサックス演奏や吹奏楽、ピアノを弾くなど音楽漬けの日々、そしてレース鳩飼育の毎日だったので、植物にそれほど興味はありませんでした。

　しかし、草花を中心として植物が好きだった両親に影響を受け、その年令に達し、血が蘇ってきたのでしょう。今では年間を通じて、水遣りや剪定、植え替えなど植物の世話に明け暮れてます。結果的に、二酸化炭素を吸収し、酸素を生成する「光合成の中で身体を動かす」ので生活環境は健康的と考えます。

　ただ一人暮らしであることから、食事と運動に気をつけても、認知症対策としてもう一つの大きな要素である「社会とのつながり」が重要と感じてます。今日は朝６時に家を出発し、前橋に行き、次女の娘たち二人を小学校へ送り出す仕事があります。両親が仕事で早く家を出るからです。それでは行ってきます。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

..............

　The garden has been desolate so far, but now that spring has come, the buds of plum of different varieties are starting to swell and bloom here and there. The variety named "Kagoshima" is already close to full bloom, and the garden is suddenly becoming on the appearance of early spring.

　From now on, I will be busy watering the peaches, rhododendrons, azaleas, daffodils, reddish-purple wisteria, peonies, crape myrtle, Japanese quince, and until the chrysanthemums bloom in November. Now that I'm getting older [but still young at heart] there is nothing more fulfilling than living a life that coexists with nature. My ideal is a house in a forest with blooming flowers.

　When I was younger, I was always immersed in music, playing classical saxophone, conducting brass band, piano performance, and raising racing pigeons, so I didn't have much interest in plants.

　However, perhaps influenced by my parents who loved plants to the core, especially flowers, and as I reached their age, my blood came back to their way of life. Now, I spend all my time throughout the year taking care of the plants, including watering, pruning, and replanting. As a result, I believe that my living environment is healthy because "I move body through photosynthesis," which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen which is indispensable for human to breathe.

　As you know, since I live alone, even though I am careful about my diet and exercise, I feel that "connection with society" is another major element in preventing senile dementia. Today I have to leave home at 6am, go to Maebashi-city, and take my second daughter's two daughters to elementary school. This is because my daughter leaves her home early for work in Tokyo. Well then, I will go to Maebashi-city.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

　　

暦の上では今日から春です。屋外で活動したい。

【図をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。】

　毎日寒くて我が家のハイビスカスも蕾が膨らんだままで、なかなか咲けない状態が続いてます。それでも、今日は立春です。もちろんカレンダーにそう記されてるからではなく、私たちの地球の公転上の位置によって、立春や春分の日など二十四節気は決まります。

　太陽からおよそ１億５千万㎞の距離を保ちつつ、やや楕円の公転軌道上を反時計回りに周遊してる「地球の現在地」はどこでしょう。立春の今日、地球は、一体、宇宙の何処を漂っているか、地球人である私たちは認識してましょう。と言っても、地上のように宇宙には目安になるものはありません。ただ、考えられないほど遠方に存在する星座の方向によってのみ、地球の位置を判断します。

　太陽系の遠い周囲には、偶然にも、黄道十二星座がほぼ等間隔に並んでいます。そこを地球が順々に周遊しています。ですから、上の図のように立春の今日、地球は「かに座」の方向に来ています。その後、次第に「しし座」の方向に行きます。それに対して、太陽は春分の日が近づくにつれて、公転してる地球から見ると有名な「魚座」の方向に次第に向かってます。

　一方、地球から見ると今日の太陽は「やぎ座」の中に入ってます。もちろん眩しくて確認できません。私たちはしばしば「私の星座はやぎ座です」などと言いますが、それは生まれたとき、太陽の位置が何座にあったかで言います。このため、今の時季に生まれた赤ちゃんは「やぎ座」と言えます。

　しかし、「星占い」は紀元前の人類が考えたことであり、未だに、そのままで使用しています。２１世紀の現在では当時とはかなり異なってます。その原因は地球がコマのように首を振る歳差運動に因ると考えられてます。歳差運動の周期は２７０００年ほどと推定されてます。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my lunch in Japan time.

............

　It's cold every day, and the buds of my hibiscus are still swollen, making it difficult for them to bloom. Still, today is "Risshun" the first day of spring. Of course, the 24 solar terms, such as the first day of spring and the vernal equinox, are determined not by the calendar, but by the position on the revolution of the earth.

　Where is the current location of the Earth in space? The earth is traveling counterclockwise on a slightly elliptical orbit while maintaining a distance of approximately 150 million km from the sun. Today, the first day of spring, we, as earthlings, should be aware of where in the universe the Earth is floating. However, there is nothing in space that can be used as a guideline like on earth. However, the Earth's position can only be determined by the direction of constellations that are inconceivably far away.

　Coincidentally, the zodiacal constellations are arranged at approximately equal intervals around the solar system. The earth is circling around there one after another. Therefore, as shown in the diagram above, today, the first day of spring, the Earth is moving toward the constellation Cancer. After that, it gradually moves toward the constellation Leo. On the other hand, the sun is approaching toward the famous constellation "Pisces" to the vernal equinox.

　When viewed from Earth, the sun today is in the constellation Capricornus. Of course, it was too bright to confirm. We often say like, "My zodiac sign is Capricorn,'' but this refers to the constellation in which the sun was when we were born. For this reason, babies born during this season can be said to be Capricorn.

　However, "horoscope" was invented by humans in BC, and we still use it as it is. Today, in the 21st century, things are quite different from then. The cause is thought to be due to the precession of the Earth, which shakes its head like a top. The period of precession is estimated to be about 27,000 years.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

We shout " Fortune in, Devils out! by throwing beans tonight

　「鬼は外、福は内」と叫びつつ、豆を投げます。 いつの世も健康と平和を願う気持ちは不変です。ウクライナとガザの人々に平和を、また、世界中の多くの難民に生活の安定を願います。併せて、能登半島大地震の一日も早い復興を祈ります。

  We shout " Fortune in, Devils out! by throwing beans in many families tonight in Japan. The desire for health and peace remains unchanged throughout the world. Especially I pray for the people in Ukraine and Gaza, and for stability in the lives of the many refugees around the world to the core. At the same time, I pray for the earliest possible recovery from the Great Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

五分咲きの花梅を見て、人も希望が湧いて来る

　いよいよ冬から春への節分となり、今宵は豆まきです。年令の数だけ豆を食べたいところですが、私など、そんなに食べたら胃がどうかしてしまいます。

　ご覧のように、赤い梅【品種名・鹿児島】と、大きな白梅枝垂れが開花し、庭は次第に梅林の様相を呈してきて、何となく希望を持たせてくれます。白梅の方は毎年実がたくさん生り、文字通り、梅雨の頃に収穫できます。この他、ピンクや紅白に咲き分ける「思いのまま」も蕾が膨らんできました。

　ところで、このように季節が変わると人は年々年を重ねます。生まれて１年未満の赤ちゃんは生後８ヶ月などと月数で数えますが、その後は年数で数えます。もし、大人になっても自分の年を月数で数えたらどうなるでしょう。１２を掛ければ簡単に答えが出ますが、あまりこの数字を意識したことはないですね。

　例えば、４０才なら生後４８０ヶ月、５０才では６００ヶ月、還暦では７２０ヶ月になり、数字の多さがちょっと嫌になります。しかし、現実には平素忘れがちですが、実母が頑張って自分を生んでくれて以来の月数が実感できます。私などとんでもない数になります。

　更に、月数でなく日数で計算したら、よりとんでもない数字になります。５０才で１８２５０日、還暦で２１９００日。因みに３００００日目は８２才です。１００才の人は閏年を２４回含めると生後３６５２４日です。今や、人生１００年時代ですから、健康第一で生活すればその日も来るでしょう。「途中でいろいろあっても」くよくよせず、「常に希望と好きなことに向かって前進」です。一度きりの人生を伸び伸び生きたいものです。

Dear my overseas friends

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be after my breakfast in Japan time.

　.............

　It's finally Setsubun which divides from winter to spring, and tonight bean-throwing ceremony will be held at each family in Japan. We have a rule to eat as many beans as our age, but if I were to eat that many beans, my stomach would be upset.

　As you can see, the red plums [variety name: Kagoshima] and the large weeping white plums are blooming, and the garden is gradually becoming the appearance of Kakky's plum grove, which somehow gives us hope. White plums produce a lot of fruit every year and can be harvested during the rainy season in June. In addition, the buds of bicolor "Omoinomama" which blooms in pink and white, are starting to swell.

　By the way, when the season changes like this, people age year by year. Babies less than a year old are counted in months, such as 8 months old, but after that we count in years. What would happen if we counted our years in months even after we became adults? You can easily get the answer by multiplying by 12, but we've never really thought about this number.

　For example, if you are 40 years old, it will be 480 months, if you are 50 years old, it will be 600 months, and if 60 years old, it will be 720 months. However, in reality, although I tend to forget, I now realize how many months have passed since my mother worked so hard when she bore me. In case of me, there is a ridiculous number.

　Furthermore, if we calculate it in days instead of months, the numbers will be even more outrageous. 18,250 days at age 50 and 21,900 days at 60. By the way, 30,000 days is 82 years old. A person who is a centenarian is 36,524 days old, including 24 leap years. Nowadays, people can live for 100 years, so if you live your life with health as your top priority, that day will come. "No matter what happens along the way," don't worry about it and "Always move forward toward what you hope for and what you like." We only have one life, so we should live it to the fullest.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

近年、叫ばれてる「温活」の大切さ

　最近、ニュースで度々耳にする言葉に「低体温症」や、それを防ぐための「温活」があります。昔から「体の冷えは万病のもと」とも言われ、私たちは日常生活で身体を冷やさない工夫が必要です。

　近年、冬山で遭難した場合や大地震・台風など自然災害により避難生活を余儀なくされる場合、「低体温症」に罹り易いと言われます。このため、私たちは健康維持に寒さを避けなければなりません。

　低体温症とは人体の奥の温度である深部体温が３５°以下になったときを指します。ご存じの通り、正常は３６°台です。このため冬季はもちろん、四季を通じて「体を冷やさない工夫」を住環境から、衣服から、何と言っても食材から摂取することが生命維持に大切と考えられます。

　ところで、温かい食物を食べると、冷えた身体が緩み「血流が良くなって温まり」、リラックスします。調べてみると、身体を芯から温める食材としての代表格に「ショウガ」があります。この他、玉ねぎ、にら、にんにくなどいろいろあります。

　私は時に握手を求められた後、相手の方から「カッキー温かい！」と言われることがあります。もちろん、心ではありません。そう言えば、日常、ショウガを食材としていることが多く、また、ここだけの話ですが、もしかして「お燗した日本酒が好き」だからかもしれません。

Dear my friends abroad

　Recently, we often hear words in the news such as "hypothermia" and "Warm life" to prevent it. It has long been said that "a cold body is the cause of all kinds of illnesses," so that we need to find ways to keep our bodies warm in daily life.

　In recent years, it has been said that people who are lost in the mountains in winter or who are forced to evacuate due to natural disasters such as large earthquakes or typhoons are to suffer from "hypothermia." For this reason, we must avoid cold temperature to maintain our health.

　Hypothermia refers to when the temperature deep inside the human body falls below 35° Ｃ. As you know, normal is around 36 degrees. For this reason, it is important to maintain life not only in winter, but throughout all seasons, we should keep our body warm through living environment, clothing, and, especially food.

　By the way, when we eat hot food, our cold body relaxes, "blood flow improves, and we warm up," making us feel relaxed. If we research, we'll find that "ginger" is a representative ingredient that warms our body from the core. In addition to this, there are various other vegetables such as onion, Japanese nira leek, and garlic.

　Sometimes, after being asked to shake my hand, the person, especially lady, will say, "Kakky is warm!" of course, Not my heart. Come to think of it, I often use ginger as an ingredient in my daily life, and this is just between you and me and lamppost, may just be because I like warmed Japanese sake.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

倉賀野小学校の音楽教育

　今日は午後２時半より地元・倉賀野小児童の下校時間に合わせ、私は交通指導、不審者対策、挨拶運動としてパトロールをしました。一際強く北風が吹く寒い中、今回は車の往来が激しい信号機のある横断歩道に立ち、赤い光の出る棒を持って、下校する子供たちに「お帰りなさい」と声を掛けました。

　じっとしてると寒いので私は時々、子供たちの前で倉賀野小校歌を歌いましたら「おじさん何で倉小の校歌を知っているの」と質問してくる子がいたので「倉小出身だよ。」と答えたら、今度は、女の子に「もう一度歌ってください」と言われ、歌いました。子どもたちは「校歌とは子供が歌うもの」と思っていたらしいです。大人が校歌を歌うのが珍しいのでしょう。

　倉賀野小学校の良さの一つは、体育館の外壁を一周するように校歌の「楽譜」が大きく書かれ、楽譜が読める子に育つよう願いが込められてます。楽譜は全世界共通なので、とても素晴らい教育と思います。

Dear my friends throughout the world

　Today, from 2:30 p.m. Japan time, when local Kuragano elementary school students were leaving school, I patrolled them for providing traffic guidance, preventing suspicious people, and greeting each others. In the cold weather with a particularly strong northerly wind, I stood lonely at a traffic lighted zebra crossing where is with heavy traffic, having a stick that emits a red light, and called out to the children " Okaerinasai" that means Welcome!'

　Sometimes I sang the Kuragano Elementary School's song in front of the children because I felt very cold when I stand still. Then, some of children ask me, Why do you know the Kuragano Elementary School song?" So I answered that I was a graduate of your school, then a girl asked me "Please sing again," so I sang. It seems that the children thought that school song was sung by children only. It must be rare to sing the school song by adult.

　One of the great educations by Kuragano Elementary School is that the "Sheet music of the school song is written in large letters circling the outside wall of the gymnasium, with the hope that the children will grow up to be able to read sheet music. I think it's a great education because musical scores are common all over the world.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...

言葉の要らない未来が不安・・・セルフレジ

　昨年11月、倉賀野町下町地区に大型スーパーマーケットがオープンしました。３ヶ月経った昨日、私は初めて行ってみました。実は、オープンした日に倉賀野町の国道旧１８号は終日物凄い渋滞となり、車はほとんど動かない状態で、何事かと驚いたものです。このスーパーに行っても駐車場に入れ切れない車で溢れていたのです。

　昨日、駐車場は空いておりスイスイ入れましたが、それでも車は５０～６０台有りました。店内に入り、ずらりと並んだ食品の多さに驚愕です。しかし、これだけあると「生鮮食料品は売れ切れないであろう」と咄嗟に想うと同時に、これらは「廃棄処分になるのであろう」と複雑な気持ちになりました。同時に、それを見越して、すべての商品に値段が付いてるのであろうとも想いました。

　私は缶ビール１本、卵を１ケース、人参ジュース１本を籠に入れ、レジに行ったらまた驚きました。それはセルフレジです。つまり、客自身が購入する商品を自ら機械で一つ一つチェックし、会計を済ませるものです。ガソリンスタンドではセルフに慣れていた私も、スーパーで自ら購入する商品の一つ一つをレジの機械に通すなど未経験で心配であり、昨日は女性の係がいるレジを通過しました。説明では、午後８時過ぎはすべてセルフレジになるとのことです。

　セルフレジは人員不足が原因と想われますが、一人暮らしの私は「レジ係の人(特に女性)と何気ない話をするのが毎回の楽しみ」だったので、この先、世の中にますます言葉を必要としなくなるのかと思い、背筋がぞっとしました。

Dear my overseas friends

　A large supermarket has opened in Shimocho district in Kuragano-Town last November. Three months later, yesterday I went there for the first time. In fact, on the day it opened, the Old National Route 18 in Kuragano-Town was extremely congested all day long, due to no cars almost moving, which surprised me. This is because, when many customers went to this supermarket by car, there were so many cars that they couldn't enter into the parking lot. The cars were overflowing.

　Yesterday, the parking lot was empty and I could quickly park, but there were still 50 to 60 cars. When I entered the store, I was amazed at the amount of food items lined up in rows. However, with so much fresh food, I immediately thought that they wouldn't be able to be sold, and at the same time, I had mixed feelings, thinking that these items would probably end up being thrown away. At the same time, in anticipation of this, I thought that all products have a price attached to them.

　I put a can of beer, a case of eggs, and a bottle of carrot juice in the basket, and when I went to the cash register, I was again surprised. It's self-register checkout. In other words, the customer uses a machine to check each item one by one and completes the checkout. Though I'm used to self-service gas stations, I'm worried about passing each item that I bought here, so that yesterday I passed through a cash register staffed by a woman. According to the explanation, all items will be self-register checkout after 8pm.

　The reason of self-register checkout seems to be due to a lack of staff, but I live alone, I always looked forward to having casual conversations with the cashier, so I wonder if there will be less words in the future, it sent chills up my spine.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...