出ました！・・・今年２回目の三日月

　西の空に出ました正に上弦の月。暫くぶりの三日月です。つまり、今宵は旧暦の１月3日ですから中国など東南アジア諸国では春節で、多くの人々は故郷で過ごしてます。

　よく見ると影の丸い部分が薄く見えますね。これはおそらくインド洋上に映ってる太陽が月面に反射し、地球照と言われるものです。それにしても細い月です。カレンダーがなかった大昔の日本でも、この月を見て今日は３日と知ったのでしょう。

Dear my Facebook friends who are interested in astronomy and great music

　This evening, a waxing moon has appeared in the western sky. It's been a while since we've seen a crescent moon. Tonight is the third day of January on the lunar calendar, which means the New Year in China and other Southeast Asian countries, so that many people may be spending at their parents' home, I guess.

　If you look closely, you can see that the round part of the shadow appears faint. This is probably the sun reflected over the Indian Ocean on the surface of the moon, this phenomenon is known as earthshine. Even so, it is quite a thin moon. Even in ancient Japan, when there was no calendar, people would have known that today was the 3rd day by looking at this moon.

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

結局、一月中に梅は咲きませんでした。今年は寒いか！

　今朝は咲いてるかと期待して庭に出てみましたが、結局、1月中に梅は咲きませんでした。写真右は品種名・鹿児島で例年１月20日ごろに開花してましたが、今年の冬は例年より寒いのでしょう。今にも咲きそうですが、咲いてません。

　もしかして、立春に合わせて咲き、私を驚かそうとしているのでしょうか。蕾の数は無数なので、一斉に咲き出すかもしれません。写真左は紅白に咲く品種名「思いのまま」で、また、「白梅」もたくさん実が生ります。庭中に梅の香りが漂ったらおいでください。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about fragrant plants and great music

　I went out to the garden this morning hoping to see their blooming, but as the result, the plums did not bloom during January. On the right of the photo is variety of Kagoshima, which normally blooms around January 20th, but this winter has been colder than usual, so although it looks like it would bloom, it hasn't.

　Perhaps is it trying to surprise me by blooming at " Risshun" that means the start of spring in old solar calendar divided 24 seasons? As you can see, there are countless buds, so they may all bloom at once. The variety in the left photo is "Omoi no mama," which blooms bicolored in red and white, and the one on the bottom right is "Hakubai," which produces lots of fruit. Please visit me without hesitation to smell the plum scent in the garden.

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

光陰矢の如し・・・学習に遅すぎることはない

　ついこの間、新年になったと思ったら、今日でもう令和７年１月が終わります。月日の経つのは本当に早いと共に、私自身、この１ヶ月間、健康のためにどれほど身体を鍛え、内面的にどれほど努力したかです。しかし、あまり充分とは言えず、反省が多いです。それでも、良かったことは例年に比較し寒冷な気候であっても、概して健康に過ごせ、家に籠らず、いつもより多くの人たちと交流できたように感じます。

　取り組んでる英単語については、昔やっていた「この英語の意味は何か」という観点から離れ、逆に、自分の考えたことや、言いたいことを英語で表現できるか、つまり「このことを英語で何と言うか」ということに重点を置いてます。そして、実際に英作文で使うと、脳に比較的インプットされ易いと気づいています。

　この１月間の単語ノートを振り返ると、例えば、低体温症を英語で何と言うか。同様に、一夫多妻、サラ金、手に負えない、風刺的な、本末転倒、加工食品、逆効果、両生類、なりすます、国外追放、押し合う、落とし穴、技量など磨く、退化する、柿の蔕、楕円体、けしからぬ、可視化する、ずうずうしい、いたずら好きな、怠惰、静脈注射、インコ、でっち上げ、錯覚の、たわごとを言う、蒸し暑い、容赦なく、酔いを醒ます、取り返しのつかない、有袋類、魅惑的な、不法移民、不運の、蒸し暑い、忘れがたい、虐待、無罪判決、おしゃべりする人、陳腐な、言語道断な、激動の、気持ちを紛らす、おとり捜査、滑り止めの学校、とんでもない、偏平足、手拍子が起こる、傷つきやすい、手ごわい、ケチケチする、などでした。

Dear my friends who are crazy about English vocabulary and great music

　I felt like the new year just started, but today is already the end of January 2025. Time flies, and I am thinking about how much I have trained my body and how much effort that I have memorized English words over the past month. However, it was not enough, and I have a lot to reflect on. However, the good thing is that even though the weather was colder than usual, I was generally healthy, I didn't stay at home, and I felt like I was able to interact with more people than usual.

　As for the English vocabulary I was studying, I have moved away from the perspective of "what does this English word mean?" that I used to do during my youth, and instead I am focusing on whether I want to express in English what I think, and what I want to say in English, in other words, "how do I say this in English?". I have noticed that when I actually use words in English compositions, they are relatively easy to input into my brain.

　Looking back at my vocabulary notebook from January, for example, how do I say hypothermia in English? Similarly, words like polygamy, loan shark, get out of hand, satirical or epigrammatic, upside down or put the cart before horse, processed food, counterproductive, amphibian, disguise, deportation, jostle, pitfall, hone skills, degenerate, persimmon's calyx, ellipsoid, outrageous, visualize, cheeky or bold-faced, mischievous, lazy or idle, intravenous injection, parakeet, fabrication, illusion, babble, muggy, relentlessly, sobering, irrevocable, marsupial, fascinating or captivating, illegal immigrant, unfortunate or doomed, muggy, unforgettable or haunting, abuse or battering, acquittal, chatterer or babbler, trite banal, outrageous or egregious, tumultuous or turbulent, distracting, go undercover or stool pigeon, slip-up school or fallback school, outrageous, flat-foot, clapping, vulnerable, formidable, stingy or skimp, etc.

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

今宵も「冬のダイアモンド」を観察できるチャンス

　たまたま「冬のダイアモンド」に遊びに来てる惑星の木星と火星の位置が、昨日とはほんの少し西寄りにずれますが、今宵も澄み切った夜空に巨大な「冬のダイアモンド」がはっきり見えるでしょう。このようなチャンスはあまりあません。

　左【東】の火星はその名の通り、赤味がかかってます。右【西】の木星は最も明るいでしょうが、惑星ですから、自らは光を発せず太陽の光が反射してます。

　今宵も月が出ませんから、また、大陸からの季節風によって空が一掃されたので、このように星空がよく見えることは年間でも稀です。大切なことは、私たちもこの真っ暗な大宇宙の中に現在浮いてることを実感しましょう。実感して怖くなったら一杯飲みましょう。

Dear my Facebook friend around the world.

　The positions of the planets both of Jupiter and Mars, that happen to be visiting the "Winter Diamond," will shift slightly to the west from yesterday, but tonight the huge "Winter Diamond" will be clearly visible in the clear night sky. There aren't many chances like tonight.

　As its name suggests, Mars on the left (East) has a reddish hue. Jupiter on the right (West) will be the brightest, but as you know since it is a planet, it does not emit its own light but reflects the light of the Sun.

　There will be no moon tonight, so that the sky will be cleared by the seasonal winds from the continent, so it is rare throughout the year for the stars to be visible clearly. The important thing is to realize that we are currently floating in this pitch-black vast universe. If you get scared because you realize this, have a drink.

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

笑いヨガに参加・・・果たして人生は変わるか

　庭の梅の状況からして、例年より今年の冬は寒冷であることが分かります。今日は咲くか、今日は咲くかと毎朝、期待して庭に行ってみると、今朝【１月３０日】も咲いてません。見たところはすぐ「咲きそう」なのに、まるで、いつになっても「咲かない私の人生」のようです。私の楽器「咲きそうフォン」に似てます。

　ところで、私の倉賀野町上四地区では一人暮らしの高齢者が６０名います。その中の一人が私で、月に一回、若い女性の民生委員が訪問し、様子を聴きに来てくださるので楽しく有難いです。

　私の場合は、配偶者との死別と娘たちの独立により、すでに２０年も一人での生活が続いているので、すっかりこの生活に慣れてしまってます。生活の基本である掃除、洗濯、買い物、食事の用意は結構慣れたものです。しかし、一人での生活で困るのは「笑いがないことです。」人間だけが笑う唯一の動物であるのに、笑いがない生活は人間らしくありません。笑うときはテレビで「大喜利」を見る時くらいです。

　ということで、今日は私のお気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」で開かれる「笑いのヨガ教室」に参加し、仲間の人と腹から笑ってきます。ご存じの通り、笑うことは平素の身体状況と違ってきます。「今、実際に声を出して笑ってみてください。」どこが違いますか。それは自然と腹式呼吸になってるでしょう。これが「心のみならず身体の健康に良い」と考えられてます。

Dear my friends who like laughing and great music

　Judging from the condition of the plum trees in the garden, this winter is colder than usual. Every morning I go to the garden hoping to see if she will bloom, but this morning [January 30th] she has not bloomed. From the looks of it, she looks like she will bloom soon, but it is as if she is the same as my life that doesn't bloom. And it is the same as my musical instrument saxophone that the Japanese pronunciation of it is "It is about to bloom."

　Incidentally, there are 60 elderly people living alone in the Kami-4th district of Kuragano-town where I live. I am one of them, and a young female welfare officer comes to visit me once a month to check on me, which I enjoy and appreciate her.

　In my case, I have been living alone for 20 years due to the death of my spouse and the independence of my daughters, so I have become completely accustomed to this lifestyle. I am quite used to the basics of life, such as cleaning, laundry, shopping, and preparing meals. However, the problem with living alone is that there is no laughter. Human is the only animal that laugh, so a life without laughter is not human. The only time I laugh is when I watch "Ogiri" (a Japanese comedy routine) on TV.

　So today I'm going to participate in a "Laughter Yoga Class" held at my favorite coffee shop, "Sampo-michi," and laugh with friends to the core. As you know, laughing is different from our usual physical state. "Now, please try laughing out loud." How is it different? You will naturally end up breathing from your diaphragm. This is thought to be "good for not only our mental health but also our physical health."

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

今宵こそ「冬のダイアモンド」を眺める絶好の機会

　今夜、太平洋側では空が晴れ渡り「冬のダイアモンド」がよく見える絶好のチャンスです。ぜひ、ご自身の目で全容を捉えてくださいね。午後８時～１０時ごろには日本列島の頭上に光輝く正に巨大なダイアモンドです。ダイアモンドはすべて一等星です。全部をご自身の目で把握できれば歴史的な日になるでしょう。

　幸運にも、現在、惑星の「火星」と「木星」がこの「冬のダイアモンド」の中に遊びに来てます。これも非常に稀なことです。つまり、今宵は天体のオンパレードです。人類はこのチャンスを見逃してはなりません。

　北のカペラの位置は赤緯４５°なので北海道・稚内の真上を通過します。オリオン座のベルトに当たる三つ星が赤道上空です。最も下のシリウスがオーストラリア北部の上空です。ですから、「冬のダイアモンド」がいかに大きいかが分かります。アルデバランの右上にある星の塊「スバル星団」は台湾上空を通過するので、頭上よりほんの少し南に見えます。

　もうすぐ大寒が明け、立春になります。私たちの地球は反時計回りに公転してるので、その後、次第にこの「冬のダイアモンド」は西に行ってしまい地球から離れます。ですから、今が千載一遇のチャンスです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about astronomy and great music

　Tonight, the skies will be clear on the Pacific coast of Japan, giving you a great chance to see the Winter Diamond. Please come and see it for yourself. It is a truly huge diamond that shines above the Japanese archipelago from around 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. All of the diamonds are first magnitude stars. It will be a historic day if you can see the whole diamond with your own eyes.

　Fortunately, the planets Mars and Jupiter are currently visiting the Winter Diamond. This is also very rare. In other words, tonight is a parade of celestial bodies. Humanity must not miss this great opportunity.

　Capella in the north is located at a declination of 45°, so it passes directly above Wakkanai-city, Hokkaido. The three stars that make up Orion's belt are just above the equator. Sirius, the lowest, is above northern Australia. So you can notice how huge the Winter Diamond is. The cluster of stars to the upper right of Aldebaran, the Pleiades, passes over Taiwan, so it can be seen just a little south of overhead.

　The coldest time of the year will soon be over, and the beginning of spring will come. Because our Earth revolves counterclockwise, this "Winter Diamond" will gradually move westward and away from the Earth. So now, this is a one in a million chance for you.

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

Hunger is the best sauce.を励行

　生命を維持するため、私たちは食事が欠かせません。しかし、食品にはお金がかかることから、自分で作るより、出来合いのファストフードは比較的美味しく、安価であり、結果的に利用しがちです。しかし、大量に作って安価にし、売れ行きを良くしようとすると、生産過程で化学的肥料を使ったり、料理の過程で人工的な調味料を多用することも考えられます。

　ところが、このような食品は私たちの体内に負担をかけるので、常用すると必ずしも健康に良いとは限らないでしょう。もし、長い期間に亘り、利用して身体を壊すと医療費が嵩みます。

　「身体は食べ物で出来ており、健康を資産」と心得れば、食材も調味料も安全なもの、身体への負担が少ない健康的な食材を選ばなくてはなりません。

　このため私は「美味しいものという観点より、身体に良い食材を選ぶ」ようにしてます。値段が少々高めであっても「身体への投資」と考え、ケチりません。英語の諺「Hunger is the best sauce.」を日々実践しつつ、健康的な食事をめざします。良質な食材は高いだけでなく美味しいです。

　ところで、夕食後は活動がありません。夕食で腹八分目を励行すれば、少なめの量でも満足な食生活になります。庭に生る金柑を昼食のデザートとして、数個食べてます。私だけで食べ切るには5月までかかるでしょう。捥ぎにいらして下さい。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　Food is indispensable to sustain our life. However, food is expensive, so we tend to use ready-made fast food, which is relatively tasty and inexpensive, rather than cooking it ourselves. However, when trying to mass produce food at low cost and increase sales, chemical fertilizers may be used in the production process, and artificial seasonings may be used in the cooking process.

　However, such foods tend to strain on our inner organs in succession, so consuming them regularly may not necessarily be good for our health. If we consume them for a long period and damage our health, medical expenses will increase.

　When considering "health as an asset," if we keep in mind that "our bodies are made of food," we have to choose safe ingredients and seasonings, and healthy ingredients that put little strain on the inner organs.

　For this reason, I try to "choose ingredients that are good for the body rather than delicious." Even if the price is a little higher, I think of it as an "investment for my body" and, I do not skimp. I aim to eat healthy meals while practicing the English proverb "Hunger is the best sauce." every day. Good quality ingredients are not only expensive but also delicious. There is no activity after dinner. If we eat only until we are 80% full at dinner, we can be satisfied with a small amount of food.

　By the way, I eat a few kumquats that grow in my garden as a dessert for lunch. It will take me until May to eat them all by myself. Please come and pick them. Let's talk about our life in the future.

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

　

大寒に春を感じる今日の喫茶「さんぽ道」

　毎日、朝から夜まで一人暮らしなので人恋しさから午後になり、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」に行ったところ、昔、私のすぐ近くに住んでいた女性がその知り合いの人たちと一緒に楽しそうに過ごしてました。挨拶を交わし、私は一人窓際でいつもの「柚子の飲み物」を戴きつつ読書してました。

　３０分ほどしたら、どうしてもピアノが弾きたくなり、２０分ほどで４曲弾きました。そのうちの一曲はサービスで彼女の高校校歌を弾きました。おそらく内心きっと喜んでいたことでしょう。再会したら今日の感想を聞いてみたいです。もしかして、彼女は卒業以来、半世紀ぶりに母校の校歌を聴かれたかもしれません。

Dear my Facebook friends who are crazy about nature and great music

　I live alone from morning till night since 20 years ago. So I felt lonely every time that went to my favorite cafe, "Sampo-michi," in the afternoon. Surprisingly, I found a lady who used to live very close to my residence. She was having a good time with some of her acquaintances. We exchanged greetings, and I sat alone by the window reading a book while sipping my usual "yuzu drink."

　After about 30 minutes, I had an urge to play the piano, so I played four music about 20 minutes. One of them was her high school song as a complimentary gift. She was probably secretly happy, I guess. I'd like to ask her impression about today's piano performance when we meet again. It might be the first time she have heard it in half a century, since she graduated.

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

大寒に春を感じる・・・・上毛新聞「みんなのひろば」に掲載される

　ブログのコメンテーターである「時計屋の隣りさん」の投稿文が今日の上毛新聞に掲載されました。誠におめでとうございます。おそらく１０数万人の方々が読まれていることでしょう。

　つきましては、群馬県外の方々にもお読み戴きたく、ここにご紹介いたします。

・・・・タイトル「大寒に春を感じる」・・・・

　１月２０日は大寒。一年で最も寒い時季とされている。１月の日の出から日の入りまでの日照時間は、平均して１日１分ほど伸びているそうだ。日の出が早くなったことは感じ取れないが、夕刻、日が沈む時間が冬至の頃より遅くなってきたことは実感できる。日脚が伸びてきた。大寒が過ぎると次は立春だ。春に思いをはせ、気分的に春を先取りしても、寒さはなかなか拭いきれない。

　「日脚がのびる」と「日が伸びる」は、共に日照時間が長くなることを表現しているが、ニュアンスに微妙な違いがある。「日脚が伸びる」という表現は、未だ寒さが厳しい中で、日照時間が徐々に長くなることをかすかに感じる時季に使われるようだ。「日が伸びる」は、寒さが少しずつ和らぎ、日照時間が長くなり、外での活動時間が増える時に使うようだ。

　一年の最も寒い時季であっても、少しずつ日が長くなってくることで春を感じ、心に暖かさ感じる。寒さに負けず、春の訪れを楽しみに待ちたい。

　それにしても今年の大寒は日差しが有り余るほど降り注ぎ、とても気持ちのいい「大寒の好天」を過ごすことができた。

シルバー川柳

　倉賀野町上四地区の「長寿会お知らせ版」に掲載されてたシルバー川柳です。

"Silver Senryu" which means witty epigrammatic Japanese poem containing seventeen syllables, was published in the "Longevity Association Notice Edition" of the Kami4th district of Kuragano-Town.

〇My wife recommends me to eat more mochi that means sticky Japanese rice cake than necessary on New Year's Day. Aged wife wants to live alone.

〇My wife complains that she is the only one whose husband is still alive. Aged wife wants to live alone.

〇If I die, I'll be praised by someone, too, in the message of condolence at the funeral ceremony. His wife doesn't think so.

〇As soon as he hears that his wife is going on a trip, he cheers up. Her husband wants freedom.

〇The reply of "Attending" for class party has a proviso that if I am still alive.

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

ウォーキングの途中、コハクチョウなどに出合う

　今日の午後、気温は低めでしたが、風もなく比較的温暖だったため、お気に入りコースである木部町の鏑川の土手を３Kほど歩きました。背中に緊張感を持ちつつ、ほんの少し歩幅を広げ、いつものように４歩で息を吐き、４歩で吸う呼吸法を励行しました。

　帰路はコハクチョウが羽を休めてる川岸を歩いたところ、近寄っても逃げる様子はなく、私の顔をじっと見てました。もしかしてメスでしょうか。

　それにしても、優雅という言葉が似合います。一方、お腹が白い鳥はキンクロハジロで、やはりシベリアから飛来してると想われる渡り鳥です。彼らの飛翔距離は私のウォーキング距離の数千倍ですから、今後、私も頑張ってウォーキングを続けます。土手の近くに私の先祖が建立した「長命稲荷」があります。

Dear my Facebook friends

　This afternoon, the temperature was low, but there was no wind and it was relatively warm, so I walked about 3km along the bank of the Kabra River in Kibe-Town, which is one of my favorite courses. I felt tension in my back, and I increased my stride a little, with keeping my usual breathing technique of exhaling every four steps and inhaling every four steps.

　On the way back, I walked along the river where nine tundra swan were resting its wings, and it didn't run away when I approached it, and they were staring at my face. Maybe they were female?

　Even so, the word graceful suits them. On the other hand, the bird with the white belly was a Tufted Duck, a migratory bird that is also thought to have flown in from Siberia. They fly several thousand times the distance I walk, so I will continue to walk from now on. Near the bank is the "Longevity Shrine" built by my ancestors.

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

頷ける・ハイリゲンシュタットの森を散策しつつ楽想練ったベートーベン

【画面をクリックすると画像が明瞭になります。梅は今日も咲いてません。もうすぐです。】

　高齢期になると、どうしても家の中に閉じこもりがちですが、歩くことは誠に大切で「全身の筋肉中の血行を良くし」、併せて、呼吸が活発になり「心肺機能にもプラスになる」と認識してます。歩いていると「脳内の血流も改善」し、いろいろ考えが浮かぶものです。このため、楽聖ベートーベンがお気に入りの小道ハイリゲンシュタットの森を散策しつつ、楽想を練ったことは頷けます。

　ですから、日々、私は弱体な心に鞭打って、コンビニ、金融機関、郵便局など１K以内の比較的近くに用事があるときは車を使わず、徒歩で行くことに決めてます。高崎市内で夕食を摂るとき、春になり気候が温暖になれば倉賀野から高崎の街中まで４～５Ｋを歩くようにもしてます。しかし、この欠点はビールが美味しくなり過ぎ、理性が必要です。

　一方、このように適度な運動は筋肉の血行は良くなっても、また、空腹になっても、最も大切な「内臓を強化するかどうか」に疑問を持ってます。特に、勝負に拘るスポーツやマラソンなど激しい運動は心臓をパクつかせ、鍛えるてるような気持ちになっても実は酷使しているだけで、運動はやり過ぎると逆効果です。特に、膝に負荷が掛かり過ぎ、高齢期にその付けが出て来ることが見受けられます。運動は健康長寿のためであり、本末転倒になってはなりません。

　肝腎な内臓を健康にするには「食事内容こそ吟味すべき」で、概して肉は少なめにし、特に加工肉は摂取せず、大豆など豆類、緑黄色野菜や海藻を多くし、日々、リコピン(トマトなど)、β―カロチン(ニンジンなど)、抗酸化作用のある食品を選んで摂取したいものです。一方、日々寂しい私にはつらいですが、お酒は量が問題で、最近は少なめに努めてます。実は、人と楽しく飲むのが好きな私です。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　As we age, we tend to stay indoors, but I am of the opinion that walking is very important because it "improves blood circulation in the muscles of the whole body" and also promotes active breathing, which "benefits cardiopulmonary function." Walking also "improves blood flow in the brain," as the result, various thoughts come to mind. It is therefore not surprising that Beethoven, the musical genius, would have wandered through his favorite paths in the Heiligenstadt Forest to develop his musical ideas.

　For this reason, I have decided to whip my weak mind and walk such as to convenience stores, financial institution, post office, and other places relatively close by, rather than using my blue coupe, when I have to go there within 1 km. When I have dinner in Takasaki City, I try to walk 4 to 5 km from Kuragano-town to downtown of Takasaki-city in the spring when the weather gets warmer. However, the weak point is that beer tastes too good, so I need to be rational.

　On the other hand, even if this moderate exercise improves blood circulation in the muscles and makes me hungry, I have doubts about whether it "strengthens the internal organs or not," which is the most important thing. In particular, intense exercise such as competitive sports and marathons makes our heart pound, and even if we feel like we're training, in fact, we're actually just overworking it, and exercising too much is counterproductive. In particular, it puts too much strain on our knees. We can see the consequences in old age. Exercise is for a long and healthy life, so we have to avoid that putting the cart before the horse.

　To keep our vital internal organs healthy, we should "carefully consider what we eat," so we should generally eat less meat, especially no processed meat, and eat more beans such as soybeans, green and yellow vegetables, and seaweed, and choose and we should consume foods with antioxidant properties such as lycopene and beta-carotene every day. On the other hand, it's hard for me, who is lonely every day due to living alone, but the amount of alcohol is a problem, so I've been trying to drink less recently. Actually, I like to have fun drinking with people.

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

　　

生きるとは、今から今日から

　庭はあちこちで蕾蕾蕾です。今朝、梅の開花を期待しましたが、未だ開いてません。今月末でしょうか。まるで、いつになっても人生に花が咲かない私に合わせてくれてるのでしょうか。この冬の気温は例年より低いでしょう。しかし、蕾にはそれなりに未来が感じられ、蕾は希望の塊のようにも見えます。

　写真はアセビです。ハクモクレン、鹿児島種の花梅、東洋錦、牡丹の蕾も膨らんできました。もしかして、一斉の開花を植物同士で相談しているかのようです。年間で最も寒い「大寒」で、この最中に花を見たい私を含めた人間ですが、植物にとっては寒さという「逆境」の最中です。しかし、僅かに太陽光が高くなり、この時季を克服すれば、きっと豊かな色彩を見せてくれるでしょう。希望を与える植物から学ぶことは多く有ります。

　話しは変わりますが、私たちは今までの過去が良くても悪くても、決して過去には戻れません。「生きるとは今から今日から」です。どんな「逆境」があろうとも逃避せず、「逆境」があるからこそ、それを解決しようとするチャンスが生じます。何でもすべて揃っていれば、解決のため工夫する必要もなく、考える力が次第に退化に向かうでしょう。

　数日前に書きましたように、多くのスイス人は数種の語学が堪能と言われ、私には羨ましい限りです。しかし、周囲が多言語であった不便な生活という「逆境」が、却って幸いしたでしょう。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

　In the garden, there are many buds are ready to bloom now. I was hoping for the plum to bloom this morning, but she hasn't bloomed yet. I wonder if it will be the end of this month. It's as if they are accommodating to me, who never blooms in life. The temperature this winter will be lower than usual. However, the buds have a certain future, and she looks like lumps of hope.

　The photo is the buds of Asebi, and there are many buds such as white magnolia, Kagoshima-type plum. In addition, the buds of the Oriental Nishiki and the shakuyaku-peony have also started to swell. It's as if the plants are discussing with each other to bloom all at once. It is the coldest time of the year, "Daikan,"in Japan and humans, including myself, would like to see flowers during this time, but for plants, the cold is an "adversity." However, if the sunlight gets slightly higher and she can overcome this season, I'm sure they will show us a rich variety of colors. There is a lot to learn from plants that give us hope.

　Changing the subject, we can never go back to the past, whether it was good or bad. "our Living begins from today from now." No matter what kind of "adversity" we face, do not run away from it, it is because of "adversity" that we have the thankful opportunity to try to solve it. If we have everything, there is no need to devise a solution, and our ability to think will gradually deteriorate.

　As I wrote a few days ago, it is said that many Swiss people are fluent in several languages, which I am very envious of. However, the "adversity" of an inconvenient life surrounded by multiple languages ​​may have been a blessing in their language life.

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

もう、後には引けません。

　春はすぐそこまで来ています。それは梅の蕾の膨らみで分かります。今朝は未だ開花せず、今一歩です。それでも蕾の中の花弁が紅く見え始めたので、今日の午後か、明日の朝には２～３輪は咲く気配です。果たしてどうでしょう。私が手を貸すのは水遣りだけです。

　一方、温かい廊下で育ててる君子蘭は蕾が押し競まんじゅうの状態で、今まさに咲き始める時です。真冬から早春に変わる季節は植物の経過状況で分かります。群馬県の今日の日の出は６時５１分、日の入りは１７時０１分の予定ですから、昼の時間は１０時間１０分です。因みに冬至の昼の時間は９時間４１分ですから、日照時間はすでに３０分も伸びてます。

　一方、比較的、家の中に閉じ籠りがちだった人間の私も、植物のように、どうにかして今までの自分の殻から一歩でも二歩でも踏み出て、新たなものの見方、新たな分野を体験したいものです。新たな事を続ける能力を獲得するにはどうしたらよいでしょう。それには自分で「後には引けない状況」を作り、そこに我が身を置くことでしょうか。

　ブログやフェイスブックを通じて和英辞典を引きつつ、英作文の毎日ですが、すでに数年間継続してるので今では「後には引けない状況」です。今朝は少々寝坊しましたが、これから上記の文を英語で表現してみます。実は、私の英作文については以前に我が家にホームステイしてたニュージーランドのスペンスさんとその娘さんが日々チェックしていてくれます。

Dear my overseas friends who are fond of spring and great music.

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

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

　Spring is just around the corner in Japan. You can see this change the season by the swelling of the plum buds. This morning they have not yet bloomed in my garden, so there is already a one step. Still, the petals inside the buds are starting to look red, so it looks like two or three flowers will bloom this afternoon or tomorrow morning. All I can help her is water them.

　Meanwhile, the Kaffir lily I'm raising in the warm hallway has lots of bud just like jostling against each other to warm, and they are just about to start blooming. We can recognize when the season is changing from mid-winter to early spring by the progress of the plants. Today in Gumma Prefecture, sunrise was at 6:51 and sunset will be at 5:01, so the daylight hours are 10 hours and 10 minutes. Incidentally, the daylight hour on the winter solstice was 9 hours and 41 minutes, so the daylight hours have already increased by 30 minutes.

　On the other hand, I, a human who tends to stay shut up in my house, would like to somehow step out of my shell, even if just a step or two like a plant, and experience new ways of looking at things and new fields. How can I acquire the ability to continue trying new things? Perhaps I should create a "situation from which I cannot turn back" and put myself there.

　As you know I write English compositions every day, using a Japanese-English dictionary through Facebook, and since I have been composing it for several years, I am now in a "situation from which I cannot turn back." I overslept a little this morning, but I will now try to express the above sentence in English. Actually, my English compositions are checked daily by Mr. Barry Spence and his daughter Ms. Sarah, who used to stay at my home from New Zealand as the AET of Takasaki High School Of Commerce.

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

安くて良い所があるものです。

　今日は温暖な一日だったので、吉井の牛伏ドリームセンター日帰り温泉でリラックスしてきました。高崎市営のため年令別ですが、私は２００円です。今時こんな安いお風呂はどこにもありません。サウナもあります。

　昔、ここで高商野球部の保護者達との懇親会が行われ、宿泊し楽しかった思い出があります。

　今度、いつか宿泊してみたいです。しかし、周囲は鹿や熊が出没する大自然のみで、遊ぶ繁華街は吉井町まで行かなくてはなりません。一人ではつまらないです。未来にそんなことがあればいいと思います。

　It was a warm day today, so I went to relax at the Ushibuse Dream Center day spa in Yoshii-town. This spa is run by Takasaki City, so my fee is 200 yen depending on age. we don't find such cheap spars anywhere these days. There's also a sauna.

I have a pleasant memory of staying night here a long time ago, when a social gathering with parents of the Takasaki High School of commerce baseball team was held.

　I'd like to stay night there someday. However, the surrounding is only nature, where deer and bears may appear, so that I have to go to the downtown of Yoshii-town to play. It's boring going alone. I hope something like this will happen in the near future.

百日紅の修復力に驚く

　昨年の冬に降った雪の重みで、左の写真の通り、サルスベリの枝の一部が途中から裂けてしまいました。暫くそのままにしておきましたが、５月には枝先が新緑となり、生命力の凄さを感じました。

　しかし、裂けたままでは痛々しく、枯れる可能性を感じた私は、右の写真の通り、裂けた枝の両側を接触させ、園芸用の紐でぐるぐる巻きにしておきました。そして、８ヶ月経過した昨日、上部が接触してるように見えたことから思い切って巻いた紐を解いてみたところ、見事に両側がくっ付き、一本の枝となり修復してるではありませんか。サルスベリの治癒力に感銘です。やはり、ものは試しにやってみるものです。

　このサルスベリは元々記念樹として植えました。私はすぐ諦める性格ですが、今回だけは諦めず手を施したことが成功しました。今後も、物事を諦めず、人生においても、やれることはしっかりやってみます。サルスベリは漢字では百日紅と書くように７月上旬から１０月中旬まで、およそ１００日間咲き続ける開花期間の長い植物で、これも不思議です。

　現在、このサルスベリは倉賀野でも指折りの大きさに成長し、枝の端から端まで６mほどあり、南国の樹木だけあって広い日陰を作ります。年間を通して水遣りと余分な枝の剪定を行い、樹形に気を配ってます。夏には情熱的に真っ赤な花が咲きます。ぜひ見にいらして下さい。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　As you can see in the left photo, the weight of the snow that fell last winter split branch in the middle of the crape myrtle. I left it as it was for a while, but in May the tip of the branch turned green, so I was impressed by its incredible vitality.

　However, leaving it to split is painful to see, and I felt that it might die, so I tied the two sides of the split branch together and wrapped it tightly with gardening string, as shown in the right photo. Then, eight months later, yesterday, when it looked like the tops were touching, I decided to untie the string, surprisingly the two sides have beautifully stuck together, repairing it to form a single branch. I am impressed by the crape myrtle's ability to heal. We should do have a try without giving up.

　Originally I planted this crape myrtle as a memorial tree of my granddaughter's birth. I am the type of person who gives up easily, but this time I refused to give up and tried to fix it by the string, as the result it was a success. So I will not give up on things in the future, including my life as well. As the kanji for crape myrtle suggests, it is a mysterious plant that blooms for a long period of time, about 100 days, from early July to mid-October.

　Currently, this crape myrtle has grown to be one of the largest in my Kuragano-town, measuring about 6m from end to end of its branches, and, as you would expect from a tropical tree, it makes a large shade. I water it throughout the year and prune any excess branches, paying careful attention to the shape of the tree. In summer, the passionate bright red flowers bloom. Please come and see it, if possible, with listening to my piano performance.

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

究めたい正しい健康生活

　月日の経つのは本当に早いもので、１月も残り１週間になりました。夕方、陽が伸びたことがよく分かります。１２月８日頃の日の入りが最も早く１６時２８分【群馬県】でしたが、今日１月２３日の日の入りは１７時００分予定です。一方、日の出時刻については、最も遅かった1月９日の６時５６分と比較しても今朝は５分程度早まっただけです。

　そんな自然環境の下、庭の花梅【写真は１本の木に２色咲く、品種名・思いのまま】は今にも咲きそうな気配になってます。植物は日照時間の伸びをきちんと察知しています。という私も昨夜は新年会でしたが、高崎の目的地に着いても、未だ薄明るかったと認識してます。

　ところで、兄弟姉妹の半分、配偶者、親しき友人たちをすでに亡くした私にとって、新年になっても最も注意を払ってることは、如何にしたら「本当に正しい健康維持」を保てるかです。世の中は惑わすことも多く、何が本当に健康に役立つか、私たちには正しい判断が問われます。

　惑わしの一つが各種「サプリメント」です。人工的に作ったものは、いろいろ含まれてることから、常用すると肝臓に悪影響を与えると考えます。幸せにも今のところ、肝臓の数値は正常値範囲なのでこれをキープしつつ、前立腺のＰＳＡも大分低く、この数値を保たなくてはなりません。やはり、栄養バランスのとれた食事、適度な運動の励行、筋肉維持、そして、発想力、創造性、社会性を磨きつつ、私は認知症対策が重要な年齢に差し掛かってます。皆さんに、ご指導を賜りたいです。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

Dear my overseas friends who is thinking about real way of health

　As you noticed, time flies, and there is only one week left in January. You can clearly see that the sun is getting longer in the evenings in Northern Hemisphere. The earliest sunset was around December 8th at 16:28 [Gumma Prefecture, Japan], but today, January 23rd, the sunset will be 17:00. On the other hand, the sunrise time was only about 5 minutes earlier this morning compared to the date which was 6:56 on January 9th. 

　In such a natural environment, the plum in the garden [pictured is a tree with bicolored, red and white, variety name is Omoi no mama] look like they are about to bloom. Plants are properly aware of the increase in daylight hours. I myself had a New Year's party last night, the same as plants, I realize that it was still dim when I arrived at my destination of tavern maned Buku in Takasaki-city.

　Not change the subject, but for me, who has already lost half of my siblings, my spouse, and three close friends. Therefore what I am most concerned about in the New Year is how to maintain "truly correct way of health." The world is often confusing, so that we have to challenge to make the right judgments about what is truly beneficial for our health.

　One such pitfall is the various "supplements." These artificial products contain a variety of ingredients. I believe that regular use can have a negative effect on my liver. Fortunately, my liver values ​​are within the normal range at the moment, so I am trying to keep them from now on, and my prostate PSA is also quite low like a young man , so I need to keep it that way. I will appreciate your guidance in the future, as I need to eat a nutritionally balanced diet, exercise moderately through walking, maintain muscle mass, and improve my skills at imagination, creativity, and sociability. As a matter of fact, I am approaching the age where senile dementia prevention is indispensable.　

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

　

月面に見える不思議な筋

【画像をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。】

　

　早朝に月齢２３の下弦の月【月が西の空に沈むとき、弦が下になる】を撮ったところ、月面の左上に２本の不思議な筋が見えます。拡大してご覧ください。この場所は地球で言う日没に当たる所で、太陽光が横から当たるため、すでに平野には光が当たらず、高い山脈のみに光が当たっており、このように見えるのでしょう。同様に、右下のクレーターの底にも光が当たらない部分が見えます。

　これらを考えると、もし人類が月に住む時代が来ると、１日が１ヶ月かかり、半月(はんつき)は昼で半月は夜で、物凄い温度差でしょう。しかし、よく考えると地球上でも同様のことは起こってます。北極や南極では半年間は昼【南極の現在】で、半年間は夜です。現在、南極観測隊員がいる昭和基地では昼が続いています。半年間の夜では、南十字星が頭上で一日一回転し、正に、時計の如く右回りしていることでしょう。

　ところで、北緯36度、東経139度の群馬県高崎市にいる私は地球上の温帯に住んでることから、四季があり、誠に住みやすい所で幸運です。もし、赤道の近くに住んでいれば、一年中猛暑であり、反対に、もし、北極圏に近い所に住んでいれば、一年中極寒です。

　幸運にも、この四季による自然の移り変わり味わいつつ、庭では、今日か明日には紅梅の開花が期待されます。今日の私は日中は屋外で植物の手入れをしつつ身体を動かし、室内では本を読み、ピアノの練習し、夕刻は小正月としての新年会があるので、充実した一日になりそうです。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　I took a photo of the waning moon of 23 in phase, early in the morning today [when the moon sets in the western sky, the moon's string is at its lowest], and two mysterious streaks can be seen in the upper left of the moon's surface. Please enlarge the image. This is the same as the sunset on Earth, because the sunlight hits it from the side, the plains are already dark, so that only the high mountain ranges are lighted. Similarly, you can see a dark part in the lower bottom of the craters.

　Considering this, if humans will live on the moon in the future, one day will last one month, and about 15 days will be day and the other half will be night, which will be a huge difference in temperature. However, if we think about it, the same thing is happening on our Earth. In the North and South Poles, it is day for half the year [present day in Antarctica] and night for the other half. It is currently daytime at Japanese Showa Base where the Antarctic Research Expedition is located. During the six months of night, the Southern Cross will rotate once a day overhead, moving clockwise exactly.

　Incidentally, I am located at 36 degrees north latitude and 139 degrees east longitude in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Therefore I live in the temperate zone of the earth, where we experience four seasons and it is a very comfortable place to live. If we lived closer to the equator, it would be scorching hot all year round, on the other hand, if I lived closer to the Arctic Circle, it would be excessively cold all year round.

　I am fortunate to be able to enjoy the changes in nature caused by the four seasons, and in my garden, the red plum is expected to bloom today or tomorrow. Today I will be exercising and tending to plants outdoors during the day, reading a book and practicing the piano inside, and there will be a second New Year's party in the evening, so it looks like it will be a fulfilling day.

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

老いの才覚

　午前中、「さんぽ道」で珍しくダージリンの紅茶を飲みつつ、青春時代のインドを思い出しつつ味わいました。ダージリンは私の住まいの比較的近くでした。

　「さんぽ道」には一人で行くので、今日も曽野綾子著「老いの才覚」を読みました。この本には年齢を重ねてからの「心の持ち方」がよく書かれており、これからの日常生活において、私も一歩でも近づきたいものです。その趣旨は「人に何かしてもらうことを期待せず、自立の精神です。」

　In the morning, I sipped a rare cup of Darjeeling tea at Sampo-michi, reminiscing about the India of my youth. Darjeeling is relatively close by my residence at that time.

　Since I was going to the Sanbo-michi alone, I read Ms. Sono Ayako's "The Wisdom of Aging" again today. This book is great at writing about the mindset that human should have as getting older, and I hope to be closer to her way of life in my daily life from now on. The idea is to "have a spirit of independence, without expecting others to do things for me."

山登りの体験は、生涯忘れぬもの

　季節は「大寒」の真っ最中であっても、ご覧のように植物たちは春を先取りしてます。雪を被った写真の山は群馬県北部に位置する「武尊山」(標高２１５８m)で子供の頃から毎日のように眺めていても、山頂まで登ったのは生涯に一度だけで、人間の行動は意外と限られているものです。

　幸運にも、私の身近には登山のベテランОさんと、高校山岳部顧問として活躍したＴさんがいたお陰で、県内外の山々へ連れてっていただき、大自然の素晴らしさを体験できました。不思議なことに登山の体験はいつまでも印象に残ってるものです。足を使って目的を達成し、その甲斐あって山頂からの雄大な景色と言う褒美が脳に焼き付くからでしょう。特にОさんは日本百名山すべてを登った方で、彼から教わったことは急勾配では「三点確保」です。

　つまり、手足４本のうち３本は常に岩や樹木に接触してる状態で、残りの１本で新たな岩を掴むことです。これで安定して高い位置に身体を移動できます。一方、Ｔさんは職場の同僚で気心が知れ、彼から屈託のない明るい生き方を学び、友人関係は退職後まで続きました。しかし、誠に無念にもお二人ともすでに天に召されてます。

　このため、今後の私は危険のない平野でのウォーキングや、熊のいない低山中心の山登りです。予報によると今週の気温は比較的高めとのこで、お気に入りの「鏑川の土手」で、姿勢のため背中に緊張感を持ちつつウォーキングしたいです。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　Even though it is the middle of the "Daikan" that means the most severely cold season, as you can see, the plants are already anticipating spring. The snow-covered mountain in the photo is "Mt. Hotaka" (2,158m above sea level) located in the northern part of Gumma Prefecture. Even though I have looked at this mountain almost every day since I was a child, I have only climbed to the top once in my life, so that human actions are surprisingly limited.

　Fortunately, I had two veteran mountaineers, Mr. O, and Mr. T who was an advisor for the high school mountaineering club, close to me. They took me to mountains both inside and outside Gumma prefecture, therefore I was able to experience the wonder of nature. Strangely enough, mountain climbing experiences leave a lasting impression on my mind. This is because we use our feet to achieve the goal as summit, after that the reward of the magnificent view from the summit is burned into our brain. In particular, Mr. O has climbed all 100 of Japan's famous mountains in his life, and what he taught me was "three-point securing" on steep slopes.

　In other words, three of our four limbs should always be in contact with rocks or trees, and the remaining one should be used to grab a new rock or tree. This allows me to move my body to a stable, higher position. Mr. T was a colleague at the same school named Maebashi High School so I knew him well. I learned about a carefree and cheerful way of life from him, and our friendship continued even after we retired. However, it is very sad that both of them have now passed away.

　For this reason, from now on I will walk on safe plains and climbing mainly low mountains where there are no bears. The forecast says that the temperature this week will be relatively high, so I would like to walk on my favorite bank of the Kabra River, keeping my back tense for posture reasons.

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平成時代の思い出・日中友好を再確認

　私が飼っていた鳩の1羽が迷って私の家から日本海を渡り、大陸へ、そして万里の長城も飛び越え、内モンゴルまで飛んで行ってしまったことが現地の方からの手紙で分かりました。鳩の足に嵌めておいた私の住所が手掛かりになりました。写真は上毛新聞に出たときのものです。私にも若いときがあったものです。

　結局、私はその鳩に会いに行ってきました。成田から北京まで飛行機で行き、北京駅から１０時間も大陸横断鉄道に乗り、内モンゴルの集寧(チーニン)という町で下車したところ、深夜２時にもかかわらず、鳩を保護してくれていた張(チョー)さん夫妻が出迎えてくれました。翌朝、張さん宅で私の鳩と再会したところ、鳩も私の顔を懐かしそうによく見ていました。ここは高崎から直線距離で２５００Kも離れた所です。

　鳩のお陰で広大な内モンゴルのパオの中で楽しく日中友好ができ、平和の鳩が齎した日中友好に幾度も乾杯しました。このとき私はお酒が飲めて本当に良かったと思いました。お礼に、私はパオ内にあったオルガンで中国国歌を弾きましたら、パオ内にいた全員から手拍子を戴きました。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about world peace and great music

　I received a letter from a local resident in Inner Mongolia that one of the pigeons I kept had lost, crossed the Sea of ​​Japan, and flew to the mainland, then over the Great Wall of China, and to Inner Mongolia. My address, which I had put on the pigeon's leg, provided a clue. The photo was at that time featured in the Jomo Shimbun. I was young once, too.

　As the result, I went to see my pigeon. I flew from Narita Airport to Beijing, then I took a 10-hour transcontinental train from Beijing Station, and got off in a town called Jining in Inner Mongolia. Even though it was 2am, I was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, who had been taking care of my pigeon that strayed into Inner Mongolia from my loft. The next morning, I was reunited with my pigeon at Mr. Zhang's house. The pigeon looked at me fondly. This place is 2500km away from Takasaki-city in a straight line.

　Thanks to the pigeon, I was able to enjoy a fun time in the round yurt of Inner Mongolia, and On many occasions, we toasted to the friendship between Japan and China that the pigeon of peace has brought about. At that moment, I felt really glad that I was able to drink alcohol. Thanks to China, I played the Chinese national anthem by the organ in the yurt. Then everyone in the yurt burst into applause.

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私の美的センスはどうでしょう。

　二十四節気では今日から「大寒」です。反時計回りに秒速約２９kmで公転してる私たちの地球は黄道十二星座の「ふたご座」の方向を離れ、今度は「かに座」の方向に向かってます。紀元前には北回帰線がこの「かに座」の下にあったことに由来し、今でも北回帰線のことをthe Tropic of Cancerと言います。長い年月の間に地球の地軸がずれる歳差運動に因りこのような現象が起こってます。

　相変わらず、年間で最も寒い季節ですが、庭の花桃や花梅たちは今までより更に蕾を膨らませ、確実に春へ近づいてます。廊下の君子蘭は蕾が青かったのに今では赤く変化し、今月末には開花の気配です。写真上は「しだれ花桃」です。これは種が零れて自然に庭に生えたもので、花の色はその名の通り桃色です。

　昨日の午前中、すでに蕾を持ったこの「しだれ桃」を剪定しましたが、皆さんがこの樹形をご覧になって、「私の美的感性はいかがでしょうか。」私としては少し剪定しては、遠くから眺めてはまた剪定しつつ、全体のバランスを考慮し、このような樹形になりました。桃の節句になると(今年は３月３１日)、この枝いっぱいに桃の花が咲きます。花桃ですから、実は生りません。

　実はこの木を含め、花桃は「源平枝垂れ桃」など５本が咲くので、梅の開花に引き続いて春の庭はしばらく花いっぱいです。どうぞ見にいらして下さい。庭に駐車場とお茶は完備です。お待ちしてます。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　According to the 24 solar calendar in Japan, today is the start of the "Daikan" that means Great Cold. As you know, our Earth is revolving counterclockwise at the speed about 29 km per second. It is now moving away from the direction of Gemini in the zodiac constellation and toward the constellation of Cancer. In the BC era, the Tropic of Cancer was under this constellation, so that even today, the Tropic of Cancer is still called the Tropic of Cancer. This phenomenon occurs due to the precession of the Earth's axis, which has shifted over the long years.

　As always, it is the coldest season in the year, but the peach and plum in the garden are swelling their buds more than ever, therefore spring is definitely approaching. The buds of the Kaffir lilies in the hallway were blue so far, but they have now turned red, and there are signs that they will bloom at the end of this month. The photo above shows a weeping peach tree. The seed fell and grew naturally in the garden, and the color of the flowers is pink, as the name suggests.

　Yesterday morning, I pruned this weeping peach tree, which already has buds, and when everyone will look at the shape of the tree, "What do you think of my aesthetic sensibilities?" I pruned it a little, looked at it from a distance, and pruned it again, taking into consideration the overall balance. On Girls' Festival (March 31st this year), peach will bloom all over these branches. As it is a flowering peach, it does not bear fruit.

　In fact, including this tree, there are five flowering peach trees, including the Genpei bicolored weeping peach, so following the blossoming of the plum trees, the spring garden will be full of flowers for a while. Please come and see. There is a parking lot and tea facilities in the garden. I look forward to seeing you.

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今日で「小寒」が終わります。

　今朝、庭で確認しましたが、紅梅の蕾は大分膨らんできましたが、未だ咲いてません。例年そろそろなので、きっと来週には咲くでしょう。咲いたら写真をアップします。最初に咲くのは品種名「鹿児島」で情熱の深紅です。

　いよいよ今日で二十四節気の「小寒」が終わります。一体、「小寒」とは何でしょう。

　反時計回りに公転してる地球が一周９億４千万㎞(1天文単位×２π)ある公転軌道上のある宇宙空間に差し掛かっていることを言います。深夜０時に真南を見ると、そこには「ふたご座」が輝いてます。今の季節では、すべて１等星で出来てる巨大な「冬のダイアモンド」が日本列島を覆うかのごとく輝いてます。その左上の一角を成すのが「ふたご座」であり、私たちを載せた地球は現在、「ふたご座」の方角にが来ています。これが「小寒」です。

　一方、現在の日本は年間で最も寒い季節です。この理由は何でしょう。

　地軸は常に公転面に対して約２３．５傾斜しているからです。現在、「地軸の先端である北極点が太陽から離れてます。」結果的に北半球では太陽の角度が下がり、今日の正午の群馬県の太陽の角度は地平線に対し３１°です。因みに夏至の頃は７７°です。

　毎日寒くても、私たちは身体を動かし、血流の改善を図ることが大切です。スムースな血流よって新たな事が考えられたり、生活に活気(カッキー)が出て来るでしょう。今日・明日、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」が休みなので家でホットコーヒーを入れ、身体を内部から温めてみます。日中、少し暖かくなったら庭で樹木の世話をし、午後には街に出かけたい。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about astronomy and great music.

　When I checked the garden this morning, the buds of the red plum have swelled considerably, but they haven't bloomed yet. They usually bloom by this time each year, so I'm sure they'll bloom next week. I'll upload a photo when they do. The first to bloom will be the variety of "Kagoshima," a passionate crimson.

　Today marks the end of the 24 solar terms of "Shokan". What on earth is "Shokan" that means little cold"?

　It refers to the Earth revolving counterclockwise, approaching a certain point in space on its orbit that is 940 million km (1 astronomical unit x 2π). If you look due south at midnight, you will see the constellation Gemini shining. At this time of year, a huge "Winter Diamond" made up of first-magnitude stars shines as if it were covering the Japanese archipelago. The upper left corner of this Diamond is "Gemini," and the Earth, carrying us, is currently in the direction of "Gemini." This is "Shokan" which is said in Japan.

　Meanwhile, it is currently the coldest season of the year in Japan. Tell me the reason for this?

　As you know, the Earth's axis is always tilted at about 23.5 degrees against the orbital plane. Currently, "the North Pole, the tip of the Earth's axis, is moving away from the Sun." As a result, the angle of the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased, and the angle of the Sun in my Gumma Prefecture at noon today is 31° against the horizon. By comparison, it is 77° around the summer solstice.

　Even if it's cold every day, it's important to move our bodies and improve blood circulation. Smooth blood flow will allow us to think of new things and bring vitality to our lives. My favorite coffee shop, Sampo-michi, is closed today and tomorrow, so I'll make some hot coffee at home and warm myself up from the inside. When it gets a little warmer during the day, I'd like to take care of the trees in the garden and go out into downtown in the afternoon.

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牛伏山頂の魅力

　今日の群馬県地方は雲一つなく良く晴れ上がってます。このため、午後になってお気に入り日帰り温泉「吉井牛伏ドリームセンター」で温まって来ました。今日は高気圧に覆われ、高い位置から上州の峰々がこれほどよく見える日は年間でも数少ないでしょう。写真は牛伏山から見た榛名山です。牛伏山山頂からの景色は高崎市でも最も素晴らしいでしょう。

　ところで、日本のほぼ真ん中に聳えるこの榛名山には、ご覧の通り、たくさんの峰々があり、今は亡き友人とその殆どの峰に登り、それぞれに思い出があります。山頂からは北に谷川連峰や武尊山、南に富士山、西に浅間山が望め、東には関東平野と利根川の蛇行が遥か遠方まで続いてました。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about great scenery and great music.

　It's a beautiful sunny day in Gumma Prefecture today, with not a single cloud in the sky. That's why I warmed up in the afternoon at my favorite day spa, Yoshii Ushibuse Dream Center. Today is covered by atmospheric high pressure here, and the peaks of Gumma can be seen so clearly from high ground, which is probably one of the few days in the year. The photo shows Mt. Haruna as seen from Mt. Ushibuse. The summit of Mt. Ushibuse is probably the most scenic spot in Takasaki City, I guess.

　By the way, Mt. Haruna, which stands almost in the center of Japan, has many peaks, and I have climbed almost all of them with my deceased friend, and each one holds its own memories. From the summit, we can see the Mt. Tanigawa range and Mt. Hotaka to the north, Mt. Fuji to the south, and the active volcano Mt. Asama to the west, and to the east the Kanto Plain with the meandering Tone River into the distance.

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年令を重ねるほどに、筋肉を鍛えたい

　ドイツのルー（Wilhelm Roux1850－1924）は、現代のスポーツ科学やトレーニング科学の基礎となる考え方を提唱し、それは1、「筋肉は適度に使えば発達し」、2、「使わなければ萎縮(退化)し」、３、「過度に使えば損傷する。」というものです。これは、ルーの法則と呼ばれてます。

　超高齢化社会に突入してる我が国において、私たちは、特に２の「筋肉は使わなければ委縮(退化)する」というルーの法則を念頭に置いて生活すべきでしょう。私たちの筋肉は年々足から衰えるので、逆に、足を意識的に鍛錬することがアンチ・エイジングへの第一歩と考えられます。

　一方、不思議なことにウォーキング中は全身の血流が改善し、脳内の血流もスムースになることから、歩いていると頭の中でいろいろ考えられることは平素、実感することです。現代社会ではデパートや駅など公共施設内でも、エレベーターやエスカレーターの機械化が進んでいます。また、近くであっても歩かず、つい車で行ってしまいがちです。

　このため、年を重ねた(？)私は写真のような階段を見つけると昇り降りを１０回ほど繰り返します。階段の昇り降りは簡単であっても、下半身の筋肉鍛錬にこれほど効果があるものは他にないでしょう。上半身はご覧の鉄アレイ、力士が行う「テッポウ」は日常生活と共にあります。これらは上半身の肩や腕、背中を鍛えるので、ピアノを弾く私にとって指を痛めません。「ルーの法則は老若男女を問わず万人に当て嵌まる」ことです。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music.

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

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

　Wilhelm Roux (1850-1924) of Germany proposed the basic idea of ​​modern sports science and training science, which is: 1. "Muscles develop if used moderately," 2. "They atrophy (degenerate) if not used," and 3. "They are damaged if used excessively." This is called Roux's Law.

　In Japan, which is entering a super-aging society, we should especially keep in mind Roux's Law 2, "Muscles atrophy (degenerate) if not used." Our muscles weaken from the legs year by year, so conversely, consciously training the legs is considered the first step to anti-aging.

　On the other hand, strangely enough, while walking, blood circulation throughout the body improves and blood circulation in the brain also becomes smoother, so we often feel that walking allows us to think about various things in our heads. In modern society, elevators and escalators are becoming increasingly mechanized even in public facilities such as department stores and stations. Also, even if it is close by, we tend to go by car instead of walking.

　For this reason, even as I get older (?), whenever I come across a staircase like the photo, I go up and down it about 10 times. Going up and down stairs may be simple, but there is nothing more effective for training the muscles in the lower body. For the upper body, dumbbells, and the "teppou" exercises performed by sumo wrestlers are part of my daily life. These exercises strengthen the upper body's shoulders, arms and back, and these don't injure my fingers due to my playing the piano. "Lou's Law applies to everyone, regardless of age or gender."

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午前中、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」でリラックス

　先程、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」でホットコーヒーを戴きながらリラックスしてきました。時間が早かったので客はいなく、ピアノを数曲弾かせて戴きました。

　今日１月１７日は３０年ほど前の阪神淡路大震災が起こった日ですから、場所は異なりますが、東北大震災の曲「花は咲く」を弾き、外気は余りにも寒かったので、続いて定番の「雪が降る」など１０分ほど弾きました。

　最近感じることはピアノとは正式には「ピアノフォルテ」という名の通り、「身体全体で」如何にピアノに圧力を加えるか、圧力を加えないかで音色や強弱に変化が起こり、自らの気持ち通りの表現に近くなると感じてます。

　I just relaxed over a hot coffee at my favorite cafe named "Sampo-michi." It was still early so there were no customers except for me there and I was able to play a few music by the piano.

　As you know, today, on January 17th, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was occurred 30 years ago, so I played "Hana wa Saku," which was composed for the Great Tohoku Earthquake, although in a different location. As it was very cold outside today, I then played the titled "Yuki ga Furu" that means snow fall, so I played the piano about 10 minutes totally.

　What I've been feeling lately about the piano, officially the "pianoforte," is exactly as its name suggests, the tone quality and dynamics change depending on how much pressure or how little pressure I apply to the piano with my "whole body," as the result, I am able to express myself as my feeling.

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コハクチョウ・・・・日露間の平和大使

　昨年末に、高崎市木部町の鏑川にコハクチョウが飛来しているか確認に行きましたが、その姿は見えませんでした。しかし、昨日の夕方、鏑川の土手をウォーキング中に１０羽ほどの白い姿を見たとき、思わず「よくここまで飛んで来たね」と心で思い、ホッとし、川岸まで行ったところ、逃げる様子はなく近くまで寄ってきました。時折、川底に首を入れ、何が食べてる様子です。この中には昨年ロシアで生まれた雛も親の後を追い、ここまで飛んで来た若いコハクチョウもいると想われます。

　ところで、日本に飛来して来るコハクチョウは一体どこから飛んでくるのでしょうか。想像では、シベリア東部、及びカムチャッカ半島から南下してきたと考えられます。それでは、そこから高崎までの飛翔翔距離はどれ程でしょうか。

　ご存じの通り、北極点から赤道までは約１万㎞ですから、１°の距離は１００００km÷９０°＝１１１km程です。カムチャッカ半島中央部は北緯５５°であり、群馬県・高崎市は北緯３６°ですから、両地点の緯度の差は５５°－３６°＝１９°です。１°の距離は１１１kmですから、１９°×１１１km＝２１０９kmとなります。しかし、実際にはカムチャッカ半島は日本の遥か東なので、本来ならばレース鳩の距離測定のように球面三角法で計算することになります。このため、実際の飛行距離は少なくとも３０００km以上と考えられます。

　カムチャッカ半島と日本列島の間には千島列島が弓状に多数並んでおり、コハクチョウたちは、おそらく、これらの島々で休憩しつつ、幾日もかけて日本をめざし、ついに目的地の高崎にまで到着したのでしょう。誠にすごい長距離を自分の翼だけで飛んで来たのですから、すごい体力です。途中で悪天候や猛禽類との遭遇もあるはずです。私のウォーキング距離とは比較になりません。コハクチョウを見習い、これからも私は体力と精神力を鍛えます。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　At the end of last year, I went to the Kabra River in Kibe-town, Takasaki City, Gumma prefecture to check if there were any Tundra swans flying in, but I couldn't see them. However, yesterday evening, when I saw about 10 white birds while walking along the bank of the Kabra River, I couldn't help but think to myself, "They really flew all the way here," and I felt relieved. I went to the riverbank, and they didn't try to run away, but instead they came close to me. Occasionally they put their heads in the riverbed, as if they were eating something. Among them are probably young Tundra swans that were born in Russia last year and followed their parents to fly here.

　By the way, where do the Tundra swans that fly to Japan come from? I imagined they came south from eastern Siberia or the Kamchatka Peninsula. So how far do they fly from there to Takasaki-city, Gumma Prefecture?

　As you know, it is about 10,000 km from the North Pole to the equator, so the distance of 1° is about 10,000 km ÷ 90° = 111 km. The central part of the Kamchatka Peninsula situates at 55° north latitude, and Takasaki-City, Gumma Prefecture situates at 36° north latitude, so the difference in latitude between the two places is 55°-36°=19°. The distance of 1° is 111km, so 19° x 111km = 2109km. However, in reality, the Kamchatka Peninsula situates far east of Japan, so the calculation would normally be used spherical trigonometry, like measuring the distance of pigeon racing. For this reason, their actual flight distance is thought to be at least 3000km or more.

　Between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, there are many Kuril Islands lined up in a bow shape, and the Tundra swans probably took a rest on these islands while heading for Japan over many days, and finally arrived at their destination, Takasaki-city. They flew such a long distance using only their own wings, so they have incredible stamina. They must have encountered bad weather and birds of prey along the way. It's nothing compared to the distance of my walking. Following the example of the Tundra swans, I will continue to train my physical and mental strength.

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午後、浅間の噴煙を見つつ、鏑川の土手をウォーキング

　今日は倉賀野小児童の下校時のパトロールが終わった午後4時頃から、私のお気に入りコースである木部町の土手を夕日を浴びながら、せっせとウォーキングしました。遠く浅間山山頂【標高１５６８m】からかなり高く噴煙が立ち昇ってました。近頃では珍しい光景です。

　私が中学生の頃、噴煙の高さが５０００mも昇った大噴火があり、その３０分後には、倉賀野でも火山灰がザーザー音を立てて降ったことが思い出されました。

　今日はよく晴れ、風もなく歩きやすかったですが、気温は低かったです。いつものように４歩で息を吐き、４歩で息を吸う呼吸法を励行しました。その後、鏑川の川岸へ降りて行ったらシベリアからと想われる白鳥が１０羽程と、渡り鳥のカモ類２００羽程が羽根を休め、とても長閑で平和な佇まいでした。これらの写真は明日掲載します。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in nature and great music.

　Today, after the patrol for the children of Kuragano Elementary School was over at around 4pm, I walked along the bank of Kibe-town which is one of my favorite courses, with basking in the sunset. In the distance, volcanic smoke was rising quite high from the summit of Mt. Asama [1568m above sea level]. It's a rare sight these days.

　When I was in junior high school, there was a big eruption that smoked up to about 5000m, and 30 minutes later, volcanic ash fell on my Kuragano-town with a rustling sound.

　Today was a clear day with no wind so I was easy walking, but the temperature was low. As usual, I practiced the breathing technique of exhaling every four steps and inhaling every four steps. After that, I went down to the bank of the Kabra River. To my surprise. about 10 swans, probably from Siberia, and about 200 migratory ducks were resting, so that it was a very peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. I will post these photos tomorrow.

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今朝は、余りの急上昇に驚く

　群馬県でも殊のほか寒冷な今年の冬です。しかし、庭の植物たちは「私こそ春一番乗り」とばかり、ついに君子蘭が葉と葉の間から蕾を見せ、私にとって希望の光です。庭先の紅梅【品種名・鹿児島】と、アセビも日に日に蕾が大きく膨らみ、果たして、春一番乗りし、開花する植物はどれでしょう。

　一方、今朝起床し、今年になって初めての驚きです。トランプ氏の大統領就任を明日に控え、アメリカ経済が大きく反応し、ＮＹダウは＋７０３ドル、ナスダックも＋４６６ポイントの最近にない急上昇です。延いては、これが物価上昇で冷え切ってる日本経済に波及するでしょうか。毎日、スーパーへ食品の買い出しに行ってる私の支払いも以前の１２０％高になってます。

　寒冷な気候と、現実の厳しい経済状況の中、いつの時代にあっても、植物が蕾を出すように、私たち人間は希望を持って生活しなくてはなりません。特に「未来輝く子供たちのため」に何か役に立ちたいと願ってます。しかし、娘の子供たちとは生活圏が離れているため、日々私は直接役に立てず、その点は寂しいです。

　今日は地元倉賀野小児童のため、下校時の交通指導の日です。「あなたとつくろう子供たちの未来」をスローガンに、黄色いユニフォームを着て交通安全はもとより、挨拶運動を行い、近所の子供たちと交流を図ります。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　This winter has been particularly cold even in Gumma Prefecture. However, the plants in my garden are like "I'm the first to see spring," and the Kaffir Lily has finally shown her buds between the leaves, which is a ray of hope for me. The buds of the red plum (variety name: Kagoshima) and the andromeda in my garden are swelling day by day, but which one will bloom first?

　Meanwhile, when I woke up this morning, I was surprised for the first time this year. With Trump's inauguration as president of USA tomorrow, the American economy has responded greatly, with the New York Dow rising by +703 dollars and the Nasdaq also rising by +466 points, this is an unprecedented surge. Will this have an impact on the Japanese economy, which is already cooling off due to rising prices? My bill at the supermarket every day to buy food has increased by 120% than before.

　In the cold climate and the harsh economic situation, no matter what the era, we humans must live with hope, just like plants showing buds. I especially hope to be of some use for "children with a bright future." However, because I live far away from my daughter's children, I am unable to be of direct use on a daily basis, which is lonesome.

　Today is the day to provide traffic guidance to the children of the local Kuragano Elementary School as they return home from school. With the slogan "Let's build a future for children together with you," I wear yellow uniform to road safety, we are also participating in a greeting campaign and interacting with the neighborhood children.

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

美味しい柿を味わいつつ、勉強もできる

　小さいときから柿が好きだった私は、庭の柿を食べ終わったので珍しくスーパーで購入してみました。昼食のデザートにしますが、結構大きいです。一つ食べましたが、渋くなく、美味しいです。調べてみると、柿に含まれる栄養素はビタミンC、β-カロテン、タンニン、カリウムなどであり、抗酸化作用や血圧に良いと考えられます。

　話は別ですが、英語の語彙を増やすには机上で英文を読むだけでなく、「実物を見て言ってみる、使ってみる」ことが生活として覚えられ、小さな子供が言葉を覚えことに似てるでしょう。

　例えば、柿を見て、「蔕(へた)」、渋い、皮をむく、種を出す、形が楕円球などを英語で言えるようにしたいです。

　このように、英単語を英和辞典で調べることの他に、実生活を通して目の前の事象について口で言えるようにしたいものです。それには和英辞典が絶大な力を発揮します。その後、文字でも確認し、英語の語彙を実生活で使えるように身に付けたいものです。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in nature and great music

　I have loved persimmons since I was little, and since the persimmons in my garden are finished, I bought some at the supermarket, but, this is unusual for me. I will eat it as a dessert for lunch, and they were quite large. I ate one, and it was not astringent, but delicious. Upon researching, I found that persimmons contain nutrients such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, tannins, and potassium, which are thought to have antioxidant properties and are effective for hypertension.

　Not change the subject, but to increase our English vocabulary, it is not enough to just read English sentences at a desk, but to learn by looking at the real things, and saying it, and using it in daily life, which is similar to the way that small children learn words.

　For example, when I see a persimmon, I want to be able to say in English the following: "calyx", "astringent", "to peel," "to take out the seed or pip," and "ellipsoid".

　In this way, in addition to looking up English words in the English-Japanese dictionary, at the same time, we want to be able to say things in front of us in real life. A Japanese-English dictionary is extremely useful for Japanese people. After that, we check the words in writing, connect them to real life, and acquire English vocabulary.

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満月を見て、地球の現状を想像する

　毎晩、月を撮って申し訳ございません。今夜は今年最初の十五夜です。しかし、月ほど私たちが住む地球に近い身近な天体はありません。と言っても、地球からの距離は約３８万kmです。この距離を実感するには、ご自身の車の現在の走行距離と比較すると理解しやすいです。私が最も長い距離を走った車は「いすゞ１１７クーペ」の２６万kmです。月までの距離の約３分の２でした。

　ところで、月の円周【月の端】の場所から、現在の地球を見たら、地球はどう見えるでしょうか。ご想像ください。

　答えは、太陽がまぶしくて地球は全く見えません。【私の想像です。】理由は月から見ると、太陽が地球のそばで輝いてるからです。しかし、満月のときでなければ地球はよく見えるでしょう。その場合、月の端から地球を見ると、常に地平線上に見えると想われます。なお、今宵、月の上に見える星は「火星」です。それにしても、この写真のように、私たちが住む地球も暗黒の宇宙に浮いています。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

　I apologize for taking pictures of the moon every night. Tonight is the first full moon of this year 2025. However, there is no celestial body closer to the Earth than the moon. That said, the distance from the Earth is about 380,000 km. To realize this distance, it is easier to understand by comparing it to the current mileage of your car. The longest distance I have driven is 260,000 km by Isuzu 117 Coupe of my adolescence. It is about two-thirds of the distance to the Moon.

　By the way, if you look at the Earth now from the edge of the Moon's circumference, how would it look? Imagine that.

　The answer is that the Sun is so bright that we can't see the Earth at all. [This is just my imagination.] The reason is that when viewed from the Moon, the Sun shines close to the Earth. However, the Earth would be visible unless it was a full moon. In that case, when you look at the Earth from the edge of the Moon, it would always be visible on the horizon, I guess. The star you can see tonight above the moon is Mars. Even so, just like in this photo, the Earth we live on is floating in the dark universe.

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

感銘したアンサンブルパーティー２５

　昨日、藤岡市の「みかぼみらい館」で開かれたアンサンブルパーティーを聴きに行きました。館内に入るや否や、等身大の藤岡市出身の秀ちゃんが笑顔で出迎えてくれ、一瞬にしてこれから和やかな時間が過ごせる雰囲気が伝わってきました。ここ「みかぼみらい館」は丘陵地の上に建立されており、ご覧の通り、上毛三山など群馬の景色が一望できる高台にあります。アンサンブルパーティーが行われた室内からも赤城山の裾野が大きく伸びて見え、自然と音楽が好きな私にとって、とても快適な空間です。

　演奏はホルン五重奏による「王宮の花火の音楽」始まり、男性２人女性３人が繰り広げるハーモニーは重厚にして温かな音色が館内いっぱいに響き渡り、私は暫くぶりに生の和声に包まれました。皆さん、平素より一心にホルンに打ち込まれているのでしょう。その意気込みが演奏中の真剣な表情から感じ取れ感銘です。同様にして「高崎姉妹」による２本のサクソフォーンとピアノによる三重奏も、平素、ソプラノサックスを吹く私にとって実に楽しく聴けました。音楽会はアンサンブルパーティーと銘打ってあるだけに途中で演奏者によるユーモアなトークがこれがまた会場の雰囲気を和らげました。彼女が三女でしょうか。

　クラリネット五重奏によるＪ．シュトラウスの「こうもり」では名旋律とともに、バスクラリネットの重厚ある響きと動きが大きく全体を包み、音楽美は和声と対位法により成り立つと感じ取れました。女性４人によるトランペット四重奏では、若さある華やかさとハーモニーが光り、平素からトランペットと共にある青春そのものと、この楽器特有の明るい個性、そして演奏者も十分に楽しんでる様子が会場に伝わりました。

　「新みかぼストリングス」１３名による弦楽合奏は平素からオーケストラ仲間なのでしょう。チームワークはばっちりで有名なヴィヴルディーの「春」は誠に生き生きしたテンポ感に包まれ、私はウキウキしました。現在、真冬であっても、季節の春も、人生の春も、必ずやって来るという希望を与えてくれ、音楽とは「魂の叫び」であると感じました。今まで、コントラバス奏者のＮさんの演奏は幾度も拝聴しており、今回、彼女と話す機会に恵まれ、とても幸運でした。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

※It's a long sentence, so I'll only translate the main points.

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

　Yesterday, I went to listen to an ensemble party held at the Mikabo Mirai Hall in Fujioka City. The Mikabo Mirai Hall is built on a hill, and as you can see, it is on a hilltop with a panoramic view of Gumma, including the well-known three mountains of Gumma prefecture. So for me, who loves nature and music, it is a very comfortable space.

　The performance began with a horn quintet. The harmony of two men and three women reverberated throughout the room with a heavy, warm tone, and I was enveloped in live harmony. Everyone must be devoting themselves to the horn from usual. I could sense their enthusiasm from their serious expressions while they were playing. Similarly, the "Takasaki Sisters" trio for two alto-saxophones and piano was a real pleasure for me, as I usually play the soprano saxophone. As the concert was named as the ensemble party, the humorous talks by the performers during the concert lightened the mood of the venue. I wonder if she is the third daughter.

　The clarinet quintet performed J. Strauss's "Die Fledermaus" featured a beautiful melody, and the bass clarinet's profound sound and movement enveloped the entire performance, giving the impression that musical beauty is achieved through harmony and counterpoint. The trumpet quartet performed by four ladies shone with youthful gaiety and harmony, conveying to the audience the youth that is normally associated with the trumpet which is the bright personality as unique to this instrument, and the fact that the performers were enjoying themselves to the fullest.

　The string ensemble of 13 members of the "New Mikabo Strings" must be fellow orchestra members on a regular basis, I guess. The famous Viverdy's "Spring" was filled with a lively tempo and made me feel excited. Even though it is the middle of winter, their performance gives me hope that spring, both in season and in life, will surely come. I felt that music is a "Cry from the soul." I have listened to the double bass player Ms. N's ​​performances many times, and I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to talk with her this time.

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かなり北の位置から出た今宵の月

　今の季節のため当然でしょうが、誠に驚きます。それは日没の位置がかなり南西に近いことから、その反対の位置にある満月も北東に近い位置から昇ってることです。普段ではないことです。今宵は、正式には真北から計って５５°の位置から月が出ました。なお、月のすぐ左下の星は「火星」です。

　ところで、今日の午後は「アンサンブルパーティー」を拝聴し、アンサンブル【数人による室内楽】は、聴く人も、演奏する人も、音楽を心から楽しむものであることが再確認できました。FB友人・直子さんはピアノにバイオリンに活躍され、音楽界では稀な二刀流です。「アンサンブルパーティー」を拝聴した感想を明日書きたいと思います。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music

　This is perhaps to be predicted in this season of the year, but I was truly surprised to see the moon. As you know, the sun sets quite close to the southwest recently, and the full moon, which is in the opposite position, also rises in a position close to the northeast. This is not normal through the year. Tonight the moon officially rose 55° from due north. The star just to the lower left of the moon is Mars.

　By the way, this afternoon I attended the "ensemble party," and was reminded that ensembles [chamber music by several instrumentalists] are a way for both listeners and performers to truly enjoy music. My FB friend Ms. Naoko is an active pianist and violinist, who is a rare dual-skill in the music world. I would like to write about my impressions of listening to "Ensemble Party" tomorrow.

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

降雨が少なく、井戸水が時々涸れる

【アセビの蕾です。蕾は赤くても、花は白です。】　

　群馬県北部は山岳地帯のため気候は日本海側に属し、現在、藤原地区は大雪です。一方、私の住む南部は関東平野の最西部であり、気候は太平洋側に属します。時々、上州名物の空っ風が吹きまくり、この冬は特に寒く感じます。また、１１月頃より殆ど雨が降らず、乾燥してます。

　このため、１００本程の植物の世話に日々夢中な私は与える水に困ってます。庭の植物へは水道水でなく、井戸水だからです。先日、とうとう井戸が涸れてしまい、その後一度、雨が降りましたが、地下まであまり浸み込まないようで、蛇口を捻っても水に勢いがなく、ついに全く出なくなりました。現在、地下水が自然に上昇するのを待ってる状態です。ただ、冬季は植物がそれ程、水を必要としないので枯れることはないでしょう。

　家の中で冬を越してる「君子蘭」や「ハイビスカス」そして、一部の「西洋シャクナゲ」には水道水を与えてるので、こちらは心配はありません。君子蘭は例年一月中旬に蕾が生まれるので、もうそろそろかと日々浮き浮きしています。

　それにしても、何故、私は来る日も来る日も植物の成長に夢中なのでしょう。考えてみると、それには理由が三つあり、今は亡き両親が庭を花いっぱいにしていた遺伝子が現在の私に蘇っているのでしょう。もう一つは、私自身が、色彩豊かな植物の開花を「一つの芸術」と捉えているからです。それにプラスして、光合成が盛んな森の中で暮らす「健康への願望」です。

【写真下は、今朝は勢いよく出てる井戸水です。】

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　The northern part of Gumma Prefecture is mountainous, so its climate is on the Sea of ​​Japan side, so that the Fujiwara district is currently experiencing heavy snowfall. On the other hand, the southern part where I live is in the westernmost part of the Kanto Plain, therefore its climate is on the Pacific side. The dry winds that are a specialty of Gumma prefecture sometimes blow hard, so I feel this winter particularly cold. Also, since around November, it has hardly rained, so it has been dry.

　Because of this phenomenon, I am busy taking care of about 100 plants in the garden every day, but, I am having trouble giving them water. This is because I give the plants well water, not tap water. The well finally dried up the other day, and although it rained once afterwards, but it seems that the water did not seep into the ground very well, so that even when I turned the faucet, the water had no force, and eventually it stopped coming out altogether. Currently, I am waiting for the groundwater to rise naturally. However, the plants do not need much water in winter, so they will not die, I guess.

　The Kaffir Lily and Hibiscus that spend the winter inside the house, as well as some of Western Rhododendrons, are given tap water, so there is no need to worry about them. The kaffir lily's buds usually form in mid-January, so I am excited that it will be born soon.

　Not change the subject, but why am I so fascinated with growing plants day after day? When I think about it, there are three reasons. Perhaps the genes of my late parents, who filled their garden with flowers, are revived in me today. Another reason is that I personally consider the colorful flowering of plants to be "One of arts." In addition to that, I have a "desire for health" with living in the midst of a forest where photosynthesis is thriving.

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春を先取りしてる蕾たち

　二十四節気では小寒から、一週間後には大寒になりますが、日没はすでに２０分以上も伸び、日の出も最も遅かった頃より、早まって来ました。庭の植物たちはこの日照時間の伸びを察知し、日に日に蕾が膨らんでいます。私としては時々水を与えてます。

　写真左はハクモクレンで、３月の別れの季節に涙の如く白く咲きます。右は開花が例年今月末の真っ赤な紅梅で品種名は鹿児島です。前の道を行き交う人が観賞できるように庭先に植えてあります。いずれも直に開花ですから見にいらして下さい。２月末から３月には５本の花梅がすべて咲くので自称「カッキー梅林」になります。

　殊更、寒い今年の冬ですが、自然はすでに春に向ってることが目で見て分かります。私たちも何かと体調を崩しやすい時季ですが、寒さに負けず乗り切りましょう。私は明日の「アンサンブルパーティー」を楽しみにしてます。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music

　According to the twenty-four solar calendar, Daikan will be followed by Shohkan, but sunset has already become later more than 20 minutes, and sunrise has gotten earlier than before. The plants in the garden have sensed this increase in daylight hours, and their buds are swelling day by day. I water them from time to time.

　The top photo shows a white magnolia tree, which blooms tearfully white in March during the season of farewell. The bottom left is a bright red Kohbai (Japanese plum), a variety name is called Kagoshima, which usually blooms at the end of this month. It is planted by me in the entrance of the garden so that people passing by on the way in front can enjoy it. The bottom right is also a flowering plum, with a deep pink color. Both will bloom soon, so please come and see them without hesitation. All five flowering plum trees bloom from the end of February to March, so the area is called the "Kakki Plum Grove."

　This winter has been particularly cold, but we can see that nature is already heading towards spring. It is a time of year when we are liable to getting sick, but let's be active against the cold and get through it. I am looking forward to tomorrow's "ensemble party."

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

「逆境」を味方にできるか

　この写真を撮った場所は以前に近所のご夫妻と登った群馬県西部に位置する角落山山頂【標高１３９３m】です。すぐ前は２００mほどの断崖絶壁で、その崖の上から撮影した遠望の尖った山は浅間隠山【標高１７５７m】です。後日、この浅間隠山にも２回登った記憶があります。どちらの山もかなりの急勾配で時間をかけて登り、辛いことがあれば、その分、後で素晴らしいパノラマの光景があることを知りました。

　同様に、現在私が置かれてる「一人暮らし」の状況はいわば、この「登山の途中に似ている」かもしれません。これは人生における一つの逆境と言えます。果たして、パノラマは見えるでしょうか。

　逆境と言えば、スイス人には数か国語を話せる人が多くいるといわれます。私たちはつい何と素晴らしい才能の持ち主かと思いがちです。しかし、彼らにしてみれば、日本では日本語だけで一生暮らしていけるなんて何と幸せだろうと考えるようです。ご存じの通り、スイスの周囲は異なる言語の国々であり、その逆境が、生活の中で数種の外国語を使わざるを得ないのでしょう。

　ここで勉強になるのが、私たちも「本格的に何か目標を達成」するにはこの逆境であり、スイス人のように真に必要に迫られているかどうかでしょう。このため、何の分野においても、私たちは「意識的に自らにその必要性を課す」心構えと言えます。今のところ、私はフェイスブックとブログを通じて、英文でも外国の方に伝えようと「和英辞典引き引き」を日課してます。しかし、最も大切なことは「相手に伝えたいことがあるかどうか」です。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　I took this photo at the summit of Mt. Tsunoochi (1,393m above sea level) in western Gumma Prefecture, which I had previously climbed with a couple of my neighborhood. Right in front of me was a perpendicular cliff about 200m deep. And the sharp mountain I could see in the distance, photographed from the top of the cliff, was Mt. Asamakakushi (1,757m above sea level). I remember climbing Mt. Asamakakushi twice later. Both mountains were quite steep and took a long time to climb the summit. I learned that even if it was difficult to climb, it meant that I was rewarded with a splendid panoramic view later.

　Similarly, my current situation of "living alone" may be similar to this "mid-way mountain climbing" situation. This can be considered an adversity in my life. Will I be able to see the panorama in the near future?

　Not change the subject, but speaking of adversity, it is said that many Swiss people can speak several languages. We tend to think that they have an amazing talent for languages. However, it seems that Swiss people think how lucky Japanese people can live their whole lives in Japan using only Japanese. As you know, Switzerland is surrounded by countries with different languages. Therefore this adversity probably forces Swiss people to use several foreign languages ​​in their daily lives.

　What we can learn from this situation is that in order to "seriously achieve a purpose," we too must face this adversity and truly feel the need to do so, just like the Swiss people. For this reason, we can say that in any field, we must be prepared to "consciously impose the need on ourselves." For now, I make it a daily habit to consult a Japanese-English dictionary in order to communicate in English with foreigners through Facebook and weblog. However, the most indispensable thing is whether or not there is something I want to say to the other person.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/...　【上の英文をネイティヴの発音で聴きたいときは英文をコピーし、ここに貼り付けてください。】

子供たちの未来と、退職後の自分の生き甲斐探し

　
　写真は私のお気に入りウォーキングコースの一つ鏑川と烏川が合流する高崎市木部町の東方です。このようなところでは心に負担なく、大人の私でさえ自然と足が前に出て行く環境です。ましてや、未来ある子供たちにとって、何事もすぐに取り掛かれる環境を整備するのが私たち大人の役割です。正に、「あなたと作ろう子供たちの未来」です。

　昨日で新学期早々の毎朝の登校時パトロールが終了し、朝食がゆっくり食べられ、ホッとしてます。私には今度１月１６日(木)に下校時のパトロールが予定されてます。また、今日は、午前中、倉賀野町上四地区では２ヶ月に一度の「廃品回収」の日で、家庭から出された大量の不燃物を収集し、１５人程の仲間と共に、業者のトラックに、分別しつつ、積み込む作業に従事します。地区の仕事に参加すると仲間の人たちと話をする機会が増え、精神面・健康面でとても良いと考えてます。

　話は別ですが、ご存知の通り、人生は大きく３つの期間に分けられます。第一は、生まれてから学生時代までで、いわば、自分に合った職業選択の期間であり、皆、目的を持って試験などに挑戦する時代です。第二は、会社勤めなど職業に従事する約４０年間です。実は、次に必ず来る第三は、退職後の長い３０～４０年間で、この期間こそ、本当に自分らしく納得して人生を生きたい期間です。

　人生１００年時代です。退職後はこれからもう一度新しい人生が始まるのだという考えに立ち、「具体的にどう生きるか計画を持つべき」です。目的のない「その日暮らし」はとんでもないことで、大切なことは自分を単なる消費者とするのでなく、一つの能力を持った生産者として社会に貢献したり、日々、生き甲斐を実践する発想を持つべきでしょう。それは何でもよいから、自ら興味関心ある分野で時計をいったん０に戻し、挑戦すると人生の後半戦がとても充実すると考えます。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　The photo shows one of my favorite walking courses, east of Kibe-town, Takasaki City, where the Kabra River and Karasu River merges. In place like this, there is no burden on our mind, and even an adult like me can naturally walk forward. Especially for children who have a brilliant future, it is our role as adults to create an circumstance where they can start easily on anything right away. It is truly "Let's create the future of children together with you."

　Yesterday was the end of my morning patrol at the beginning of the new semester, so that I was relieved to have a leisurely breakfast today. I am scheduled to patrol at returning hour from school on Thursday, January 16th. Also, Today's morning is the "waste collection" day in Kuragano-Kami-4th district, which is held once every two months, and we collect a large amount of non-burnable waste from many homes and worked together with about 15 other people to sort and load it onto a contractor's truck. Like this, by participating in local work, I have more opportunities to talk with my peers, which I think is very good for both of my mental and health.

　This is a different topic, but as you know, life can be divided into three major periods. The first is from birth to school years, which is the period when we choose a career that suits us, and when everyone takes exams with a purpose in mind. The second is about 40 years of working in a job, such as working for a company. In fact, the third period, which surely comes next, is the long 30 to 40 years after retirement, and this is the period when we should live our life in a way that is true to ourselves and that we are satisfied with it.

　Generally, we are in an era of 100-year lifespans. With the idea that a new life will begin again after retirement, we should have a concrete plan for how we will live our life. Living everyday without a purpose is outrageous, and the important thing is not to think of ourselves as a mere consumer, but to contribute to society as a producer with some skills, and to have the ideal purpose in life into practice every day. I am of the opinion that if we turn the clock back to zero in a field, we should take on a challenge against our ultimate purpose that our interesting fields, our third of life will be very fulfilling beyond description.

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

良い自然環境でコーヒー戴きつつ自己を取り戻す

　今日の午後、久しぶりにお気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」で２時間ほど、コーヒーを戴き過ごしました。私はいつも一人で行くので、本を一冊持って行きます。３０分ほどすると変化が欲しくなり、ピアノをお借りして数曲弾きましたら、一人でいた女性のお客さんに珍しく拍手を戴きました。

　彼女は「良かったです」と言って下さいましたが、本当は「さんぽ道」の天井が高いので、室内に音色が良く響き、きれいに聴こえるのです。私としては、ピアノで喜び、悲しみを言葉で語るように弾きたいと思ってます。

　それにしても、街中と違い、ここは広々した自然環境に恵まれ、自己を取り戻すには理想的な環境が整ってます。同時に、温厚なママさんとも毎回話が出来て、私のお気に入りになってます。

　もう一つのよい点は私の今までの生活と異なり、お客さんとの知り合いが増えました。やはり人間は、新たな人との邂逅ほど人生に有意義なことはありません。「さんぼ道」のお陰で、普通ではなかなか会えて話などできない県議や市議の方々とも知り合いになれ、素晴らしい出会いに心から良かったと感じてます。今後も週に二回ほどコーヒーを飲みに行きたいです。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in health of nose and great music

　Since the third semester started in school, I have been wearing a yellow uniform and patrolling the local Kuragano-Elementary-School when the children go to school. Would you please imagine my yellow figure. As I walk along the school route, I exchange greetings and words, while wishing for the safety of the children first, and also taking measures against suspicious people at any time.

　On the other hand, the number of newly built houses in the area has increased rapidly, and as a result, the number of cars on the school route in the morning has increased more than before. In proportion to this phenomenon, the number of vacant houses has also increased. I have been patrolling on the way to and from school for about 15 years so far, and I can feel that the local community is changing year by year. When I patrol, I walk about 2 kilometers before breakfast, which is good for my health and makes me hungry, so breakfast tastes better. It's delicious even when eaten alone.

　Changing the subject, yesterday I bought the salt in the photo. It was cheap at 108 yen, and I can use it during a year. The lady at the register asked me, "Are you going to use it for pickles?" then I answered, "For health reasons, I have never bought salt and sugar as food." For this reason, I explained to her the following.

　Actually, I put a spoonful of salt in 500cc of lukewarm water and use it to wash my nose. As you know, the salt content of our blood is 0.9%. Because the inside of the nose is made up of capillaries, so that washing the nose with the same concentration as blood doesn't hurt at all. I think there is nothing more important for lung health than breathing through the nose. I have been washing my nose by this way after waking up for about 30 years so far.

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

今朝まで、小学生の登校指導

　３学期が始まってから、地元倉賀野小児童の登校時パトロールを黄色いユニフォームを着て行なってます。私のその姿をご想像ください。通学路を歩きながら子供たちと挨拶を交わし、言葉を交わしつつ、児童の安全第一を願い、いつ何が起こるか分からないので不審者対策でもあります。

　一方、地区には新築家屋が急増し、結果的に朝の通学路は今まで以上に車の往来が増加してます。これに比例し、空き家が増えてます。すでに１５年ほど登・下校時にパトロールをしてますと、地区社会も年々変化してることが感じ取れます。パトロールをすると朝食前に２キロ程度歩くので、私自身の健康に役立ち、空腹になって、孤食でも朝食が美味しく感じます。

　話は変わりますが、昨日、写真の食塩を購入しました。１０８円と安く、これで１年間使えます。レジの女性が「漬物にでも使うのですか。」と訊きましたが、私は「健康のため、食品として食塩と砂糖を買ったことがありません」と答えました。このため、彼女に下記のように説明しました。

　実は、スプーン１杯の塩を５００㏄のぬるま湯に入れ、鼻の洗浄に使うのです。ご存じの通り、私たちの血液の塩分量は０．９％だからです。鼻の中は毛細血管であることから、血液と同じ濃度で洗浄すると全く痛くありません。肺の健康のため、鼻呼吸ほど大切なことはないと考えてます。起床後の洗浄をすでに３０年ほど続けてます。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in health of nose and great music. 

　Since the third semester started in school, I have been wearing a yellow uniform and patrolling the local Kuragano-Elementary- School when the children go to school. Would you please imagine my yellow figure. As I walk along the school route, I exchange greetings and words, while wishing for the safety of the children first, and also taking measures against suspicious people at any time.

　On the other hand, the number of newly built houses in the area has increased rapidly, and as a result, the number of cars on the school route in the morning has increased more than before. In proportion to this phenomenon, the number of vacant houses has also increased. I have been patrolling on the way to and from school for about 15 years so far, and I can feel that the local community is changing year by year. When I patrol, I walk about 2 kilometers before breakfast, which is good for my health and makes me hungry, so breakfast tastes better.

　Changing the subject, yesterday I bought the salt in the photo. It was cheap at 108 yen, and I can use it during a year. The lady at the register asked me, "Are you going to use it for pickles?" then I answered, "For health reasons, I have never bought salt and sugar as food." For this reason, I explained to her the following.

　Actually, I put a spoonful of salt in 500cc of lukewarm water and use it to wash my nose. As you know, the salt content of our blood is 0.9%. Because the inside of the nose is made up of capillaries, so that washing the nose with the same concentration as blood doesn't hurt at all. I think there is nothing more important for lung health than breathing through the nose. I have been washing my nose by this way after waking up for about 30 years so far.

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

明朝から日の出時刻が早まります。【群馬県】

　皆さん、今日は西高東低の気圧配置で本当に寒いですね。日の出時刻は１月3日～今日１月９日までが最も遅く６時５６分【群馬県】でした。ところが、嬉しいことに、地球の動きは明日から変化し、日の出が６時５５分に変わります。寒くても春は確実に近づいてます。今後、日の出は日に日に早くなり、２月３日の立春には６時４４分になります。

　一方、日の入りについては、すでに大分伸びて来てることを実感されてるでしょう。日の入り時刻が最も早かったのは１２月４日～１２月８日で１６時２８分でした。今日１月９日の日の入りは先程の１６時４６分でしたから、すでに１８分も陽が伸びてます。今後、日の入りはますます遅くなり、２月３日の立春には１７時１２分となり、１２月上旬の日の入りより４４分も陽が伸びます。

　ところで、今宵の月は上弦の月で、すでに天高くにあります。ご覧くださいね。月の近くには「木星」が輝き、対照的に西南の空には「金星」が輝いてます。なお、今宵の月が西の空に沈むとき、弦が上になるので上弦の月です。それにしても、月面は私の青春時代のようです。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in nature of earth and great music.

　Everyone, today is really cold with high atmospheric pressure in the west and low atmospheric pressure in the east. As for the latest sunrise time, since January 3rd to today, January 9th, was 6:56am [Gumma Prefecture]. However, the good news for you is that the movement of the earth will change from tomorrow morning, and sunrise will change to 6:55am. Even though it's cold, spring is definitely approaching as your expectation. From tomorrow, sunrise will get earlier day by day, and on "Risshun" that means the first day of spring of February 3rd, it will be 6:44am.

　On the other hand, you may have noticed that the sunset has already been getting later. The earliest sunset time was from December 4th to December 8th, at 4:28pm in Gumma prefecture. Today, January 9th, the sun set at 4:46pm, so the sun has already been getting later by 18 minutes. From now on, the sunset will get later day by day, and on the first day of spring on February 3rd, it will be 5:12pm, which is 44 minutes longer than the sunset in early December.

　Not change the subject, but tonight's moon is a waxing moon, and is already high in the sky. Take a look. Jupiter shines close to the moon, and in contrast, Venus shines in the southwestern sky. Furthermore, when tonight's moon sets in the western sky, it will be at the top of its crescent, so it is a waxing moon. Even so, the surface of the moon is similar to the face of my adolescence.

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

欅の木に「不思議な穴」が開いている

　我が「倉賀野町の七不思議」の一つと私が考えてるのが、写真の巨木・欅の木で、地上から１０m付近に開いてる直径５０cmほどの穴です。何故この穴は開いてるのか、以前に、持ち主のМさんに尋ねたことがあります。彼曰く「昔から開いていました。」と言うだけでした。その彼も近年亡くなり、この穴が意味することはますます倉賀野町の謎になってます。

　樹齢は推定５００年ほどと想われるこの欅は背の高さもおそらく倉賀野一で、枝の数々はすべてが一般の樹木の幹のように太いです。このため春は緑の葉に覆われ、夏は数千匹によると想われる蝉時雨が４００mほど離れてる我が家まで聞こえて来ます。

　近くで観察すると、穴の上が不自然にくっついているようにも見えます。しかし、何か外的要素により開いてしまったのでしょうか。生前の私の父母の話によると戦争中は倉賀野でも、あちこちに焼夷弾が落とされ火災が起こり、大変な状況であったと聞いたことがあります。もしかして、この巨木は戦争を体験し、自ら受けた傷を後世の私たちに「絶対に戦争をしてはならぬ」と、高い位置から戒めてるのでしょうか。

　いずれにしても、江戸時代前期より長い期間、大風、大雨、雷など自然の猛威に晒され、高い位置から倉賀野における度重なる人間の戦いを見てきたことは事実です。その逆境を乗り越え、今でも成長を続けてます。この欅は倉賀野小の体育館に近い所にあります。

　この巨木とは比べ物になりませんが、私も２０年間、一人暮らしという逆境が続いてます。しかし、娘たちに心配かけず、頼らず、この巨樹を見習い逞しく生きたいものです。果たして大丈夫か。友人だけはたくさん作りたい。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　One of the "Seven Wonders of Kuragano-Town" that I consider to be the giant Zelkova tree in the photo has a hole about 50cm in diameter about 10m above ground. I once asked the owner, Mr. M, why this hole was opened. He simply said, "It's been a hole for a long time." He passed away recently, so that the meaning of this hole has become even more of a mystery in Kuragano-Town.

　This Zelkova tree, estimated to be about 500 years old, is probably the tallest in Kuragano-town, I guess and all of its branches are as thick as the trunks of ordinary trees. Because of this, in spring it is covered with green leaves, and in summer, the sound of several thousand cicadas can be heard to my house which is about 400m away.

　When I observe closely, the top of the hole seems to be stuck together unnaturally. However, could it have been opened by some external factors? According to my parents, during the World War Ⅱ, Kuragano-town was in a terrible condition, with incendiary bombs being dropped and fires was breaking out everywhere. Perhaps this giant tree experienced the war, so that, if possible, this hole as a scar may warn us future generations that humans must never wage war.

　In any case, it is true that for a long period since the early Edo period, this zelkova tree has been exposed to the forces of nature, such as strong winds, heavy rains, snows and thunder, and has watched the repeated human battles in Kuragano-town from its high position. It has overcome this adversity and continues to grow even today. This zelkova tree is located near the gymnasium of Kuragano Elementary School.

　Although I am nothing compared to this giant tree, I have also been living alone for 20 years and have endured the adversity of this situation. However, I would like to follow the example of this giant tree and live a strong life mentally without worrying or relying on my two daughters. Will I be okay? I just want to make lots of friends, of course, including a sweetheart.

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

　

クロガネモチの実がすべて食べ尽くされる

　私の家では人間は一人ですが、野鳥は何十羽と飛来します。住んでる地名の倉賀野町に発音が似てるクロガネモチは１２月中旬頃には未だ赤い実が鈴なりでしたが、新年を迎えてから、どれ程か美味しかったのでしょう。ご覧の通り、すべて食べ尽くされました。

　ちょっと寂しい気がしますが、昨年の晩秋に私も十分に鑑賞したので悔いはありません。それどころか、クロガネモチは年々、樹木が成長し、もっと多くの実をつけるでしょう。そして、いつの日か野鳥には食べ切れないほど赤い実が生るでしょう。

　基本的には、人間も野鳥も生きるという点では同じです。食事と水によって生かされ、野鳥はきれいな声でさえずります。私も負けずにピアノをきれいな音で弾いてみよう。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature and great music

　There is only one human in my house, but dozens of wild birds fly in my garden. The Round Leaf Holly which sounds similar to Kuragano-town where I live, was still full of red berries in mid-December last year, but they must have been delicious for wild birds. After the new year, as you can see, they were all eaten up.

　I feel a little sad, but I had appreciated enough of them in late autumn last year, so I have no regrets. On the contrary, the Round Leaf Holly will grow even more year by year and bear even more berries, I guess. And one day in the future there will be so many red berries that the wild birds will not be able to eat them all.

　Essentially, humans and wild birds have the same destiny as living in this world. They are kept alive by food and water, and wild birds sing with beautiful voices. I will try to play the piano with beautiful sounds without losing.

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

「パトロール」「経済の勉強」「さんぽ道」「新年会」の昨日

　私には、小さいときの写真が２枚あったのですが、現在はこの写真のみ残っているだけです。もう一枚は母に抱かれた生後４０日のがありましたが、昔のことなので、どこかに行ってしまいました。

　この写真は倉賀野町の祭りの時らしく家の前で撮りました。私の家は金物商店で屋号を「原道屋」と言いました。ですから、向かって右胸に書いてある文字は「原道屋」です。おそらく３才位と想われ、私にも純真無垢(？)な時があったのです。それが、何十年も経過した今、一人暮らしになり、日々、寂しい思いをしてるとは人生は分からぬものです。

　ところで、昨日は、一日中予定が詰まっており、全て予定通りに消化しました。特に、昨夜はお気に入り料理屋「バク」でブログのコメンテーター「時計屋の隣り」さんと新年会を行い、私も久々に平素の孤独感から解放されました。たまたま、彼は昨日の上毛新聞に投稿文が掲載され、充実した時間が持て、私とはユーモアを通り越し、終始笑いの連続で、私はちょっと風邪気味でしたが、笑いは健康によく、今朝は回復し、快調です。

　このため、今朝も、これから地元・倉賀野小児童の登校パトロールに行ってきます。挨拶運動はもちろん、なるべく、子どもたちとの交流を図ります。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　I had two photos of myself when I was little, but this is the only one that remains still now. The other was taken when I was 40 days old in my mother's arms, but it was a long time ago therefore it has now disappeared somewhere.

　This photo was taken in front of my house, apparently during a festival in Kuragano-Town. My family was a hardware store and our store name was "Haramichiya." So the characters written on my right chest are "Haramichiya." I was probably about three years old, and I was pure and innocent (?) at that time. Now, decades later, I'm living alone and feeling lonely every day. We never know what life is.

　Not change the subject, but I had a full schedule all day yesterday, and everything went according to plan. In particular, last night I had a New Year's party with my blog commentator named "Next to the Clock Shop" at my favorite tavern "Baku," and for the first time in a long time, I was free from the usual feeling of loneliness. As it happened, his submission was published in the Jomo Newspaper yesterday, so we had a great time together more than sense of humor, laughing the whole time. I had been catching cold a bit, but laughter is good for our health, and I feel much better this morning.

　For this reason, I patrol the local Kuragano Elementary School when the children go to school. I will patrol as a priority in the greeting campaign and trying to interact with the children as much as possible.

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

今年初めて「さんぽ道」で寛ぐ

　今日の午後、お気に入り喫茶「さんぽ道」へ行きました。最初にママさんに新年の挨拶と、今年は「さんぽ道」が開店2年目になることから「飛躍の年になることを祈ります」と申し上げ、ホットコーヒーを戴きました。

　暫くしてから、ピアノで「年の初めのためしとて」の歌詞で始まる「１月１日」を弾き、次にママさんの高校の校歌を弾きましたら、暫くぶりに聴かれたのでしょう。すごく嬉しそうな顔をされました。きっと、青春時代が蘇ったのでしょう。私は姉たちがよく歌っていたので昔から知ってました。

　私はここを一人で訪れることから、いつも一冊本を持って行きます。広大な自然に囲まれた環境抜群の「さんぽ道」で、ホットコーヒーを戴きつつの読書は落ち着いた環境で没頭できます。今年は週に２回ほど行くつもりです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about your this year's purpose and great music.

　This afternoon, I went to my favorite cafe "Sampo-michi". First, I wished the owner a Happy New Year and prayed for remarkable progress for Sampo-michi, due to the second year since the cafe opened. I received a hot coffee.

　After a while, I played Japanese famous song named "January 1st" on the piano, and then I played the owner's high school song. She must have been listening to it for the first time in a while. She looked so happy. It must have brought back memories of her adolescence. I've known it for a long time ago because my older sisters used to sing it.

　Whenever I visited here alone, I always take a book with me. Sampo-michi is surrounded by vast nature, so that I can immerse myself in a book while sipping hot coffee. I plan to go there about twice a week this year.

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

日常を支えるカレンダー、暦・・・・今日の上毛新聞「ひろば」より

　いつもこのブログにコメントを戴く「時計屋の隣り」さんの文章が今朝の群馬県・上毛新聞読者投稿欄「みんなのひろば」に掲載れました。誠におめでとうございます。

　つきましては、県外の方々にもお読み戴きたく、このブログに掲載させていたします。尚、以前より彼と私は今宵、新年会を開くことになってました。それに輪を掛けたように今朝の新聞に掲載されたのですから、余りにもタイミングが良く、飲み過ぎないようしたいと思います。

タイトル・・・・「日常を支えるカレンダー、暦」・・・・

　カレンダーは、月、週、日、曜日で構成され、日付や予定の確認に便利ものだ。一方、「暦」は文化的要素が強く①祝祭日②吉凶を示す六曜（大安・仏滅など）③季節の移り変わりを示す二十四節気（大寒、啓蟄、大暑、白露など）④節分、　彼岸、八十八夜、土用などの雑節が記載されている。

　「暦」を英語に訳すと「カレンダー（calendar）」で、語源は古代ローマの「calendae（カレンデ）（月の最初の日の意）」に由来しているそうだ。古代ローマのカレンダーは太陽暦に基づいおり、季節の変化を正確に反映するために暦の改良が進められました。1582年には、約3300年に1日の誤差しか生じないという高い精度のグレゴリオ暦が導入され、現在でも広く使用されている。

　季節の変化や農業のサイクルの目安となる暦は、日常生活に欠かせない存在だ。私のお気に入りは、心の糧となる31の法語が親しみやすく大きく書かれ、日、月、曜日だけが分かるカレンダーだ。

　今年の法語カレンダーの一日目は「多くの争いより一つの絆がほしい」だった。さまざまな紛争や対立が絶えず存在し続ける現代社会にあって共感できるメッセージだ。法語は、自分自身を見つめ直し、生きるヒントや新たな一歩を踏み出す勇気を与えてくれる。

自然と出るユーモアのセンスを磨きたい

　今日、１月７日から地元の倉賀野小・中学校では3学期が始まります。このため、これから１週間、毎朝７時３０分からの登校時に、私は仲間と共に通学路を歩きながら「交通指導」と「挨拶運動」を行います。終わってから朝食です。きっと寒いでしょうが、「未来ある子供たちのため」に私なりにできることを行います。

　子供たちは多くの場合、仲間と楽しそうに話しながら登校しますが、中には「一人ぼっち」で登校する子供が見受けられます。どちらにも声を掛けますが、特に一人で歩いてる子には必ず声を掛け、例えば「冬休みは楽しかったですか。」などと、話しかけるように心掛け「社会は一人ぼっちでないこと」を実感させたいです。

　ところで、大人社会においても、日本人は比較的に表現力に乏しく、概して、ユーモアのセンスがあまりないといわれます。拙い体験では一人で行った内モンゴルでもインドでも、平素の会話やスビーチにおいて「ユーモアが大切な要素」であったと感じてます。一般論として、外国人との会話では５分間に一度位は笑いがないと、真に友好を望んでいるか否かまで問われがちです。

　島国のため、昔から外国人と接触の少ない日本人は「言葉より互いの表情が大切」のように感じても、やはり、言葉ではっきり会話し、ユーモアのセンスを磨いて友好関係を築きたいものです。実は、私は今日は予定が立て込んでおり、朝の交通指導に始まり、午前中は証券会社で今後の経済動向の指導受け、午後は久々に喫茶「さんぼ道」へ、そして、夜は仲間との「新年会」です。どこででも楽しく過ごしたいです。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　Today, January 7th, the third semester begins at the local Kuragano-Elementary and Junior High School. For this reason, during one week, every morning from 7:30 a.m., I will walk the route to school for traffic guidance and a greeting campaign. After that, it's time for breakfast. I'm sure it's cold, but I will do for the children who have the brilliant future.

　Many children walk to school with chatting happily with their friends, but some children walk to school alone. I talk to both, but I always talk to children who is walking alone, for example, by asking, "Did you enjoy your winter break?" I want them to realize that they are not alone in society.

　Incidentally, even in adult society, it is said that Japanese people are relatively poor at expressing themselves at conversation and generally do not have much of a sense of humor. In my limited experience, both in Inner Mongolia where I went alone to meet my pigeon that strayed into Inner Mongolia, and in India as a teacher of Japanese school, I felt that humor was an important and indispensable element in everyday conversations and interactions. Generally speaking, if we don't laugh at least once every five minutes in a conversation with foreigners, people there will question whether I am truly seeking friendship or not.

　As an island nation, Japanese people have had little contact with foreigners since ancient time, and although they may tend to feel that "facial expressions are more important than words," we should to communicate clearly and hone our sense of humor to build friendly relationships. In fact, I have a busy schedule today, starting with traffic instruction in the morning, receiving guidance on future economic trends at a securities company near the Takasaki-station in the morning, going to the "Sambo-michi" cafe for the first time in this year in the afternoon, and then having a "New Year's party" with friends in the down town of Takasaki-city in the evening. I want to have fun wherever I am.

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

　

「小寒」が寒冷な理由

　二十四節気では１月５日～１９日までの期間が「小寒」です。私たちを載せた地球は一周約９億４０００万kmのやや楕円の公転軌道上を、北極星側から見て反時計回りに毎秒約２９kmのスピードで１年間かけて公転してます。同時に、北極星側から見て反時計回りに２４時間かけて自転してます。

　ところで、今の季節に地球は一体どの辺を公転中でしょうか。また、今の季節は、何故寒いのでしょうか。

　と言っても、宇宙空間には地上のような目印なく、その代わり、太陽系を取り巻く「黄道十二星座」が目印になります。このため、これらの星座により地球の現在の位置を知ることができます。ですから答えは「午前０時に真南に輝く星座」を観察して、現在の地球の公転上の位置を知ります。

　ところで、今の季節では、夕方から明け方まで日本列島を覆うかの如く、巨大な「冬のダイアモンド」が一晩中輝いてます。私は、この「冬のダイアモンド」を初めて自分の目で把握したとき、あまりにも広大なので本当に感銘しました。

　「冬のダイアモンド」は最も明るい一等星シリウスや、オリオン座のリゲル、「牡牛座」のアルデバランなどすべて一等星で成してます。そして、実は、このダイアモンドを成す左上の一角に「ふたご座」があり、現在の地球はこの「ふたご座」の方向に来ています。中心は一等星のポリックスとカストロです。「午前０時に真南をご覧いただく」と現在の地球の公転上の位置は「ふたご座」の方角であることが分かります。

　一方、地球の自転軸は公転面に対し２３．５°ほど傾いたままで公転してます。このため、地上で見ると公転位置によって太陽高度が変化し、結果的に寒暖の差が生じ、現在、北極点が太陽から離れているので「北半球では太陽高度が低くなり」寒冷になります。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　According to the twenty-four solar terms in Japan, the period from January 5th to January 19th is "Shokan" that means little cold. The Earth which is carrying us, revolves around the sun in a slightly elliptical orbit of about 940 million km, moving counterclockwise from the North Star side at a speed of about 29 km per second over one year. At the same time, the earth rotates counterclockwise from the North Star side over 24 hours.

　By the way, where exactly is the Earth moving at this season of year? Also, why is it cold at this time of year?

　However, there are no landmarks in space like on the ground, and instead, the "12 Zodiacal Constellations" surrounding the solar system are used as landmarks. For this reason, we can understand the current position of the Earth by these constellations. The answer is to observe the "constellations shining due south at midnight" to find out the current position of the Earth on its orbit.

　By the way, at this time of year, a huge "Winter Diamond" shines all night long, as if it is covering the Japanese archipelago from dusk to dawn. When I first saw this "Winter Diamond" by my own eyes, I was really impressed by its vastness in the sky.

　The "Winter Diamond" is made up of all first magnitude stars, including the brightest first magnitude star Sirius, Rigel in Orion, and Aldebaran in Taurus. In fact, the constellation Gemini is in the upper left corner of this diamond, and the Earth is currently in the direction of Gemini. The center is the first magnitude stars Polyx and Castro in Gemini. If you look due south at midnight, you will find out that the Earth's current orbital position is in the direction of Gemini.

　On the other hand, the Earth's axis of rotation remains tilted at about 23.5 degrees relative to the orbital plane as it revolves. For this reason, when viewed from the ground, the solar altitude changes depending on the orbital position and seasons, resulting in temperature differences. Currently, the North Pole is far from the sun, so that the sun's altitude is lower in the Northern Hemisphere, it makes colder in Japan.

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

一生勉強、一生青春・・・今年の目標

　昨日は余りにも寒かったので夕方になってから、愛車の調整を兼ね、今年初めて「吉井・牛伏ドリームセンター」の日帰り温泉で温まって来ました。それにしても入浴料２００円は安いです。新年というのは自然と「今年一年をどのような気持ちで過ごそうか」と思いを巡らすもので、私は牛臥山を眺めつつ、暫し浴槽の中で思索してました。

　たまたま居合わせた周囲の人の話し声の中に「一日中テレビを見て過ごす位で、やることもない。その上、物覚えも悪くなった。年は取りたくないものだ」という夢のない声が聞こえて来ました。

　しかし、「これは年齢に因るものではないのではないでしょうか。」年令を重ねると、ある程度、金も貯まり、家や土地を持ち、世間的な名声も得るようになって、とりたてて不安もない。そういう「安定」が能力を開花させるチャンスがなくなってくるのではないでしょうか。

　失敗を避け、現状維持を図ろうとする人に新たな変化は禁物でしょう。つまり、より高い技術や、新たな物事に挑戦しなくなります。こうした状況下では「独創力は湧いて来ない」と考えられます。年を重ねると経験が豊富になり、それを土台として能力は年齢に関係なく上昇すると考えられます。９０才代まで活躍したチェリストのカザルスや、ピアニストのフジコヘミングもいます。私たちは誰でも年令を重ねますが、それを土台にして、新たに自らを変化さる気持ちを持ち、独創力や技術を磨きたいものです。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　Yesterday was so cold, so that in the evening, I warmed myself up at the day spa at Yoshii Ushibushei Dream Center for the first time this year, while also adjusting my car's engine. Even so, 200 yen is a cheap bathing fee. The New Year naturally makes me think about how I want to spend this year, and I spent some time soaking in the bathtub while looking at Mt. Ushibuse through the window.

Among the people around me who happened to be there, I heard a dreamless voice saying, "I spend all day watching TV, I have nothing to do. On top of that, my memory is getting worse. I don't want to get older."

　However, "I don't think this is due to his age." As people get older, they save a certain amount of money, own a house and land, gain social fame, and don't have any particular worries. I think that this kind of "stability" eliminates his chance to develop his ability.

　New changes are taboo for people who want to avoid failure and maintain the status quo. In other words, they stop trying to do more and try new things. Under these circumstances, it is thought that "creativity does not emerge." As we get older, we gain more experience, and I am of the opinion that that our abilities improve regardless of age, by using the experience as a foundation. There are examples such as the cellist Casals, and the pianist Fujiko Hemming who was active into his 90s. We all grow older, but we should use that experience as a foundation to have the desire to change ourselves and hone our creativity and skills.

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

　　

三日月を見て、同様に、地球も宇宙空間に浮いてることを悟る

　午後６時現在、西南の空に「上弦の月」が出ています。その名の通り、弦が上になってます。そのすぐ右下に宵の明星「金星」が光ってます。金星も拡大すると、月と同様に左上が欠けてます。

　写真をクリックし拡大すると、弦に近いクレーターや山の凹凸がはっきり見えます。それにしても、月は暗黒の宇宙空間に浮いており、太陽光が当たってる部分のみ光ってます。同様に、私たちを載せてる地球もすでに４６億年間、暗黒の宇宙空間に浮いおり、太陽光が当たってる面のみ光ってます。私たちはそれを昼と言ってます。暗黒の宇宙に浮いてる運命共同体の地球です。戦争などあってはなりません。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about astronomy and great music

　As of 6pm Japan time, a waxing crescent moon has appeared in the southwestern sky. As its name suggests, its crest is at its highest. Just below and to the right of the moon, the evening star "Venus" is shining. If you zoom in on Venus, you can see that, like the Moon, it is missing a portion of its upper left corner.

　Click on the photo to enlarge it and you can clearly see the craters and unevenness of the mountains close to the crest. Even so, the Moon floats in the dark space, and only the part hit by sunlight is shining.

　Similarly, the Earth on which we reside has been floating in the dark space, since 4.6 billion years ago, and only the part hit by sunlight is shining. We call it daytime. We are a community of one and the same destiny, floating in the dark universe. There should be no war.　

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

雪を被った「浅間山」を遠望し、若き日を思い出す。

【写真をクリックし、拡大すると臨場感が出ます。】

　写真は私のウォーキングコースの一つである高崎市木部町の鏑川の土手から撮った活火山・浅間山(標高２５６８m)です。ご覧の通り、現在は雪を被り、美しく堂々たる雄姿を見せてます。この姿を見るたびに１７才から２０代の若き日に３回山頂をめざした当時を思い出します。２回は友人たちと、最後のときは一人で登りました。

　一人で行ったとき、高崎から電車に乗り、長野県の軽井沢駅に着いたのが、午前１時半頃でした。登山口である峰の茶屋行きのバスの出発時間は５時頃だったので、軽井沢の駅で３時間以上も待ってるより、歩いて行こうと思い立ち、私は深夜の道を一人で北に向かって約１０Kある峰の茶屋まで歩き始めました。季節は夏なので、次第に標高が高くなり始めた午前４時ころ、東の空が明るくなり、朝日に映し出された浅間山の美しい姿は今でも鮮明に記憶に焼き付いてます。辺りは野鳥の声のみ聞こえる静けさです。

　６時頃、峰の茶屋に着き、休むこともなく、東大地震観測所の脇道から、今度は西に向かって本格的な登山道をてくてく歩き始めました。１時間ほどすると標高は推定１５００mほどになり、周囲の景色は一変し、後ろを振り返ったら、広大な関東平野が目に飛び込んできました。同時に、遠く利根川の蛇行も朝日に輝いてます。

　若いとは体力があります。休憩することなく、細い一本道の急勾配の登山道で山頂めざしますが、樹木は一本もなく、転んだら数百メートルも下に転がって行くような傾斜です。一歩一歩ゆっくり踏みしめるように歩いていると、遥か南に富士山が見え始めその光景に感銘です。やはり、頑張ればそれなりに良いことが起こります。高山から見ると、それより高い富士山の高さに驚きます。そして、９時頃ついに山頂に到着。到着するや否や、眼下に２００mほどの断崖絶壁の巨大な火口が現れ、岩の隙間から少々煙が出ています。急にお腹の空いたことを思い出し、浅間山のてっぺんで遠くの山々を見つつ、母が作ってくれた朝食のおにぎりを食べました。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　This photo shows Mt. Asama (2,568m above sea level) which is the famous for active volcano in Japan, taken by me from the bank of the Kabra River in Kibe-town, Takasaki City, Gumma prefecture one of my walking courses. As you can see, it is currently covered with snow, showing off a beautiful and majestic figure. Every time I see it, I remember the time when I tried to reach the summit three times in my adolescence from 17 to my 20s. Twice I went with friends, and the last time I climbed alone.

　When I went alone, I took a train from Takasaki-Station and arrived at Karuizawa Station in Nagano Prefecture at around 1:30 a.m. The bus to "Mine no Chaya" where is the trailhead, was leaving at around 5 a.m., so rather than waiting at Karuizawa Station for more than three hours, I decided to walk there, and started walking alone on the late-night road to "Mine no Chaya" about 10 km north. It was summer, so the altitude gradually increased around 4 a.m., and the beautiful figure of Mt. Asama reflected in the morning sun is still burned into my memory. The surroundings are quiet with only the chirpings of wild birds.

　Around 6 o'clock, I arrived at the teahouse "Mine no Chaya" and without taking a rest, I started walking west from the side road of the University of Tokyo Earthquake Observatory, from here on a full-scale mountain trail. After about an hour, the altitude reached an estimated 1,500m, the surrounding scenery changed completely than before, and when I looked back, the vast Kanto-Plain came into view. At the same time, the meandering Tone-River was also shining in the morning sun in the distance.

　When I was young, I have stamina. Without taking a break, I headed for the summit on a narrow, single, steep mountain trail, but there were not trees, and the slope was steep that if I fall, I would roll down several hundred meters. As I walked slowly, step by step, I began to see Mt. Fuji in the far south, and I was impressed by the majestic view. As expected, if we work hard, good things will happen. I was surprised at how tall Mt. Fuji was, which was more taller by seeing from high mountain. Then, around 9 o'clock, I finally reached the summit. As soon as I arrived, I saw a huge crater on a perpendicular cliff about 200m below me, and a little volcanic smoke was coming out from the gaps in the rocks. I suddenly remembered that I was hungry, so I ate the rice balls my mother had made for breakfast at the summit of Mt. Asama, looking at the distant mountains.

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肉体鍛錬は、心に負担がない方法で継続したい

　
　今日も午後4時から家の前の道【５０m×往復×１０回＝１０００m】をストライドを広めにウォーキングしたところ血流が良くなったのでしょうか、身体が温かくなりました。今のところ、新年になって３日間実践してます。長い距離を歩くより、気楽に続けられそうです。西南の空に浮かぶ三日月を見つつ歩きました。

　同様に、上半身を鍛えるダンベルも重いものより、左右合わせて６kgの軽い方が頑張らなくていいので、心に負担がなく続けられそうです。ダンベルは玄関の靴箱の上に置いておき、いつでも気軽に実践できます。また、重くなければ回数を多くできます。

　また、裏庭の杉の木を相手にテッポウを行ってます。近所の人が見たら、いい年をして何をしてるのだろうと思うでしょうが、私は「人生とは常にこれから」の精神です。年令を重ねつつ、同時に筋肉をつけるべきと考えてます。「健康は運命でなく、創り上げるもの」と目標にしてます。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about nature, health and great music

　Today, I started walking at 4pm on the way in front of my house [50m x round trip x 10 times = 1000m] with a wide stride, as the result, my body warmed up, probably because my blood circulation improved. I've been walking for three days in succession since the new year. It seems easier for me to continue than walking long distance. I walked while looking at the crescent moon floating in the southwestern sky.

　Similarly, I think that the lighter dumbbells (6kg total) for training the upper body are easier to maintain than the heavy ones, so I can continue without putting too much strain on my mind. I keep the dumbbells on top of the shoebox at the entrance and can practice whenever I want. Also, if it's not too heavy, we can do more repetitions.

　I also do "teppo" that means pushing up against the cedar tree in the backyard. If the neighbors saw me, they would wonder what I'm doing at my age, but I have the mentality that "My life is always from now on." I believe that as we get older, we should also build muscles. My purpose is that "health is not destiny, it's something we create."

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１ヶ月後は「立春」です。寒さに負けない体力を！

　初日の出は６時５５分【群馬県】でしたが、調べてみると、「今日１月３日から１月９日まで」の１週間が１年のうちで日の出時刻が最も遅く６時５６分です。

　一方、日の入りが最も早いのは「１２月４日から１２月８日まで」の１６時２８分でした。今日の日の入りは１６時４１分とすでに陽が伸びてます。しかし、群馬県西部は山岳地帯のため、実際にはこれより少々早いです。

　昼間の時間【日照時間】ついては、冬至が９時間４１分で最も短く、今日は９時間４５分で、ほんの少し長くなってます。しかし、これからが冬の本番です。このように日照時間の長さと、実際の気候が一ヶ月ほどずれるのは「地球の性質が暖まり難く(冬)、冷め難い(夏)」と考えられます。

　この寒い気候の中でも、不思議なことに「ユキヤナギ」が狂い咲きしてます。この「ユキヤナギ」は半世紀以上前に亡父が植えたもので、現在、かなり大きな株に成長し、親は無くても子は育ってます。明後日は二十四節気の小寒で、二週間後は大寒です。これから益々寒冷になります。春を先取りしてる植物たちに負けぬよう人間の私たちは心身を鍛え、冬季を健康に過ごしましょう。１月１０日から日の出が早まり始め、一ヶ月後の今日は立春です。お互いに希望を持って生活しましょう。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　The first sunrise of this year was at 6:55, but when I looked it up, I found that the week from today, January 3rd to January 9th, will be the latest sunrise of this year, at 6:56 [Gumma Prefecture].

　On the other hand, the earliest sunset was from December 4th to December 8th, at 16:28. Today's sunset will be at 16:41, so the sunset is already later. However, because as you know, western Gumma Prefecture is a mountainous region, so it actually becomes a little earlier, I guess.

　As for daylight hours, the winter solstice was the shortest in the year at 9 hours and 41 minutes, and today it will be 9 hours and 45 minutes, which is a little longer. However, real winter is just beginning. The reason why the length of daylight hours and the actual climate differ by about one month is thought to be because "the nature of the earth is that it is difficult to warm up (winter) and difficult to cool down (summer)."

　Even in this cold climate, strangely enough, the "spirea willow" in the photo take by me this morning are blooming out of season wildly. This spirea willow tree was planted by my late father more than half a century ago, and has now grown into a fairly large stalk; the same as proverb even though the parent is gone, the offspring are thriving.

　The day after tomorrow is "Shokan" in our tongue that means Little Cold, according to the 24 solar terms, and in two weeks it will be "Daikan" Great Cold. It will get colder and colder from now on in Japan. In order to not lose to the plants that are anticipating spring, we humans should train our minds and bodies and stay healthy during the winter. Sunrise will begin earlier after on January 10th, and one month later today marks the "Rishun" that means beginning of spring in our country. Let's live our lives with hope, together.

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この角度は、一体、何でしょう。

　図は、３０°と７７°の角度を示しています。この角度は、一体、何を表しているでしょうか。

　実はこの二つの角度について、３０°は今の季節【１月２日正午】の地平線からの太陽の角度【群馬県】を示してます。一方の７７°は夏至の頃の正午の太陽の角度です。太陽の高さは季節によってずいぶん差があることが分かります。

　結果的に、現在、窓から差し込む太陽光は部屋の奥にまで届いており、これは正午の角度ですから、午前や午後には、より奥まで太陽の光が差し込みます。このため、冬は部屋の奥まで陽が当たり、部屋全体が温かくなる自然の有難さを私たちは日常生活で体験してます。

　ところが、この太陽の光が室内の奥に置いてある「めがね」や鏡、水の入ったペットボトル、金属類などに長時間当たると、場合によっては、それが「凸レンズの役目を果たし」、太陽光が一点に集中し、高熱となり、そこに燃えやすいものがあると自然発火の可能性があります。これから未だ、暫くの間は部屋の奥まで太陽光が届くので、カーテンを閉めたり、前述の物をしまったり、光が当たらないようにして、火災を未然に防ぎましょう。

　ところで、季節による太陽光の角度の差は７７°－３０°＝４７°あります。この４７°を２で割ると２３．５°となり、この度数は、丁度、北回帰線と南回帰線の緯度に等しいです。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in Nature and great music.

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

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

　The diagram indicates angles of 30° and 77°. What on earth, do these figures represent?

　Actually, regarding these two angles, 30° represents the angle of the sun from the horizon at noon on January 2nd (Gumma Prefecture). On the other hand, 77° is the angle of the sun at noon around the summer solstice. We can see that the height of the sun varies greatly depending on the season both of summer and winter.

　As a result, the sunlight that currently shines through the window reaches deep into our room, and since this is the angle at noon, the sunlight penetrates deeper particularly in the morning and afternoon. For this reason, in winter, we experience the gratitude of nature in our daily lives, as the sun reaches deep into the room and warms the entire room.

　However, if this sunlight hits glasses, mirrors, plastic bottles filled with water, metal objects, etc. placed at the back of the room for a long time, in some cases it can "act as a convex lens," which is concentrating the sunlight on one point and becoming extremely hot, which can cause spontaneous combustion if there is something inflammable there. For the time being, sunlight will continue to reach the back of the room, we have to prevent fires, so we should close the curtains, put away the items mentioned above, and block the light.

　By the way, the angle of sunlight varies depending on the season, that is 77° - 30° = 47°. Dividing 47° by 2 gives us 23.5°, which is exactly the same as the latitude of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

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初ウォーへキングを行い、スムースな血流をめざす。

　今日はこれから今年初めてのウォーキングをします。目的はストライドを少々広めに取り、背中に緊張感を感じ、４歩で鼻呼吸で吸い、４歩で口から空気を出します。

　私の家の前の道が５０mなので１０往復で１Kです。それでは早速、今夜から始まる孤食が美味しくなるよう頑張ります。寂しさはお屠蘇で紛らわせます。

追伸・・・西南の空に輝く一番星の「金星」を見つつ歩きました。ウォーキング後に身体が大分暖かくなりました。

　Today, from now on, I'm going to walking for my first exercise of the new year. My purpose is to take slightly wider strides, feel tension in my back, and breathe in through my nose by four steps, and breathe out through my mouth by four steps.

　The way in front of my house is 50m long, so that 10 round trips is 1km. I'll do my best to make the solitary meal that starts tonight as enjoyable as possible. I'll distract myself from the loneliness with the new year's sake, of course, with thinking of you.

　PS・・・I walked while watching the first star, Venus, shining in the southwestern sky. After walking, my body became much warmer.

群馬県の初日の出は６時５５分です。

　皆様、明けましておめでとうございます。

　昨年中はブログやフェイスブックを通じて楽しい交流を有難うございました。今年もどうぞ宜しくお願い申し上げます。

　写真は今朝６時５５分に私の家の窓から撮った初日の出です。大きな木は倉賀野一背の高い「銀杏の木」です。毎年、初日の出は同じ位置に出ます。この瞬間、太陽と反対の位置にある最も明るい恒星「シリウス」は西の空に沈みました。

　今年の目標は、心身ともに一層の健康維持に努めます。皆様とお会いできる日を楽しみにしております。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in nature and great music.

Happy New Year everyone.

  Thank you for all the enjoyable interactions through the blog and Facebook last year. I look forward to your continued support this year as well.

  The photo is of the first sunrise I took from the window of my house at 6:55 this morning. The large tree is the tallest ginkgo tree in my Kuragano-town. Every year, the first sunrise rises in the same position. At this moment, Sirius, the brightest fixed star opposite the sun, set in the western sky.

My purpose this year is to maintain even better health in both body and mind. I look forward to meeting you all.

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