季節が変わるとき、人間も新たに前進を！

【画像を拡大すると臨場感が出ます。Enlarging the image will give us a more realistic feel. 】　

　皆さん、紅梅が春の到来を知らせてます。ご覧の通り、庭の入り口で情熱的に咲き始め、来客を笑顔で迎えようとしています。予報はこれから寒波の襲来と伝えてますが、そんな事お構いなしに春を先取りし、私たち人間に「希望を持って、日々、新たな活動を続けなさい」と、夢と希望ある生活の大切さを説諭しているようです。

　ところで、強い希望を持っていると、いざ、チャンス到来時に「躊躇することなしに」それに立ち向かうことができるようです。半世紀ほど昔では夢のようなことでしたが、就職で迷っていた頃のある日、学内で、インド日本人教育施設教員募集の知らせを見たとき、「これだ」と思い、迷うことなく応募したことが思い出されます。

　現在の私の希望は、万人共通ですが、健康生活をめざし、日々、「適度な運動」を継続することです。そして、内面的には柔軟な「発想力」を磨きたいです。しかし、こちらはちょっと難しいことですが、日々、目や耳を通していろいろ体験し、いろいろの人と交流することの中で、「これだ」と、生まれるものではないでしょうか。

　環境的に生活は厳しいですが、寒中でも庭の紅梅が春を先取りしてるように、私も外部に出て新鮮な刺激に触れ、いろいろ人と交流し、発想を豊かにしたいものです。

Dear my friends who are crazy about seeking eccentric idea.

　Everyone, good morning, the red plum blossoms are informing the arrival of spring in Japan. As you can see, she has begun to bloom passionately at the entrance of my garden, ready to greet visitors with a smile. The weather forecast predicts a cold wave is approaching, but she ignores it and anticipates spring, seemingly admonishing me to "have hope and continue to take on new activities every day," filling with dreams and hope.

　By the way, if we have strong hope, it seems we can seize on opportunity without hesitation when it arises. For instance, it seemed like a dream about half a century ago, but one day, when I was unsure about my future work, I saw a notice on campus advertising for a teaching position at the Indian Japanese Educational Institute. I thought, "This is it!" Therefore I applied without hesitation.

　My current purpose, like most people's, is to strive for a healthy lifestyle and continue to exercise moderately every day. And internally, I want to hone my flexible imagination. However, this is a little difficult than physical exercising, and I think "This is it" will be born from experiencing various things through our eyes and ears every day and interacting with various people.

　My life in actual environment is tough, but just as the red plum blossoms in my garden anticipate the arrival of spring even in the cold season, I would like to get outside and be exposed to fresh stimuli, interact with various people, and enrich my ideas.

春を先取りする君子蘭

　温かな廊下で育ててる６鉢の君子蘭がうちの、今日観察したら、４鉢から蕾が全部で６ヶ所も出ているのが分かり、充分に水を与えてるせいか今年は調子がいいようです。これから本格的な寒中を迎えるのに、この調子だと今月半ばには開花しそうな雰囲気で、季節を先取りしています。立春には満開になる気配です。人間もそうですが、温かくして体調の良さを保つと次へ発展するのでしょう。

Dear mu Facebook friends

　I have six pots of Kaffir lily raising in my warm hallway, and when I looked at them today, I noticed that four of pot had buds in six places. They seem to be growing well this year, probably because I'm giving them enough water. It's about to enter the depth of winter, but at this rate, they look like they'll be blooming by the middle of January, so they're ahead of the season. They will set to be in full bloom by the Risshun that means beginning of spring. Just like humans, if we stay warm and in good health, we'll develop into the next stage. Tell me your next sage this year?

ハクモクレンに珍しいものが生ってます。

　「さあ、何でしょう」と皆さんにお尋ねしたいです。最近、気づいたのですが、庭のハクモクレンに、ご覧の通り、ちょっとグロテスクな形をした長さ１０ｃｍほどのものが生り始めてます。その数は数個です。最近、この樹木が大きくなり始めたので枝を剪定しました。その後に出てきたのです。こんなものを見たのはこのハクモクレンを植えて以来初めてです。

　実は、昨日の夕方、家の前をウォーキング中に近所の人に「これは何でしょう」と尋ねられ、私はその存在にすでに気付いてましたが、写真を撮っておきました。

　調べてみたところ、これは珍しい「春待芽」というものらしいです。決して綺麗とは言えませんが、珍しいもので、これから秋になると次第に赤くなるらしいです。確かに、表面にほんの少し赤味がかかってます。まだ確実なことは分かりませんが、これはハクモクレンの「種」になるようです。これから毎日、変化の様子を観察します。もし種であったら、蒔いてみます。

　このハクモクレンは３０年ほど前に埼玉県花園で幼木のとき購入しました。今では幹の直径１５cmほどに成長してます。私は朝この幹で上半身を鍛えるために「テッポー」をしてました。開花時期は３月下旬で、学校や職場では年度が替わることから「別れを惜しむ白い花」です。これからも庭木として大切に育てます。

Dear my friends who are crazy about strange appearance of plant and great music.

　The simultaneous interpretation into English for our mutual understanding will be done after my breakfast in Japan time.

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

　I'd like to ask everyone, "What is this?" As you can see, I recently noticed this grotesque-shaped thing, about 10cm long, to grow on the white magnolia in my garden. There are only a few of them. Recently, the tree started to get big, so I pruned the branches. They appeared after that. This is the first time I've seen something like this since I planted it.

　Actually, yesterday evening, while walking in front of my garden, a neighbor asked me, "What is this?" Although I had already noticed it, I took a picture.

　After researching, I found out that this is a rare "spring bud." It's not exactly pretty, but it's rare and is said to gradually turn red as autumn approaches. There is definitely a slight reddish tinge on the surface. I'm not sure yet, but I think these will become "seeds" of white magnolia. From now on, I'll keep an eye on them every day, and if they turn out to be seeds, I'll plant them.

　I bought this white magnolia tree about 30 years ago when it was a young tree in Hanazono-town, Saitama Prefecture. The trunk has now grown to about 15cm in diameter. So every morning I used to do "teppō" (push up exercise) on this trunk to strengthen my upper body. As you know, it blooms in late March, which marks the start of the new school year at school and company, so it is a "white flower that symbolizes sad farewells." I will continue to care for it as a garden tree.

　　

土を破って芽を出す「水仙」の生命力

　半世紀以上前、亡父が植えた「水仙」は庭のあちこちで咲いてましたが、近年、私が築山の一ヶ所に集めました。その後も年々増え続け、今では１００本以上です。ご存じの通り、水仙は球根なので春になると地中から芽を出し、最終的に高さは３０cmほどに成長します。不思議なことに、花は必ず南を向いて咲く習性があります。太陽光をいっぱい吸収するのでしょう。

　ところで、よく見ると中央に１本の幼木が見えるでしょう。ここは最近、枝垂れ桜の苗木を植えた場所で私が土を１５cmほど高くしました。このため、水仙にとっては芽を出そうとしても、なかなか地上に出られなくて驚いたことでしょう。それでも覆い被さった土を破って芽を出したら、今度は先日の雪でこの世は実に冷たいと思ったでしょう。芽が黄色くなってるのはそのためです。しかし、次第に青くなるでしょう。

　それにしても、春を察知し、堅い土を払い除けて地中に芽を出すのですから生命力に溢れてます。よく観察すると、すでに蕾が膨らんでるものもあります。今年は立春以降が寒冷であったことから梅の開花も２週間ほど遅かったです。平年であれば水仙もすでに開花してる時季です。

　ところで、雨不足で涸れた井戸は、先日の雪のお陰で地下水が溜まり自然は良く出来てます。今後は水仙に思う存分、水をかけて上げられます。ですから高くなった太陽と水と栄養のある土ですくすく成長します。私も水仙のように強い生命力を持ち、今日も一日、筋肉を鍛えつつ、記憶力の陶冶に打ち込みたい。

Dear my overseas friends who are crazy about the blossom of narcissus and great music.

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

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

　More than half a century ago, my late father planted daffodils all over the garden, but in recent years I have gathered them all in one place on the artificial hill named Tsukiyama for plants. Since then, they have continued to grow year by year, and now there are over 100 of them. As you know, daffodils are bulbs, so they sprout from the ground in the spring and eventually grow to about 30cm in height. Curiously, the flowers have a habit of always facing south. This is probably so they can absorb as much sunlight as possible.

　By the way, if you observe closely, you will see a young plant in the center. This is where I recently planted a weeping cherry tree sapling, and I accumulated the soil by about 15cm. This must have surprised the daffodil to find that it would take so long to emerge above ground. But if it does manage to break through the soil that is covering it, it will probably think that the world is really cold because of the recent snow. That is why the buds are yellow. However, they will gradually turn blue.

　Even so, they are full of vitality, sensing the coming of spring, brushing off the hard soil and sprouting from underground. If you look closely in the photo, you will see that some buds are already swelling. This year, the weather was cold after Rissun that means the beginning of spring, so the plum blossoms were delayed by about two weeks. In an average year, the daffodils would already be in bloom by this time of year.

　Not change the subject but, the well had dried up due to lack of rain, but thanks to the recent snow, groundwater has accumulated so that the nature is doing well. From now on, I can water the daffodils to my heart's content. With the high sun, water, and nutritious soil, daffodils will grow vigorously. I too would like to have strong vitality like the daffodils, and today I would like to spend training my muscles and cultivating my memory of English new words to associate with you fluently.

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

啓蟄について復習です。

　二十四節気の「啓蟄」の今朝、満開の枝垂れ紅梅も、ご覧の通り、雪を被って、まるで「思いのまま」の梅と同様に紅白になってます。幸いにも、枝が折れることがないのは元々枝垂れとは雪に対応できてる姿とも言えます。

　全国では今日が高校入試や大学入試の人もいるでしょう。足元に注意し、会場まで無事に着いて、ぜひ実力を発揮してもらいたいです。一方、初めて雪を見る幼児たちも銀世界に驚嘆しているでしょう。私が子供の頃は群馬県南部でも一冬に数回以上の雪が降り、嬉しくて嬉しくて、そりで滑ったり、学校では雪合戦した思い出があります。

　ところで、先日の暖かさで、庭ではすでに蟻が地上に出てましたが、今日の「啓蟄」についてそのポイントを復習しますと、私たちを載せた「地球は一周約９億４千万㎞ある公転軌道上の何処に今日は浮いてるでしょう。」

　ご存知の通り、太陽系の周囲には黄道十二星座があります。つまり、太陽は動かずにいますが、公転してる地球から見ると、太陽の背景には一年かけ、十二の星座が東から次々とやって来ます。同時に私たちの地球もこの黄道十二星座の方向を次々通り過ぎます。それを知るには深夜０時に真南を見れば、現在の地球の公転上の位置が分かります。

　「啓蟄」での地球は「獅子座」の方角に来ています。今後も地球は秒速約２９kmという物凄いスピードで反時計回りで公転を続け、次の「乙女座」の方向に向かいます。同時に、地球から見る太陽は「春分点」のある「魚座」の方向に向かいます。これを頭に入れて「啓蟄」の今日一日を過ごしたいものです。

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

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

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

　This morning, on the 24th solar term, "Keichitsu," the weeping plum tree is covered in snow so that it became red and white, just like the "Omoinomama plum" . Fortunately, the branches did not break, which is because the weeping plum tree is originally able to withstand snow.

　Today is probably a day when many people across the country are taking high school and university entrance exams. I hope that they watch their step to the venue safely, and display their abilities. Meanwhile, young children seeing snow for the first time will be amazed by the silvery world. When I was a child, it snowed several times in one winter in southern Gumma Prefecture, and I remember being so happy that I would go sledding and have snowball fight at school.

　By the way, with the warm weather the other day, ants have already come out of the ground in the garden, so shall we review the key points of today's "Keichitsu." "Where is the Earth floating today on its orbit of about 940 million km?"

　As you know, there are twelve zodiacal constellations around the solar system. In other words, the sun does not move, but as seen from our revolving Earth, the twelve constellations come one after another from the east behind the sun through a year. At the same time, our Earth also passes through the direction of the twelve zodiacal constellations one after another. To find out, we should look due south at midnight and you will see the current position of the Earth on its orbit.

　As the result, in "Keichitsu", the Earth is in the direction of "Leo". The Earth will continue to revolve counterclockwise at an incredible speed of about 29 km per second, heading in the direction of the next constellation "Virgo". At the same time, the Sun seen from the Earth will head in the direction of "Pisces", where the "vernal equinox" point is located. Please keep this astronomical phenomenon in mind, and let's spend today in "Kichitsu".

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

　

枝垂れレンギョウの不思議な世代交代

　今日も午前中から樹木の剪定作業を一人黙々と行いました。今日は黄色い花が咲く「枝垂れレンギョウ」を中心に剪定し、細いたくさんの枝を片づけました。

　不思議です。枝垂れレンギョウは幹の下の方から新芽が出て来て、それが数年で成長し、花を咲かせる頃になると、元の幹が枯れていく運命です。この自然の成り行きで世代交代しています。

　同様のことはすでに幾代も起こり、生命を繋げてます。枝垂れレンギョウは６０年ほど前にこの地に引っ越して来たとき亡父が植えたものです。写真に写ってる大きな樹木は、左が旧暦の桃の節句に開花する「源平枝垂れ桃」で、右が２月に開花する「枝垂れ紅梅」です。ぜひ、見にいらして下さい。外でお茶を飲みつつ鑑賞しましょう。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in yellow flower and great music

　As usual, today, I worked alone in silence pruning trees since the morning. Today, I mainly pruned a "weeping forsythia" that blooms many yellow flowers, and removed many thin branches.

　It's strange beyond description, when the weeping forsythia's sprout born from the bottom of the trunk, which grow over the course of a few years, and when the time comes for the flowers to bloom, the original trunk withers. By means of this natural process, the generations change.

　This phenomenon has happened for many generations already, and is connecting her life. The weeping forsythia was planted by my late father when we moved to this area about 60 years ago. The large tree in the photo is "Bicolored Genpei weeping peach" on the left, which blooms on the Girls' Festival on the lunar calendar, and "Weeping red plum" on the right, which blooms in February. Please come and see them. Enjoy them while drinking tea or beer outside.

https://ttsreader.com/ja/... 　

サルスベリの不思議な生態

【画像をクリックし、拡大してご覧ください。】

　庭のサルスベリが全体的に紅く見えますが、１０月中旬というのに、未だ花が咲いてます。ところが、実は、すでに葉が紅葉も始めてます。ですから、全体的に紅く見えても、花と紅葉が同時に起こっているのです。このような現象は他の植物ではあまり見られず、不思議なことです。

　７月中旬に咲き出し、未だに３ヶ月間も花が咲くのはきっと調子がよいのでしょう。元来、南国の植物なので、殊の他、猛暑であった今夏の気候が幸いしてるとも考えられます。画像の中で特に紅い部分が花で、他の多少薄い紅の部分が紅葉です。サルスベリは百日紅とも書くので、この調子では文字通り１００日間咲く気配です。

　平素の世話は、水遣りと共に害虫取りで小さい赤い蟻です。この蟻は幹の中に巣を作ります。黒い蟻も幹や枝に昇りますが、蜜を吸うだけです。この他の害虫は果物農家に被害をもたらし、近年ニュースで取り上げられてる「カメムシ」(写真右)です。今までいなかったですが、確かに飛来してます。亀のような形をしてます。

　それにしても、紅葉と花が同時に起こるとは、鑑賞する人間にとって有難いです。この状態は丁度、音楽で言う対位法のようであり、二つの旋律が同時に演奏され、それでいて全体的に調和するからです。ピアノ演奏でも、右手と左手が異なる旋律を同時に弾き、しかも、それらが和声的にマッチしてる楽曲です。演奏は難しいですが、挑戦したいです。

Dear my friends abroad who like reading in English

　The simultaneous interpretation for your understanding will be done after my radio gymnastics held in the nearby park and breakfast in Japan time.

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

  As you can see in the photo, the crepe myrtle in my garden looks red all over, so it's still in bloom even though it's mid-October. However, the leaves have already started to turn red as well. So, even though it looks red all over, the flowers and the leaves are turning red at the same time. This phenomenon is not seen much in other plants, so it's strange.

　This plant started blooming in mid-July and is still blooming for just three months, so the health must be doing well. It's originally a tropical plant such as the southern China, so it's probably lucky that it's been in such hot weather this summer in Japan. The red parts in the picture are the flowers, and the other parts that are a little lighter red are the leaves. Crepe myrtle is also written as '100-days red, so it'll be blooming for literally 100 days.

　The usual care by me is watering and small red ants to get rid of pests. These ants make nests inside the trunk. Black ants also climb the trunk and branches, but they only suck the nectar. Another pest is the stinkbug, which has been in the news in recent years for causing damage to fruit farmers. I've never seen the stinkbug before, but they have certainly arrived. They are shaped like a turtle.

　Even so, it is a blessing for humans to see the autumn leaves and flowers blooming at the same time. This condition is just like counterpoint in music which two melodies are played simultaneously, yet they are in harmony overall. It is like a piano performance in which the right and left hands play different melodies at the same time, they match harmonically. It is difficult for me to play, but I would like to try it from now on.

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

種が零れて生えた「サルスベリ」の子供・・・成長を見守る

　庭には多種の植物が植わっていることから、毎年、種が自然と零れて、いろいろの子供が生まれます。特に多いのが「源平枝垂れ桃」の子供です。しかし、すべてを育てることはできず、現在、3本を育て、次世代の庭の主役になってもらいます。源平とは１本の木で紅白に咲き分けますが、メンデルの遺伝の法則により、実際には、子供は赤だけ、紅白、ピンクと白、絞りなどに分かれます。

　写真は現在開花中の真っ赤なサルスベリの子供が生えました。これは初めてのことです。一見したところ、葉が対なっており、素性が良いのでこのまま育て、来春に塀から離れた場所に植え替えて育てます。果たして、どんな樹木に成長するか、私もいつまでも元気で生きてなければなりません。

　サルスベリは百日紅とも書き、開花は約百日咲きますから、現在開花中の大きなサルスベリは７月から咲いてますが、１０月中旬まで咲くでしょう。鑑賞にいらして下さい。

Dear my Facebook friends who like crepe myrtle

　Since there are many kinds of trees planted in the garden, their seeds naturally fall off every year and various offspring are born. The most common are offspring of the Genpei weeping peach. Genpei means bicolor. However, it is impossible to grow all of them, so I am currently raising three trees to become the main focus of the garden as the next generation. Genpei weeping peach is one tree that bloom in red and white, but due to Mendel's laws of inheritance, the offspring can actually be divided into red only, red and white, pink and white, striped, etc.

　The photo shows a baby of bright red crepe myrtle that is currently in bloom. This is the first time this child has born. At first glance, the leaves are paired and it looks like a vibrant plant, so I will raise it as it is and replant it in a place away from the fence next spring. Therefore, I have to stay healthy and live forever. I wonder what kind of tree it will grow in the future.

　Crepe myrtle is also written as it blooms for about 100 days, so the large crepe myrtle that is currently in bloom has been blooming since July, and will continue to bloom until mid-October, I guess. Please come and see it.

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

日中の活動量に比例する睡眠の深さ

【写真をクリックすると、画像が明瞭になります。】　

　５月10日、今朝の日の出は４時４１分【群馬県】です。写真は数年前に種が零れ、自然に生えた「ねむの木」です。上の写真はすでに明るくなった今朝５時３０分に撮りましたが、未だ葉が閉じたままで意外と寝坊です。下の写真は、昨日の日中に同じ位置で撮り、葉が開いてます。

　二枚の写真を比較すると葉が閉じてる状態と開いてる状態がよく分かります。下の写真を拡大すると、葉が全く左右対称に生えてることが分かり、眠るときはその２枚がピタッと閉じてます。一枚として閉じる相手がいない葉はありません。

　ところで、ねむの木は「夜になると何故、葉が閉じるのでしょう。」誠に不思議な植物でまるで人間のようです。(もちろん、人間の中には昼間寝て、夜活動してる人もいるようです。)

　しかし、ねむの木の就眠運動について、その原因は今でもよく解明されてないようです。上の写真はすでに明るい時間帯なのにまだ閉じていることから、あるいは気温にも関係するかもしれません。

　一方、人間の場合、充分な睡眠を得るには「日中の活動量が多ければ自然と深い睡眠になるでしょう。」現役中は夜１０時にはバッタンキューで朝までぐっすりでした。高齢となった現在では、努めて日中の脳活動と身体活動の両面を多くしなくてはならないと自覚していますが、寄る年波には勝てず、夜中に目が覚めます。その分、日中、うとうとしてるようです。

Dear my friends abroad

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

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　The sunrise this morning on May 10th is 4:41 [Gumma Prefecture]. The photo shows a Silk Tree" whose seeds were spilled a few years ago and have grown naturally. The photo above was taken at 5:30 this morning when it was already light, but the leaves were still closed so that she was surprisingly overslept. The photo below was taken at the same location during the daytime yesterday, of course the leaves are open.

　If comparing the two photos, we can clearly see the fact that the leaves are closed and opened. If you enlarge the photo below, you can see that the leaves are completely symmetrical, and when she sleeps, the two leaves are tightly closed each other. There is not a single leaf that does not have a partner to close with.

　By the way, the "Silk Tree" is a mysterious plant, "Why does she sleep at night?" She looks just like a human. (Of course, some humans sleep during the day and are active at night.)

　However, the cause of the sleep movement of Silk Tree is still not well understood. The photo above shows that she is still closed even though it is already daylight, or the cause may relate to the temperature.

　On the other hand, in the case of humans, in order to get enough sleep, "If we have a lot of activity during the daytime, we will naturally get a deep sleep." During my active duty, I had a good sleep as soon as going to bed around at 10 p.m. and slept soundly until morning. Now that I'm older, I'm aware during night time. I need to make effort to increase both my brain and physical activity during the daytime, but I can't beat the aging process so that I wake up in the middle of the night. As a result, I seem to be dozing off during the daytime.

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２種類の日本シャクナゲが開花してます。

　写真は、平地では珍しい品種の「日本シャクナゲ」が私の庭で咲き始めてます。

　皆さん、平地で多く咲く「西洋シャクナゲ」と日本の山岳地帯に咲く貴重な「日本シャクナゲ」の違いを一瞬にして見分ける方法をご存じでしょうか。

　概して西洋シャクナゲの花は多少人工的で派手ですが、日本シャクナゲは地味の中にも深い味わいがあります。しかし、これだけでは見る人の主観により、その区別が相違してしまいます。

　両者の決定的な違いは「葉の裏を見れば一目瞭然」です。西洋シャクナゲの葉の裏は普通の葉の色で緑や黄緑です。しかし、「日本シャクナゲ」の葉の裏は必ず黄土色をしてます。

Dear my overseas friends, I recommend you to see Japanese rhododendron

　In the photo, "Japanese Rhododendron" which is a rare variety found in flat areas, is starting to bloom in my garden.

　Everyone, do you know how to instantly tell the difference between "Western Rhododendrons" which often bloom in flatland, and "Japanese Rhododendron" which bloom in Japan's mountainous regions?

　In general, the flowers of Western rhododendrons are somewhat artificial and showy, but Japanese rhododendrons have a deep flavor. However, with this alone, the distinction will differ depending on the subjectivity of the viewer.

　The decisive difference between the two is "When you can see it at a glance by looking at the underside of the leaves." The underside of the leaves of Western rhododendron is usually green or yellow-green in color. However, the underside of the leaves of "Japanese rhododendron" is always ocher-colored.

　

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