「枝垂れ八重桜」の成長を期す

　左の太い樹木は「枝垂れ梅」で、開花はすでに終わってます。中央の細い幹に花が咲いてる幼木は「枝垂れ八重桜」で植木鉢に植わってます。八重桜は一般の桜より開花が２週間ほど遅く現在咲いてます。

　写真を見て気づきましたが、偶然にも、この２本の樹木はそれぞれ幹が同じようにS字カーブして並んでます。これらは私が幹をくねらせたのではなく、プロの園芸士が生後1年の頃に人工的に曲げたのです。細い「枝垂れ八重桜」は今後この姿のまま成長し、今は８０cmほどの高さでも、直植えすると大きくなり、将来は枝ぶりも鑑賞に値すると期待してます。

　このように植物の観賞とは花のみならず、年間を通じて樹木の姿をも味わえる楽しみがあり、私も見よう見まねで「枝垂れ花桃」の子をS字カーブにし、すでに成長し今春開花したものもあります。庭は花盛りですが、今年の３月は寒冷だったので多くの植物が４月に一斉に咲き出してます。

　それにしても、この小さな「枝垂れ桜」のように将来どんな姿になるか期待感を持たせるものもあり、この期待感こそ「私たちが今後、希望を持って生きる一つの原動力」になります。そうだ、今日も光合成する植物たちと持ちつ持たれつつ、健やかに生活しよう。

Dear my friends abroad

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

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

　The thick tree on the left is a "weeping plum" which has already finished blooming. The young tree with flowers blooming on the thin trunk in the center is a "weeping double cherry" which is planted in the flowerpot. Double cherry blossoms are currently blooming about two weeks later than regular cherry blossoms.

　I noticed when I looked at this photo that, coincidentally, the trunks of these two trees are lined up in the same S-shaped curve. These stems were not bent by me, but by a professional gardener when they were about a year old. The slender "weeping double cherry" will continue to grow as it is, and although it is currently about 80cm tall, it will grow larger if I plant directly on the ground, and I hope that her branches will be worth appreciating in the future.

　In this way, we admire plants not only about flowers, but also the pleasure of enjoying the appearance of trees throughout the year. I also tried to imitate the "weeping peach" child by making it into the S-shaped curve, and it has already grown and bloomed this spring. The garden is in full bloom, but since it was cold in March this year in Japan, many plants are blooming all at once in April.

　Even so, there are things like this small "weeping cherry" that give us a sense of anticipation. And this sense of anticipation will become "one of the moving powers for us to live with hope from now on" I will live a healthy life together with plants interdependently that photosynthesize.

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

　

今朝、急に開花し、私を驚かせた絞りの牡丹

　「立てば芍薬、座れば牡丹、歩く姿は百合の花」と、昔から日本女性のすらっとした立ち振る舞いを芍薬に喩えてます。 牡丹は枝分かれした横向きの枝に花をつけるため、日本女性が座っているかのように見えるさまを表現し、百合（ユリ）は風を受けて揺れるさまから、女性が優美に歩く姿のようだと比喩しているのでしよう。

　哀れにも我が家に日本女性がいなくて寂しい限りです。一人の日本男児のみです。しかし、これからしばらくの期間、これらの植物を眺められ、これはこれで多少幸せです。

　今日はかなり温かいことから写真の牡丹が急に開花し、先程気づきました。牡丹は４種類(絞り、ピンク、紫、黄色)の色彩を育ており、今朝咲いたのは紅白の絞りです。牡丹の花は大きいくて、色彩と共にゆったりした大らかな心にも見えます。

　芍薬は２種類育てており、こちらは今月下旬の開花です。ユリも数種ありますが、開花は５月です。庭は誠に花盛りななりつつあり、毎日、水遣りが大忙しです。駐車場完備ですので、遠慮せずに見学においでください。お茶と、ご希望があれば、拙いピアノ演奏も聴いて戴けます。

Dear my friends abroad

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

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

　"When Japanese lady stands up, she looks like a shakuyaku peony, when she sits down, she looks like a botan peony, and when she walks, she looks like a lily." The slender demeanor of Japanese lady has long been compared to a shakuyaku peony. Botan peony blooms on sideways branches, giving the appearance of a Japanese lady is sitting, while lilies sway in the wind, giving the impression of a lady walking gracefully. These way of expression would be used as metaphor.

　It's sad that I don't have a Japanese woman in my family. There is only one Japanese boy. However, I am somewhat happy that I will be able to appreciate these plants sometimes.

　It's quite warm today, so the shakuyaku peonies in the photo suddenly bloomed in front of the entrance, and I noticed them this morning. I raise botan peonies in four different colors (dapple, pink, purple, and yellow), and the dapple that bloomed this morning are red and white. Botan peony flowers are large and colorful, giving the impression of a relaxed and generous heart.

　I am raising two types of shakuyaku peonies, and one will bloom later this month. There are several types of lilies, but they only bloom in May. The garden is really blooming, and I'm busy watering it every day. There is a parking lot available, so please come and have a look. You can enjoy tea and listen to my clumsy piano performance if you wish.

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

歩幅を少々広げ、姿勢を正してウォーキング

　今日はあまりにも穏やかな天気なので、烏川と鏑川の合流点地点の土手をウォーキングしてきました。快晴の中、遠くには榛名山が望め、如何にも群馬らしい光景です。

　烏川は倉渕町の二度上峠付近の「烏の口」に似た岩を源流とし、鏑川はテーブルマウンテンで有名な荒船山付近が源流です。ですから、ここの合流地点では、ご覧のように、土手がカーブしており、写真の右側で合流してます。

　実は、ここ高崎市木部町の東部には「最近、数頭の鹿が目撃されており」、私も出くわすかと期待してましたが、出合ったのは一匹の「イタチ」でした。「イタチ」も普段は見ないので、草むらから出で、一瞬で草むらに入り、シャッターに収めるチャンスを逃しました。でも、凄くきれいな黄土色をし、人間の私を見て「変なものがいる」というような顔つきでした。

　一方、よく晴れ上がったことから上昇気流があるのでしょう。「番と想われるトンビ」が気持ちよさそうに大空をくるくる回ってました。思わず「そこから東京が見えるかい」と訊きたくなりました。

Dear my friends abroad

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

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

　The weather was so calm today that I went for a walk along the bank at the confluence of the Karasu river and Kabra river. On a clear day, I can see Mt. Haruna in the distance, a sight that is very typical of Gumma Prefecture.　

　The Karasu River has its source in a rock similar to "crow's beak" near Nidoage-Pass in Kurabuchi-Town, and the Kabra River has its source near Mt. Arafune, which is famous for Table Mountain. So, at this confluence point, as you can see, the bank curves and they join on the right side of the photo.

　In fact, several deer have been seen here in the eastern part of Kibe-town, Takasaki City recently, so that I was expecting to come across them, but what I came across was a single weasel. I don't usually see weasels either, so weasel came out of the grass and went into the grass in an instant, so I missed the chance to capture it by the camera. However, it was a beautiful ocher color, and when weasel saw me as a human, it had a look that said, "There's something strange here."

　On the other hand, there is probably an updraft because the sky is clear. The "kite that is believed to be a couple'' was twirling around in the sky looking comfortable. I wanted to ask, "Can you see Tokyo from there?"

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

夕食前に、筋肉を鍛錬

　【画像をクリックするとピントが合います。】

　今日の気温は温かく、本格的な春となり、庭というカンバスも色彩豊かになりました。特に、中央で幹がくねっている源平枝垂れ桃の蕾が膨らみ始めてます。おそらく開花は来月上旬で、満開は旧歴の「桃の節句」でしょう。

　前の道のすぐそばに並べたのはクレマチスの紫とピンクです。白はツツジです。

　これから、夕食の一杯が美味しくなるように生まれ故郷・倉賀野町をウォーキングしてきます。また、姿勢の矯正に花を鑑賞しつつダンベルを使います。大陸からの黄砂が少なくなったようですから室外での運動を頑張ります。

Dear my overseas friends

　Today's temperature is warm in Gumma Prefecture, it became a real spring, and the canvas called the garden is full of color. In particular, the buds of the Genpei bicolored weeping peach tree, whose trunk curves in the center, are starting to swell. The flowers will probably bloom in the beginning of next month including tomorrow, and the full bloom will be the old "Peach Festival".

　I have purple and pink clematis lined up next to the path in front of the garden. White is azalea.

　From now on, I'm going to walk around my hometown of Kuragano so that I can have a delicious dinner, of course including alcohol. Also, I will train by using dumbbells while admiring flowers to correct my posture. It seems that the amount of yellow sand from the continent has decreased, so I will do my best to exercise outdoors.

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

一気に満開となった「水仙」に活力を貰う

【写真をクリックし、拡大すると前の道から見てる臨場感になります。】

　早くも、今日から３月下旬です。写真は日当たりのよい築山で、１ヶ月ほど前に球根から芽が出て来て、昨日の「春分の日」に満開になった水仙です。不思議なことに、すべてが太陽の方角を向いてます。やはり太陽からエネルギーを貰うのでしょう。

　この築山の頂上には直径１mほどの浅い池が作ってあるので、時々、私が井戸水で池をいっぱいにすると水が地中にじわじわ浸みこんで周囲の植物の栄養となる仕組みです。また、肥料は昨年秋の落ち葉を集めて築山に積み重ねました。「落ち葉はゴミでない」考えで、自然の循環をめざしてます。

　この写真は前の道から撮ったもので、道を通る人に「元気ですか」と、愛嬌を振りまいてるようにも見えます。

　私としては、庭全体を絵のキャンバスのようにする夢があり、水仙は黄色で色塗りしてます。現在はやはり雪柳が満開で、赤い花も咲いており、庭は赤、白、黄色になってます。この築山の頂上には「花桃」が枝垂れており、旧暦の三月三日「桃の節句」になると１本の樹木で紅白に咲きます。庭はこれから日を増すごとに色とりどりになります。

　しかし、ここに住む肝心の人間には花が咲きません。「そうだ、天気の良い今日こそは野山をウォーキングし、最も大切な「健康という花」を咲かせよう。帰宅したらピアノも弾いて、心身のバランスを保とう。」

Dear my friends abroad

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

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

　It's already late March from today. The picture is of a sunny artificial mountain, and the daffodils sprouted from the bulbs about a month ago and were in full bloom yesterday, on the vernal equinox day. Strangely enough, every flowers are facing towards the sun. After all, the flowers get its energy from the sun.

　A shallow pond with a diameter of about 1 meter at the top of this artificial mountain, sometimes I fill the pond with well water, the water slowly seeps into the ground and provides nutrients to the surrounding plants. In addition, the fertilizer was collected from fallen leaves from last fall and piled up on the artificial mountain. I am aiming to promote natural circulation based on the idea that "fallen leaves are not trash."

　This photo was taken from the path in front of my garden, and it looks like they are charmingly asking people passing by, "How are you?"

　Personally, I have a dream of turning the entire garden into a painting canvas, now the daffodils paint yellow. Currently, the Yukiyanagi snow willow is in full bloom, and the red flowers are blooming, so they are making the garden red, white, and yellow. At the top of this artificial mountain, there is a "weeping bicolored peach tree", and on the 3rd day of the March of the lunar calendar which is the "Peach Festival", it blooms. The garden will become more colorful day by day.

　However, the flowers of life do not bloom for the essential human who lives here. I will go for walking in the fields and mountains today when the weather is fine and let the most important "flower of health" bloom. When I return home, I also play the piano to balance my mind and body.

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

　

太陽の動きは、すでに春になってる。

　長い期間、枯れ枝のようであった「雪柳」が急に開花しつつあります。全部咲くと花の数は数万になるでしょう。あと1週間ほどしたら、再度、写真をアップいたします。

　ところで、群馬県では比較的暖かだった２月に比べ、３月になってから「季節が逆戻り」したかのように寒い日が続いています。皆さんの地区では如何でしょうか。年を重ねた私は寒さ対策をしっかりしなくては体調を崩しやすいです。今のところは大丈夫です。対策の第一は、朝食に温かな味噌汁が有効と感じてます。もちろん、日々の栄養素にビタミンＩが欠乏してます。

　寒くても、太陽の動きはずいぶん変化してます。調べてみると、冬至では正午の太陽高度が３０°でしたが、今日は５０°になります。日の出時刻は６時０３分、日の入りは１７時４６分で、昼の長さは１１時間４３分です。日の出の方向は真北から計って９５°です。１０日後の春分の日には９０°になります。この頃になればいよいよ本格的な春です。希望を持ち、１日の時間を有効に使いたいですね。

　私は一応、毎日課題があり、天声人語を日英で読み、新たな英単語や漢字を手書きするようにしてます。また、夕刻にピアノで昔弾いた曲の練習です。もちろん、庭の植物の手入れは毎日です。近くへのお使いには車に乗らず、ほんの少し歩幅を広げたウォーキングを心掛けてます。これから地区のラジオ体操会に行ってきます。また、その後、８時３０分から１０時３０分まで廃品回収の仕事に参加します。

Dear my friends abroad

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

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

　The "spirea" named Yukiyanagi in Japanese , which had been a dead branch for a long time, is suddenly starting to bloom in white. When all the flowers bloom, there will be tens of thousands of flowers. I will upload the photos for you again in about a week.

　By the way, compared to February which was relatively warm in Gumma Prefecture, but, the weather has continued to be cold in March, as if the season had gone backwards. How is it going in your district? As I get older, I tend to get sick if I don't take precautions against the cold. It's okay for now. I feel that the indispensable countermeasure is to have warm miso soup for breakfast. Of course, it is deficient in vitamin I that means love as a pun.

　Even though it's cold, the movement of the sun is changing a lot. When I looked into it, the solar altitude at noon on the winter solstice was 30 degrees, but today it will be 50 degrees. Sunrise is at 6:03, sunset is at 17:46, so that the length of today is 11 hours and 43 minutes. The direction of sunrise is 95° measured from due north. Ten days later, on the vernal equinox, the direction of sunrise will be 90°. By that time, it's finally real spring. We want to have hope and use the time of the day effectively.

　I have a daily assignment to do, so I try to read Tenseijingo that means VOX POPULI VOX DEI in Japanese and English, and write new English words and kanji by hand. Also, in the evening, I practice music I used to play by the piano. Of course, I take care of the plants in my garden every day. When I run errands nearby, I try to walk with a slightly longer stride instead of riding in the car. I'm going to go to the local radio gymnastics meeting from now on. Afterwards, I will participate in waste collection work from 8:30 to 10:30.

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

春を先取りしている西洋シャクナゲ

　早春賦「春は名のみの風の寒さや」の通り、暦の上では春でも、群馬県では未だ未だ寒い日々が続いてます。しかし、ご覧の通り、西洋シャクナゲは、寒さに震える人間の心をよそに、春を先取りし、「家の中に居るより、もっと屋外に出て活動をしなさい。」と訴えているように感じます。

　群馬県の高校では音楽の授業の副教材として歌集「しゃくなげ」を使っていたことが切っ掛けとなり、それ以来、本物のシャクナゲに嵌ってしまった私は、今春も日本シャクナゲ、西洋シャクナゲの世話をしてます。もうじき、それぞれ個性ある色彩を見せてくれるでしょう。

　写真は華やかな西洋シャクナゲですが、日本の気候にあった日本シャクナゲは派手でなくとも、深みのある色彩を持ち、我々に「落ち着いた心の在り方」の必要性を諭しているようです。もうすぐ開花し、楽しみは日に日に迫ってます。

Dear my friends abroad who are crazy about rhododendron

　As shown in the famous early spring song named Sohshunfu, "Spring is the Coldness of the wind in name only''. According to the calendar, spring has come, in fact, the days are still cold in our Gumma Prefecture. However, as you can see, Western rhododendron in my yard is blooming and seems to urge us to go outside and be more active than staying indoors.

　I started to raise this plant when we used as a supplementary teaching material named "Rhododendron" for music class at many high schools in Gumma Prefecture. Since then, I've gotten the clue to raise real rhododendrons. Therefore this spring I've been taking care of Japanese and Western rhododendrons. Soon, each one will show its own unique color.

　The photo shows a gorgeous Western rhododendron, but Japanese rhododendrons that are suited to Japan's climate may not be flashy, but they have deep colors and seem to show us a calm state of mind. The flowers are about to bloom and our excitements are getting closer and closer day by day.

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

・・・・ つい買い過ぎてしまう ・・・・

　いよいよ３月１日になりました。春先は、とかく体調を崩しやすいですが、皆様、調子は如何でしょうか。普通、親しい仲間内では「調子どう」と尋ねますね。

　ところで、私の倉賀野町には老舗の和菓子店があります。倉賀野町には昔、江戸からの船着き場【河岸】がありました。このため、この和菓子店では河岸最中が有名です。そして、お店の名は「丁子堂」と書いて「ちょうしどう」と言います。丁度「調子どう」と同じ発音ですが、イントネーションは「どう」の音が高いです。いずれにしても、三寒四温が続きますから、体調管理をお願いいたします。

　健康管理で「先ずやるべき」は三度三度の歯磨きです。また、寒い今の季節では、どうしても水分補給が不足しがちです。このため、一昨日、写真の品物をゲットしてきました。歯ブラシは幅の広いものが断然よく磨けます。また、このコップは水を入れると青く見えて美味しそうなります。しかも、肉厚で頑丈なコップです。

　実は、これらはすべて「百円ショップ」で購入しました。品質は確かで、得をした感じです。倉賀野町には「百円ショップ」が二店舗あり、品物はいろいろあって見ているだけでも楽しいですが、つい、いろいろ買ってしまいます。ところで、私はこの「百円ショップ」の存在を娘の娘たちに教わりました。百円均一のため、彼女たちは「百均に連れてって」と、よく言います。

Dear my friend abroad

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

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

　March 1st has finally come. It's easy to get sick in early spring, but how are you doing? Among close friends, it is common to ask people how are you?

　By the way, there is a long-established Japanese sweets shop in my Kuragano-Town. In Kuragano Town, there used to be a dock [riverside] for boats coming from Edo that is ancient name of Tokyo. For this reason, Kashi-Monaka is famous for this Japanese sweets shop. The name of the shop is written as Choshido and the pronunciation is called Choshido that means how are you? It has the same pronunciation as "Shoshido", but the intonation is higher at do. In any case, the three cold and four warm weather will continue, so please take care of your health.

　The first thing we should do when managing our health is brushing teeth three times a day. Also, in this cold season, we tend to lack hydration. For this reason, I got the item in the photo the day before yesterday. A wide toothbrush will definitely brush our teeth better. Also, when we fill this cup with water, it looks blue and tastes delicious. Moreover, it is a thick and sturdy cup.

　Actually, I bought all of these at a 100 yen shop. The quality is reliable and I feel like I got a good deal. There are two "100 Yen Shops" in Kuragano-Town, and while it's fun just looking at the variety of products, I can't help but buying a lot of things. By the way, I learned about the existence of this "100 yen shop" from my daughter's daughters. Since the price is 100 yen, they often say, "Take me to the 100 yen shop".

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

冬至に比べ、昼の時間は１時間伸びました。

【写真をダブルクリックすると、ピントが合います。】　

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

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

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

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

Dear my overseas friends

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

　

この植物名は何でしょう。

　皆さん、土の中から芽がにょきにょき出てきたこの植物は何でしょう。球根で、開花はあと1週間ほどです。仲良く二つでてきましたが、左の方は現在、高さが７～８ｃｍですが、今後２０ｃｍほどになります。昨年、私の庭では赤が咲きました。

　ものぐさな私にとって球根は実に有難いです。何もしなくても毎年、春になると芽が出てきて咲くからです。球根には、すでに開花が終わった水仙、現在、開花中のチューリップ、これから咲くグラジオラスやユリなどがあります。

　写真の植物の原生地は中南米、西インド諸島で、現在では多種の色のものがあるといわれます。

　実は、この花には有名な歌があるので、後ほど、そのメロディーを流しましょう。そうすればこの植物名がお分かりになるでしょう。

Dear my overseas friends who like nature and human being

　Ladies and gentlemen, what is this plant with sprouts coming out of the ground? This plant is a bulb and will flower in about a week. The left one is currently 7-8 cm tall, but will grow to about 20 cm in the near future. Last year, this plant bloomed in red in my garden.

　For me who is lazy, the bulbs are really convenient. Even if I don't do anything, it will sprout and bloom every spring.

　

Bulbs include daffodils that have already finished flowering, tulips that are currently blooming, from now on, gladioli and lilies are about to bloom.

　The plant in the photo is said to be native to Central and South America and the West Indies. Nowadays, it is said that there are many kinds of colors.

　Actually, this flower has a famous song. Therefore I will show you her melody later. So you will notice the name of this flower.

クリックしてください。→　https://youtu.be/e3MqbpAXVZ0

※上記の英文をネイティブの発音で聴くには英文をドラッグしてコピーし、次に貼り付けて下さい。なお、右上の欄を必ずUS Englishにしてください。https://ttsreader.com/ja/