いよいよ本格的な早春となるか！

　立春になるや否や、この一週間、日本列島は第一級の寒波に覆われ本当に寒い日々が続きました。しかし、ようやく西から高気圧が近づきつつあり、本来の早春に戻ろうとしています。

　群馬県の今日の日の出は６時３６分、日の入りは１７時２０分、太陽高度は４0°であり、冬至の頃と太陽の動きはずいぶん変化を見せてます。今日の昼の時間は１０時間４６分です。因みに冬至の昼は９時間４１分で、太陽高度は３０°でしたから、すでに１時間以上も昼が長くなり、太陽高度は１０°も高くなってます。私たちはこの時間帯を有効利用し、徐々に活動的な生活に戻したいです。

　植物たちはこの自然現象を素早く察知し、すでに変化を見せてます。地中から水仙がたくさん芽を出し、昨日から梅が咲き始め、ご覧の通り、廊下の君子蘭は幾本も咲いており、私の環境は次第に色彩豊かになってきました。

　さて、孤立しがちな私は人間社会の在りよう【県政報告会】について研修に出かけます。また、一人暮らしが特別惨めなものと思わないように自らを律し、今日も近隣の高齢者との交流を図り、私のできることで応援します。温かければ植物の世話と、屋外で身体の柔軟性及び、筋肉の増強を試みます。

Dear my friends who want to live in real spring

　As soon as "Risshun" which is the beginning of spring in Japan began, the Japanese archipelago was covered by a first-class cold wave for the past week, and the everyday life was really cold. However, high pressure is finally approaching from the west today, therefore, we are returning to the original early spring season, I guess.

　Today in Gumma Prefecture, sunrise was at 6:36, sunset will be at 17:20, and the solar altitude is 40°, so the movement of the sun has changed quite a bit since the winter solstice. Today's daylight hours will be 10 hours and 46 minutes. Incidentally, the daylight hours on the winter solstice were 9 hours and 41 minutes, and the solar altitude was 30°, so the days have already become more than an hour longer and the solar altitude has risen by 10°. We should make good use of this time period and gradually return to an active lifestyle.

　As you notice, plants are quickly detecting this natural phenomenon and are already showing changes. Many daffodils have sprouted from the ground, the plum blossoms began to bloom yesterday, and as you can see, several kaffir lilies are in bloom in the hallway, so my environment is gradually becoming more colorful.

　Now, as I tend to isolate myself, I am going to participate to learn about the state of human that means prefectural government report today. I am also forcing myself not to think that living alone is particularly miserable, so today I will again try to interact with elderly people in my neighborhood, supporting them in any way I can. If it is warm today, I will take care of the plants and try to improve my flexibility and muscle strength outdoors.

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

今夏も神秘的な開花が期待される

　これは以前に咲いた「ねむの木」の花です。一般の植物の花の形態と全く異なり、ご覧の通り、細い絹のような花弁の塊で、英語でSilk Treeといわれる所以が分かります。

　花の近くにある小さな丸い塊はすべて蕾です。このため、かなりの数が咲きます。今、私の庭には3本の「ねむの木」があり、すべて昔からの子孫です。長い時間をかけ子孫に受け継がれます。人間が世代交代しても、神秘な花を咲かせ続けるのですから不思議な植物です。

Dear my friends abroad

　These are the flowers of the "Nemu no ki" in our tongue that bloomed earlier. The shape of the flower is completely different from that of other plants, and as you can see, it has clusters of thin silky petals, so that it is called Silk Tree in English.

　The small round clusters near the flowers are all buds. Because of this clusters, they bloom in large numbers. I now have three "Nemu no ki" in my garden, all descendants from the past that my parents period. It was passed down to descendants over a long period of time. It is a mysterious plant because it continues to bloom even after generations of humans change.

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

人間とは、いろいろのことをすると楽しい

　昨日の午後、私はまるで庭師のようでした。百日紅(サルスベリ)に梯子をかけ、高い位置の枝を治療しました。ご存じの通り、群馬県平野部で２月に降った雪の重さで、枝が持ち堪えられず途中で裂けてしまいました。それにしても、枝は折れず、ずいぶん粘り強さがある樹木と感じてます。

　このような不利の状況でも、３mも横に張り出した枝先まで、現在、新緑となり、私はサルスベリの強い生命力に感心してます。作業は、下がってしまった枝を正常の高さまで戻すため、下から竹竿で押し上げた状態にしてから紐で結びました。しかし、一度裂けた枝は重く、作業は簡単ではありません。

　作業は梯子に登って両手を離した状態で行い、私自身が落下の危険があります。梯子を押さえてくれる人はいません。こんな所にも一人暮らしの不自由さがあります。

　ところで、中国南部が起源とされる百日紅は南国の植物ですから、周囲に広い日陰を作って涼しくしてくれ、地球温暖化を心配する人間にとても優して植物です。また、その名が示す通り、７月初旬から１０月中旬までおよそ１００日間、紅く情熱的に咲き続け、物心両面から人間に優しい植物です。

　ここだけの話ですが、私の住む倉賀野町では最も大きなサルスベリに成長しつつあると自負してます。開花したらご覧においでください。お茶とピアノ演奏も致します。

Dear my overseas friends

　Yesterday afternoon I was like a gardener. I put a ladder up on a crape myrtle and repaired the high branches. As you know, the branches could not hold up due to the weight of the snow that fell in the plains of Gumma-Prefecture in February and split in the middle of the branch. Even so, the branch does not break, so that I feel that the crape myrtle is quite tenacious.

　Even in such unfavorable conditions, the tips of the branches that overhang 3 meters are now fresh green, and I am impressed by the strong vitality of this crape myrtle. In order to return the branches to the normal height, I used bamboo poles to push them up from below and then tied it with string. However, once a split branch is heavy, it is not easy for me to work on it.

　The work must be done by climbing a ladder with both hands separated, putting me at risk of falling. There is no lady to hold the ladder. There are also inconveniences of living alone like this.

　By the way, crape myrtle is a tropical plant that is said to have originated in southern China, so it creates a large area of ​​shade and keeps us cool, making it a very kind plant for humans who are worried about global warming. Also, as its name suggests, it blooms passionately red for about 100 days from early July to mid-October, therefore, the crape myrtle is kind to humans both physically and mentally.

　This is just between you and me and lamppost, I'm proud that it's growing into the largest crape myrtle in Kuragano town where I live. Please come and appreciate it when it blooms. There will also be tea and piano playing for you who live in NZ.

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

期待できる「ねむの木」の枝ぶり

「寝る子は育つ」と言いますが、植物の中でも就眠運動する「ねむの木は」朝寝坊です。群馬県の今朝の日の出は４時３６分ですが、上の写真は５時の段階です。対の葉が重なり合い未だ爆睡中です。「ねむの木」は植物ですが、その生態はまるで動物の如くです。

　下の写真はその後、５時１５分に撮りました。しかし、一部の葉は未だ眠たそうな様子で、起きるのを嫌がってる感じです。拡大してご覧ください。

　この「ねむの木」は元々ある「ねむの木」から３年ほど前、種が零れて生えましたが、見る見るうちに成長し、今後は３mほどの高さになると期待してます。よく観察すると梢の方に蕾がかなりの数で生じてます。実は、育ちが良いので、昨年、築山の西端の観賞しやすい位置に植え替え、私は毎日のように水を遣ってます。

　ご存じの通り、「ねむの木」の花は花弁が針のように細く、一つの花に百本以上の塊で咲き、その風貌は恰も「極楽浄土」を想わせる雰囲気です。開花は７月頃ですので楽しみに毎日水遣りです。枝ぶりと花を人間によく見せたいのでしょう。緩やかに撓ってます。後方の窓はピアノの部屋です。シューベルトの「子守歌」を弾きましょう。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqVpVdvgpu8

Dear my overseas friends who like plants and western classical music

　It is said that "Children who sleep grow" in human world, but among plants, the "Silk Tree" is one that sleeps till morning. The sunrise in my Gumma Prefecture this morning is 4:36, but the photo above was taken at 5:00. The leaves of the pair overlap and are still sleeping like a log. The "Silk Tree'' is a plant, but its ecology is similar to an animal.

　The photo below was taken at 5:15. However, some of the leaves still look sleepy and don't want to wake up. Please enlarge it for a closer look.

　This "Silk Tree" was born from seeds that spilled from the original "Silk Tree" about three years ago, but it has grown rapidly so that I expect it to reach a height of about 3 meters in the near future. If you look closely, you will see a large number of buds growing on the treetops. In fact, it's growing well, so last year I replanted it in a position where it can be easily admired on the west end of the artificial mound named Tsukiyama in our tongue, and I've been watering it almost every day.

　As you know, the petals of the flower of "Silk Tree" are thin like needles, and each flower blooms in clusters of over 100, which gives us an atmosphere reminiscent of the "Pure Land of Paradise". The flowers will bloom around July, so I look forward to blossom by watering every day. They probably want to show their branches and flowers to humans. So it's bending slowly. The rear window is the piano room. Let's play Schubert's "Lullaby" for her.

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

昔も今も「花桃」が咲く季節は不変

【画像をクリックすると臨場感が出ます。】

　昨日は旧暦で３月３日ですから、江戸時代なら「桃の節句」でした。女の子が誕生した家ではお雛様を飾ったのでしょう。ご覧の通り、今の時季に庭では「源平枝垂れ桃」が咲いています。この花桃は次女の長女の誕生を祝って植えました。彼女はもう小学４年生です。

　明治５年に、旧暦では欧米との文化・経済交流の不都合から日本も今までの太陰太陽暦から太陽暦に変わりました。しかし、太陽高度や日照時間は変化しないので、昔も今の時季に桃の花が咲いていたのでしょう。

　それにしても不思議です。何故、１本の木であるのに花が紅白に咲き分けるのでしょう。しかも、先日書きましたように、この木の子供は紅白とは限らず、メンデルの「遺伝の法則」通り、紅のみがあり、現在私はそれを育ててます。また、絞りが生まれ、こちらも育ててます。

　今年もたくさん子供がこの木の下で生えてます。しかし、何色になるかは未だわからず、開花は数年後の楽しみです

Dear my friends abroad

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

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

　Yesterday was March 3rd in the lunar calendar, so in the Edo period in Japan it would have been held the Peach Festival. So the hina dolls were probably displayed in the house where the girl was born. As you can see, Bicolored Genpei weeping peach" is blooming in the garden this season. I planted this flower peach to celebrate the birth of my second daughter's eldest daughter. She is already in the fourth grade of elementary school.

　In the 5th year of Meiji,1872 Japan also changed from the lunar-solar calendar to the solar calendar due to the inconvenience of cultural and economic exchange with Europe and America, if using the lunar calendar. However, since the sun's altitude and daylight hours do not change, peach blossoms must have bloomed at this season of the year as well.

　It's still strange. Why do the flowers bloom in different colors of red and white even though it is just one tree? Moreover, as I wrote the other day, the children of this tree are not necessarily red and white, in accordance with Mendel's "laws of inheritance," there is only red, and I am currently raising that. Also, dapple was born and I am also raising it.

　There are many saplings growing under this tree this year as well. However, I still don't know what color it will be, and I am looking forward to seeing it bloom in a few years.

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

日本語弁論大会で入賞した彼女は元気だろうか。

　写真は築山に咲き始めてる「水仙」です。不思議なことに北を向かず、すべてが南の方向に向いてます。同様に、太陽の方向を向く植物でよく知られてるものに「ひまわり」がありますが、庭で注意して観察すると、これから咲く「ハクモクレン」の蕾は、一見、尖った先が天の北に向いてますが、白い蕾は南を向いてます。

　ところで、今日３月１４日は円周率πの日です。地球の直径12743.72kmに円周率3.1415を掛けると確かに40034kmになり、地球のほぼ１周の距離になります。

　また、今日はホワイトデーであり、同時に、国際結婚の日とも言われています。２０代の若き日、インドに就職するとき、姉たちから「インドのお嫁さんを連れて来ないで！」といわれました。しかし、国際化時代の今振り返ると「それがあっても良かったのではないか」と思うこともあります。

　私は日曜日にミトラさんという若き女性に日本語を教えてました。そしたら、彼女は日本語弁論大会で入賞を果たし、すごく喜んでいた顔が思い出されます。元気だろうか。

Dear my overseas friends

　The photo shows daffodils that are starting to bloom on the artificial mound named Tsukiyama in Japanese. Strangely, they all face south, not north. Similarly, as you know, "sunflower" is well-known plant that faces the direction of the sun, but if I carefully observe the plants in the garden, I notice that the tips of buds of the "white magnolia" that are pointing toward the north of the sky. But, the white buds are facing south.

　By the way, today, March 14th, is π Day. For instance, we multiply the earth's diameter of 12,743.72 km by π 3.1415, yields 40,034 km, which is approximately the distance around one circumference of the earth.

　Also, today is White Day, and at the same time, it is also called International Marriage Day. When I was young in my twenties and went to work in India, my older sisters told me, "Don't bring an Indian wife with you!" But now, in this age of globalization, I look back and think "Maybe it would have been better if I had done that.'' Sometimes I think.

　Actually, I was teaching the Japanese language to a young student named Miss Mitra on Sunday. Then, she won a prize at a Japanese speech contest, and I remember the look of joy on her face. I wonder if she's okay?

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

英語では、どちらもspirea

【クリックし拡大するとピントが合います。】

　６０前に亡父が植えた「雪柳」が今日は七分咲きになりました。今週中に満開になるでしょう。私としては毎日ホースで水を遣るだけで、高さは私の身長とほぼ同じです。

　実は、「雪柳」を和英辞典を引くとspireaですが、「コデマリ」もspireaになってます。しかし、この植物たち自体は全く異なる品種です。もしかして、英語圏の国にどちらかの植物はないのかもしれません。

　コデマリの開花は４月下旬から５月です。不思議なことに、コデマリの蕾と花は五角形です。

　

Dear my overseas friends

　The "Yukiyanagi" of the photo that my late father planted 60 years ago has reached 70% bloom today. It will be in full bloom this weekend. I just water it with a hose every day, and it became about the same height as me.

　Actually, if I look up "Yukiyanagi" in my Japanese-English dictionary, it's spirea, but "Kodemari" is indicated also spirea. However, these plants themselves are completely different varieties. Maybe either plant doesn't exist in English-speaking countries.

　"Kodemari" blooms from late April to May. Strangely, Kodemari's buds and flowers are pentagonal.

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

日照時間の伸びを察知し、芽を出した水仙たち

【画像をダブルクリックすると、ピントが合います。】

　庭のあちこちで咲いていた水仙は元々・亡父が６０年ほど前に植えたもので、それらを数年前に私が築山にすべて集めました。水仙は球根ですから、人間が何もしなくても毎年、時季が来ると自然と芽が出て来て咲きます。未だ未だ寒くても、植物は太陽の角度や日照時間の変化を確実に察知しています。

　以前にレース鳩を飼育してましたが、レース鳩も1月末から２月上旬になると卵を産む気配になりました。寒冷であっても日照時間の変化を察知したのでしょう。

　調べてみると、群馬県の今日の日の出は６時４７分、日の入りは１７時０７分ですから、日照時間は１０時間２０分です。因みに、冬至の日照時間は９時間４１分でしたから、すでに４０分程、日照時間が伸びてます。同様に、太陽高度も冬至では３０°でしたが、今日は３５°になります。この理由は地球が「公転軸に対して約２３．４°傾いたまま自転しつつ公転している」からです。この度数は北回帰線や南回帰線の緯度数と同じです。

　それにしても、植物がこのように地上に芽を出してくると、私たち人間も希望が湧いてきたり、いよいよ「屋外での活動を始めよう」という気持ちが高まります。そうだ、節分には、倉賀野から高崎まで５Kをウォーキングし、某所で友人たちと心を解放しよう。

Dear my friend as an earthling

　The daffodils that were blooming all over the garden were originally planted by my late father about 60 years ago, and a few years ago I collected them all on Tsukiyama that means artificial mound for plants. As you know, daffodil is bulb, so they bud and bloom naturally every year when the season comes, without any human's intervention. Even though it is still cold, plants are able to reliably detect the changes of the angle of the sun and daylight hours.

　As you know, I used to raise racing pigeons, but from the end of January to the beginning of February, there were signs that they were laying eggs. Even in cold season, they must have been able to detect changes of daylight hours.

　When I looked it up, today's sunrise in Gumma Prefecture is 6:47 and sunset is 17:07, so the daylight hour will be 10 hours and 20 minutes. By the way, the daylight hour of the winter solstice was 9 hours and 41 minutes in Gumma Prefecture, so the daylight hours have already increased by about 40 minutes. The reason for this is that the Earth rotates at the angle of about 23.4 degrees with respect to its orbital axis and revolving as well. This degree is the same as the latitude number of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

　Even so, when plants sprout above the ground like this, we humans also feel a sense of hope and a growing desire to finally start outdoor activities. That's right, on Setsubun that means the day before the first day of spring, I will walk 5km from Kuragano-town to the central Takasaki-city to relax with friends at the tavern "Baku".

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

この穴は何故開いているのでしょう。

　スムースな血流をめざし、故郷・倉賀野を毎日のように散策してますが、いつ見ても不思議なのが、ご覧の巨大な欅の木の途中に開いてる穴です。何故開いてるのでしょう。

　以前にこの巨樹の持ち主に穴が開いた理由を尋ねたことがありますが、昔から開いていたという答えでした。その方も近年亡くなり、謎はますます深まるばかりです。

　いつか夕刻にチャンスを狙い、この穴にすっぽり満月が入る写真を撮りたいものです。

　この欅の木は田子屋町内にある推定樹齢５００年ほどの倉賀野一の巨木です。落葉樹ですから、現在は葉がありませんが、夏は葉が青々と茂り、蝉しぐれは遠く離れた私の家まで聞こえます。皆さんはこの穴が生じた理由が考えられますか。

Dear my overseas friends who are interested in the Seven Wonders of Kuragano-town

　I walk around my hometown, Kuragano, almost every day to keep blood circulation smoothly, but one thing I always feel strange is the hole in the middle of the giant zelkova tree you see. Why is it open?

　I once asked the owner of this giant tree why there was a hole in it, as the result, he answered that it had been opened since his childhood. Unfortunately that person has passed away in recent years, therefore, the mystery more and more deepens.

　Someday, I would like to take a chance in the evening and take a photo of the full moon completely entering in this hole.

　This zelkova tree is the huge tree beyond expectation in Kuragano-town and is estimated to be about 500 years old planted in Tagoya-district. It is a deciduous tree, so it currently has no leaves, but in the summer the leaves are lush and lush, and the sound of cicadas can be heard from my house that situated in the remote place. Can you think of a reason why this hole existed?

※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.co

挿し木によって育つツツジの楽しみ

　写真の植物は高さ３０cmほどに成長したツツジです。色は濃い赤紫で、同じものが３本あり、日々、日の当たる所で水を与えていたら成長には目を見張るものがあります。

　というのは、亡父が６０年前に植えた大きなツツジが今でも築山の一角で春に咲きます。そのツツジを２年前に私が剪定したとき、落ちた枝を挿し木しておいたものです。このように枝を土に指しておけば根が出て成長する性質があり、挿し木は植物を増やすには便利な方法で、挿すと根が出てくるとは不思議です。

　調べてみると、すべての植物が挿し木で育つと限らず、身近な所では、金の生る木、アジサイ、ハイビスカスなどが挿し木として可能です。中でもツツジは多種の色があることから、庭を色彩豊かにするには手っ取り早い方法でしょう。

　現在、私の庭には５種類の色のツツジがあり、開花時期は４月から５月で、一斉に咲きます。植物を育てる醍醐味の一つは色彩の豊かさです。

【挿し木した頃の写真が残ってました。】

Dear my overseas friends who like color of flowers

　The plant in the photo is an azalea that has grown to about 30cm in height. The color is deep reddish-purple, and there are three of the same type, and after I watered them daily in a sunny place, their growth are spectacular beyond expectation.

　There is a large azalea that my late father planted 60 years ago still blooms in the spring on a corner of the Tsukiyama that means artificial mound. When I pruned this azalea two years ago, I used cuttings from fallen branches. Then roots have grown. Cuttings are a convenient way to propagate plants, and it is strange that roots will come out when we insert them.

　After researching, I found out that not all plants can be grown from cutting. We can grow them from cuttings, such as money tree, hydrangea, and hibiscus. Among them, azaleas come in a variety of colors, and they are a quick way to add colors to our garden.

　Currently, there are five different colors of azaleas in my garden, and they bloom all at once from April to May. One of the best pleasures to grow plants is the abundance of their colors.

※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/