8月30日(水曜日)2017
T.Kさんが持ってきてくださったサギソウが数日前から咲き始め、今日は一気に花を増やしました。ラン科の白い小さな花。サギが羽根を広げて飛んでいる姿そのまんまです。お客様もこの可憐な花に見入っていらっしゃいます。Sagisoo (Pecteilis radiata) which Mr.T.K brought for me before has started blooming a couple days ago. Today many flowers opened at once. It is a small white flower which belongs to the orchid family. It has exactly the same shape as that of a white heron flying in the sky. Customers are enjoying these cute flowers.
8月28日(月曜日)2017
今朝は甘酒スムージーに使うブルーベリーを敏満寺の堀川さんの農園にS.Kさんのお手伝いをいただいて採りに行きました。80歳を越える堀川さん、お元気そうですが最近はやはり身体の故障も出ているとか。以前はご主人と二人で野菜作りをしていらっしゃったようですが、ご主人が亡くなってからはブルーベリー、キウイ、それに花など出荷しているのみとか。広い農園に容赦なく生える雑草と闘うのはさすがに大変なようです。恵まれた酸性の土壌にりっぱなブルーベリーの木がありました。蚊よけに香取線香を腰に付けながら、1時間あまりS.Kさんと二人で2キロほどベリーを採らせていただきました。This morning I went to pick blueberries with Ms. S.K's help at Ms. Horikawa's farm in Binmanji. I used these blueberries for Amazake Smoothie in the cafe. Ms. Horikawa who is over 80 years old looks healthy but she said she has many physical problems recently. Until a few years ago, she was making many kinds of vegetables with her husband, but after his death, she now only grows blueberries, kiwi and flowers in the store. It seems she is struggling with the weeds in her big farm. There are big blueberry trees on the acidic soil which is good for them. Putting cans of mosquito coil around our waists, we picked 2kg of blueberries.
8月26日(土曜日)2017
贈り物を冷蔵パックでいただきました。「残暑御見舞」と書いてありました。竹籠に入った包装を見て、思わず歓声が出てしまいました。何ておしゃれな夏の贈り物でしょう。床の間に置いて、S.Kさんからいただいた先に小さな赤い花をつけたワレモコウ(吾亦紅)とオミナエシ(女郎花)も一緒に記念撮影。オミナエシは秋の七草の一つですから、花と贈り物の組み合わせは夏から秋へのメッセージがぴったり。美しい緑の笹の中からプルンとした冷たいお菓子が顔を出しました。上品なお味の「希水」と「西湖」。さすが京都のお菓子です。I received a gift in a cold pack. It said "late summer greeting" in the front. When I saw the bamboo basket, I could not help saying "wow!" because it was so beautiful! I placed it in the alcove and took a photo with Waremokoo (Great Burnet) and Ominaeshi (Patrinia scabiosito) which were from Ms. S.K. Waremokoo is wild grass and Ominaeshi is one of seven autumnal flowers. This photo shows a perfect message of "from summer to autumn". In the fresh green bamboo leaves there was a cold jellylike Japanese sweet. The names of the sweets are "Kisui" and "Seiko". They are sophisticated and beautiful Kyoto sweets.
8月20日(日曜日) 2017
一昨日の野菜販売所で買いそびれたイチジクを今朝わざわざ農家で幼なじみのSさんが家まで持ってきて下さいました。立派なイチジク3つ。夜になって生ハムに巻いて食卓へ。昔、仕事でローマに行った時にレストランでよく注文したプロシュートイチジク。中がメロンの時もありましたが、生ハムの塩っぽさとイチジクの甘さ、それに口の中で少しジャリとするイチジクの食感が何とも言えないおしゃれな前菜です。明日は定休日なので、先日友達が残していった焼酎に炭酸水を入れ、そこに 宮崎の友達のお土産「へべす」という香りの良い柑橘類を絞って、今夜は贅沢な気分で夕食を始めました。I saw figs at the vegetable stand but I missed the chance to buy them the day before yesterday. This morning, my old friend who is a farmer now brought fresh figs to me. I made prosciutto fig (wrap a piece of fig with prosciutto). When I visited Rome for work a long time ago, I often placed an order "Prosciutto figs (sometimes melon)" as an appetizer at a restaurant. It's very good combination of the salty ham and sweet fig. I also like the texture of the fig. I was satisfied with the dish which I made because it looked really cool! Since Monday is a no business day, I prepared nice cold liquor (Shochuu + soda+ Hebesu ). Hebesu is a citrus from my friend, T from Miyazaki. With this, I started a nice and luxurious dinner. (ha ha ha ...)
8月19日 (土曜日)2017
少し前にN.Nさんとご主人が山歩きの帰りにカフェに寄って「はい」と渡して下さったのがこの緑の葉。フサザクラ(房桜)というそうです。なるほど葉っぱが桜の葉と同じ。でもこれは桜の仲間ではないそうで、フサザクラ科。原始的な植物の一つとネット情報にありました。湿り気のある沢沿いに生えているとのこと。一方、一緒に花瓶に入っているのはT.Kさんからいただいたトルコキキョウ。薄いピンクや紫が淵にある爽やかな花です。蒸し暑い8月に山奥からやって来た房桜の葉と淡いトルコキキョウが清涼剤となってカフェのお客様をお迎えしました。A couple of days ago, Ms. N.N and her husband stopped by my cafe after their mountain hiking and handed in this branch of green leaves. They said it was named "Fusa-zakura (No English name)". Indeed it is the same shape to the regular sakura tree. It does not belong to the sakura family, though. According to internet information, it belongs to the Fusa-zakura family and is a very primitive plant. It grows in a wet area along the stream. On the other hand, the white flowers in the same vase are Toruko-kikyoo (Lisianthus) from Mr. T.K. They are soft and delicate flowers with light pink or purple colors on the edges. On humid and hot August days, we welcome our costomers with these leaves of Fusa-zakura which come from the deep mountainside and with the soft, delicate flowers of Lisianthus. Wishing these plants make them a bit more cool.
8月17日(木曜日)2017
県立大学の仕事が終ってカフェの定休日に休めるのは精神面、肉体面でやはり楽です。散歩の途中、前回気づかなかった道ばたの大ひまわりの元気な顔が朝の挨拶をしてくれました。途中から山間(あい)に太陽が上り田んぼや家々を照らし始めました。ふと見ると私の背中にお陽様が当たってながーい影ができていました。ワアーまるで竹馬に乗っているみたい…と一人で面白がりました。After teaching Japanese at the Univ. of Shiga Prefecture, I am able to completely take the day off on the regular no business days. I feel so easy on this day mentally and physically. On my morning walk I saw a huge sunflower on the roadside which I didn't notice last time. It was like a pleasant face and cheered me up. The morning sun came up from the mountain and started shining on rice fields, houses and everywhiere. I saw my long shadow which the morning sun made. I was excited to see it because it looked like I was walking on stilts.
8月14日(月曜日) 2017
明け方目が覚め、「しまった冷房の消し忘れ!」と思いましたが開けておいた窓からの冷気でした。その涼しさに秋の始まりを感じながら本当にしばらく振りに朝の散歩に先ずは多賀大社へ。朝なのにヒグラシのカナカナを聴きながら玉砂利の音も心地よく参拝。その後森の中へ入ると流れる小川の音に子供の頃と同じ感覚を覚えました。いつも通る大型犬Annちゃんの家の前。いたいた!Annちゃんがやさしい顔でこちらを見てくれたので、あいさつすると、間もなくワオーワン!と飼い主のママを呼ぶので、「シーッ!いいのいいのちょっとこんにちはしたかっただけだから」とバイバイして先に進みました。保育園のサルスベリの見事な赤と、しっかり実をつけている田んぼの稲穂に驚きシャッターを押しました。When I woke up, it was a bit cool. I thought that I forgot to turn the AC off but it was because of the air from the window which I left open a little. It felt like the beginning of autumn. It has been a while since my last morning walk. Hearing the Evening Cicada (although it was morning), I visited Taga Taisha (shrine) with a fresh mind. Then I walked in the woods of the shrine. I recalled the time I was a little because it was the same sound of the brook in the woods. After that I passed by Ann's house. Ann is a big black dog. She looked gently at me. When I said "Hello" to her, she called her owner by barking. I didn't want to bother her owner, so I said goodbye to her and went ahead. The beautiful red color of the crape myrtle at the nursery school and ears of rice in the rice field caught my eye.
8月12日( 土曜日) 2017
少し前にさかのぼりますが、久徳の蕎麦屋「ちとせ庵」のご夫妻からブラックベリーをいただいたので、しばらく店に飾っておきました。そばにある可愛いリンゴは「彦根りんご」。彦根在住のスケッチ画家、松居清恵さんがお仲間とカフェに来てくださった時にお土産に下さったものです。実は私は昨年まで彦根りんごの存在をまったく知りませんでした。私達がよく見る店屋にあるリンゴは西洋のもので、「彦根りんご」は和リンゴとのこと。江戸時代に彦根藩の武士が栽培を始めたのが昭和になって途絶え、平成に復活されたとネットに書いてありました。おとぎ話などに出てくるいかにも西洋らしい響きの「キイチゴ(ブラックベリー)」と、日本の可憐な「彦根リンゴ」。この組み合わせに満足しています。A while ago, a couple who runs the Soba shop "Chitose-an" in Kyuutoku brought branches of blackberry for me. The cute tiny apple near by is called "Hikone Ringo (apple)". It is from Mr. Kiyoshige Matsui who is a sketch artist living in Hikone. He stopped by my cafe with his friends after picking Hikone Apples. Up until last year, I didn't know about it. Apples which are familiar to us are Western apples. On the other hand Hikone Apple is a Japanese apple. According to internet information, a samurai in Hikone domain started cultivating Hikone Apple in Edo period, but it dried out and exterminated 60 years ago. About seven years ago, it was recultivated by a local group. I love the combination of Blackberry which often appears in western fairy-tale and pretty Japanese Hikone Apple.
8月8日(火曜日) 2017
一昨日の猛暑日が一変して昨日は朝から雨で午後からは次第に風も出て雨は一層激しく吹きつけ、まさに「台風」の直撃でした。しかし…実はそれより早く別の「台風」が我が家にきていました。日曜日に昔の仲間が北は北海道、南は九州宮崎から私を入れて15人+1(配偶者)が「多賀あさひや」に集まったのです。直前まで県立大学で仕事をして買い出しの時間が私にまったくなかった為、皆が分担して飲み物、おつまみ類を宅配便や持ち込みで運んでくれました。各地のお土産もどっさり。私はお弁当と貸し布団の手配をしただけ。あっ、地元のスイカを買って裏の井戸に入れて冷やしておいたのも私。(この件は後にちょっとした事件に発展。)とにかくワイワイがやがや、それはそれは賑やかな夜になりました。It was extremely hot and clear last Sunday but on Monday it changed to a rainy and windy day. It was a typhoon which attacked our district. However, ahead of it, a "typhoon" in a different sense came to my place. It was a reunion party. Members came from as far as Hokkaido in the north to Miyazaki in Kyuushuu in the south. Since I had a summer job at the USP (University of Shiga Prefecture) until last Friday, I had no time to shop for the party. Instead, other members prepared drinks and snacks which they had sent by delivery service to me or carried them by themselves. They also brought tons of local sweets and food for the party. I only placed orders for box dinners and rental futons for their sleep over at my house. I bought a local watermelon and put it in the well in the back yard to make it nice and cold. (Actually something unexpected happened related to that later on.) Anyhow, we had extremely joyful, noisy Sunday night.