Saturday, July 28, 2018



7月28日(土曜日)2018


一昨日、カフェを手伝っていただいているS.Kさんが「カサブランカです」と言ってお庭に咲いていたのでしょうか立派な白いユリを持ってきてくださいました。その日はカフェが定休日だったので取りあえずは自宅の階段下の壷に差しました。一本の茎から二輪の花。一輪は白い花びらが開いていましたが、もう一輪はまだつぼみで下を向いていました。立派な白い花と香りにうっとりするばかりです。翌日、お座敷の床の間に飾りました。前日つぼみだったもう一つの花も今度は大きく開き、二輪の豪華なカサブランカが気品良く芳香を放ちながら床の間に咲いています。「カサブランカ」とはスペイン語で「白い家」という意味らしいです。古いですがイングリッド・バーグマンで有名な映画の題名でもあり、映画はモロッコの都市カサブランカが舞台であったことからつけられたとか。猛暑の毎日ですが、二輪の真っ白なカサブランカは心を奪われてしまうほど素敵です。The day before yesterday, Ms. S.K. who has been frequently helping me with my café, gave me a flower stalk saying "Here, I brought Casa Blanca!". It was probably from her garden. There were two flowers from the same stalk. One was already opening with white petals and the other one was not opened completely and it was looking down. I was fascinated by the gorgeous white flowers and the sweet fragrance. Next day, I put it in a different pot in the guest room. Both flowers are opening gracefully, giving out a fragrance all over the room. According to the net info, the name Casa Blanca means "white house" in Spanish. It is also the name of an old movie with Ingrid Bergman, which was set in "Casablanca" a city in Morocco. It has been terribly hot these days, but I am captivated by these two gorgeously elegant flowers, Casa Blanca. They are so pure and beautiful.



Wednesday, July 25, 2018





7月25日(水曜日)2018



朗読会のお知らせです。

〜子どもたちに夢を〜  

心にひびく朗読 in 多賀あさひや



日時:8月3日(金曜日)
場所:多賀あさひや 14時〜15時半 (13時半開場)
入場:550円(飲み物と餅粉ケーキ付き)先着30名様
予約・問い合わせ 0749−48−0186
主催:朗読サークル「ひだまりの会」多賀教室             
(ひだまりの会主宰:北村妙子)



朗読とは、詩や文章を内容をくみとり、感情をこめて声に出して読み上げることです。なかなか難しいですが、楽しい挑戦です。多賀町にこんなサークルがあることを知って、私も入ってみました。恥ずかしいけど、勇気をもって皆が挑戦します。是非、聞きにいらして下さい。途中、谷川俊太郎さんの言葉あそびを使って皆さんとおもしろい「あそび」もしますよ。連絡お待ちしています。



I would like to announce a poetry (or story) reading event.

Date: Aug. 3rd (Friday) 2pm ~ 3:30pm (1:30 doors open) 
Place: Taga Asahiya
Admission fee: ¥550 (with drink and cake)
Reservations & questions: 0749-48-0186 (Taga Asahiya)

Organizer : Reading Circle "Hidamari no kai" Taga class
(President : Ms. Taeko Kitamura)



A poetry reading is a public oral recitation of poetry (or story). The reader understands the content of the reading and reads aloud with emotion. It is difficult but a nice challenge. I found out about this reading circle in my area last year and participated in it. It requires courage to read aloud but every member is up for the challenge. Please come and enjoy listening to our readings. In the middle of the event, we offer the word play by Shuntaro Tanikawa to the audience. I am sure it will be fun. Hope you will contact us. Thanks!



Saturday, July 21, 2018



7月21日(土曜日)2018


先日、用事の帰り多賀町水谷(すいだに)地区を通ったので、同地区に住む山下政光さんを訪ねました。山下さんは5年前に地域おこし協力隊として多賀に来て、以来地域のために色々な活動をしています。もとは大阪でIT関係の会社を起業して多忙な日々を過ごしていたそうですが、止めて一念発起で多賀に来られたとのこと。協力隊の任期が切れた後も多賀に残って農業や養鶏に精を出す傍ら、半年ほど前から一圓屋敷(庄屋屋敷)の開発プロジェクトにも参加して私達に力を貸してくださっています。養鶏は1年ほど前から始めたとのこと。卵は水谷の人々や多賀駅前門前市を利用する人達に喜ばれています。最初に見せてもらったのは生後2ヶ月ほどのもみじという品種。卵を産むまであと4ヶ月ほどかかるそうです。どのひよこも穏やかで山下さんをよく知っていて近づいてきては肩や頭に乗ってその信頼関係が伺われました。となりのテントは成長したニワトリ。毎朝、卵を産み落としてくれるそうです。普通、養鶏場のニワトリたちは狭いケージに入っていますが、ここは平飼いで動き回れて幸せそうに見えました。 The other day Mr. E.H and I visited Mr. Masamitsu Yamashita who is living in Suidani in Taga. Mr. Yamashita came to the village five years ago as a member of the Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad and after he finished the term of his service, he decided to stay in Taga. He is now doing agriculture farming and chicken raising there. Before he came to Taga, he was working at an IT related company which he founded, but he decided to stop and participate in the service. Now he also has been participating in the development project of an old Japanese house, Ichien Yashiki with us since 6 months ago and has been imparting his knowledge and ideas to us. First he showed his two month chick named MOMIJI to us. According to Mr. Yamashita, it takes four more months for them to lay an egg. All of them looked calm and attached to Mr. Yamashita. He took us to the next tent where grown chickens were in. They lay eggs every morning which will be sold to local people. I imagine that they are happy to be able to move around in the tent compared to the chickens in the small cage in a big poultry farm.




Tuesday, July 17, 2018



7月17日(火曜日)2018


「海の日」の昨日、そして今日もうだるような暑さです。「うだるような暑さ」とは頭が茹で上がるような猛烈な暑さという意味。昨日の多賀町の気温は36℃でした。そんな中、昨日は江戸時代からの庄屋さんの民家「一圓屋敷」の 開発プロジェクトの仕事でY.Eさんと朝からうちで話し合い、午後はお勧め散歩コースを写真を撮りながら歩きました。出かける前、Y.E.さんに原案を書いてもらっている間、私は同じメンバーのM.Yさんからバジルを頂いたのでお昼にパスタ料理を作りました。茹でたパスタをオリーブ油とガーリックで混ぜ塩コショーし、そこへ香りのいいバジルと熟したトマトを刻んで合わせるだけの簡単レシピですが、これがバテ気味の真夏のお勧めメニューなのです。40年ほど前にイタリアで地元のガイドさんに教えてもらったものですが、近くの農園で新鮮なバジルと美味しいトマトが大量に手に入ったので夏になるとボストンで頻繁に作って家族で食べていました。ポイントはトマトは皮を剥いて種を取って少し絞って混ぜること。我が家は皆、驚く程の食欲で平らげてしまいます。Yesterday was a national holiday, "Marine Day". It was sweltering hot as it is today. The temperature in Taga yesterday was 36℃(96.8°F). In such severe weather, Ms. Y.E and I got together in my house to discuss a development project of an old Japanese house called Ichen Yashiki which used to be the village headman's house since Edo period. While she was writing our original idea for the flyer, I made our lunch using fresh basil leaves which Mr. M.Y who is also a member of the project gave to me the day before yesterday. The recipe is quite simple. First, while you are cutting fresh basil and tomatoes, you boil pasta and mix with olive oil and minced garlic. Then mix all of them with salt and pepper. The special note of this recipe is that you peel the skin of the tomatoes and take off the seeds. Before mixing them, it is best to squeeze the tomatoes to make the dish not be so wet. If you are little bit tired of the summer heat, I recommend this. I learned this recipe from a guide when I went to Italy about 40 years ago and when I was in Boston, I could get fresh basil and sweet tomatoes at the farm near my house, so I often made this dish for my family. All of us like this pasta dish very much and every time we eat it with a big appetite.



Sunday, July 8, 2018





7月8日(日曜日)2018


豪雨で学校は休講、鉄道は運休など緊迫した状況でしたが私の回りは大事には至らず、今朝のお陽様の光に一先ずほっとしました。そんな中、思わず感嘆の声が出るような立派な紀州の白桃が届きました。いつもお世話になっている京都の方が送ってくださったのですが、両手でそっと持つとズシリと重く甘い香りがして、それだけで美味しいこと間違いなしと分かる白桃です。その前日に多賀のK農園の方が丹精込めて大きく栽培し た大切なメロンを持ってきて下さいました。実際に見たことはないのですが、温室で湿度と温度を一定に保ちながら、時に熱中症と闘いながら、時に猿やハクビシンの侵入に悔しい思いをしながらメロンを育てるまでどれほどのご苦労があったか知れません。そのメロン、こちらも果汁が一杯つまって甘いと地元ではもっぱら評判の優秀作です。白桃もメロンも普段の私には高級品で滅多に口にできませんが、雨で憂鬱な気分をすっ飛ばしてしまうほどの嬉しい到来物でした。お客様や友人達にもお裾分けして、夜にゆっくりいただきました。……何とも贅沢な味覚を味わったのは言うまでもありません。Due to the heavy rain we had a serious situation where all schools were closed and the rail way service was suspended but it seems all was ultimately fine and safe in my area. During that time I received a box of beautiful white peaches from Kishu (Wakayama). It was a gift from an old couple living in Kyoto who my family has been good friends with for a long time. When I hold one carefully, it is heavy and smells sweet which means it is a very good peach. On the other hand, I also received a big melon from a guest who runs a melon farm with her husband and another couple. I have never seen their greenhouse before but they need to keep a certain temperature and humidity to plant melon trees. I heard that they suffered from the heat in the greenhouse and had a hard time protecting their melons from animals such as monkeys, Paguma larvata and others. Their melon has a good reputation in this area. I don't have many chances to eat both white peaches and melons because they are too expensive to buy. I shared them with the guests in the cafe and my friends, then at night I enjoyed tasting them myself. ......Needless to say, they are soooo good.


Wednesday, July 4, 2018



7月4日(水曜日)2018

9月2日(日曜日)布谷史人(ぬのや・ふみと)さんのマリンバ演奏会の詳細が決まりましたのでお知らせします。去年は90人あまりのお客様にお越しいただき大好評のうちにコンサートが終りました。二年目の今年は二回に分けての公演です。9月に入ったばかりの日曜日。残暑まだ厳しい時期とは思いますが布谷さんの温かで深くて美しいマリンバの響きに心ゆくまで浸っていただきたいと思います。I am pleased to announce Marimba concert by Fumito Nunoya on Sunday September 2nd. This is his second concert in Taga Asahiya and last year we had about 90 people come to his concert which is remarkable number. This time we will offer two concerts on the day. The heat of the summer might still remain in the early september but we wish you will enjoy the beautiful, warm and deep sounds of Mr. Nunoya's marimba.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018



7月3日(火曜日)2018


先週の木曜日に見つけたコガネグモがその後どうなっているか気になっていたので昨日はまたクモの巣のあった場所へ行ってみました。コガネグモがまだ真ん中にいるか、いないか、それともクモの巣が壊されているかもしれないなどといろいろ想定して近づいてみました。結果、隠れ帯の中心にクモは不在。ということは獲物がひっかかっているに違いない、そう思って探してみると左下の方に別のクモが餌食となって抜け殻のような状態でかかり、そのそばに例のコガネグモがいました。京都九条山自然観察日記のサイトhttp://net1010.net/2008/08/post_1666.phpによると、クモは肉食といえども直接肉を食べるのではなく、捕まえた獲物の体内に消化液を流し込んで液体にしてすすり込むそと書いてあります。ですから、私が見た餌食になったクモもすでにコガネグモに食べられて中身が吸い取られた後だったことが分かります。。弱肉強食。クモ同士といえども自然界は厳しいです。このコガネグモの近くを見ると、前は気づかなかったのですが、別の大グモが二匹も隠れ帯を半分終えた状態でやはり真ん中にいました。一方のクモは更に大きくて模様もちょっと違うようで、ネットの写真ではナガコガネグモというのに似ています。クモは脱皮をくり返しながら大きくなるとのこと(同上サイトより)。この数日でクモについて少し勉強できたような気がします。Since I was curious about the spider which I found last Thursday, I went to see it again yesterday. Wondering if it would still be in the center of his web or not, or if the web had been broken, I approached the web. The spider was not in the center, so I looked all over the web. On the lower left part of the web, another spider, which appeared shrunken and dry, was tangled up and the Argiope spider, the owner of the web, was near there. According to the internet site of Nature Diary in Kujoyama Kyoto , spiders eat meat but they don't eat it directly. They put digestive juices into the prey and sip up the liquid from their body. Then I realized that the dried spider which I saw was already sipped up by the Argiope spider. I suppose this is an example of "the law of the jungle". Indeed life in the natural world is very severe. Near this web I found two other Argiope spiders and one of them was the biggest among the three spiders and it had a design that was a little bit different. From the internet info, it seems it is Argiope bruennichi. It said that spiders grow by repeatedly shedding their skin. I learned many things about spiders in these past couple of days.