太陽の光が降り注ぐ明るいお天気でしたが風がとても強い１日でした。カフェは定休日だったので午後は買い出しと用事で南彦根へ。１９１４年近江鉄道多賀線開業と同時に多賀駅の手前に土田駅が作られましたが、太平洋戦争戦局悪化のために営業が休止となり以後そのまま廃止となった駅舎の跡に植えられた桜の木が満開の花を咲かせていました。帰りに道端で風に揺れていた菜の花を数本家に持ち帰り、ご近所で家の整理で使わなくなったからといただいたスス竹の籠を椿油できれいに拭いて活けてみました。落ち着いたスス竹の深い茶色と日差しをいっぱい受けて育った菜の花の鮮やかな黄色と葉の緑が美しいです。９年前、東日本大震災の後岩手に移住して被災地に菜の花を植えて土壌改良、菜種油の製造・販売をして復興へ力を注ぎながら、循環自然再生エネルギーを使って持続可能なくらしを模索し活動していらっしゃる山田周生さんに思いを馳せました。菜の花も桜も一足先に滋賀は満開です。It was a bright day with a lot of sunlight but very windy. Since it was a regular closing day for my cafe, I went to Minami-hikone to get food at the grocery store and run some errands. On the way there were a couple of cherry trees in full bloom at the area where there used be Tsuchida Station which was between Taga and Takamiya when Taga railroad was opened in 1914. The station temporarily closed shortly after the opening, because the situation of the war had became worse, and after the war the station was abolished and cherry trees were planted there instead as a memorial. On the way back home, I found rape-flowers swinging in the wind, so I picked some of them to take home. I have a nice old bamboo basket from my neighbor who was cleaning her house and gave it to me saying she is not going to use it anymore. I cleaned the basket with camellia oil and arranged the rape-flowers. I like the arrangement because bright yellow flowers and fresh green are well matched with the dark brown bamboo basket and it looks so beautiful. I am thinking of Mr. Shusei Yamada who moved to Iwate just after the Great East Japanese Earthquake nine years ago, and planted rape-flowers for soil improvement, as well as produced and sold rapeseed oil to support the reconstruction of the area damaged by big tsunami. He is also using recycled natural renewable energy actively to find a way to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. I just want to tell him that the cherry blossoms and rape-flowers are in full bloom here in Shiga just ahead of Tohoku.
