６月２５日（日曜日）２０２３

    充電しておいたはずの携帯電話がどこを押しても反応なし、普段はパソコンで仕事をしているとはいえ電話で受信も送信もできないのはさすがに不便で、カフェ終了後の５時すぎに南彦根のドコモショップに助けを求めて飛び込みました。空き時間に５分ぐらいならと言われて待つこと３０分。甲斐あって携帯電話は元通り機能し一件落着となりました。

    スーパーで握り寿司の詰め合わせとおはぎを夕食用に買って自転車に戻ってみると、電動アシストのバッテリーが１８％と残りわずか。真っ直ぐ家を目指して帰りました。今日は各種パッテリーに肝を冷やす１日でした。　

　敏満寺の友人にいただいたスモモがびっくりするほど甘くて美味しいのに感激！カフェにいらしたお客様にもお裾分けしましたが、もぎ立てのスモモに元気がでます。

    My cell phone which I charged overnight didn't respond at all and had a black screen. Although I mostly use a laptop computer, it is very inconvenient without a cell phone, so I ran to the Docomo shop in Minami-Hikone after my cafe was over. Since I didn't make a reservation, I had to wait 30 minutes to squeeze in to meet a person in the shop and the shop person checked my phone, then got it back to me saying he couldn't find any problem in it. I was relieved.

    When I got back to my bicycle after buying an assortment of sushi and some Japanese sweets at the supermarket in the mall, I found that the battery of my electric assist bicycle indicated only 18% which made me a little worried about reaching my home. I went home without stopping by any places and I made it. It was a day of worrying about the battery of my belongings.

    By the way, one of my friends gave many plums from his yard to me and they are so sweet and good. I gave some of them to the customers of the cafe. I feel so good and healthy with these fresh plums!

６月１９日（月曜日）２０２３

    甲良町のIさんが尺八の愛好家であることは伺っていましたが、尺八演奏家の古屋輝夫先生が東京から京都の演奏会の帰りに滋賀に寄られるとのことで稽古と食事を兼ねてうちへいらっしゃることになり、本日は定休日ながら、古屋先生とIさんのお仲間をお迎えしました。稽古の後の食事の時に、尺八について私も色々なお話しを伺い勉強しました。更に感激したことは、食後に蔵で先生の尺八を三曲もお聴かせいただいたことです。軽い曲から入り、本曲に「山越」と「鶴の巣篭もり」を演奏してくださいました。世界各地で演奏活動をしていらっしゃるだけあって、素晴らしい技法に驚嘆したのはもちろんですが、目を閉じて演奏を聞いていると風の動きや自然の様々な情景が浮かび、深い慈愛と郷愁に満たされている自分を感じ、大変感銘を受けました。

    ホールのような大きな会場とは違って、蔵という空間では小さな静かな音もしっかりと表現の中に入ってきました。素晴らしい演奏を間近で聴かせていただくことができ、貴重な１日となりました。

    I have known Mr. I, a resident in Kohra town, who plays Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). The other day, I had a request from him to use my cafe space for their lesson having Shakuhachi master, Mr. Furuya from Tokyo, and having lunch with them. Originally it was the day that my cafe was closed, but I accepted his request and prepared their lunch. It was fun to join their conversation during their lunch time and I learned many things about shakuhachi from the master. Fortunately we had a chance to listen to Furuya's Shakuhachi after lunch. He played three pieces of music and they were amazing! Of course his various techniques were superb and I was moved by his expression. When I closed my eyes and listened to his Shakuhachi, I could feel the movement of wind and imagine various nature and I was filled with affection and nostalgia. I was really moved by his music.

    He was playing not in a big hall but in a small storage room which was surrounded by a thick wall, so I could hear a subtle sound and sensitive expression. It was a wonderful performance and I was really lucky to listen to Furuya's playing just in front of me. It was a memorable day.

６月１７日（土曜日）２０２３

    先日、ヨガの北先生にいただいたプロテインバーに感激し、早速レシピを教えていただき自分で作ってみました。１度目は味はよかったのですが、半分ぐらいしかまとまらず失敗。再挑戦では、まあまあの出来上がりでした。写真手前のは、いただいた先生のもので端が美しく流石お手本。次なる課題となりました。砂糖ではなくマシュマロを使っているのと、フライパンだけでできるのが気に入っています。何より美味しいのです！

    The other day, I received protein bars from my Yoga teacher, Ms. Kita. Since they were so good, I asked her to give the recipe to me. She kindly sent it to me, and I made it. As a result, it was good but some of them fell apart and I couldn't make it in a good shape. I did it on the second try and it became much better.
The front one in the photo was from Mr. Kita which was more sticky and dense than mine and the edges of the bar were so beautifully done which became the goal in my third challenge. I was amazed by the fact that this protein bar uses marshmallows instead of sugar, and it is done only with a frying pan. The best part for me to make this protein bar is that it is so good!

６月１３日（火曜日）２０２３

    梅雨の只中、今日も滋賀の湿度は７０％〜９０％。家の中はひんやりして暑さは感じなく気持ちがいいのですが、カビや食中毒などこの時期気をつけなければいけないことが沢山あります。

    さて、地元のらっきょうを甘酢に漬けました。小さいので購入しようかどうしようか迷っていたら「小さいほうが味がええで」と勧められ１kg入りの袋を家に持って帰りました。泥付きのものを洗って薄皮を剥く作業はかなり大変で途中でメールチェックしたり、お菓子食べたり、何度も気分転換をはかり、何とか終了。塩をまぶして重しをして半日置き、熱湯にさっと通して、分量の甘酢に漬けました。

    季節ごとに鉢植えを持ってきてくださるHさんからの紫陽花が今年はことのほか色濃く鮮やかでカフェの玄関を素敵に飾ってくれています。

    It is in the middle of rainy season, and the level of humidity of today is 70%~90%. It is not humid and the feeling is not bad inside my old Japanese house, but we have to be careful not to grow mold and prevent food poisoning.

    Today, I made pickled Japanese shallots. When I saw shallots at the local vegetable market, I hesitated to buy them because the sizes were so small, but an old lady near me said that smaller ones are much tastier than bigger one, so I purchased a bag of shallots and took them home. Washing muddy shallots and peeling off the skin of all small shallots was not easy and took time, so by completing my work I changed my pace by checking emails and eating some sweets. After mixing with a little salt, I left them aside putting a weight on top. Boiled them quickly and put them in a sweet vinegar jar.

    By the way, the pot of hydrangea which was from Ms. H, who brings seasonal flower pots, is beautifully opened with deep color and it is decorated nicely at the entrance of the cafe.

６月１０日（土曜日）２０２３

     先日、青山のロネ＆ジージ・ライブには東京周辺の友人達が沢山来てくれて一緒に楽しみましたが、その内の一人、佐藤真理子さんがご自分のFBにライブの感想を書いてくださいました。素晴らしいので皆さんとシェアしたいと思います。

　佐藤さんは過去に特別支援学校の教師の経験が長くご自身ダンスもなさっていて、私の大好きな言葉のパフォーマー・故波瀬満子さんを支えていらっしゃいました。波瀬さん亡きあともその意思を継いでウリポ・はせ・カンパニーをうえもとしほさん、谷川賢作さんらと共に現在精力的に活動していらっしゃいます。

    The other day, I enjoyed Clown Rone & Gigi Live Performance at Aoyama in Tokyo with my many friends around Tokyo, and Ms. Mariko Sato who was one of them wrote her thoughts about the show on her Facebook. Since it was wonderful, I would like to share it with you.

    Ms. Sato used to be a teacher in a special needs school for a long time, and she herself dances. She was also supporting Mitsuko Hase who was an actress and Japanese language performer. Mitsuko Hase passed away 10 years ago, but Ms. Sato carried on her intentions actively through Ulipo Hase Company with Shiho Uemura, Kensaku Tanikawa and others.

( I didn't translate her blog in English. If you would like to read her writing, please look at her facebook. Hope you will read the translated version.)

佐藤真理子(Mariko Sato)

２日  ·

    笑った笑った、お腹がよじれて涙が出るほど！　笑うというのはこんなに心地よく、体全体の息が深―くなって元気になれるんだ！チャップリンを思い出させるロネの体の動きや呼吸感に見惚れ、ジージのおおらか且つ繊細な歌や志村けんさんを思い起こす口調、間合い、体ごとの言葉がグッと胸に体に届き、共振してしまう！表参道のラパンエアロで観た、クラウンロネとジージのコメディミュージックライブ「ジューンブライド-６月の花嫁」

    初めてロネ&ジージを観たのは今年の２月（同じくラパンエアロで）。滋賀の多賀でご自身が営む古民家カフェにもロネとジージを呼んでライブを催されている友人、FB仲間の井上和子さんのご紹介だった。その時は和物だったが、チャップリン映画を見た後にも似た、文句なく楽しく秀逸なコメディで「また二人に会いたい」と、今回を心待ちにしていた。今回も、お腹抱えて爆笑しながら時に一瞬泣きそうになり、最後の挨拶で深々と、でも軽やかに挨拶をするロネとジージにいつまでも拍手を送っていたいラストだった。そしてどこか優しくゆったり軽い心身になっている自分に気付き、幸せな気持ちになった。

    クラウンは欧米の伝統的な芸術で、歌舞伎のように表現の型があるらしいが、観客をワッと巻き込んでしまうお二人のコミカルで時にペーソスある、ユーモア溢れるとぼけた表情や仕草、言葉はそんなことを感じさせない。誘って下さった和子さんに感想を送ったら、「本当にいろいろなクラウニングと技が次々に出せるすごさに驚きます。Webのクラウン講座でいろいろやりかたを教えてくれるのですが、見るは易し行うは難しで積み重ねが大事というのがよくわかります。ステージを観ていて『アレやってる』と分かるだけでも楽しいです」とのお返事が来た。やはり、クラウン特有の動き方の型を組み合わせて、いとも自然な表現となって染み込んでくることに驚いた。一度講座に出てみたい。

 

    クラウンキャンプでは「伝えたいことをユーモアに包んで相手に手渡す」(パンフより)ためのトレーニングをするらしい。ロネとジージが届けたいのは「幸せなキモチ」になれる時間だという。「幸せなキモチ」沢山沢山いただき、何とも幸せな日だった。

６月７日（水曜日）２０２３

    今朝の小学校二年生の読み聞かせは「おさいふのかみさま」。最近はスマホやカード決済で買い物を済ませる人が増えて便利な一方で、子供たちに実感としてお金の価値を分からせることが一つの課題となっているようです。図書館で借りてきた本の中に、ちょうどいいのがありました。読む前に子供たちにお小遣いをもらってるか聞いたら殆どの子が手をあげて結構高額のお小遣いを言ったのでびっくりしました。

    さて、これはおばけの家族。お母さんは、ばけばけ君にお小遣い１００円とそれを入れるお財布を渡しました。ばけばけ君は大喜びで初めて一人で街へ自分の好きなものを買いにいきます。最初に入ったお菓子屋さんで１００円のひとつめチョコがあったので、早速それを買おうとお財布を開けると、中からけむりと一緒におさいふの神様が出てきて「それ、いちばん　ほしいかね〜？」と言います。「１まいしかない１００円をそんなにかんたんに使うのかね〜？」とも。その後いろいろ店に行っては１００円のものを見つけては買おうとしますが、その度に神様がお財布から出てきて「そんなに簡単におかねを使っちゃいかーん！」と言います。ばけばけ君はもっとお金があったら考えなくても何でも買えるのにと文句を言うと、神様は「一番ほしいものを考えてこれを全部使うのじゃ」とばけばけ君のおさいふから１００円玉をどんどん出します。悲鳴を上げながら「わかった、よ〜く考えて大事に使うからもう止めて！」というと神様も１００円の山も消えて、１００円玉が一つ残ります。ばけばけ君はよ〜く考えてよ〜く選んでお菓子屋であめを１０個買いました。それを家族みんなで食べました。（終）

    九割はマスクを外して体育座りで一心に聞いてくれた２年生の子供たちですが、「おさいふの神様」を思い出してくれるかな？

    I picked a book for today's story telling for the second graders which was "God of Wallet". People often use their credit card or smartphone for their payment these days. It became very convenient but at the same time it is an issue of how we teach children the value of money without using real money. I found this picture book among the books which I borrowed from the town library and I thought it was just appropriate to teach the value of money. Before I started reading, I asked the children if they had a monthly allowance. Most of them receive an allowance from their mother or grandma and I was surprised that the amount was rather high for a child.

    Well, it was about a ghost family. Mother gave one hundred yen as an allowance and wallet to his son, Bake-Bake. He was very excited about it because it was the first experience for him to manage money. He went to town to buy the things that he wanted. He found chocolates which were one hundred per one and opened his wallet to take out his money, then an old man came out from the wallet with smoke. It was the God of wallet. God said to him " Is it really what you want to buy? Are you sure that you use your precious one coin so easily? ". Bake-bake went to several shops and every time when he found a thing which was one hundred and took out his money, God came out and said "think it over and choose one carefully.". He wished that if he could have more money, he could buy everything he wanted. Then God kept giving him one hundred coins saying " you have to use all this money only for your favorite one." He was overwhelmed by the mounted coins and begged God " I will promise that I will think over what I use my money for, so please stop!". Then God and the mounted coins disappeared, and only one coin was left. He went to the candy shop after thinking over what he would buy and he bought ten candies with his money. He ate the candies with his family. (the end)

    Most of the kids didn't cover their faces and listened to my reading. Hope they will remember the God of wallet when they use their money.

６月１日（木曜日）２０２３

    今日から三日間クラウン・ロネ＆ジージのライブが東京の青山で始まったのでトンボ返りで観に行ってきました。声を掛けた東京周辺の方が何人も会場に来てくださり、それぞれ出会った時も場所も違っていましたが嬉しい再会でした。

    さて、会場での私の席は最前列の真正面。もっと端でよかったのに....と思いながらも飲み放題のワインで早速友達と乾杯して観劇モード全開。公演途中で予感的中。私と後ろから連れてこられたイケメンのお兄さんがステージに上がるハメになり、ジージが回したお皿をロネが受け取り、それを私とケッコン相手(?!)の持つ棒の先へ。クルクル回るお皿を落としてはなるまいとしっかり棒を握りしめていました。

    ライブはそれぞれの場面でロネとジージの持ち味を生かした技の展開で見応えがあり大いに笑い楽しませてくれました。一つだけ、今か今かと待っていたジャグリングが今回はなかったのが個人的にはちょっと残念。でも隣にいた友人は終始笑ってばかりだったのでほっとしました。

    終わった後でロネジジの額の汗を見て、一心に楽しいショーを観せてくれたロネとジージ、その他の出演者と手話通訳の方、スタッフに感謝。大きな大きな拍手と声援を送ります。

    For three days from Jun 1st, the clown Rone & Gigi Live Stage performance has started at Aoyama in Tokyo. I made a quick trip to see the live show. Many friends around the Tokyo area whom I invited to the show came and I was very happy to see them after a few years of not seeing them.

    Well, my seat was assigned in the center of the first row. I preferred one in more rear and off center, but anyhow I took my glass with wine which I could order as much as I wanted, and I was ready to watch the show after cheers with my friend. In the middle of the show, a young man who was taken from the back seat and I were invited to the stage by clown Rone. I would rather not go, but there was no choice. On the stage, the young man and I were supposed to be a couple to marry and at the end of the celemony we were handed a stick and Gigi turned two plates and after Rone received them, started some tricky movement, then put the one on both our sticks. I was concentrating on keeping my stick straight so as not to make the plate fall.

    Both Rone and Gigi showed us their clownings and techniques which were amazing and amusing. Only one thing which was unfortunate was juggling. I was waiting to see their amazing juggling but it wasn't on this live performance. My friend was next to me and it was the first time for her to watch the clown live. She was laughing all the time which made me glad.

    I could introduce all my friends to sweaty Rone & Gigi at the lobby after the show. I would like to send applause and cheer to the Clown Rone & Gigi, other performers, sign-language interpreter and all staff for giving us such a wonderful show.

５月２９日（月曜日）２０２３

    今週は雨になるとの予報通り朝から雨音に包まれました。定休日の月曜日は買い出しの日。気が進まないながらも１週間のお弁当やカフェの食材の買い出しは必須。レインジャケットはすぐ見つかるも、あるはずの雨用パンツが情けないことに見つけられず。仕方なくジャケットとヒサシ付きの帽子とサングラスで出発するも、ズボンに雨がかかり、これではダメだと途中の衣料品店に飛び込んでレインスーツを５８０円で購入。サイズはLLで選べる色も一色。格好を気にするなら間違いなくボツでしたが、こんな時は機能優先。

    雨の中、いつもの道は通る人も少なく幸いで、自転車のペダルを漕ぎながら何か楽しめることはないかとジーン・ケリーの有名な映画のシーン、土砂降りの中でタップダンスをしながら歌う「雨に唄えば（Sigin' in The Rain)」を思いつくも歌詞分からず取り敢えずはハミングで。

    びしょ濡れの買い出しでしたが目的が果たせてほっとしました。帰ってシマシマシャツと明るいピンクのカーディガンに着替えて気分アップをはかりました。 

    As we expected by weather forecast, it was raining from the morning. Monday is the day off and it is a day to buy foodstuff at the market in Hikone. I was unwilling to go out on such a day, but it was necessary for me to prepare lunch and other stuff for the cafe. It was easy to find my rain jacket but I couldn't find rain pants, so I decided to go with rain jacket, hat and sunglasses.　Right after I left the house, however, I realized that I needed rain pants otherwise I would be drenched in the rain. I stopped by a clothing store on the way and bought a rain suit for 590 yen which was an extra large size and see through one only. I didn't hesitate to get it because protection from the rain was the most important rather than looking fancy.
It was raining but I was lucky because I didn't see many people on my way and it's easier to ride my bicycle.

    I tried to find something fun while I was riding in the rain, and I found a song which Gene Kelly was singing with tap dancing in the movie "Singin' in the Rain" but since I didn't know the lyrics of it, I just hummed.

    I was soaking wet after shopping. When I got home, I dried myself and changed into a striped shirt and bright pink cardigan to raise my spirits.