５月といえば Speaking of May

2016.5.7

中学の時の英語の教科書の一節を今でも覚えている。「５月はバラ。」まさにその通り。我が家のアンジェラはいい花が沢山咲いている。今年はこのバラに害虫が少ないので、いつもより沢山のツボミや花がついている。それは今年の天候のせいではないかと思っている。この春、温度が高く低くを激しく変化した。昨日も眠るのに厚い毛布を引っぱり出さねばならなかったくらいだ。この天候が害虫たちの行動や増殖を抑えたのではないかと考えている。

I remember a phrase in my English textbook used at our junior high. "Roses in May." Indeed it is true. Our Angela is in good much flower. This year there are much less bugs on the rose, so the number of healthy flowers and buds are greater than usual. I suspect it is because of the weather this year. This spring, temperature cycled between high and low violently. Even yesterday, I had to pull out a heavy blanket to sleep with. I believe this weather discouraged insects to move around or multiply. 

アンジェラにつづいて芍薬が咲きそうだ。これは義母から去年頂いたものだ。去年は、花の直前に移植したので、花を見ることは出来なかった。それから株に日光がよく当たるように上にかかる木の枝を切った。今年は7つの蕾がもうすぐ咲きそうだ。

Following Angela, peony is about to bloom. This is given to us by my mother-in-law last year. Since we moved the plants just before flowering season, we were not able to see flowers. Also, I pruned branches of trees above the plant to give it more sunlight. This year there are seven buds about to flower.

去年、切り戻ししたビオラの枝を庭にある小さな水鉢や池に入れた。数日は花の命が延びるかと思ったのだ。驚いたことに結局、枝は一ヶ月異常活きて咲き続けた。ことしも去年の成功をいいことにもう一回ビオラの水栽培をやってみようというわけだ。

Last year, I put cuttings of viola into a small bowl and a pond in the garden thinking it would prolong their lives longer maybe a few days. To my surprise after all, the cuttings were living more than a month and kept flowering. I decided to follow the success of last year, water cultivation of violas.

妻が庭の片隅に紫蘇の芽が出ているのを見つけた。多分ご近所から種が飛んできたのだろう。料理に使いやすいようにポットに植えてくれと数週間前に言われた。今はポット一杯に育っている。

My wife found buds of perilla were germinating in the corner of the garden. I think seeds came from our neighbors. She asked me to replant it into pots a few weeks ago so that it is easy to use for cooking. Now they grew in  a pot full of leaves.

食べられるものといえば、クルミの木に小さな実がたくさんなった。いつもはほとんどの物は落ちて１つか２つしか熟すまで育たない。ことしはどうなるだろう。
Talking about edible stuffs, the walnuts tree bears a lot of small fruits. Usually, most of them drop down and only one or two grow to mature. We'll see how it will be this year.

もう一度、マーシュマロウ越しのアンジェラだ。
Again an Angela tree behind a marsh marrow bush.

暑い Hot!!

毎日37度が続く。最低気温も25度以上。夜中でも廊下に出ると風呂場に入ったような熱と湿度。凄いぜ〜

冷房の中ばかりでもいかんので，庭に出てみた。

High of 37 Celcius continues every day.  Low is higher than 25.  It is hot and humd like in a bathroom to walk out into stairway even in the mid-night.  Unbelievable...

This afternoon thinking it's not good to stay too long in a air-conditioned room, I walked in our garden.   

今年唯一の胡桃の実は着実に成長中

Only one walnut in this year keeps on growing.

アガベは我が世の「夏」と張り切っている。手前の小さい方は今年から地植えにした物だ。

Agaves are enjoying their summer.  The smaller in front is the one I planted on the ground this past spring.

ガジュマルも亜熱帯生まれだから水もたまにしかあげなくても平気。隣のセダムのほうが疲れ気味だ

Indian laurel is from semi-tropical, and fine without much water.  A sedum next to it, that is supposed to like heat, looks a little tired.

コウモリランは水あげないといけないが，暑さは大好きのようだ。もう鉢から溢れてきている。来年は植え替えが必要かな

A stag-horn fern needs water, but likes hot season.  It grew over the pot.  I will need to re-plant next year, probably.

セミは毎年酷く，今年も朝6時からジージー，シャーシャー，鳴いて，寝ていられない。

 ここから出てきたのか。冬虫夏草の胞子でもばら撒きたいところだ
Every year buzz of cicadas is terribly wild.  We cannot sleep when they starts crying "Gee, gee, Shah, shah" from around six in the morning.
Looks like one of them came from this hole.  I really hope to spray spore of Cordyceps Sinensis.

流石に暑さでかなり参っているようだが，バラがまた咲き出した。写真に撮ってみたら左端にチョッキリ発見　(笑)
Thought tired from hot weather, a rose started to bloom.  Weevil was included in the picture without my notice.  ;-(


月下美人も蕾を付けたが，かなり傷んでいる。咲くだろうか?
Queen of the night has a bud, but fairly damaged.  I wonder if it will bloom?

疲れ気味のセミは，樹の根元の木陰で「ジジッ，ジジッ」と独り言のように鳴いている。

Tired cicada is murmuring at the base of a wood in the shade.

去年煮えてしまったセンペルの生き残りはなんとか命を繋いでいる。今年は庭中で一番涼しそうな玄関前の日陰に置いて，水も控えめにしている。

Sempervivum was boiled last year, but this year they are still surviving.  I placed them at the coolest place in our garden that is in the shade in front of the entrance.  Also, I give water very sparingly.

蝶々もボロボロ・・・

Beaten up butterfly.

あのうるさかったクマゼミもこうなると哀れに思える
That once noisy and annoying cicada looks piteous after this.

羽化の瞬間だった筈だが，そのまま命尽きたようだ。やっとこれからという時にねぇ。これも暑過ぎのせいか。南無
It should have been an instance of eclosion, but passed away during that.  It should have been a time to fly at last.  Is this because of unusual hotness?  Namaste...

くるみ Walnut

学生時代にちょっとした自動車事故があり、その時行った警察署の庭にクルミの木があった。クルミの実は若くて小さい梨のような外見をしているということを知った。

When I was a student, we were involved in a small car accident.  There were walnut trees at the police station where we went then.  I found out that the berry of a walnut looks like young and small Japanese pear berry.  Yes, a Japanese pear is round like an apple.

あれがまた見たくて、引っ越した時庭にクルミを植えた。また、その頃来ていた職人さんからクルミに風蘭を着生させるとうまくいくという話しを聞いた影響もあった。未だ木が細いので、試したことはないが。

As I wanted to see them again, I planted walnut trees in our garden when we moved.  Also, one of the workmen working for our house told me "Furan"; one type of epiphytic orchids, Japanese Ascofinetia; grows well on a walnut tree, and that had some influenced.  However, I haven't tried this yet, because the tree is still too small.

複数植えないと実がならないとのことで二本植えたのに、一本は枯れてしまった。以来、一本で10年以上育った。最近は毎年花が咲き小さな実のような物ができるのだが、すぐにどんどん落ちてしまい、実が熟したのは一昨年の一度だけだ。それも一個。

As I heard we need more than one tree to get berries, I planted two.  But, one died soon.  Since then, it has grown without a partner more than ten years.    It blooms every recent year, and we can see small berry-like-stuffs, but they drop in short time, and it was only once two years ago that we saw a ripen berry.  Just only one. 

今年も一個だけ未だ実が残っている。丁度、枝を枕にしたようにできているので、風にも強そうだ。熟すのが楽しみ。

This year there remains one berry still.  As it is sitting on one branch like using it as a pillow, it would tolerate some wind.  We look forward to it ripen.

2013 クルミの実　Walnut

2011年の6月はやはり一つだけ、こんな風に成った。初めてのことでいつか落ちてしまわないかとハラハラ、ドキドキしながら見ていた。

In June 2011, there was also only one berry like the picture.  We were watching it nervously for fear it might fall anytime.

2011 June

9月まで無事に育って、中からおなじみのクルミが出てきた。

Actually, it had grown until September, and came a familiar walNUT from inside the berry.

2011 Only one walnut!

 カラの中もちゃんと入っていて食べることができた。
We were able to eat meat inside.

2011 Inside