今年の桜 Cherry blossom

今年は例年よりだいぶ早いのですが、桜が咲き始めました。写真は近所の井の頭公園で、濃いピンクのは沖縄でよく見られる寒緋桜。懐かしくて、色のグラデーションが見事でした。今週末は花見ですね。
Cherry blossom started blooming this spring, much earlier than usual.  This picture was taken in Inokashira Park, and the deep pink one is  campanulata, popular cherry in Okinawa.  I felt at home and enjoyed fabulous color gradation.  Let's go cherry blossom viewing picnic this weekend!

木香薔薇 banksia rose

知人が江戸英雄から株分けしてもらったという由緒正しいモッコウバラが、初めて花咲きました！頂いて６年目でしょうか？去年は冬に頑張って根切りまでしたのに花が咲かず、もうだめかなあとあきらめて今年は何もしなかったのに、花が咲きました。来年も花咲くように可愛がってあげなくちゃ。
My proper banksia rose, divided from one owned by Edo Hideo and given to my friend, is blooming for the first time since he gave it to me 6 years ago!  Last year I did even root cutting, but it didn't bloom at all.  So I thought it would never bloom, but it did, this spring, to my surprise.  I will take good care of it so that it will bloom again next spring.

八重桜の花びら Fallen Petals

ポカポカ陽気の３日、小金井公園へ出かけました。緑がまぶしく桜なんてすっかり忘れていたけれど、八重桜が舞い散って幻想的でした。
We went to Koganei Park on May 3 when the weather was warm and sunny.  I was so fascinated with vivid new green that I almost forgot about cherry blossom we enjoyed shortly before, but double-flowered cherry blossom was just falling down to make the park fantastic.

都会の菜の花 Field Mustard in Downtown Tokyo

今日は久しぶりに都心・新橋でランチをした後、浜離宮恩賜公園の菜の花畑をのんびり散策しました。風は冷たいけれど陽射しがまぶしく春爛漫。

After I had a lunch in downtown Tokyo for the first time in a long while, I took a long walk at Hama-rikyu Garden where field mustard are in full bloom.  Though the wind was still chilly, the sunshine was just dazzling and warm.  I enjoyed a glorious spring day.

桜満開 Fully Blooming Sakura

雪が降ったり確定申告で忙しかったり、しばらく走れませんでしたが、久しぶりに井の頭公園へ走りに行ったら桜が満開になっていました。前回は一輪だけだったのに、今は花盛りです。ソメイヨシノではなく、寒緋桜。沖縄で桜と言えば、これです。

I didn't run for a while because it ogten snowed and I was busy with tax declaration, and when I went to Inokashira Park yesterday to jog after a while, cherry blossom was in full bloom.  It had only a few blossom when I went there last time, about 10 days ago.  It is now popular Someiyoshino, but scarlet cherry blossom, which is popular in Okinawa.

桜咲く Cherry Blossom Starts to Bloom

雪も降ったし寒い寒い、と思いつつ意を決して公園に走りに出かけたけれど、グラウンドは案の定ぐちゃぐちゃで走れませんでした。残念。だけど、桜のつぼみが膨らんできたなあ、と眺めていたら、何と１輪だけ咲いていました。寒緋桜だけど、もう桜が、とびっくり。寒いけど、季節は確実に春へ進んでいるんですね。

Though I hated to run in this cold weather after snow, I decided to go to the park to run.  As I guessed, the running field was too muddy to run.  Too bad, but I found a bloomed cherry blossom when I looked up swelling buds.  Isn't it too early to bloom for cherry?  Althogh it's very cold now, it steadily goes to spring.

雨に濡れるハナミズキ Dogwood in the Rain

暖かい秋の日々でしたが、今日は冷たい雨。雨の中でいっそうハナミズキの紅い葉が燃えています。
Though we've had rather warm autumn days, it's chilly with cold rain. Red dogwood leaves look burning in the rain.

秋の空 Autumn Sky

麗らかな秋の一日、高校時代の恩師と神代植物公園を散策しました。沖縄育ちの私たちは、日本人が普通に知っている植物のことを知らない、ということで意見が一致。美しいと思って写真に撮ったこの木の名前も、プレートをしっかり見たのに私は覚えていません。先生は覚えていらっしゃるだろうか、と考えるのは恩師に失礼でしょうか。
In a beatiful autemn day, my teacher of my high-school days and I took a walk in Jindai Shokubutu Botanical Park. We agreed that Okinawan people born and raised there don't know much about common plants which most Japanese people usually know. I don't even remember the name of a tree which is so beautiful that I saw a name plate and took a picture, and wonder if my teacher remembers it.

輪違い梅

昨日神代植物公園に梅見に行ってきました。写真は「輪違い」という種類で、一本の木でピンクと白の二種類の花が咲いている珍しいものです。梅も見事だったけれど、メジロや四十雀などの小鳥達も可愛かった。深大寺でおそばを食べて帰りました。

We went to Jinadai botanical park to see plum grove. A plum tree in the picture has white and pink blossom, which is very unique. Blooming plum was very beautiful and small birds such as white-eye and oxeye birds were cute as well. We ate famous Jindaiji soba before going home.

春爛漫

東京でも梅がほころび始めて春らしくなりましたが、沖縄から満開の桜の写真が届きました。これは梅じゃありませんからねー、カンヒザクラで沖縄ではもう春爛漫なのです。中央にソーミナー（メジロ）もいます。

Plum is blossoming in Tokyo, which make us feel that spring is coming. I received a picture of fully blossomed cherry tree from a friend in Okinawa. Hey, this is not a plum, but a cherry blossom. In Okinawa, it's perfectly spring and pink cherry blossom is in full bloom now. Even a white-eye bird rests on the tree.

銀杏の木

今年は紅葉の色づき具合がイマイチかなあ、と思っていたのですが、銀杏は綺麗な黄色に色づいています。写真は公団住宅の敷地内にある銀杏。お掃除のおばさんには申し訳ないけど、黄色いじゅうたんの上を歩くのが楽しい。
I thought autumn color of trees this year was not as beautiful as other years, but ginkgotree is beautifully yellowed. The picture shows ginkgotrees in the ground of our condo. I am sorry for cleaning ladies, but it's so much fun to walk on the yellow carpet.

コスモス

先日参加したコミュニティビジネス視察ツアーinいばらき県南で、シニア村（高齢者向けコーポラティブハウス）マンション屋上の花壇で見かけたコスモス。秋です。

They are cosmos I found at the roof garden of a cooperative apartment house during a visit to community businesses in the southern part of Ibaraki Prefecture. It's autumn...

紅葉

今週の土曜日、天気も良くて暖かかったので、久しぶりにお蕎麦を食べに行こう！と家族で自転車を漕いで深大寺へ。全然期待していなかったのですが、見事な紅葉も堪能することが出来ました。今年は遅めですが、色は例年より見事な気がします。

As it was fine and warm, we decided to go to Jindaiji to eat soba for our lunch. We enjoy not only soba but also beautifully colored leaves. It seems a little later than usual to color, but the color is more beautiful than usual.

紫式部

マンションの敷地内に群生していた紫式部。源氏物語を書いた紫式部とは何の関係もないそうですが、その鮮やかな紫色がみやびで秋の風情です。

Murasaki Shikibu (Callicarpa dichotoma) planted on our condominium property. It is said that there is no relation between this plant and the author of the Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikibu, but its bright purple color is elegant and well-matched with the season of late autumn. 　

我が家のゴーヤー

見て見て、我が家のゴーヤーよ！
三度目の挑戦にしてやっと実が成りました。
これは最初の実で、後に続く実の成長のため泣く泣く摘果。
沖縄へ帰省する頃食べごろになるのではないかと、ちょっと心配。
でも、この緑の葉っぱがベランダに広がっているだけでシアワセです。

Look! Here is our goya (momordica charantia), my first fruit after two failure. I cut it off right away to grow younger fruits, though I hate to do it. I'm afraid I'll be gone to OKINAWA when they are all ripe.
But, I am just happy to see all those green leaves spreading over in our veranda.

藤棚

去る日曜日、市長選・市議選の投票へ行った帰り道、公園で見事な藤棚発見。あいにくの曇り空でしたが、満開でゴージャスな姿に思わずパチリ。

Casting my ballots for mayor and city councillor and on my way back to home, I found this wisteria trellis in tha park. Although it was cloudy, they were in full bloom and so gorgeous that I couldn't help taking a picture.