新種のフルーツ A new kind of fruit

今日うわさに聞いていた新種果物、ポーポーを頂きました。驚くやら嬉しいやら。皮を剥く感じも、味もマンゴーに似ています。種の並びが一寸違う。生まれて初めての試食に興味深々。日本で開発されたようなのですが英語名は何だろう。
I was lucky today to be given two pieces of Popo(?), new variety of mango-like fruit which has been making noise around gourmet society in Japan. It looks very similar to small mango with its soft skin and taste. So excited to observe and challenge to taste it for the first time in my life. 

芝刈り To mow lawn

good feeling after good job

Taro potatoes are growing rich

from the last year's album

台風16号が来る前に思い切って庭の芝刈りを。8月末以来2回目。もうぺてらんです。やったあとの達成感と疲労感は最高。サトイモ栽培も順調。シャワーを浴びて、更にCurves（筋トレ）に行って、それから昼食をとったらもう2時を過ぎていました。これからコーラスの自習。又、先生におこられないように頑張ろう。     I decided to mow the lawn in the back yard before the No.16 typhoon comes. The second time since the end of August. I'm already more like professional for this work. The feeling of accomplishment and exhaustion after this big job is superb. Taro potatoes are growing rich. Instead of having lunch afterward, I took shower first and went to Curves(Muscle Exercise) right away. I ended up with having my lunch late after two. Now I have to practice singing for this evening's chorus. Nobody likes seeing our instructor getting angry with our negligent attitude!   facebook.com

ユネスコ活動 UNESCO Activity

9月23日（火、祝）

ユネスコの会報編集会議が今日で３回目。使うPCが異なるとUSBがうまく作動しないことや使い慣れない一太郎との奮闘が続いていましたが、やっと原稿が出来てプリントアウトする段に。でも6頁のものを200枚刷るのに何と時間がかかること。時間切れでもう一度集まることになりました。その上、はるか南京で自分のホームページの操作にこれまた奮闘している夫の役になかなか立てなくて頭の中は混乱状態。ｆｂ友の大介さんにさんざん助けられています。でもトンネルを通過したら広い世界が待っている筈。くじけるな慶子さん。
Today's editorial meeting for UNESCO bulletin was the third one. It takes time to operate a different and unfamiliar type of PC because of different soft installed. Finally we succeeded in making a draft and started printing out it but it takes much time again to print out 200 copies with 6 pages. We couldn't finish it today and we were obliged to gather one more time next week. Furthermore my husband who is now in Nanking, China, has been struggling to handle his own HP and I find myself very depressed with my poor capability to help him. Fortunately I have a capable fb friend who has been instructing us how to. Thanks God. Once we pass through this big tunnel, we will surely enjoy a wider and brighter world. Don't be discouraged, Keiko! Go for it!facebook.com

敬老の日 My trip on Respect-for-the Aged Day

ママと絵本の世界へ

前日に大急ぎでばーばーが作って
持参してくれたお手玉でどうやって
遊ぼうかな？

この週末は敬老の日がついて3日間の連休。敬老の日に親が子供達の所を渡り歩く結果に。やっぱり孫見たさからエネルギーが湧き出るというもの。一泊二日の孫詣。長男の所と次女の所に顔を出してきました。2歳組（4月、8月生まれ）は人見知りせず、積極的に言葉にならない言葉でお話を一杯しようとする。こちらの言葉をオーム返しでしゃべっている。言葉を覚える過程がよ～く見える。EECCの皆さん、これなんですよ。
Thanks to a national holiday named Respect-for-the Aged Day, we had a longer weekend. Taking this opportunity, I hopped along our children's places for one night two days. The desire to see my grandchildren gave me an energy to do so. The little ones, two years old, are very friendly and positive. They want to talk a lot by just copying what we say. They don't know words but they know what they mean. So cute and amazing. This is the way how we should get used to speak foreign languages.facebook.com

「風のギャラリー」での作品展示会最終日 The last day for the display of our works

9月13日

9月2日に投稿した「風のギャラリー」での日光彫展示会が今日で終わりました。昨日新聞に取り上げられたのが効を奏して一日中お客さまが入った由、夕方7人の仲間全員で作品を搬出しに伺った時、担当のスタッフさんはお昼ご飯も食べられなかったと嬉しい悲鳴をあげておられました。


The display of our works, wood-curving Nikkobori, was finished today. We all seven members gathered in the coffee shop named "Gallery in the wind" this evening to carry out them. The local newspaper put an article about this coffee shop again to make sure of the last day of our display and it ended up with so many people visiting today. The staff working there told us with happy face that they were too busy to have their lunch today. Good job we had!

一か月ぶりの朝歩き Walking in the morning on the causeway after one month interval

Nantai, Taro, Nyoho mountains

9月13日
今日は時間的にCurvesに行けないので、8月20日以来の早朝ウオーキングを決行。昨日から爽やかなお天気となって気分も爽快。お気に入りの土手道からの日光連山の眺めに感激。左にはススキが元気に揺れ、右には土手沿いの桜がぽつぽつ秋の色に。空には中秋の名月の名残の白いお月さんが。心が洗われ、今日一日への活動に拍車をかけてくれます。ちなみに我が家の庭の向日葵が今頃満面の笑みをみせています。

Because of my today's schedule with no time to go to Curves, I decided to go for a walk along the causeway of the Daiya River which 
is my favorite route. Thanks to such beautiful weather starting from yesterday, I really enjoyed walking as appreciating the wonderful scenery with the broom-grass(?) dancing in the wind on the left and the cherry trees of which leaves are just starting coloring on the right. High up in the sky could be seen the white moon lingering from the harvest moon. Being refreshed by this precious nature, my task to do today has been encouraged. 

Just for our information, the sunflowers in our yard are now full of smiling faces.

恒例の昼食会 the annual lunch gathering

9月11日

昨日は「ティファニーで朝食を」にならって恒例の「パークアベニューで昼食を」に参加するため目白台の中華料理店に赴きました。一年の月日は短いようで、長いようで、いろいろな思いが駆け巡る時。とにかくこの一年無事に過ごせて、このように昔ご一緒させていただいた先輩、後輩のお仲間に元気で再会出来たことに乾杯です。　
そして今日は別のグループに入って東京ドームに行ってきました。日本ハム対ソフトバンク。大谷が登板しなかったことと、早く引き上げたため、稲葉選手の最後の勇姿が見られなかったことが残念。
I went to a Chinese restaurant in Mejirodai to join the annual lunch gathering named "Lunch at Park Avenue" which sounds like "Breakfast at Tiffany". It's time to ponder on myself how I have been through since last time. One year seems to be either short or long. Anyway it's nice to see our old friends back in 1990s in good shape. Then today I joined another group to watch a baseball game in Tokyo Dome.It's pity not to be able to see Otani nor Inaba's last play in his career as a baseball player. We had to leave Dome before the game was over so as to return to Nikko within today.