公園で At the park

 今日は比較的 乾燥した一日で、夕方散歩の時間は涼しくて秋を感じました。毎日のように通る草地の手前の柿の木は実が鈴なりです。渋柿のようですがゼリー状に熟すと、このあたりに定着したワカケホンセイインコの群れが突いているのを見かけます。

After yesterday's rain related to typhoon No. 27, we had a relatively dry weather today, and by the evening walk, it became cool and autumnal.    Next to the field we pass almost every day stands a persimmon tree with lots of fruits.  Judging by the look, these are astringent persimmons.  When the flesh becomes jelly-like in late autumn, I often see a flock of Indian ringneck parakeets gorging on them.  

その草地の入口には去年からビラがぶら下がっていて、

At the entrance of the field, there is a piece of paper hanging since last year.

スズメバチに関して警告しています。

It warns "Please do not enter the field - there are giant hornets flying".

でも、タイガと私は毎日ここで歩き回っています。時々ズメバチに遭遇しますが、いつも１-２匹で、こちらが落ち着いている限り襲ってきません。

Taiga and I walk about in this field every day, nevertheless.  We do encounter giant hornets sometimes, but they are usually one or two of them and as long as we stay calm, they do not attack us.

タイガはさっそくサラダバーを楽しんでいました。

Taiga at her salad bar, as usual.

草地のあとは城北公園のドッグラン横を通りました。ランを利用するワンコたちはすっかり世代交代していて、タイガの知り合いの顔を全く見かけません。その近くにある花壇は、もう秋景色で花が少なくなっていました。数十メートルに伸びる花壇をボランティアの方々が四季を通して世話しています。

We then moved to Johoku Park and passed by the dog park, where Taiga used to play when she was much younger.  We no longer see any familiar faces in the dog park, due to generation change.  

Near the dog park there is a flower bed which was full of flowers during summer.  This flower bed is some 50 meters long and is looked after by a group of volunteers - I admire their tireless efforts.

木花コスモスが綺麗でした。

Yellow cosmos standing out with its vivid colour.

帰る前に公園事務所がある広場で休んでいると、向こうから何ともカワイイ靴をはいたワンコがやって来ました。タイガは初対面のどんな相手にオシリの臭いを嗅がれても怒りません。

この子の犬種は聞き忘れましたが、ランちゃん、15歳。でも13歳のタイガより若々しい印象でした。

Before heading home, we sat down in a square, when a complete stranger approached us.  The pooch started taking a sniff at Taiga - Taiga never gets upset whoever does this, even when it is a timid chihuahua.  I forgot to ask about this pooch's breed, but her name is Ran, aged 15.  Probably being a smaller breed, Ran looked younger than Taiga, 13 years old.

この靴。

These shoes!

真正面から見ると、こう。

Looking at the shoes from the front.

本当によくできています。手にとって見ると、ピンクの部分はシリコンっぽい素材で、その上のソックス部分はニット素材です。こういうのをデザインする人たちは本当にワンコが好きなんだろうな、と想像しました。ランちゃんは他にも数種類の色の靴を持っているそうです。

They are so well made.  The pink part is made of soft silicon-like material, and the sock above the shoe is made of knitted material.  I can imagine that people who design these items really love dogs.  Ran has shoes at home in several other colours.

私がマジマジと靴に見入って感心していたら、無視されたと感じたのかタイガが近づいてきたので、ランちゃんが一瞬緊張した表情になりましたが、朗らかな性格なので決して吠えないです。ランちゃん、また会おうね。

I could not take my eyes off the shoes, which made Taiga a little jealous.  She came close to Ran which made her momentarily tense.  However, being a pooch with happy disposition, she never uttered a sound.  Hope to see you again, Ran-chan.

久しぶりの青空 First blue sky in weeks

 台風26号の影響が去って、今日は朝から良い天気でした。8月24日に買った売れ残りパッションフルーツの苗は、ここ数日で更に成長して３個めの花が昨日の雨のなか咲いていました。

The effect of typhoon No. 26 has disappeared, and we had a fine day since early morning.  The leftover passion fruit plant that I bought on 24th August has been growing well, and in spite of the rainy weather, the third flower opened yesterday.

上の赤丸の中が昨日開花した３番めの花。受粉できたか未だ分かりません。下の青丸の中のは数日前の開花、更に下のピンクの丸の中のは第１花で、受粉できずに今はガクだけが残っています。

Starting from the top, the flower in the red circle is the one that opened yesterday.  I am not sure whether it pollinated itself or not.  The flower in the blue circle is the second flower that opened a few days ago.  The one in the pink circle was the first flower which did not get pollinated, and now only the calyx is left.

青丸の第２花のほうは受粉できたようで、子房が膨らんできました。室内越冬に向けてなるべくツルの成長を抑えたいので、できれば栄養が実に向けられてツルの勢いが抑えられることを期待しています。

As to the second flower in the blue circle, I think it was successfully pollinated, since the ovary is growing.  This plant will stay indoors during winter, and I want to keep it as small as possible.  So, I am hoping to get one or two young fruits, in the hope that the plant will concentrate its energy on growing the fruits, instead of the vine itself.

日中、気温がどんどん上昇してタイガは冷たい玄関タイルの上で涼しんでいました。目で「さんぽ」を訴えてきたので、４時半頃に公園へ向かいました。

With the sun out, the temperature kept rising through the day.  Taiga was resting on the cool porch tiles, with her eyes saying 'Walk, mom?', and we went out at around 4:30 p.m., headed for the park.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

最初の草地に到着。途中のコンビニでソフトクリームを買ったので、タイガの足取りが速くなっていました。

We arrived at the first field.  On our way here, I bought an ice cream at a shop, after which Taiga's walking picked up the pace.

いつもの「マイスプーン」。百均で買ったプラスチック製ですが、スプーンの周りに縁取りのような隆起があるので、ワンコが舐めてもアイスが引っ掛かってこぼれにくいのです。

そんなことはどうでも良いタイガは、「よし」の合図待ち。

As usual, 'my spoon', instead of the free spoon they have at the shop.  I got this from a 100-yen shop.  It is cheap but an ideal spoon to give ice cream to Taiga.  It has a sort of 'lip' around the head which catches the ice cream when Taiga licks it.  The lip prevents the ice cream from falling to the ground and makes it last longer.  All this is not important for Taiga who is eagerly waiting for the sign 'OK'.

一緒に食べると美味しい。

Ice cream tastes nicer when we share it.

最後の部分はタイガが独り占め。

The last part is dedicated to Taiga.

アイスの跡は石神井川を渡り城北中央公園へ入りました。

After the refreshment, we crossed the Shakujii River and entered the 'Central' part of Johoku Park.

林の中はヒンヤリして心地良いですが、

Walking through the woods with its cool air is very pleasant, but

今の時期は歓迎されない臭いが。。。

at this time of the year, there is also an unwelcome smell....

イチョウの実が落果し始めています。

The ginkgo trees have started to shed the fruits.

人が歩いて通ると果肉がつぶれるので、臭いがキツイです。

When people walk through the woods, they tread over the ripe flesh, and the smell permeates the air.

散々歩き回ったので、帰る前に一休み。久しぶりの天気なので、草地ではあちこちで色んな人達がボール遊びをしたり賑やかなので、タイガは興味深そうに見回していました。

After walking through the park, we sat down to rest before heading home.  Taking advantage of the good weather, there were many groups of people playing various games in the field, and Taiga kept looking around with child-like interest.

すっかり日が暮れてしまいましたが、明日も良い天気になりそう。

When we got up to go home, it was getting dark.  Judging by the sky, we can expect another fine day tomorrow.

蟠棗など Panzao jujube etc

 昨日も今日も、毎日雨です。小ぶりになった間に、蟠棗の高接ぎ枝の状況をチェック。

家の中で死ぬほど退屈しているタイガは、玄関ドアが開く気配がするとすっ飛んできます。

It continues to rain due to another typhoon, this time No. 26.  During a short intermission, I went to check the new buds on the Panzao scion that I grafted onto a Japanese jujube tree.  

Taiga is bored all day inside the house, and she did not miss the chance to get out.

鉢植えの日本ナツメに高接ぎした蟠棗の枝には２箇所に新芽が出ています。上の節に出た枝は、長いほうで10cmを超えました。でも、両方とも一年限りの枝で、葉腋には蕾も出ています。

The Panzao scion had two nodes.  The upper one has produced two limbs, one of which is already longer than 10 cm.  Both are temporary limbs that will fall off before winter, but they have flower buds at the base of each leaf.

下の節の芽吹きがより重要。２本の一年限りの枝の間に、恒常的な枝が出始めています。

What is happening with the lower node is more interesting.  Between the two limbs, a permanent branch has started to come out.

よりアップで見ると分かりやすい。来年の夏に採り木して独立の苗にすれば、この恒常的な枝が将来の主幹になるでしょう。

Up close, the permanent branch.  If I am successful in air-layering the branch next summer, this permanent branch will become the future trunk of the new tree.

皇帝ナツメはコガネ成虫に散々幼果を齧られたあと、4個しか実が残っていません。うち１個が色づいてきました。

Most of the young fruits of the Emperor jujube were damaged by Japanese green beetles, and there are only 4 intact fruits left.  One of them is turning golden and red.

皇帝ナツメにしてはかなり小さいですが、味見できるだけでも有難い。

For an Emperor jujube fruit, this one is really tiny, but I could not wait to taste it.

齧ってみると、何と、梨のようにジューシー！ これはたぶん、今年の異常なほどの降雨のおかげでしょう。味は砂糖水のように爽やかな甘さで、皮の付近にありがちなナツメ独特のクセのある香りは感じられませんでした。サクサクの食感も最高です。去年・一昨年の夏は普通の降水量で果実は石のように硬かったので、今年のサクサク食感や梨のようなジューシーさは、やはり雨の効果だと思います。この1個は、今まで食べたナツメ果の中で最高でした。

When I took a bite, it was incredibly juicy, just like a pear!  This is probably thanks to the rainy months we had.  It tasted like fresh syrup, and I did not feel any distinctly jujube flavour that normally exists in the skin.  The flesh was crispy and pleasant.  The flesh of this variety last year and the year before was rock hard, not crispy.  Again, I think the unusual amount of rainfall was responsible for the crispiness.  Actually, this fruit was the best jujube I have ever eaten.

無核大金絲ナツメ Seedless Silk Thread Jujube

 「無核」ナツメとは名ばかりで、去年も今年も全ての実に種が入っていたので、記録目的で動画を作成。

This jujube variety is supposed to be 'seedless'.  However, since each and every one of the fruits that I harvested last year and this year had a seed, I decided to make a video for the record.

種無しスダチ Seedless Sudachi

 連日の雨のあいだに種無しスダチの枝がボウボウに徒長していました。台風25号が去って、次の26号の影響でまた雨が降る前に剪定です。３，４年前に苗を地植えにした場所は玄関横、タイガの視線の先です。

During the rainy days that lasted for more than a month, new branches of the Seedless Sudachi kept growing long and lanky.  Today, we are having a break from rains, with the typhoon No. 25 gone, and before the effect of the new No. 26 starts to reach Tokyo.  I planted the Seedless Sudachi in the ground a few years ago, after growing it for several years in a 30 cm in diameter pot - it is standing close to the front door and at the end of Taiga's glance.

写真では分かりづらいですが、肉眼で見ると徒長枝が大暴れしている状態です。

The photo does not show well, but the new branches are getting out of control.

伸びた枝の間から覗くと、実が大きく育っています。

Peeping through the new branches, I see bunches of sudachi fruits.

                 

だいぶスッキリしました。苗の上のほうに実のかたまりが見えます。

After pruning, the plant looks much better, and I can see the fruits at the top of the tree.

今年は雨のおかげか、あるいは木が充実したからか、今までにない大実です。

I do not know whether it is because of the weeks of rain or the fact that the tree is becoming more mature, but the fruits are larger than any I have seen in previous years.

もう9月下旬なので、一気に収穫しました。

Sudach fruits are consumed while they are still young, since the flavour is most intense at this stage.

この一番大きな実の重さを後で計りたいと思います。全体的に、デパ地下で売られている「ハウス栽培」の高級スダチに負けない出来だと思います。ただし、お店のスダチは種入り、うちのは種無しです。

10号ロングスリット鉢で育てていた間、実は小さく、雨が数日続くと裂果が多発していたのに、地植えしたあと、今年の夏の長雨にも拘わらず１個も汚損果が発生していないので大満足です。去年は地植えの初成りで3個が生り、今年はより多い結実だったので、将来が明るいです。

This fruit seems to be largest, and I am going to weigh it later.   Overall, I feel that these homegrown fruits are as good as any that are sold in department stores as high-end sudachi.  Moreover, those in the shop are regular sudachi with tonnes of seeds inside, whereas mine are basically seedless.  

While this tree was growing in the pot, the fruits were much smaller, and after a few days of continuous rain, there used to be cracks on many of the fruits.  This year, in spite of the weeks of rain, there has been no crack or any other form of spoilage.  Last year was the first time of fruiting after planting the tree in the ground and it produced 3 fruits.  So, it is getting better every year.

一番大きな実の果重は40gでした。

The largest fruit weighed 40g - quite heavy for a sudachi.

半割にした状態。果汁た～っぷり！ 果肉の色は、実物はもっと浅緑色で、写真のような黄色ではありません。この外皮の薄さにも拘わらず、雨による裂果が無かったのには再度驚き。

When I cut it into half, the juice spouted out.  As to the colour of the flesh, my camera is misleading, since the actual flesh was light green - the right stage for consuming sudachi.  Considering how thin the outer skin is, it is amazing that there was no crack on the fruits after days of rain.

絞ると種は一個だけ。期待以上に果汁が多いです。

There was just one seed.  The amount of the juice exceeded my expectation.