夜のうちに雨が降ったようですが、今日一日は湿度が高く暖かい日でした。午後３時頃に散歩に出かけ、近所の幹線道路の工事現場横を通りました。ついでに気温のチェック。
Winter in Tokyo is the dry season, but it seems to have rained during the night. Thanks to the rain, we had a warm day all day, with some humidity which is good for my throat. We went out for a walk at 3 p.m. and passed by the road construction site near our home. Looking at the scale on the wire fence,
暖かいと思ったら気温16℃、湿度は45%ありました。
the temperature was as high as 16℃, while the humidity level was 45%.
もう少し丘の上に登り、池袋方面を見渡すと遠くにサンシャイン60ビルが見えました。わざわざ小竹向原駅まで行かなくても、地元の桜台からでも見えたのでした。しかも、気づいたのは、前回 小竹向原駅から見た高層ビル群はサンシャインとは離れたところにあるということでした。
Nearby, from a slightly higher point of the hill, I could see the Sunshine 60 Building in Ikebukuro. When I looked in the same direction the other day from Kotake Mukaihara Station, I was mistaken about what I saw. I now realise that the cluster of tall buildings are located away from Sunshine 60.
The buildings visible on the right of Sunshine are what I saw the other day, whereas Sunshine 60 stands alone.
更にズームで確認。桜台からは、サンシャインビルの正面ではなく、幅の狭い側面が見える方角になるようです。要町に住んでいたときは正面か裏を見ていたような記憶です。
On a closer look, the building stands with its side towards us, not the broader front or back of the building. When I lived in Kanamecho, which was only one stop away from Ikebukuro, I was looking at the broader side of the building from my flat. The reason why I am drawn to this building is that I always worked in the financial district (Marunouchi) when I was young and lived along the underground Yurakuho Line which takes you straight to Marunouchi. (Even now, I live near a station of the Yurakucho Line.) Since I spent most of my time working, the only fun I had at weekends was to do shopping in Ikebukuro, one of the largest shopping centres.
実生苗だと思うので、将来本当にこのような花が咲くか保証はありませんが、気長に育ててみます。
こちらは去年の春にネットショップで買った八重咲きゴールド苗。プロが作った苗とは言っても交配苗なので、「実生」であることに違いはありません。
帰りに寄った園芸店で見つけたクリスマスローズの幼苗。安かったので、つい。
I looked into a flower shop on our way home and found a tiny Christmas rose plant. It was cheap and inviting.
I think it is a seedling which means that there is no guarantee that the plant will produce flowers looking just like the one in the picture. However, uncertainty is part of the fun when it comes to gardening.
植え付けました。このサイズからスタートだと開花までに４，５年かかるかも。
Starting from this size, the plant may take 4,5 years to flower.
これ↓はこぼれ種から開花まで育った八重咲きゴールド苗。発芽しているのに気づいてから7年くらいかかって咲きました。
This is a home-grown seedling from one of the gold Christmas roses with double flowers that I had briefly (they all died within a few months of purchase). After I noticed the tiny plant growing in the ground, it took about 7 years before flowering.
去年の秋に場所替えして根っこを痛めたのか、今年は花が上がってきていません。
I relocated the plant in autumn last year, which might have upset the roots - I cannot find any flower stems now.
こちらは去年の春にネットショップで買った八重咲きゴールド苗。プロが作った苗とは言っても交配苗なので、「実生」であることに違いはありません。
I bought this one on the internet in spring last year - a double, gold Christmas rose plant. Although this was grown by a professional, it is still a seedling by cross breeding.
去年の１月末には既にお店で開花していた苗ですが、今年は花芽が出ないようです。そのかわり、株が１年で３倍くらいに育ったので嬉しい。
This plant had flowers in January last year, but I do not see any this year. However, the plant has tripled in size after I bought it, so it is good news.
去年の夏にキンカンライムの枝を地植えのリスボンに高接ぎしました。時期外れの花が咲いて、そのまま８個の実が生りました。
去年の夏にキンカンライムの枝を地植えのリスボンに高接ぎしました。時期外れの花が咲いて、そのまま８個の実が生りました。
I grafted a scion from the potted limequat onto the Lisbon Lemon growing in the ground, in summer last year. Soon, the scion started growing new branches, which was followed by flowers, and 8 young fruits.
ただし、秋に育ったので実のサイズは普通のキンカン程度に小粒です。鉢植えキンカンライムの親苗の実との比較。キンカンライムは苗が充実してくると、実も大きなものが生ります。種が入るのが難点ですが香酸類として利用できる期間が長いので、あると便利な柑橘類です。
However, the fruits came late, growing in autumn, so they are as small as normal kumquat. When the potted limequat tree became mature, it started to grow larger fruits. The only snag is that the fruit has seeds. Nevertheless, this is a very useful citrus plant to have, since I can use the fruits for many months.
