いつも行く八百屋さんで近江新生姜が今日の目玉商品で安くなっていたので、買って来てさっそくガリを作りました。２塊入りのパックを全部使ったら、ザワークラウトが入っていた大瓶にちょうど良い具合でした。使った調味料は米酢と砂糖だけです。冷蔵庫で保存して、いろんなものに利用します。
At the green grocer's that I frequent, newly harvested white ginger was on the shelf as today's offer. It is the cultivar used for making pickled ginger slices that are put as a condiment to sushi. In fact, it has many other uses in Japanese food life, so it is a useful item to keep in the fridge. The pack contained two large lumps of ginger, and they were just the right amount to fill the large jar that used to contain sauerkraut. Making the ginger pickles is simple: peel and slice the ginger roots, prepare solution with rice vinegar and sugar, cook the slices for a few minutes until the slices are supple (this is when the solution turns pink), cool and store in the fridge.
午後４時頃から暗い雲が立ち込めて時々雷がなっていました。夕立がくるのかと思って待っていたけど降らないので、５時半に散歩に出発。城北公園とは逆方向に石神井川沿いを歩きます。地元のボランティアさんたちが運営している花壇。ここだけはタイガがオシッコしないよう、速足で通り過ぎます。
The sky became overcast after 4 p.m. and I could hear thunders from time to time. I expected a shower, but it never came. So, we left for our evening walk at 5:30 p.m. We walked along the river in the opposite direction to the usual Johoku Park. When we came to the flower bed that was managed by local volunteers, we passed by quickly, so that Taiga would not stop to relieve herself.
向こうから初めてみるマルチーズの子がやってきました。最初はタイガに近づきたくて飼い主さんを引っ張ってきましたが、
A new face approached us - a very pretty Maltese. He pulled his owner with all his strength in order to come closer to Taiga.
タイガを目の前にすると、突然豹変して唸りだしました。私が手を差し出したら体を押し付けてきました。普通はその段階から安心してタイガに近づき始めるのですが、この子はタイガに対しては終始唸りっぱなしでした。でも、スチル画像を開いてみるとスマイル顔に写っているので、飼い主さんと大笑いしました。
However, the moment he came face to face with Taiga, he started to growl and bark at her. I stretched out my hand so that he could smell Taiga on me, and he pressed himself against me. Normally, the new dog would feel reassured about greeting Taiga at this stage, but not this one. He kept growling at Taiga all the time. Nevertheless, when I opened the still photos on my phone, he looked smiling in every one of them. His dad and I had a good laugh.
更に川沿いを歩いていると、涼し気な垣根が見えてきました。ああ今年もこの花の季節がきたか、蒸し暑くなるぞ、という気持ちです。
We walked on and came to a house with beautiful blue flowers, which made me say to myself, 'Ah, it is that time of the year again, when the weather turns deadly hot and humid'.ルリマツリです。
Plumbago auriculata
ずっと雷がなっているので先を急ぎ、地蔵さんの場所を目指します。
We kept hearing the thunder, so we hurried on towards the jizo-san (stone statue).
着きました。梅雨の季節のせいか、右の地蔵さんと左の不動明王像のそれぞれに傘がさされています。
Here we are. Probably due to the rainy season, both of the stone statue has an umbrella over it.
地蔵さん。
Jizo-san
不動明王の横には、うちにある赤花のリーガーベゴニアと似た鉢植えが置いてありました。
The master of this place (originally, this corner was created for him a few hundred years ago, and the little jizo-san is a later addition). Next to him, I saw a pot of Rieger begonia similar to the one I have at home. Nice.
いつもの折り返し地点目指して更に歩きました。
We moved on to get to the turning point where we head home.
始めて気づいたのですが、ヤマボウシのウルフアイの大きな木がありました。家の２階まで届いています。
I noticed this tree for the first time - a large dogwood cultivar called 'Wolf Eyes'.
秋には斑入りの白い部分が赤くなると聞いています。覚えていたらまた見に来たいです。
I hear that the white rims turn red in autumn. If I still remember about this tree in autumn, I would like to come back.
