赤葉モミジの盆栽が今日やっとできました。
A bonsai with red leaf maple seedlings has been set up, at last.
I attached the legs to the pot 3 days ago and left it on the upstairs balcony so that it would dry fast in the full sun every day.
乾燥させたあとでも、この材質には弾力性があり、粘土というよりは樹脂製の素材です。手にとると全然重みがなくて、本当にこれで役割を果たせるのか不安になるほどです。
Even after getting dry, the pot is somewhat soft and resilient - it feels more like resin, rather than clay. When I hold it in my hand, it feels light as tissue paper, and it makes me worry if this is really going to do the job as a bonsai pot.
植え付け作業を外でやると蚊の大群に襲われるので、部屋の中で行います。軽石を発芽苗が植わっていた土と混ぜて用土にします。仕上げは水で湿らせておいたコケ。
I gathered all I needed in a room upstairs, since doing it outside would attract a swarm of mosquitoes. I mixed the pumice with the soil of the seedlings. The moss is for the finishing touch.
初めての試みにしては、いとも簡単に作業を終了。この器を作り終えた時点では「大き過ぎ！」と思って絶望していましたが、実際に苗を植えてみると、たぶんコケが体裁を整えてくれたおかげで、大失敗というほどには感じていません。でも、いつかお店でまともな鉢を見かけたら、それに植え替えます。
Even though I had never set up a bonsai before, the work was done in no time. When I made the pot several days ago, I was dismayed to see how large it was relative to the sizes of the seedlings. However, after actually planting the seedlings, I thought they looked not too bad, probably thanks to the effect of the moss.
こうやってみると、赤葉モミジって結構カワイイですね。たくさん種を蒔いたうちの４個だけ発芽して、うち１個は緑色の葉。そして赤葉のうちの１本は、最近近所へ嫁に行きました。当初考えていた「３本仕立て」よりは、この２本のほうが余裕があって良かったです。ちなみに、緑色のを使わなかった理由は、成長スピードが赤葉とは全然異なり、今では30cm近くに伸びているので、一緒の鉢に盆栽として植えるには適していないからです。
Seeing the seedlings in the pot, I am amazed how pretty they look. I sowed many seeds in autumn last year, but only 4 of them germinated. One of them was a normal, green leaf maple. Of the 3 red leaf maples, one was given away to my neighbour recently. Although, originally, I was thinking of a bonsai with 3 red leaf maples, I think that would have been too crowded. As to the green leaf seedling, its growth habit is too different - it is now as tall as 30 cm, and not suitable for use with the red seedlings in the same bonsai pot.
鉢に足が着いていると水はけに関して安心です。
コケはいくらでもあったので、気前よく使いました。
I used the moss generously to cover the surface of the soil.
It was worth adding the legs to the pot for better drainage.
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今日も発狂しそうなほどの蒸し暑さでした。今の時期、毎日は買い物に出なくて良いよう、まとめ買いしていますが、今日はその食料補充の日で、八百屋さんとスーパーをハシゴしました。帰宅すると、即、冷水シャワーです。
夕方散歩ではタイガも疲れていて、草地に着くと座り込みです。
It was another maddeningly hot and humid day today. In this weather, I try to buy foodstuff enough for 2-3 days. Today was one of those days when I had to replenish the fridge. After visiting a greengrocer and a supermarket, it was lifesaving to get into a cold shower. During our evening walk, Taiga was also exhausted from the heat and sat down on the grass as soon as we reached the nearest field.
そのうち、いつもの草風呂。
Soon, she started her 'grass bath'.
スッキリした？
Feeling better?
私はセミの声を聴きながら、呼吸するのにもエネルギー節約しながらじっとしています。こんな暑さでも、真冬の惨めなほど寒い日には懐かしく思いだすのでしょうか。
As to myself, listening to the deafening sounds of cicadas, I tried to save my energy even when breathing. Will I ever miss these hot and humid summer days, on a miserably cold winter day?
