散歩のあとローズティー Walk followed by Rose Tea

 夜のうちに降り出した雨は今朝になっても止まず、公園は雨の中の散歩でした。他所のワンコの姿は全くなし。

It started to rain during the night, and it was still raining this morning.  So, it was not surprising that we did not see any other dogs when we arrived at the park.

タイガはストイックに歩き続けます。この雨合羽、気に入ったのか装着の際に全然逃げ回りません。脚を通さなくてよいのが受けているようで、着せる私にとっても非常に楽です。

Taiga walks on stoically.  She seems to have taken to this raincoat - when I try to put it on, she does not run away as she used to do with previous raincoats.  With this one, she does not have to put her legs through sleeves and that seems to have made a lot of difference.  It is easier for me to put it on her, too, so we both benefit from it.

昨日 日本スピッツのアンジーちゃんと会った築山へ上ります。ここはタイガのオヤツスポットのひとつなので、私を誘導していきます。

We went up the little mound where we met Angie, the Japanese Spitz, yesterday.  This is one of Taiga's treat spots, so she is happy to lead me to it.

上がって見渡したところで誰の姿も見えないので、

Up on the mound, we did not see any other dogs walking.

オヤツのあとはさっさと帰りました。

So, we had a treat and went home.

門の外に置いてあるバラのハンザは、先週からポツポツ咲き始めています。

The Hanza rose started to flower last week - this is the third one this autumn.

食用菊の十五夜もだんだんと開花してきています。

The edible chrysanthemum in the rain.

秋の花なので小ぶりですが、香はしっかりあります。

Since it is an autumn flower, it is small.

さっそく摘んでローズティーにします。

I picked it to make a cup of rose tea.

タイガの雨合羽は庭のホース水でドロが簡単に落ちるので、あとはハンガーで外に吊るしておくだけ。使ったあとに洗濯という手間が要らないので、とても便利な雨具です。

It is easy to look after Taiga's raincoat after use - I just run the hose water outside and the dirt comes off easily.  After that, I hang it outside to dry - the material is not woven, and it dries quickly.  The beauty with this raincoat is that you do not have to do 'washing' as such.

ローズティーには酸味が欠かせません。キンカンライムを1個利用。10月に入ると果汁たっぷり。果皮の色が翌年の２月頃に黄色くなっても味は変わらないので、長く利用できる便利な香酸類です。

For the rose tea, acidity is essential, so I picked a limequat which becomes fully ripe in October with lots of juice.  The skin turns yellow in following February, but the taste does not change, which means I can use this over many months.

薔薇の花は綺麗に濯いだら、花びらだけを使います。

I thoroughly rinsed the flower before putting the petals into the cup.

左はダージリン紅茶。右のハンザは熱湯を注いだだけの状態で、花びらが脱色して決して綺麗な外見ではない。

On the left is Darjeeling tea, and on the right the rose tea.  When you pour hot water, the petals lose their colour and it looks unappealing.

両方のカップにキンカンライムの半割をそれぞれ搾りいれると、ハンザのほうは酸に反応して液体が濃いピンクになります。

I squeezed half of the limequat each to the Darjeeling tea and the rose tea.  The rose tea reacted to the acidity and the liquid acquired a deep pink colour.

さらに、味を良くするためにハンザのほうに小さじ２杯の蜂蜜を加えると、色はより濃くなります。

Further, I added 2 teaspoons of honey to the rose tea, and the colour became deeper.

液体の味は甘酸っぱくて香がバツグン。花びらを食べるとシャキシャキの食感とスモモのような風味があります。

The taste of the rose tea (the liquid) is sweet and sour and very delicious with a beautiful fragrance.  The petals have become firm due to the acidity, and they are now chewy with a hint of plums.

公園で At the Park

 今朝は珍しく長年の友達に次々と会えた日でした。四中草地に着くと、シュナウザーのトムと柴犬のカリー君。もう十分遊んでオヤツもたっぷりもらって帰るところだったので、タイガの顔を見ても何の反応もなし。

It was quite a morning, running into familiar faces one after another.  When we arrived at the field just in front of the Central Park, we met Tom (Schnauzer) and Curry (Shiba Inu).  They had already had lots of exercise followed by treats, and were ready to go home.  

飼い主よりもワンコのほうが帰る気持ち満々。

They were so exhausted and ready to go home more than their owners.

タイガにとっては空振りでしたが、めげずにズンズン歩いていきます。

What a pity for Taiga.  However, she was eager to move ahead.

カリンの木を背景にポーズ。

Posing on the boulder in front of a quince tree.

裏年がない果樹なのか、毎年鈴なりです。完熟で落ちているのをよく見かけますが、匂いは良いけど食用には用途の少ない果実なのが残念。

The quince trees in the park do not seem to have alternate year fruit setting - they are such reliable and prolific producers.  Pity there is little use for the fruits, apart from making jam (never tried it myself).

道を渡って築山のふもとで会ったのはラブラドゥードルのアルバス（右）と妹（左）（名前の響きがトルコ風でよく忘れる）。アルバスは毎夕方、今は工事中の草地で群れで遊んでいた数年間の馴染みです。妹のほうは草地が無くなってからの知り合いなのに、アルバスに負けずに大歓迎してくれます。

When we came to another field, we met two Labradoodles, Albas (right) and his younger sister (left).  Albas is a long-time friend, since the days when there was a large field where we met every evening - since then, the field has been under construction for about 5 years.  His sister arrived after the pack was dissolved.  And yet, she is just as enthusiastic in meeting Taiga as Albas.

大興奮だったのを、何とか座って落ち着かせました。妹の頭の毛がすごいことになっています。

They were too excited, so we tried to calm them down.  The little sister's hairstyle is quite something.

一旦は落ち着いてもタイガに近付きたくて、にじり寄ってきました。

After calming down a little, they started crawling towards Taiga.

築山に上ると、日本スピッツのアンジーちゃんがいました。最後に会ったのは半年以上前です。現在13歳だそうで、何だか急激に自己防衛的になった印象です。犬は年をとるにつれ、自分の弱さをカバーするために警戒心を強めることが良くあります。タイガが近づくと、唸りはしなかったけど固まって挨拶を避けていました。

There was a small mound nearby and we went up, where we met Angie, a 13-year old Japanese Spitz.  It was more than 6 months ago when we last met.  Angie seems to have become more defensive than ever with age.  When Taiga got closer, she did not growl but kept avoiding her.  She almost looked frozen.

でも、草地で遊んだ数年間も、デリケートなアンジーは他の子たちとワンプロはしていなかったので、この流れは自然に思えます。

She has always been delicate and never participated in rough playing with other pack members in the days of the evening meet.  So, her current behaviour seemed natural.

橋を渡って中央公園の広場を歩いていると通りがかった甲斐犬のヒナとセナ。ヒナとタイガはもう最初から大興奮。

We crossed the river and entered the Central Park, when we saw Hina and Sena.  Hina and Taiga were delighted.

ただしセナは草地の群れが解散した後に迎えられた子なので、タイガを見ても単なるよそ者のひとり、という捉え方をしているようです。

However, Sena did not participate in the excitement.  She joined Hina's family after the evening pack was dissolved.  As a result, she seems to regard Taiga just as one of the boring outsiders.

あくびまでして退屈でしょうがない様子。

She made no effort to hide her boredom and even yawned.

秋の花たち Autumn Flowers

 今朝の散歩は石神井川の向こうの早宮地区。ちょっと高級感漂う街並みのエリアです。目の前をネコがわざわざ横切って塀の穴をすり抜けて姿を消したので、タイガは名残惜しそうに臭い嗅ぎ。何度ネコパンチをくらっても近づきたいようです。

For this morning's walk, Taiga chose the residential area that lies on the other side of the Shakujii River.  The streets here look classier than where I live.  As we were walking, a cat deliberately crossed the path in front of us and disappeared through the wall.  Taiga immediately went to the spot where the cat disappeared - she simply cannot resist however many times she gets punched in the face.

坂の途中の家の花壇には紫色の花が今をピークに咲いていました。

A beautiful bush with purple flowers, growing by the side of a house.

この植物の名前は知りませんが、園芸店で40cmくらいの開花苗が3号ポットに植わって売られているのは何度も見たことあります。地植えにするとこんな立派になるのですね。

I have seen this plant in the shop many times but they were always around 40 cm tall, growing in a tiny pot.  I never knew that it could grow to such a magnificent tree.

葉っぱはハーブのセージに似た分厚い葉です。葉をくしゃくしゃにすると匂いがあるのか知りたいところ。

The leaves are fleshy and resemble those of sage.  I wonder what it smells like if I tore a leaf.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

帰宅して、門の外に置いてある食用菊の苗が咲き始めました。

Back home, the edible chrysanthemum in front of my house is starting to flower.

「十五夜」という名前で、早咲きの「阿房宮」の枝替わりだそうです。今年の８月にメルカリで買ったばかりなので、本来の開花時期より遅れているかも。咲き始めたばかりの花ですが、よーく見ると、なるほどスーパーでみかけるパック入りの食用菊です（買ったことありませんが）。スーパーでは十五夜と阿房宮が普及してるそうです。

This variety is a bud mutation of another, very popular edible chrysanthemum.  Those two varieties are most commonly sold in supermarkets for consumption.  They are both early flowering varieties and, since I have some more varieties to come, I can enjoy a long period of edible chrysanthemums.  This year, I am going to steam and dry them to make chrysanthemum tea.

タイガが調子に乗って遊びに誘ってきましたが、かーちゃんは疲れているのよ。

Taiga invited me to play on the street, but I was too tired after the morning walk in the sun.

「十五夜」の苗を送ってくださった方がメルカリの表示よりも多めに入れてくださったので、もう一鉢あります。下の写真の最も手前の鉢で蕾が動き出しました。

I have another pot (the one in front) of the same variety.  The person who sold the plant sent me more than it had been indicated on the internet site.

柑橘苗の右横に僅かに覗いているノコンギクの「桃山」も咲き始めました。

The wild aster with pink flowers (actually a cultivated variety for its pink flowers) is barely surviving.  It seems such a delicate variety.

これは本当に儚いです。日当たりは良いのですが、寄せ植え状態で土が合わないのかヒョロヒョロと頼りない。実験のために少し離れたところにも植えてありますが、そちらはもっと貧弱。来年は鉢上げにして、他の植物と押し合いへし合いにならない状態を確保します。

It is in full sun but it probably does not like growing with other plants so close by.  Therefore, next year, I am going to put this in a large pot so that it will not have to compete with others.

カメラのせいで若干紫がかって見えますが、綺麗なピンクの花です。

My camera does not do justice to the flower - it is actually a beautiful pink.

うちには普通の野菊もあります。この株は本来は大輪・多花性の見事な野良でした。２年前の秋に道路工事で撤去されそうになったのを、作業員さんに頼んで株を掘り起こしてもらいました。去年と今年は日陰で間延びしてしまったので、来年は鉢上げしてバルコニーで直射日光に当ててみます。日がガンガン照るアスファルトの隙間の過酷な環境に生えていた株です。

I also have the common wild aster that you can find anywhere in Japan.  This particular one was growing in a tiny gap of asphalt and in full sun.  When I saw it 2 years ago, they were working on a new road and about to get rid of this plant altogether.  So, I asked one of the workers to save it for me.  This plant had huge flowers and lots of them, even though no-one looked after it.  Unfortunately, I planted this in a shade in my garden and the flowers have been sparse.  Next year, I am going to keep this in a large pot and in full sun.

またしてもカメラの影響ですが、実際の色はもう少し紫がかっています。

結局うちにある野菊は、この普通種と、11月に咲く濃い紫色のとピンクの桃山、そしてメルカリでノコンギクとして売られていた濃いピンクの花が咲くものとで４種類になりました。最後に挙げた濃いピンクのは、葉っぱが日本の野菊ではありません。たぶん、洋物のアスターの一種だと思います。そのうち咲くのが楽しみです。

The real colour of the flower is more lilac than in this photo.  In all, I have 3 varieties of Japanese wild asters: this common one, a deep-purple one (cultivated variety), and the pink one (cultivated variety).  I also bought another aster this summer, which the seller called 'Japanese wild aster'.  However, the leaves are wrong and its growth habit too vigorous - I think it is a foreign variety.  In any case, I am looking forward to seeing its flowers soon.

日本ナツメ Another Jujube tree

 日本ナツメの実もそろそろ色づいてきました。一言に「日本種」と言ってもバリエーションはいくつかあるようで、数年前に地元JAで買ったトゲトゲの日本種の実と、今年の８月に買った苗の実とでは、葉や実の形が随分違います。共通点は、実が小さいこと。これは仕方ないです。幸いこの苗はトゲ無しなので世話がしやすい。この写真の実は、苗が届いてから開花した花の実。今年はこの小さい状態で終わりそうです。間引きと試食のために小さい実を毎日ポリポリ食べていますが、酸っぱくてジューシーで美味しい。酸味と果汁は、ナツメにとって稀で貴重な要素です。

The fruits of the Japanese jujube tree is ripening.  There are several types of common Japanese jujube trees.  The tree I bought several years ago was very thorny and the shapes of leaves and fruits were quite different from those of this tree which I bought in August this year.  The commonality is that the fruits are small.  This new tree is thorn free which makes it easy to look after this plant.  

The fruits in this photo are from the flowers that came after the plant was delivered to me.  Due to the short time in which they had to grow, it seems that this is all they can do for this year.  I have been tasting these tiny ones for the purpose of thinning, but they tasted so juicy and beautiful with definite sourness.  To me, juiciness and sourness in jujubes are rare and precious factors.

以下の４個は苗が届いた時点で開花していた花からの実。これくらいの色づきが果汁たっぷりです。

These 4 fruits are from the flowers in bloom at the time of plant delivery.  At this stage, the fruits are ripe.

色づきの度合いで糖度がどう違うか実験です。まずは右端の最も色づた実から糖度計を当てていきます。

I wanted to see if getting brown had correlation with sweetness.  I started measuring the sugar content with the one on the extreme right.

46.8%

46.9%

47%

46.9%

ほんとかいな、と思うくらいの高糖度です（あくまでも糖度計によるとですが）。しかも色づき具合はあまり糖度に重要ではなさそう。青い実を試食していたときは甘味を感じていたけど、それはしっかりした酸味のおかげで甘味を感じているだけだろうと思っていましたが、実際に糖度も高いようです。

They all show incredibly high sugar content (assuming that my gadget is working all right).  Interestingly, the degree of colouring seems irrelevant to the sugar content.  While I was eating the young fruits, they tasted sweet but I kept thinking that it was due to the relatively strong acidity that enhanced the sweetness.  I now know that this common jujube variety can produce very tasty fruits.