There is “Michi-no-Eki Aito Margaret Station” in Higashiomi City, which is located in the eastern part of Lake Biwa and where the countryside spreads. The “Cosmos Garden” was opened on October 5th. The cosmos is still one-third in bloom, and the blue leaves stand out. The cosmos flowers in full bloom are also spectacular, but I also like the cosmos flowers of these days. It is good that each flower is big and fresh. The customers are still sparse, and I can enjoy the cosmos slowly to my heart’s content. From now on, it seems that the days of visiting Cosmos will continue.

琵琶湖の東、田園が広がる東近江市に「道の駅あいとうマーガレットステーション」があります。その中の「コスモス園」が、10月5日に開園しました。コスモスもまだ三分咲きで、青い葉っぱの方が目立ちます。満開のコスモスも見応えがあっていいですが、この頃のコスモスも好きです。一つひとつの花が大きく初々しいのがいいです。お客さんもまだ疎らで、ゆっくりと心ゆくまでコスモスを鑑賞できます。これからは一頻り、コスモスを訪ねる日々が続きそうです。

This year, the scorching heat has closed and I feel that autumn has suddenly arrived. Probably because of that, the remnants of summer and the scenery of autumn are mixed everywhere. Even today, when I stroll along the coutry road, a splendid lily is in full bloom. Speaking of lilies, it is one of the representative flowers of summer, so this lily is probably the last lily of this year. The variety is probably Takasagoyuri. The origin is Taiwan, and it is a wild species that is widely distributed in Japan. Many varieties of them are crossed with Easter lilies native to Japan and are indistinguishable.

今年は猛暑から一転、秋が突然訪れた感があります。そのせいか、至る所で夏の名残りと秋の風景が混在しています。今日も、山あいの道を散策していると立派な百合が一輪凛と咲いています。百合と言えば、夏を代表する花のひとつですから、おそらくこの百合は今年最後の百合です。品種的にはタカサゴユリでしょう。原産地は台湾で、日本にも広く分布する野生種です。日本原産のテッポウユリと交雑している品種も多く、見分けが付きません。

It’s “Summer day” in the afternoon and I cannot sleep without a comforter at night. “Summer day” don’t mean that it’s hot and unbearable, and if I have a thin comforter at night, I can sleep soundly, and it may be the best time of the year. At one point, there was an eye-popping price of vegetables, and the early Samma fish that I had been waiting for was too expensive, and I was disappointed. But now, there are sales battles that make me wonder which new rice is really delicious. I’m looking forward to going to the supermarket with persimmons, tangerines, pears and grapes.

昼は夏日、夜は掛け布団なしでは寝られなくなりました。夏日と言っても暑くて堪らんと言う訳でなし、夜も薄い掛け布団があれば、むしろ熟睡できますし、一年でいちばんいい時期かも知れません。いっ時は目玉が飛び出すような野菜の高騰があったり、待っていた初秋刀魚もお値段ばかりが高くて、がっかりだったりと言うこともありました。今は新米の売り込み合戦、どれが本当に美味しいのやら。柿に蜜柑に梨に葡萄、スーパーに行くのが楽しみです。

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It’s a perfect autumn day except that the remnants of summer clouds stay low in the mountains far ahead. I can only hear the sound of leaves rubbing against the breeze. The spacious park is covered with all green. Only one set of bench tables in the sun is conspicuous. It is a mysterious landscape, whether it is the off-season of people’s visit or it is a coincidence. A long time ago, when I was in elementary school, when it was quiet for a moment in a noisy classroom, someone shouted, “God ran!” I still remember that it was a good expression. This scene now is perfect for that expression.

ずっと先の山並みに夏の名残り雲が低く留める以外は全くの秋日和。微風に擦れてなる葉音だけが聞こえてきます。広々とした公園は緑一色。日溜りにあるひと組のベンチテーブルだけが目立ちます。人の訪れの端境期なのか、はたまた偶然なのか、不思議な風景です。昔小学生の頃、騒つく教室に一瞬静寂になった時、誰かが「神さんが走った！」と叫びました。上手い表現だと未だに記憶に残っていますが、その表現がぴったりの風景です。

Until just the other day, bright red Higanbana was in bloom, but this time, pure white Nira flowers are blooming in the traces. Nira, which appears in both Kojiki and Manyoshu, seems to have been associated with people from quite old time. Nira, which is said to be synonymous with stamina vegetables even in modern times, has a high β-carotene content and is rich in other nutritional components, and is said to be effective in relieving fatigue and improving health. It is used for various stamina dishes.

つい先日まで真っ赤な彼岸花が咲いていましたが、その跡に今度は真っ白なニラの花が咲いています。古事記にも万葉集にも登場するニラはかなり古くから人との関わりがあったようです。現代でもスタミナ野菜の代名詞のように言われるニラは、β-カロテンの含有量が高く、その他栄養成分が豊富で、疲労回復や健康増進にも効果があるとされ、炒め物や卵とじなど、様々なスタミナ料理に利用されています。

Today, some families are coming to the fallow fields in Satoyama, which I visit occasionally, and they are spreading their lunch. It’s a countryside that usually has no characteristics, but there are many small pale pink flowers in bloom. Look closely, it is Sakura Tade. The flowers are larger than ordinary Tade, supple like a willow, and as the name suggests, flowers that resemble cherry blossoms are in bloom. In Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel, there is a story called “Tate-eating insect”, but the woman n”Ohisa” that appears there suddenly came to my mind.

たまに訪れる里山の休耕田に、今日は何組かの家族連れが来ていて、お弁当を広げています。普段はこれと言って特徴のない田園ですが、淡いピンク色の小さな花がいっぱい咲いています。よく見るとサクラタデです。普通のタデより花が大きめで、柳のようにしなやかで、名前通りサクラによく似た花が咲いています。谷崎潤一郎の小説に『蓼喰う虫』と言うのがありますが、そこに出て来る「お久」がふと思い浮かびました。

When I go around the precincts of a small temple early in the morning, I hear people’s voices even though there are no people. It’s a female voice. Looking over there, a young woman knelt in front of the child-rearing Jizo standing in a corner of the precincts, chanting the Heart Sutra as if she murmurs. It was a wake-up appearance. I don’t know if she has a strong faith or if she has something to complicate, and I left the place quickly. I thought about various things along the way. Consideration for women is still insufficient, including in Japan. It is only when, whatever the circumstances, how difficult it is for a woman to give birth to a child is shared by everyone, and everyone blesses the born child that a better society and a brighter society come true.

早朝、狭いお寺の境内を回っていると、人影もないのに人の声がします。女性の声です。向こうの方を見ると、境内の片隅に立つ子育て地蔵の前に跪いて、若い女性が呟くように般若心経を唱えています。ハッとするような姿です。信仰心の厚い方なのか、何か事情があってのことなのか、知る由もありませんが、足早にその場を離れました。道すがら色んなことを考えました。我が国も含めまだまだ女性に対する配慮が足りません。どんな事情であれ、女性が子供を産むと言うことがどんなに大変なことなのか、その大変さを誰もが分かち合い、生まれてくる子供には誰もが祝福してこそ、より良き社会、明るい未来が約束できます。

This year began in Corona and will close in Corona. It became completely autumn, and the harvest moon began to rise in the cloudless night sky. I held my smartphone and took a picture. Look closely, the lamps of two airplanes near the moon can be seen. I’m happy. Recently, the number of flights has decreased, and I have never seen two planes at the same time. Just about now the flight is rush hour. Planes will go across the night sky of the moon one after another. The company under my eyes has also closed, and the salespeople who are preparing to go home are going back and forth. They look fine too. Good luck, Japan!

今年一年はコロナに明けコロナに暮れそうです。すっかり秋らしくなって、雲一つない夜空に中秋の名月が上り始めました。スマホを構えて写真を撮りました。よく見ると名月の近くに二機の飛行機のランプが映っています。嬉しくなりました。最近はとんと飛行機便も少なくなり、二機を同時に見かけることはなかったからです。丁度飛行機便もラッシュアワー。次から次と名月の夜空を横切って行きます。眼下の会社も営業を終え、帰り支度の営業マン達が右往左往しています。元気そうです。頑張れ、ニッポン！