私のお気に入り イカル君 - My love Ikaru

I crushed on Ikaru when I watched him on TV show.

His photo is on desktop of my PC in the office.

TV番組で見てから一目ぼれしたイカル君♥

会社のPCデスクトップは彼の写真

Lovely Ikaru

イカル君は最近都心近くでも見かけるようになった美しい青い鳥、
カワセミの♂です。

魚採るのが苦手なのに、奥さんに逃げられても子育てがんばりました。

羽が文字通りボロボロなのに頑張っている姿が本当に健気でカッコ良かった。
ちっちゃいけれど、野生の世界で生き抜くヒーローなお父さんです。

http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/kingfisher-nature/2012-08-25-1/trackback

Ikaru is a kingfisher.   
Nowadays, we can see beautiful blue birds "kingfishers" in the cities near central Tokyo.

He was not good at catching fishes at all but just tried his best to feed even after his wife abandoned her babies and disappeared.

I was touched to watch he was trying so hard until his feathers frayed. 
He is a tiny little bird but the most heroic father surviving in the wild.

http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/kingfisher-nature/2012-08-25-1/trackback

Worn out Ikaru...

その後イカル君は新たな恋の季節を迎えて無事元気なようです。

http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/kingfisher-nature/2013-04-23-1/trackback

奮闘するイカル君の他、可愛いカワセミ達の姿がふんだんにUPされている

このブログを見るのが大好きです。
Codyさん、ありがとうございます！

Ikaru is in good shape now and new love season has come for him.

http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/kingfisher-nature/2013-04-23-1/trackback

I love to see many beautiful photos of such beautiful birds uploaded in this website by a Kingfisher lover.  
Thanks a lot, Cody-san!!

ふなっしー！！ Funassyi

実家の近くの巨大ショッピングモールでふなっしー（の看板）発見。

動かないと、普通にLovelyなんだよね。。。

I found Funassyi on the display at a shop in a huge shopping mall near my parents’ house.

Yes, he is lovely if he does not move.

http://www.youtube.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbXWA6gPYk0

FYI – Funassyi insists he is pear fairy, a sort of mascot characters representing cities in Japan for PR. But he is NOT official mascot as he was once declined by Funabashi city.  His motion is odd as he is always super hyper & becoming so popular now.  We watch him on TV shows many times -   BUT He is NOT official one still now. (A kind of volunteer activity by a proactive citizen...?)

孤高の天才画家 - A solitary genius painter

GW中に行ってきました牧野邦夫展。

確かにすごいのかも知れないけど、たくさんの彼のセルフポートレートに私はお腹いっぱいになってしまいました。

しようと思えばできるのに、敢えて売れる絵を描かなかった作家の孤独な叫びが。

敬愛し彼が画業において目指していたレンブラントとは、残念ながら、
全く違うと思います。。。

詳しくは、アートテラー“とに～”さんのブログでどうぞ。

http://ameblo.jp/artony/entry-11511981905.html

I went to an exhibition of Kunio Makino during the Golden Week.

I rather felt sick - fed up with so many self portraits which should be masterpieces.

I thought I could hear his soul yearns for art - He did not draw pictures to sell well and be popular, but accepted solitude.

But I am afraid his paintings are NOT like Rembrandt at all in spite of his trying to draw like his most revered painter.

The exhibition got high grade by an art teller “Tony” in his blog;

http://ameblo.jp/artony/entry-11511981905.html

父と見る風景 - Scenery watching with father

GW中は実家へ

（と言っても電車乗って行けば1時間以内の距離なのだけど）

父と一緒に昔通っていた小学校近くの公園へサイクリング。

りっぱに緑が育って、みんなが憩う素敵な公園に。

小学校の周りは、すっかり風景が変わってしまっていたけど

住宅地ばっかりになるだけじゃなくて良かった。

父とベンチでとりとめもない会話を交わす。

これが、結構うれしかったりする。

I visited my parents’ home during the Golden Week.

(Only within 1 hour’s ride on the train)

One day I went for a bike ride with my father to a park near an elementary school I used to go to.

The park is filled with greenery and now good place for the neighbors to relax and exercise in the nature.

This is a good change although we can only find houses around the school.  

Talking about random & tiny things with father relaxing on a bench -　which makes me so happy.

美しい芝桜 - Beautiful SHIBAZAKURA

 I made an exertion to see blooming moss phlox at Sheep Mountain Park in Chichibu during the Golden Week.

We were amazed by mass colorful carpets of tiny moss phlox in pink, purple & white.

Also we enjoyed hiking around Mr. Buko and then went to a museum where you can see Shiko Munakata’s art.   

I was impressed by his stylish art works like graphic design as I had thought his works were rather traditional and heavy wood-block prints only.  

During the hiking, we met a huge maple tree about 600 years old at Saizen temple.  I just cannot forget its beauty.

GW中に芝桜を見に秩父の羊山公園へお出かけ。

カラフルな芝桜の絨毯にびっくり。

芝桜の前に武甲山の周りをハイキングして、

「やまとあーとみゅーじあむ」にて棟方志功の作品鑑賞。

西善寺の樹齢600年の楓に感動し、

グラフィックデザインぽいお洒落な棟方志功作品に出会えて良かった。

都会の中の静寂 - Serene hush in middle of the city

代官山の駅に程近い重要文化財「旧朝倉家住宅」

初めて訪れたのだけど、本当に良かった！

緑濃い日本庭園が素晴らしい。

縁側で涼しい風に吹かれながら、ぼーっとすることしばし。

GW中の街の雑踏なんて聞こえない。

邸宅の中の調度品も一見の価値ありでした。

Asakura Family Old House is an important cultural property near Daikanyama station in Shibuya.

It was the first time for me to visit but I should have visited earlier to enjoy its beauty.

The Japanese garden is fabulous with thick greenery.

You cannot hear any bustles in the town during the Golden Week.

It is worth appreciating precious furnishing goods in the house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH1pMalU0A0