Something Special

もうすぐ３月も終わり。ここシドニーは日に日に朝晩は肌寒くなってきてはいるものの、今日は最後の夏を惜しむかのように青空が広がる良い天気でした。
It's almost April!! Although It's getting cold here day by day, the blue sky extended as far as the eye could see today. It was lovely day.

取り急ぎ、溜まり気味のアサイメントを少し終らせてから午後３時過ぎ、本と水を片手にテクテクとバルモラルビーチへ降りて行きました。バルモラルビーチへの散歩&読書は毎週末恒例の日課。天気が良ければだけど。。。。。
I just needed to speed up my assignment 'cause I am 5 or 6 behind with my assignment. Of course I couldn't finish all of them but could a little bit. So it's time to go down hills!! I grabbed a book & bottle of water, then took a walk to the Balmoral beach. It's a kind of my routine to take a walk & read books there on weekends if the weather is nice........

この数ヶ月、ビーチへ行く度に、いつも決まった場所で１人絵を描いている男性が居て、見た目は６５歳くらいかな？いつもは通りすがりにどんな絵を描いてるんだろう・・・？と思いながらも近寄って見ることはしなかったけど、今日に限ってはおじいちゃんの方から二コリと笑いかけられたので思わず近寄って話しかけてみました。
Every time I went to the beach, there was an old man, looks like over 65yo, drawing picture at the same place. I always went past him even I was very curious to have a look his pictures. I'm too shy to see close at hand:) But today was different. The old man smiled me when I was passing through so that I came to him and start chatting.

おじいちゃんの名前はTony, 普段はアートスクールで絵を教えているらしく、彼も毎週末天気が良ければここへ来て絵を描いてると言っていて、今日も既に5枚の絵を描き終えていました。私には絵を描くというセンスが全く持ってないから、絵を描く人は私にとっては別世界の人の様に映ってしまう。
His name is Tony, he told me that he teaches at an Art school for kids and adults, also comes to the beach to draw every weekends if the weather is nice. He already drew 5 pictures on the spot today. I have no sense of drawing so that I think Artists are person who live in another world!!

かれこれ２０分ほど色んなことを話した後、彼が書いた絵の中で何か見覚えのある景色の絵があって、それは私のアパートのリビングルームから見える景色と同じ絵。
After our chatting for about 20 minutes, I noticed one his picture was very familiar to me because it was exactly the same picture which I could see from the window of my living room.

思わず、『これって売ってもらえますか？』と、とっさに聞いてしまったほど親近感のある絵で、おじいちゃんは『もちろん！気に入ってくれて嬉しいよ！』とニッコリ笑って答えてました。
I've found something congenial in that picture so that I asked him if I could buy it instantly. He said "Of course! I'm glad you like it!" with his smile.

私はその絵を買って、最後に『もしおじいちゃんのギャラリーがあるなら行きたいんだけど・・・・』って聞いたら、『僕のギャラリーはここ、青空の下だよ！』とニッコリ笑って言ってました。
So I bought the picture and I asked him if he had his own gallery near by. Because I would like to go. He said "Here is my gallery as you know! Under the blue sky!" with his cute smile.

きっと素敵なおじいちゃんなんだろうな。
He is such a lovely grandpa :)

Easter Feast

今日はフラットメイトのAniaのお兄ちゃん夫婦の家でポーランドの伝統的なイースター・ブレックファーストに招待されて行ってきました。Ania曰く、ポーランドではクリスマスよりもイースターのお祝いの方が重要でイースターの日曜日の朝は家族揃って伝統料理を食べて、その日は一日食べて飲んで・・・イースターをお祝いするそうです。

Ania invited me to go to her brother's house for Polish Traditional Easter Breakfast today. Ania told me that Easter is more important than Christmas and it's very traditional thing that all family members get together on Easter Sunday morning to have a big Easter Breakfast. On this day, people just keep eating & drinking all day in Poland!

沢山のポーランドの伝統的な料理とケーキが用意されてて、
朝１０時から始まった朝食が終ったのは午後２時。
私のお腹ははちきれそうなほど満腹になって、帰ってきました。

There were lots of Polish food and cakes. The breakfast started at 10:00am, then finished at 2:00pm. I had had more than enough!! I'm still full now!!

日本ではもちろんイースターを祝う習慣がないから、
今日は何か新鮮で特別な一日でした。

We don't have the custom of celebrating Easter in Japan, of course, so that it was something special & new for me today.

家族が側に居るAniaがちょっと羨ましくも思った一日でした。

And I felt a little bit envy Ania being close to her family here.....
and miss my family.

Good Friday

今日からイースターホリデーで４連休。
The Easter holidays just started.

このホリデー中は仕事もアサイメントもしないと決めて、
のんびりな４日間にしようと思ってます。
I decided that I wouldn't work and do any assignment during this long weekends, just wanna be free from all care this time.

そして今日はＧｏｏｄ　Ｆｒｉｄａｙ。
Then it's Good Friday today.

お店もどこも休み、生憎天気も曇り空、そのせいもあってとにかく静かな休日。
All shops are closed, also it's cloudy sky, unfortunately,
so that it's very very quiet around here.

一日中家でのんびり好きな事をして時間を過ごす、そんなＧｏｏｄ　Ｆｒｉｄａｙです。
I spend my nice and quiet time in reading and cooking at home all day long.

Such a big capsicum!

It took me long time to cut it into tiny pieces for vege soup.

Friend

『友達』のホントの意味を知りたくなったから辞書を引いてみた。

I really wanted to know the true meaning of "Friend",
so that I looked up the word in a dictionary.

『あたなが良く知っていて好きな人, 通常家族以外の人』と書いてあった。

It's said "Friend" is a person you like.
A person you know well and like,
and who is not usually a member of your family.

一緒に居てホッと安心できる友達とずっと友達でいられたらいいなと思う。

I have friends who make me feel relieved,
I just hope I can be with them from this time on.

He was my best friend :)

空を見上げる時

空を見上げたら、何か答えが見つかるんじゃないかと、
I think.... if I look up at the blue sky, I may find some solutions.

ついつい見上げてしまう時がある。

I sometime look up at the blue sky in spite of myself.

今日はそんな時々の日でした。

Today was time to look up at the blue sky.