英語専門塾＝「英和塾」＝

A cold wave hit this districts for about two days.

It has been beginning to feel like winter these days.
The winter really has come.

The cold weather has set in.
It is a miserably cold.even in my room.
It was bitterly cold outdoors.

There was a light snowfall, powder snow.

It looks like snow early this morning.

I like snow, but I don't like the severe cold.



  

An automated elevated railway system, the Skyline, recently
opened on Oahu Island. Hawaii. It connects nine stations
from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium in about 20 minutes.
Local residents expect the new railway to ease traffic jams.

以上の英文は、昨日10日、西日本新聞朝刊20面　子供向けの
子供タイムズに掲載されていた英文です。

1947年に当時の鉄道が廃止されてから、76年ぶりのことだそうです。
車内には自転車やサーフボートを持ち込めるスペースもあります。
今回、開業したのは、約17kmですが、2031までには、国際空港や
ホノルル市の中心部を含む19駅、約30kmまで伸ばす計画だそうです。

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥

近年は鉄道廃止路線が、増えてきています。東峰村のJR添田駅～
夜明け駅までの廃止。西鉄電車の久留米市～甘木駅までは健在、

昭和30年（？）近くまで、久留米市～八女市までは、電車が走っていました。
昭和25年（？）位まで大善寺（現在の久留米市）～大川市まで陸蒸気（？）
みたいな列車が走っていたのを覚えています。

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥

ホノルル市には高齢のASk会員の方も住んでおられ、時々、福岡市にも
来られます。ホノルルマラソンにも参加され、現在はガラパカス島（？）から
ASKインターネット経由、インターネット講演をされるようです。、日本人は
約1万年続いた縄文時代に学ぶ事を勧められる講演をされるようです。

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥

昨日のNHKニュース報道では、ハワイ・マウイ島で大規模山火事が発生し、
36人が死亡、約2,100人超の人が避難していると報じていました。

山火事と言えば、アメリカ、カナダ、オーストラリアでも大規模山火事が
発生し、いつも驚いています。
  

It was a sunny day yesterday. so I took a walk
in my neighborhood in the afternoon and I found
that ume blossoms（Japanese apricots or plum
blossoms）had come out.

Its color is white and fine.

When I saw them, I felt a lttle bit happy.

It was so cold about ten days ago or so,
but these days it has been getting warmer
day by day..

Today is in the center of February and it will be March
in around two weeks. I think that it will get warmer
and warmer soon.

I am waiting for real Spring.

See the picture below

.
  

A man who has lived in Australia visited meーour Jukuー
with his familyーhis wife and a daughter about a week ago.

His face looked vivid.
He has been working as a car's mechanic in Perth
of Australiaーwesternmost Australia.

I hear that the city is the most beautiful city in the world
and a comfortable city to live in.

He was given the right of permanet residence there.
by the immigration office around two months ago.

So, his family will go to Australia to live there in a few months
after his leaving Japan.

He studied English here at our Juku to learn it for three or
four months about three years ago.

After that, he migrated from Japan to Australia and studied English
further and continued to work as a car's mechanic there again.

I greatly hope that his family will be happy there in the future.
May they be happy！

Good luck.

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥

Perth（パース）

面積 6,418平方km
人口　1,740,000人（都市の中心部の人口9,000人と検索サイト
に記載されていました）（2011年）　西オーストラリア州の州都
オーストラリアで4番目に大きな都市  

It has been cloudy and very cold since ten days ago or so,
but it is very fine, or sunny today.

So I have felt well since this morning.

I washed a lot of clothes or many pairs of socks this morning.
In the afternoon, I hung them out to dry in the sun.

After my washing them, I always felt good, too.
And what is more, I found that UME- Japanes apricot？- trees
were putting out their buds.

I like sunlight or warmth.

I hope that it is getting warmer
and the real spring will appear soon.  

It was very cold and we had heavy snow, here in Fukuka,
over the last three days.The depth of snow was
about between five and fifteen (？） centimeters

The public road froze up all day long on January 24th.

I was surprised at that situation.

Because the road froze up, cars hardly ran on the frozen road.

I have never experienced such a situation for forty or fifty years.

The road melt away and it didn't snow two days ago,
but it has still been cloudy since then.

I hope it will be sunny in a few days.
  

11月21日: 12:00～14:30、Thanksgiving BBQ Party に参加する
ために天神中央公園 （天神1－1） へ行ってきました。

感謝祭・バァベキュ－・パーティーで日本人と外国人が
仲良く交流するのが目的のパーティーです。

約100～150人（？）が参加していたようです。参加者は外国人
約20～25人、日本人約100人（？）位、50才以上は数人で、
最年齢者は多分私だったように思います。

肉、魚、野菜をテント内で焼いていました。
私は人参、焼き芋をいただきました。

日本人、アメリカ人、中国人、インド人、フランス人、スウェーデン人‥‥
と軽い会話が出来ました。4人グループの中国人は、日本語学校で日本語を
勉強中で、来年度、日本の大学へ進学したいと言っていました。中国人は
気さくな人達で、日本人は優しいと言っていました。ノースカロライナ州出身の
アメリカ人は来年、九大大学院で化学を専攻したいと話していました。
東京の大学生もこの日のパーティー目的で来福していたようです。  

Summer really came in the northern Kyusyu
four days ago, that is, on July 30th.

The rainy season was over on July 29th
as I described four days ago.

It's very fine, hot, and muggy today.
There is much moisture in the summer of Japan.

I don't like much moisture, to be concreat, it's hot and humid.

By the way, the summer festival here at Notame 5 choume
( in south ward, Fukuoka city) was held the day before yesterday
ー on August 1st.

I went to watch and lisen to that around 7:30 pm.

I supposed there were about between 400 people and 500 there
and I was surprised to find there were around between 50 bicycles and 60
at the site.

There were about from four events to five.

“ Notame Music Party ”was a brass band, the greatest in the festival.
and a main event every year.

The member of that is about forty five (？)

I enjoyed their performances.

The number of their performances were five, for exampl,
RPD, pink ladies' melodies, let' swing, Anpan Man's march,‥‥and so on.

I am also looking forward to listening to their concert
of “Notame Music Party” next year.   

Fukuoka Meteorological Observatory released
that the rainy season in northern Kyusyu came to an end
on July 29th, namely, yesterday.

It was nine days later than last year
and ten days later than usual.

It is the fifth late since in 1951 that the rainy season here ended.
The statistics was begun in 1951.

It has been very hot, especially, hot and humid in Fukuoka
since yesterday, so I drank a lot of water for two days.

I am afraid it will be hotter and hotter from now on,
We should have much water every day.

Take good care of yourselves.


  

The day before yesterday, I thought the rainy season
here in Fukuoka had already ended, but according to TV news,
the rainy season in Fukuoka Prefecture didn't finish yet.

I was a little bit surprised to hear that.
I don't like hot and humid.

August will come in about five days.

About ten days ago, I heard that in south of Kyusyu
and Kanto areas came to an end.

The term of that in north of Kyusyu is very long this year.

I wish the rainy season were over.
I hope real summer wll come soon.   

I had been in a hospital for three days,
between on December 16th and 18th.

It was the hospital of Fukuoka University.

I was operated on for removing two or three polyps
from the large intestine.

I heard my polyps were not bad nature.
The length was about 7 mm and 5mm, and so on.
During the operation, I could see my large intestine by myself.

I suppose the hour of the operation is short, maybe within an hour.

After the operation, my living condition is good.
So far, so good.

Thank you very much for my doctors and nurses,  

Unfortunately it has been raining a little for two days.

Halloween is on October 31 and an annual event.

I bought much confectionery the day before yesterday,
for example, several pieces of candy,sweets,and pastry.

I was waiting for children for two days,
in other words, I was looking forward to their visiting my house.

Unfortunately Halloween seems to have been cancelled
here in this district because of rain.

I am sorry not to have given children sweets, candies, and cakes.
In stead of Halloween's children,
I will give students in my private classes them.   

This summer was not hot but cool,
and we had much rain like a rainy season.

This phenomenon is unusual and exceptional.

Summer was always hot every year, still more
it was especially very hot in recent years.

As it was usually raining or cloudy every day,
I couldn`t wash clothes because of drying them in the sun.

it is raining a little, even now.

What in the world has been happening in Japan ？.

I hope it will be sunny soon.   

10月23日の西日本新聞記事（当ブログの教育欄でその記事の詳細は記述してます）の
約1ヶ月後（昨年11月下旬か12月初旬頃）、同新聞記事で次のような記事を読みました。

文部科学省の発表は2020年からではなく、2018年（ or 2019年？）から
小学3年生から英語教育を実施と出ていました。

その概略は小学3、4年生は週1（～2回？）、5、6年生は週3回の実施で、
小5年生から英語を教科に格上げし、検定教科書の使用や成績評価も
導入されるようになるようです。

上記導入の理由として、「早い時期から基礎的な英語力を身に付ける機会を設け、
国際的に活躍できる人材の育成につなげる狙い」のようです。

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私は10年前ですと英語は中学生になってからでいいのではないかと
考えていましたが、今は上記文部科学省の英語導入記事に賛成です。

小学生から第1外国を学習していても国語力が衰えるとは思えません。
将来の国際競争力強化では当然の処置でしょうし、外国語を学習することによって
国語を違った観点から捕らえることも出来、客観視も出来る利点もあると思えます。

同一国で、外国語が普段に耳に出来る国はいくっもあると思います。
例えばオランダ、スイス、オーストリア‥‥などなど。

学校教育を卒業しても、国語と他の1外国語の勉強は1生涯続けることが
望ましいと思います。私は国語力の未熟さから、よく広辞苑や国語辞典をひきます。
辞書をひき知識が増えることにも喜びがあります。




  

In summer,
whenever I cut down some small trees, shrubs, or grasses, in a grove and a field.
A lot of mosquitoes gave me a great deal of trouble.

I was often bitten by them.
They bit my fingers, hands, arms, feet, and so on.

I had itchiness on my hands, arms, feet, or so.
I felt itchy too much.
I couldn't endure its itchiness.

I suffered from them. I hate them.

In order to avoid them, I burned the mosquito-repellent (incense)＜蚊取り線香＞.

By the way, I always made preparations for two mosquito-repellents
in my house at night.

It has been hot and humid for about twenty days.
I am afraid of being muggy and mosquitoes.

Thanks to the mosquito-repellent
and the airconditioner, however, I can sleep well at night in summer.

  

The temperature in Fukuoka City rose to about 35℃ today.
A broadcasting station says that there are a couple of cities in Japan
where it is more than 37℃

They say that today in the year is one of the hottest days in Japan.
We should take care of heat sickness, avoid going out for a long time
in the daytime, and drink a lot of water.

In summer, when I was young, especially the latter in elementary school days
or junior high school days, I used to go to swim in a river, pond, or pool
almost every day during summer vacation and I could only go to the sea
once or twice on the average for a summer.

I could swim the crawl, the breast stroke, and the backstroke.
I sometimes swam about 1,000 meters or so.

Unfortunately I have not swum in the sea, however, these ten years or so.

I am not going to swim in the sea, but I will go there this summer.

I like both sea and mountain very much.  

Summer has already come.

It is cloudy today, but it was sunny and clear two days ago.
Cicadas are singing loudly out of doors.

It has been hot and humid since the rainy season finished.
I am disgusted at mugginess.

The temperature rose to around 34.5℃, here in Fukuoka, a few days ago.
I am afraid of the intense heat because of its sometimes making
persons sick. we need to drink a lot of water in summer.

I don't like heat, but I like the summer better than
the rainy season, of course.

The term of the rainy season was very short this year.
There was little rain during the season.

Chinese citrons ( or mandarins 夏蜜柑) bore plenty of fruits in my field.
About ten ones are left, so I'm going to wrencn ones off the branches
and I will take them to a friend of mine from now on.
　   

It has been very cold for a few weeks, and Japanese apricot trees
have blossomed out and have kept blossoming
since the last middle ten days in January.

Ume trees mean Japanese apricot ( plum ) trees in English　

There are two ume trees in my garden. .
One is white color, the other is light pink.

I think cherry blossoms are a little loud and gorgeous,
but blossoms of Japanese apricot trees are quiet and plain.

My late mother loved many kinds of flowes,
of course, blossoms of cherry trees or those of Japanese plum trees

Those have been past at those best.

It is still cold today.

I often feel that time flies like an arrow.
Time is important.










  

It has been getting warmer and warmer since several days ago.
So It seems to me that the real spring will come soon.
There are two ume trees ( That is, Japanese plum trees or apricot trees )
in my garden. The blossoms have already come out. one is white color,
the other is light pink.

I think cherry blossoms are loud and ume blossoms are quiet.

Though ume blossoms are not loud, they are quiet beautiful.

The late Mother loved both of them.

She liked all kinds of flowers very much.
She sometimes planted many kinds of flowers in her field by herself.
and I sometimes helped her.

Though it is a pity that it will be cold again.
The weather forecast says it will be cold again from tomorrow.



  

My mother passed away in August this year.
She was about ninety eight and a third years old.

I lived with my parents for about thirty years.
My father was gone eighteen years ago.
His age was eighty eight.

Both of them were kind and warm.
Above all, she was very kind and calm.
I was so happy to have lived with them.

I have greatly appreciated what they did for me.
Thank you very much for them.

My mother hardly suffered from serious illnesses
during the latter half of her life, but she became
weaker and weaker for the last two years.

I gave her violent words about once per three months,
after that, I used to apologize to her for my strong bad words
almost every time.

I loudly blamed her for calling my name many times
about a week before her death, so I regret not having apologized
her for my strong words.

I have deeply apologized to her for it from the bottom of my heart.
“ I am sorry to have said the strong words to her ”

I pray her soul may rest in peace.