ネコペン ０７０２ おまけの・・・読書の秋 ２

At the opposite end of the table two men in business suits were drinking
sake martinis and ordering the lobster-steak-shrimp combination . On expense
accounts , Qwilleran guessed . ( He himself ordered the medium-priced teriyaki steak . )
Conversation at the table halted when the Japanese chef appeared＿an imposing
figure in his stovepipe hat , two feet tall , and his leather knife holster .
He bowed curtly and whipped out his steel spatulas , which he proceeded to wield
with the aplomb of a symphony percussionist . The audience was speechless as he
manipulated the splash of egg , the hill of sliced mushrooms , and the mountain of
rice . Steaks , seafood , and chicken breasts sizzled in butter and were doused with
seasonings and flamed in wine . Then the chef drew his formidable knife , cubed the
meat and served the food on rough-textured gray plates . With a quick bow he said ,
“Have a nice evening , ”and disappeared .
Qwilleran was the only one who used chopsticks , having acquired virtuosity
when he was an overseas correspodent .
Watching him in admiration , the bride said , “You'er good at that .”
“I've been practicing , ”he said . “Is this your first time here ? ”

明日は月末。11月も終わりですね～○○の秋も今回が〆で～す
読書の秋２と書きましたが・・・おまけにふさわしく？コミックス大特集
読書って言い放っていいものかどうか躊躇しないでもないですが・・・ね（笑）

多いときには1300冊ぐらい持ってて、コミック専用書棚を買ったぐらいですから
かなりなコミック好き学生時代に名古屋の栄地下のコミックス専門店（？）で
バイトしてたというウワサも・・・って←自分のことでしょ
そんなわけで、一度コミックの話題書いてみたかったのよね～
8年前の引っ越しのときに半分ぐらい処分して、それからはほとんど買ってないので
少しマニアックな（古い）内容になると思いますが、私のお気に入りコミックスを紹介してみま～す
折角なので最初は特にマニアックなのを！
『小椋冬美傑作集１（6月の風にゆれて）』の中の「うれしい昼下がり」
私が小学生の時に『りぼん』に掲載されていたと記憶しているので相当古いですが、
これは小椋冬美の初期の作品で、ほんとうにかわいらしい作品なのですよ。
私のコミックの原点と言っても過言でない愛すべき作品で～す
こんな調子で書いていると尽きないのであとは解説ナシ又は一言程度にまとめてみます
榛野なな恵『Papa told me』12巻の「イートパラダイス」「シェリートライフル」
岩館真理子『えんじぇる』専業主婦の話
一条ゆかり『女ともだち』女優の話
槇村さとる『ダンシング・ゼネレーション』ポジティブになれる
名香智子『ファンション・ファデ』学生の頃の夢の原点
山下和美『ダンディーと私』主人公の髪型が好き。存在感のあるデブネコも！
吉村明美『麒麟館グラフィティー』『薔薇のために』どちらも北海道が舞台
佐伯かよの『あきひ』画商の世界が垣間見れる
惣領冬実『彼女がカフェにいる』
佐々木倫子『動物のお医者さん』チョビや菱沼・・・なつかしい
原作ほったゆみ『ヒカルの碁』ＴＶアニメもよかったし、家族で はまったマンガ

↑↑↑なんだか本当にごく一部だな～　ま、いっか・・・

ネコペン ０７０１ 最後はありきたりですが・・・読書の秋 １

He did as he was told , and the Siamese revived sufficiently to sit up and
take a little nourishment in the form of a can of red salmon . As for Qwilleran ,
he lost no time in going out to dinner . It occurred to him that he should invite
Amber ; she looked too tired to thaw whatever was in her grocery bag , and the
temperature in her apartment might be insufferable , whether she lived on
the frigid or sweltering side of the building . Yet , he disliked her line of
conversation , and he believed that too soon an invitation mighe encourage her .
In his present financial situation he had to be careful . Women used to be
attracted to his ample moustache ; now he feared they were attracted to his
ample bank account .
Feeling guilty , he went to the nearest restaurant on Eat Street , which
happened to be Japanese＿a roomful of hibachi tables under lighted canopies ,
against a background of shoji screens and Japanese art . Each table seated eight
around a large grill , and Qwilleran was conducted to a table where four persons
were already seated .
He often dined alone and entertained himself by eavesdropping and composing
scenarios about the other diners . At the hibachi table he found a young couple
sipping tea form handleless gray cups and giggling about the chopsticks . The man
was cloyingly attentive , and his companion kept admiring her ring finger .
Newlyweds , Qwilleran decided . From the country . Honeymooning in the big city .
They ordered chicken from the low end of the menu .　

ここしばらく読み続けていた恋愛小説に飽きて、今は主にミステリ
ミステリと言えば、今タイピング中の『ネコペン』もハヤカワミステリだし・・・
私のミステリ・推理小説好きは・・・振り返ってみると・・・小学生のころからかも（笑）
でも、ホラーは全然ダメ大嫌い！！！体が受けつけない

今読んでいるのは深水黎一郎。ザ・ベストミステリーズ2011推理小説年鑑の中に載っていた
『人間の尊厳と八〇〇メートル』が印象的だったので、何冊か借りてみた
他には、昨日借りてきて読みたくてうずうずしているのが『ミステリ☆オールスターズ』
本格ミステリ作家クラブのメンバー28名による超短編ミステリのようで
もくじを見ると・・・長くて20ページ、短いものは8ページの作品もあったりして興味深い。
原則30枚を目処に、短いがこれぞ本格と言えるミステリを持ち寄ろう＿という企画らしい。
最終セクションには、リレーミステリという聞きなれない企画も用意されていて
読む前からわっくわく～
ミステリがひと段落したころ・・・秋も終わりかな～　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

ネコペン ０６０１ それから・・・ダイエットの秋？！

On the main floor there was activity suitable for late afternoon on a Monday .
The person seated in the phone booth was telephoning and neither swigging nor snorting .
An elderly man using a walker moved down the hall slowly and with extreme concentration .
Kitty-Baby , having picked up the scent of the beef Stroganoff , was dogging Qwilleran's
feet . In the vicinity of the desk a young man was swinging a mop across the floor ,
while Mrs. Tuttle sat at her post , knitting , and Rupert lounged about in his red hat .
Despite the tools in his jacket pocket , he never seemed to do much work . Among
the presons waiting for the elebator were employed tenants with gaunt end-of-day
expressions , the Asian mother with her children , elderly souls complaining about
Medicare , and students with an excess of youthful energy , talking loudly about
bridges , professors , and final exams . Probably engineering students , Qwilleran guessed .
Rupert caught his eye and nodded toward the elevators . “Both workin' today . ”
“A cause for celebration , ”Qwilleran replied .

（笑）　本来なら、味覚の秋あるいは・・・食欲の秋といったところでしょうが・・・
最近の私には、結構きびしい“食欲との戦い”の秋だったりします
念のため、名誉のため？に書いておきますが・・・50Ｋｇはありません！（何書いてんだか～）
秋口、栗とおいもの誘惑に負け・・・おいし～い新米に食は更に進み、
涼しくなったからとランチのお誘いも増え・・・肌寒くなってくると動きがにぶり運動不足に！
体重増加の危険な条件が揃っているのが秋だったりします(>_<。。)
しかも、12月に入れば、忘年会だのクリスマスだのお正月だの・・・暴飲暴食の危機が
ですから、今この時期に太ってしまうのは、とても危険なことなのです。
そういえば・・・すみちゃんとラーメンツアーの約束もしてたな～。
あ～あ、秋って・・・切ないな～

ネコペン ０５０３ そして ファッションの秋

YumYum was now batting some small object about the floor of the foyer .
Koko might have a notably investigative nose , but YumYum had a notably meddlesome
paw . Rings , watches , and coins＿as well as bottle caps and paper clips＿were within
her realm of interest , and any sudden activity that gave her pleasure was suspect .
This time it was an ivory-colored tile less than an inch square＿not exactly
square but slightly rectangular , and not ivory or ceramic but a lightweight wood
in a smooth , pale finish . Qwilleran confiscated it , to YumYum's disappointement ,
and dropped it in his sweater pocket .
While waiting for the computerized coffee-maker to perform its morning magic ,
he ate a tangerine and speculated that the bowl of fruit had been Mary Duckworth's
idea ; she remembered that winesaps were his favorite apple and that lobster sent
the Siamese into orbit . Did she have romantic memories of their previous association ?
Or was this thoughtful gesture a political move on behalf of SOCK? He could never
be sure about that woman . Circumastances had thrown them together in Junktown
three yeats befor , and she was haughty and aloof at first , but she had relaxed
briefly on one unforgettable Christmas Eve .

ファッションの秋と書いたものの・・・もう、季節は・・・ほとんど冬！？
ちょっと前に、朝のニュースタイムのワンコーナーでジャケット＆コート特集やってて
それが、すごっくかわいくて・・・Aラインのファー襟付きなんてありがちなんだけど
やっぱり、去年までのとは違う今年っぽい新しさがあって、すごく惹きつけられた～
絶対絶対、アレっぽいの探して買うぞ～ってはりきってるのであります
しかし、モデルになってた女子アナ、若い子ばっかりだったなぁ・・・スカートもふんわりミニ。
ミニ丈のスカートじゃないと、イメージ違っちゃうかな？？？・・・う～ん。ビミョー。悩む～
あと、この秋冬のファッションアイテムの注目は・・・わたし的にはカラータイツ。
種類も豊富でわくわく～　すでに３点購入。　あとは・・・痩せるだけ

ネコペン ０５０２ まずは、スポーツの秋

Eventually he fell asleep and slept until the yowling outside he bedroom
door tokd him to shuffle out into the kitchen and open that can of boned chicken .
While seatching for the can opener , he discovered a Japanese slicer with a
tapered blade and light wood handle , similar to those in the mushroom paintings .
He carried it into the gallery＿as he preferred to call the sunken living room＿
to compare , and he was right . Koko followed him and sniffed the bloogstain ,
opening his mouth and showing his teeth .
“Get away from that ! ”Qwilleran ordered , and put his shoulder to the bar
once more to cover the stain . Then he changed his mind . It was an awlward
location for a bar . He nudged it back again into a more suitable position and
covered the stain with a rug from the library＿an Indian dhurrie in pale colors
that blended with the mushroom carpet . Shooing the cat from gallery , he closed
the French doors .

まずは、スポーツの秋・・・というタイトルからして・・・『○○の秋』が続くのか？
と思われた方！正解～ちょっぴり遅い気もしますが・・・
まあ、ワンテンポ遅れがちな最近の私には、↑↑↑めずらしいことでもないのでありまして
遅ればせながら、○○の秋を、いくつか書いてみることにします

今日は、まずはスポーツの秋
ここ1、２週間をみても、駅伝、ラグビー、野球の日本シリーズに、女子バレー、
そしてスケートにサッカーと、スポーツ番組目白押し！まさにスポーツの秋満開って感じです
なかでも、私的には、やっぱりフィギュアスケートイチオシって感じかな～
先日行われたNHK杯では、真央ちゃん復活！って言うか・・・滑る前の表情（＆メイク）見ただけでも
調子の良さが見て取れて、楽な気持ちで見ていられたのでホッとしたし衣装も良かった
明るい真央ちゃんが帰ってきて、ほんと良かったな～って思います

そして、なんといっても注目は～優勝を決めた両選手！！！
鈴木明子のショートの完璧な滑りには、うっとり！なめらかな着氷と優雅な身のこなし！
躍動感あふれるステップにジャンプも完璧にきめてパーフェクト！
滑り終えてピョンピョンする姿に、こっちまでピョンピョンしたい気分になりました～
高橋大輔のステップと表現力は、さらに磨きがかかりピカイチで、やっぱりこれにもうっとり
会場の盛り上がりも最高潮に　あとは4回転きまれば・・・パーフェクト！
ファイナルが今から楽しみで～す

以上、スポーツ観戦の秋報告でした～。
私自身は・・・スポーツって言ったら・・・ウォーキング？シェイプアップ体操？
・・・これってスポーツとは呼ばない？・・・あはスミマセン

ネコペン ０５０１ １２Rランチ

“You GUYS HAD a picnic last night ! ”Qwilleran said grudgingly on Monday
morning as he opened a can of boned chicken for the Siamese .“After stuffing
yourselves with all that food , you don't deserve breakfast ! ”
Yet , Koko was prowling as if he had fasted for a week , and YumYum was
clawing Qwilleran's pantleg .
“What I want to know is this : Which one of you two turned on all the lights ? ”
While he was dining at Roberto's with Amber , Koko or YumYum or both of
them had discovered that most the lamps in 14-A had touchswitches , and the
scamps had run from one to the other making tham light up . No doubt they expected
to make this a nigthly romp , but Qwilleran foiled them . Before retiting he
cat-proofed all the lamps by turning off thumb-switches or disconnecting plugs ,
at the same time making the obserbation that touch-switches were not practical
in households dominated by felines .

風邪がぬけきらなくって、１２Rランチ行けなかったぁ
Kさんとは卒業式ぶりだったのに・・・。残念　
Mさ～ん、昨日のどうだった？何食べたの～～～
昨日は、時々日差しもあるような、わりと穏やかなランチ日和だったよね～

皆様！しつこい風邪にご注意くださいね～

ネコペン ０４０２ カーネーション他

Koko and YumYum came running . They showed no symptoms of terror , no
indication that an intruder had threateaened them . They were simply aware that
Qwilleran was carrying a packed of veal , scallops , and squid . YumYum rubbed
against his ankles voluptuously , while Koko stood on his hind legs and pawed the air .
Ignoring them , he moved from room to room , warily . In the library both
the desk lamp and a floor lamp were unaccountably lit＿as were a pair of accent
lamps on the foyer console , the buffet lamp in the dining room , and the bedlamps
in both sleeping rooms . The French doors to the living room were closed , as he had
left them , and the area was in darkness , likewise the kitchen . He examined closets ,
then went out on the terrach and explored its entire length , passing the Fernch
doors of 14-B . His neighbor's blinds were closed , but light glowed through dimly .
The huddled mass in a dark corner of the terrace turned out to be a cluster of
large empty plant pots .

『カーネーション』・・・ついにNHKの朝の連ドラに捉まってしまった。
毎朝縛られるのがいやで、最近はかたくなに拒んできたのに、つい予告編をちらっと
見てしまったために、毎朝８時から１５分の日課となってしまった。
洋服作る話なんですよ。憧れた時期があったな～なんて思い出してしまった。

ついでに、今クールのドラマ情報・・・っていうか、個人的ドラマ事情
今回は３本。「月９」と「深キョン」と「日曜日９時の南極の裏番組」。南極は・・・１回目見て
それなりに感動的だったんだけど、その後の予告が困難続きで重そうだったので、
翌週からスタートした裏番組（８チャンネル）を見てま～す。
南極は、あとは最終回だけ見ようかな～なんてね

ネコペン ０４０１ 風邪と読書とホットココア

BEFORE LEAVING FOR dinner with Amberina , Qwilleran made a long-distance
phone call . It was Sunday evening , and Polly Duncan would be at home waiting for news .
He deemed it advisable to keep the report upbeat : Yes , he had enjoyed the trip・・・Yes ,
the cats behaved well・・・The manager and custodian were helpful . The apartment was
spacious and well-furnished , with a magnificent view of the sunset . He mentioned
nothing about the malfunctioning elevator nor the leaking skylight nor the bulletproof
window at the manager's desk nor the bloodstain on the carpet , and he especially
avoided reference to his dinner date with Amberina . Polly was a wonderful woman
but inckined to be jealous .
Then he said goodbye to the Siamese , having placed their blue cushion
on the bed in the small bedroom . “Be goof kids , ”he said . “Have a nap and stay
out of trouble . I'll be back in a couple of hours , perhaps with a doggie bag . ”
He turned off all the lights except the one in the bathroom , where they had their
commode , thinking that the darkness would encourage them to nap and stay
out of mischief .

今日も穏やかな、いいお天気でした。天気予報によると今日が暖かさのピークで
明日以降は、少しずつ寒くなっていくようです。
そんな、穏やかな天候にもかかわらず、風邪ひいてしまいました～
一昨日から鼻水、くしゃみ、微熱。パブロン飲んだら微熱は平熱に！
幸い、頭痛が無いので、読書ができるので助かってます
ホットココアを飲んで、あったかくして、のんびりしてます

ネコペン ０３０３ もう１１月だぁ・・・

The most dramatic feature was the gallery of paintings that covered the upper
walls . They were large still lifes , all studies of mushrooms＿whole or halved or sliced ,
tumbled about in various poses . The jarring effect , to Qwilleran's eye , was not
the size of the mushrooms＿some two feet in diameter＿but the fact that each
arrangement was pictured with a pointed knife that looked murderously sharp . He had to
admit that the knife lifted the still lifes out of the ordinary . Somehow it suggested
a human presence . But he could not imagine why the owner of the apartment had
hung so many mushrooms , unless・・・he had painted them himself . Who was this
talented tenant ? The signature on the work was a cryptic logo : two Rs back-to-back .
Why did he specialize in mushrooms ? Why did he leave ? Where had he gone ?
When would he return ? And why was he willing to sublet this lavishly furnished apartment
to a stranger ?
There were no windows in the room＿only the skylight , and it admitted a sick
light on this late afternoon in November . Apart from the potted trees and the green
and yellow plastic pails strategically placed in case of rain , the interior was
monochromatically neutral . Walls , upholstered sofa , and commercial-weave carpet
were all in a pale gray-beige like the mushrooms .

もう○○月？と、つい言ってしまう度に、最近はちょっと年齢感じてしまう
だから、人前ではなるべく言いたくない言葉だけど・・・こんなところで書いてしまってる（笑）
今朝のニュースで『年賀はがき』の販売が始まると言ってた・・・。
年末までは、考えようによっては、まだ２ヶ月も（も！）あるのに、なんだか
そわそわ忙しいような気分になり出す。
ああ、それにしても今年も年賀状作りに四苦八苦するんだろうか？
今年こそは、さっさと作ってしまうぞ！と、思ってはいるけど、それもいつものことな気がする