to Mt. Takao

Yesterday I enjoyed hiking in the mountain of Takao
with a friend of mine.

She has lived in Tokyo for a long time but it was her
first time to climb Mt. Takao.

I remembered she had asked me to take her to Mt. Takao
and I called her the day before yesterday.

I climbed Mt. Takao after an interval of six months!

We climbed the south face of the mountain---稲荷山コース.

The trail was wet and slippery and we walked very carefully.

Here we are!

At last we reached the top of Mt. Takao, then walked to もみじ台
and had lunch with なめこ汁.

Leaves were still green. Mt. Fuji was not to be seen.
But we were very happy to be there.

We took another trail to go down the mountain—いろはの森
～つり橋～浄心門～かすみ台～金毘羅台 and 高尾山口駅.

My friend had dull pain in her knees.

I hope she is all right today.












I like this suspenson bridge （つり橋） in the forest.

idioms using the word “dog”

We learned English idioms using the word “dog”
in our last Friday English Class.

work like a dog なりふりかまわず働く
be as sick as a dog 　ひどく気分が悪い
be dog-eat-dog 　食うか食われるか（の激しい競争）
be top dog ボスになる
be in the doghouse 面目を失っている　嫌われている

argue like cat and dog ひどい口論をする（全く意見が合わない）
rain cats and dogs　（雨が）土砂降りに降る
live a dog’s life　みじめな暮らしをする
go to the dogs 落ちぶれる　堕落する
bark up the wrong tree 全く見当違いのことを言う

Let sleeping dogs lie. さわらぬ神にたたりなし
You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. 芸は若いうちに学べ
Every dog has its day. 誰にでも得意な時はある
His bark is worse than his bite. 彼は口ほどには悪くない人間だ。

I feel sorry for dogs.

(on the way to the community center)

today’s song

I’ve just been to the community center
to attend a meeting as a delegate of Harmonica Circle.

It has been cloudy all day.

I feel a little bit lonely on such a day like this.

Oh, I see a rose blooming alone!

I was singing an English song--'Tis the Last Rose of Summer
--「庭の千草」in Japanese.

The song made me evev more lonely.

'Tis the last rose of summer
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
No rosebud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
To give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one!
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them.
Thus kindly I scatter,
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
From Love's shining circle
The gems drop away.
When true hearts lie withered
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit,
This bleak world alone?

November 1st, 2011

Oh, what a beautiful autumn day!

my granddaughter’s public elementary school
is open to the community during this week.

I went to her school and observed four classes
in the morning.

1st period---Handicraft
2nd period—--Handicraft
3rd period---Math
4th period---Japanese

In the handicraft class, each student was making
a small, nice chair designed by herself/himself.

In the math class they were learning about
“inverse proportion（反比例）”

Each student stated her/his own way of thinking
for “inverse proportion”.

In the Japanese class, they were reading a short
story 「やまなし」 by 宮沢賢治.

In each class the students were very active.
They looked happy to be there at school.

What will they be, when they grow up?

I was singing a song 'Que sera, sera’,
walking to my apartment.