電動歯ブラシ

2月29日（金）快晴

63歳、もう思い残すことはないほど長生きをしたのですが、未だに足腰も胃も丈夫。老眼で耳は少し遠いけど髪と歯はすべて自前です。髪は遺伝だと思うので両親に感謝。だけど2人とも僕の年齢の頃は総入れ歯でした。欧米人は歯を大切にします。豪州の水道水にはフッ素が混入されています。僕は1年に2度歯の検診を受け、毎日朝夕2度の歯磨き。家では電動歯ブラシ、旅先では手動歯ブラシを使います。電動のほうが確実に磨けます。

美容歯科

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Electric tooth brush
Fri. February 29 : fine

I’m 63 years old. I have had long enough life and I have no repentance. I’m still robust and I have strong digestion. I’m far-sighted and a little deaf but my hair and teeth are all my own. As I inherit my hair from my parents I appreciate it. Both of my parents had full denture when they were my age, 63. Western people take care of their teeth well. Fluorine is added to Australian tap water. I have tooth check up twice a year and clean my teeth twice a day, in the morning and at night. I use an electric tooth brush at home and manual tooth brush when I travel. You can brush your teeth perfectly with an electric one.

cosmetic dentistry

水陸両用車・スキューバ

2月28日（水）曇

馬、バイク、車、船、飛行機など乗り物には人を狂わせる魔力があります。スイスの自動車メーカーが最近試作品を発表したスキューバは水中も推進できるオープンカー。素人見積もりで2000万円。これさえあればグレート・バリア・リーフの島々にだって珊瑚礁と熱帯魚を見物しながら往復できます。ユミに「誕生祝に何が欲しい？」と訊かれたので「スキューバ」と答えたら話がうまく通じなかったらしく、2000円の電動歯ブラシをプレゼントされました。今日から僕も63歳です。

僕の昔の改造車

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Amphibious car :Scuba
Thu. Feburary 28 : cloudy

Vehicles such as horses, bikes, cars, boats, and airplanes have magical attraction. Scuba, the trial product recently presented by a Swiss vehicle maker is a convertible that can go under the water as well. It is $200,000 at my amateur estimate. If I owned it, I would go and return between the islands of Great Barrier Reef seeing reefs and tropical fish. “What do you want for your birthday present?” being asked by Yumi I answered “Scuba!” As she maybe misunderstood it she gave me a $20 electric tooth brush. I became 63 years old today.

my hot rod in the past

アポイズ・メイン号

2月27日（水）曇

ケアンズの外国船ターミナルには毎週3隻ほどのクルーズ船が発着します。1ヶ月前にも飛鳥Ⅱが入港したそうですが、僕はカンボジアに行っていたので見物できなかった。隣のヨット・ハーバーにも豪華自家用船が停泊しています。中でも圧巻はアポイズ・メイン号。全長67m、3000トンくらいの6階建て。エレベーター、プール、ジャグジー、ジム、バーもあり、僕の素人見積もりで50億円。3億円で1年がかりで地球一周してくれるなら借りてもいい。3000万円出してもいいと言う8人の同行者がいればの話ですけど。

世界1の豪華ヨット

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Apoise Main
Wed. Feburary 27 : cloudy

About 3 cruise ships arrive in and depart from Overseas Passenger Terminal in Cairns every week. One month ago AsukaⅡarrived into in port but I could not see it as I had gone to Cambodia then. Some gorgeous private boats are being moored in the yacht harbor next to the terminal. Above all the most luxurious one is Apoise Main. It has 67m of its length, about 3000 tons, and 6 stories. It has some lifts, a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a gymnasium, and a bar. At my amateur estimate its value is $50M. I would rent it if it was $3M for 1 year cruise going around the world. Absolutely, it is on the premise that there are 8 companions who would willingly pay $0.3M each.

the most luxurious yacht in the world

クイーン・ビクトリア号

2月26日（火）曇

一昨日クイーン・エリザベス2世号（QEⅡ、7万トン）がシドニーに現役最後の航海。任務終了後はドバイでホテル・シップとして余生を送ります。QEⅡは後継船のクイーン・ビクトリア号（QV、9万トン）を随行。昨年カミラ夫人が命名し、推進式でシャンペンが割れなかったいわくつきの船。英キュナード社はクイーン・メリー2世号（QMⅡ、15万トン）も所有しています。QEⅡは40年間の現役生活で地球を25周しました。ピースボートは25年間で50周しました。(photo by SMH)

QEⅡ

QMⅡ

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Queen Victoria
Tue. Feburary 26 : cloudy

Queen Elizabeth 2 (QEⅡ, 70,000ton) sailed into Sydney for her final cruise the day before yesterday. After retirement she will spend rest of her life as a hotel ship in Dubai. QEⅡ companied Queen Victoria(QV, 70,000ton), her successor ship. It was named by Ms.Camilla and it is an inauspicious ship that the champagne bottle couldn’t be successfully smashed in her naming ceremony. British Cunard Line also own Queen Mary 2(QMⅡ, 150,000ton). QEⅡ went on cruise around the world 25 times in her 25 years commission. On the other hand, our Peace Boat had 50 times around world cruise in 25 years.

QEⅡ

QMⅡ

日和佐からのプレゼント

2月25日（月）快晴

図書館の陳列ケースに姉妹都市・日和佐からのプレゼントが飾られています。三角旗と兜と日本人形。これも悪くはないけれど、日本語の本を1000冊ほど寄付してもらえないでしょうか？7年前の豪州移住に際して僕の蔵書のうち価値ある5000冊を青森県内の図書館に寄贈を申し出てことごとく拒否されました。日本の図書館は蔵書が満タンで、今や献本は受け付けていないそうです。日本人は忙し過ぎて読書をしないのに、垂れ流し的に新書が出版されているからだそうです。

名古屋の猿面

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Gift from Hiwasa
Mon. Feburary 25 : fine

The gifts from sister city Hiwasa are being displayed in a showcase in the City Library. They are a pennant, a samurai helmet, and a Japanese doll. They are not bad, but could you donate about 1000 Japanese books? Right before I moved to Australia 7 years ago I offered the libraries in Aomori prefecture to donate 5000 valuable books from my collection, and they all refused it. They said they could not receive any donation books as there is no room to store them. It is because new books have been discharged in Japanese where people are too busy to read.

monkey mask from Nagoya

日本語の蔵書

2月24日（日）快晴

僕が子供の頃は図書館の本が少なかった。だから僕は小学校でも中学校でも3年間で学校図書館の蔵書を全て読み切りました。速読は僕の特技ですが対象は日本語の本だけ。英語の本の速読は苦手です。TVは退屈しますが読書は退屈しません。豪州に住んでいて不便なことは季節感溢れる和食を食べられないことと、日本語の本に不自由すること。市民図書館の日本語の本は、幼児向けやつまらなそうな本が100冊程度。中国語の本は1万冊以上あるのに。

船内図書室には5000冊

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Japanese library
Sun. Feburary 24 : fine

When I was a child there were not so many books in the library. I read all the books from the school library in 3 years in my primary school and junior high school. I am good at rapid reading but the target is only Japanese books, but English book. Watching TV makes me bored but reading. Something I feel inconvenient in Australia is that I cannot eat seasonal Japanese food and that I cannot get many Japanese books. There are only about 100 Japanese books and they are all child books or dull books. On the contrast there are more than 10,000 Chinese books.

5000 books in Peace Boat library

市民図書館

2月23日（土）快晴

僕のアパートの真前はシネマで、その向こうが市民図書館。通りを2本隔てて図書館まで200m、徒歩3分。しかし僕はあまり近付かない。図書館の裏庭のガジュマルとイチジクの大木がフルーツ・バットのねぐらになっているからです。鳴き声は不気味だし、木の下はアンモニア臭が不快です。遠回りをして海側の正面玄関から入場。蔵書は多くはないけれど、家具も新しく冷房が効いて快適。それでも利用者が少ないのはコウモリへの偏見のため？

ケアンズ市立図書館

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City library
Sat. Feburary 23 : fine

There is a cinema opposite our apartment and city library behind that. It is 200m away from our apartment to the library crossing two streets. It takes only 3minutes. But I seldom approach there. Because there are banyans and fig trees in the backyard of the library and they are the lair of fruit bats. The cry is weird and it is offensively stinky by their excretions under the trees. I take a detour and enter from the front entrance faced to sea. Although there are not so many books, the furniture is new and the air conditioner works comfortably. The reason why there are not many users still comes from the prejudice to bats?

Cairns City Library

シティーの日没

2月22日（金）快晴

今の季節ケアンズの日没は7：00pm。夕暮れにシティーに帰還した数万羽のロリキート（虹色インコ）が街路樹でギャーギャーと一斉に叫びまくる上空を1万羽のフルーツ・バット（大コウモリ）が夜空の黒い川のように編隊飛行。熱帯雨林の多くの樹木はベジタリアンのフルーツ・バットによって受粉されます。街灯の周りをスズメ大のコウモリも飛び回って蚊や蛾を食べています。コウモリは人間に有益な動物なのだそうです。

フルーツ・バット

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The sunset in City
Fri. Feburary 22 : fine

The sunset time in Cairns in this season is 7:00pm. A couple of 10 thousands of lorikeets return on the street trees at dusk singing loudly, and 10 thousands of fruit bats fly making formation like a black river in the night sky. Most of trees in the tropical rain forests are pollinated by vegetarian, fruit bats. Sparrow sized small bats are flying around the street lights eating mosquitoes and moths. People say bats are profitable animals for human.

fruit bat

ブーゲンビリア

2月21日（木）快晴

年末にテラスに置く植物の苗を購入。2株のヤシと2種類のブーゲンビリアで樹高はいずれも30cmでした。まだ2ヶ月も経っていないのにブーゲンビリアの樹高は2mを越えました。視界の妨げになるし、風の強い日には倒れるのでテラスの隅に移動。BBQストーブも窮屈そうです。1本は花を沢山つけているのに、もう1本は大器晩成型なのか枝葉を伸ばすだけ。

テラスの植木鉢

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bougainvilleas
Thu. Feburary 21 : fine

I bought a pot seedling to place on the terrace at the end of the year. They are 2 palm trees and 2 kinds of bougainvilleas that were all 30cm high. Tow bougainvilleas have grown higher than 2m within less than 2 months since I bought them. As they obstruct the view and strong wind tumbles them I have moved them to the corner of the terrace. The BBQ stove seems to be uncomfortable. One of them has a lot of blooms but the other one seems to be late bloomer.

pot plants on a terrace

早朝営業

2月20日（水）曇

過労死が得意な日本人は勤勉でOZは怠け者？残業などという言葉もない豪州では午後5時には職場には人影は消えます。確かに豪州の労働時間は世界最低レベル。しかしOZは早起き。ゴミの収集や道路の清掃は早朝4時には始まります。市場は5時開場。建築労働者は6時始業。朝食を提供するカフェは午前6時オープン、午後2時に閉店。真夏のケアンズの日の出は6時半、日没は7時です。

OZ

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Early morning open
Wed. Feburary 20 : cloudy

Japanese people, Karoshi specialists are diligent and OZs are idle? As there is not a word, “overtime work” in Australia, all offices become empty by 5 o’clock in the evening. The labor time in Australia is surely the shortest in the world. But OZs are early birds. The garbage collection and road cleaning start at 4 early in the morning. Market opens at 5.Construction workers start to work at 6. Cafes that serve breakfast open at 6:00am and they close at 2:00pm. Sunrise is 6:30am and sunset is 7:00pm in midsummer in Cairns.

OZ

外履きと上履き

2月19日（火）曇

ケアンズ市民の日常の履物はゴム草履か裸足。それはだらしなさ過ぎるのではと思うので外出には皮製のサンダル。プールやダスト・シュート（ゴミ捨て）などアパート内の移動にはビニール製サンダル。毎朝の速足歩行にはウオーキング・シューズと靴下。室内では健康サンダルと畳敷きの草履を交互に履いています。

靴は旅行の時だけ

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Outdoor shoes and indoor shoes
Tue. Feburary 19 : cloudy

Citizens of Cairns usually wear thongs or leave barefoot. I think it’s so untidy that I wear leather thongs when I go out. When I walk inside of the apartment to go to the swimming pool or the dust shoot I wear plastic thongs. I wear walking shoes when I go to rapid walking exercise in the morning. I wear health thongs and tatami mat thongs turn by turn in our unit.

I wear shoes only when I travel

僕の家の玄関

2月18日（月）曇

ボクのユニットには2ｍx4mほどの鏡の壁の玄関ホールがあります。鏡の前には2つの壷が置かれた0.4mx1.2mのガラスのテーブル。ボクの趣味ではないけど、家具付き賃貸アパートだから仕方がありません。2つの壷の間にあるグラスにはユミが調合したポプリ。壷の横には部屋の鍵や携帯を入れる皿を置き、テーブルの横には普段履く6足の履物。ユミの方針で我が家は一貫して土足禁止です。

シドニーの玄関

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Entrance hall of our unit
Mon. Feburary 18 : cloudy

There is a 2ｍx4m large entrance hall that is surrounded by miller walls. There is a 0.4mx1.2m large glass table with 2 pots on it. That is not my taste but it cannot help agreeing because this is a fully furnished rental unit. There is a pot-pourri that was made by Yumi among the pots. We have set a plate that is to put room keys and mobile phones beside the pots, and 6 pairs of shoes of ordinary use beside the table. All the rooms of our house have “shoes off” rule that is Yumi’s policy.

entrance hall in Sydney

ジム

2月17日（日）晴

10種類のトレーニング・マシーンが設置され、6:00am－10：00pmまで利用可能。シャワー室、TV, 冷房完備で汗臭くはありません。 アパートの住人はプールもジムも無料で利用できるのに、どちらも閑古鳥が鳴いています。ボデー・ビルに熱心なのは韓国人と米国人。このアパートには多分どちらも住んでいないんでしょうね。僕はジムが好きじゃないし、ジム派のユミもウオーキング・マシンより海辺の散歩のほうが快適なので一度も利用していません。

シドニー旧宅のジム

ピースボートのジム

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Gymnasium
Sun. Feburary 17 : fine

There are 10 kinds of training machines at the gym and it is available from 6:00am to 10：00pm. It is not stinky as there are shower rooms, the TV, and the air conditioner. Although inhabitants can use both pool and gymnasium free of charge they are always empty. The people who are earnest over bodybuilding are Koreans and Americans. Maybe neither of them are not living in this apartment. I don’t like to go to the gymnasium and Yumi who loves gymnasium thinks that walking along on seashore is more comfortable than walking machine, so we have never used it.

gymnasium in Sydney

gymnasium in Peace Boat

プール

2月16日（土）晴一時雨

ボクのアパートのプールは3階の屋上にあります。77戸、約200人が入居していますが、平日はほとんど泳ぐ人はいません。プールサイドにはトイレ・シャワー室、バーベキュー広場、シャグジー、ジムがあります。プールは8：00am－10：00pmまで利用可能。プールサイドは禁煙区域。北東向きなので午前中は日差しがかなり強く、夕方たまに昼寝や読書する人を見かける程度。

鳥瞰図

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Swimming pool
Sat. Feburary 16 : fine occasionally rainy

The swimming pool is on the roof of third floor of our apartment. There are 77families, or about 200 residents but they seldom swim on weekdays. There are toilets and shower rooms, BBQ corner, Jacuzzi and gymnasium on the poolside. The pool is available from 8：00am to 10：00pm. The poolside is none-smoking area. The sunshine is quite strong in the morning as the pool faces to north east so you can see people who are taking naps or reading in the evening at times.

bird's -eye view

タガメ

2月15日（金）晴

数日前に「プールのワニに注意」と書きましたが、ついにボクのアパートのプールにも出現。こちらのタガメは体長10cm。自分より大きなカエルや魚を捕食するので、その獰猛さから「水中のギャング」と呼ばれます。中国では漢方薬に、東南アジアでは食用にされます。水中で僕が近づくと威嚇のポーズ。消毒用の塩素も平気だなんて油断のならない奴が多い。来週あたりプールでペリカンが泳いでいるかもしれません。

ペリカン

メダカ

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Giant water bug
Fri. Feburary 15 : fine

I said before “watch out crocodiles in the swimming pool” and now the invader has come to our swimming pool. Giant water bugs in Australia are 10cm long. They are called “gangster in water” as they catch fiercely bigger animals than them such as frogs or fish. They are used as medicine in China and as food in East South Asia. When I approached it in the swimming pool it assumed a threat posture. There are a lot of tough animals that don’t care chlorine of disinfection. A pelican might be swimming in our swimming pool next week.

pelican

killifish