TOEICマニアなっちの英語で遊ブログ

おでんとスムージーってヘンですか？

2010-09-22T10:21:00.003+09:00

ここ数日でようやく
厳しい残暑も過ぎ去ってくれたような印象ですが、
こうして涼しくなってくると恋しくなるのが
「おでん」ですよね！

近所のコンビニでも、
9月に入ってからおでんの販売が始まったんですが、
なじみの店員さんいわく、
連日30度を超えていたときでも
バカスカ売れていたのだとか（汗）

あの暑い中よくもまあおでんなど・・・
食事の趣味嗜好というのはホント分かりません。

まあ、私も家族から、
「おでん食いながらよくスムージーなんか飲めるな」
とあきれられたりしているんですが（笑）

おいしく食べられる幸せが満喫できるなら
それでいいってことですかね！

さつまいもスイーツにメロメロな私

2010-09-16T09:22:00.002+09:00

そろそろ最高気温が
30度行かない日なんていうのも出てきたりして、
さすがに秋の気配は濃厚になってきましたね。

こうなってくると、
当然食欲の方も歯止めが効かなくなってきてしまう
私なんですが（笑）、
今一番注目しているのは、
さつまいもを使ったスイーツの数々なんです。

ちょっと「さつまいもスイーツ」で検索してみただけでも、
ものすごい数のスイーツがヒットしますからねー。

満月を眺めながらさつまいもスイーツ！
今年はそんな秋の夜長を楽しもうかと検討中です。

そういえばしばらく英語やってないけど、
まあいっか（笑）

11月の旬のものでお腹一杯！

2010-09-15T05:55:00.003+09:00

早朝な夕方なんかにはほんのり涼しくなってきて、
ようやく秋の味覚が
おいしい季節になってきそうな気配ですね。

ただ、私的に一番のお楽しみなのは
11月の旬の味覚の数々なんです。

まあ、
11月の旬のものと一口に言っても、
あげればこれはキリがないわけですが、
強いて言うなら山芋ですかね。

確かに年中出回っている食材ですが、
この時期の山芋の粘りは
旬だけあってタダモノではありません。

またしてもごはんが進んでしまいそうです（笑）

ダンスのない運動会なんて・・・

2010-09-09T05:53:00.000+09:00

来月には運動会っていう学校や会社は多いんでしょうね。私の会社では、ちょうど体育の日に開催されるということで、いかにも体育会系という一部の社員はもう大盛り上がり！
私にしてみれば、ダンスがあるわけでもない運動会に何の意味があるんだというのがホントのところ。まあ、あったところであの人たちとやるんだったら仮病使って休んじゃいますけどね（爆）あーあ、高校の最後の運動会が懐かしい。一緒にフォークダンス踊った犬養君、今頃どうしてるのかな？

満月パワー信じる者は救われますか!?

2010-09-01T11:23:00.001+09:00

9月に入り、もうじきお月見のシーズンということになったというのに何ですかこの暑さは！！まあ嘆いても仕方のないこと。今はひたすら満月パワーに願いをかけて、一日も早い残暑とのオサラバを祈るしかなさそうです。でも肝心の満月がいつなんだか。。何かと準備に不手際の多いオババでございます（恥）

この世にピンクの彼岸花があるとは驚いた（汗）

2010-08-25T11:28:00.003+09:00

どういうわけか子供の頃から、彼岸花という花に心が惹かれてなりません。秋になると、あちこちで咲きだす彼岸花ですが、あの妖艶といってもいい魅力には私はどうにも抗うことができないようです。そんな彼岸花ですが、あの真紅の花こそが特徴だと思っていたところ、どうやらピンクの彼岸花なんていうのもあるらしいですね。うーん、世界は広いぞ。もっと英語ガンバロー！！

summer solstice illustration materials

2009-06-12T13:10:00.007+09:00

Illustrations of the summer solstice are added to the category "June Illustrarion Materials".

They are the illustrations of celestial map showing the solar movement of the day of the summer solstice.

There are two versions of illustration.Both of them have no background image, but one is decorated with the letter of "the summer solstice".

They are royalty free! Take them out from our website "Koaki's Web Materials(Sorry,Japanese version only for now!)" and utilize them at your website,blog and so on.

In addition, you can use them for printed matters to distribute at a company, a neighborhood association,and a school etc.

The use in the commercial medium such as the site of the net shop, the site of the affiliate, the advertisement of the shop is also hearty welcome.

By the way, I added the illustrations of boots yesterday.And the number of the list page of "June Illustration Materials" of our site increased to three.

However, it is lonesome that one page has only three pieces of illustrations.Therefore I began to look for the idea of June illustration material again.

But I had drawn almost all June-related illustrations.(the rainy season, June bride etc.), so no ideas occured to me.

World Cup soccer?Takarazuka Kinen(GI horse race in Japan)?However, in fact, there is not much demand for these illustrations.

I was really troubled, but my husband suggested "Don't you try the illustrations of the summer solstice?"

It is so.June surely has the summer solstice.I completely forgot this."Thanks a lot!"

In this way,I was going to start drawing the illustrations of the summer solstice with great glee.

However, another difficult problem appeared."What should I draw as illustrations of the summer solstice?"

The summer solstice is the day when noon becomes longest among one year in a northern hemisphere.And it comes every year on about June 21.

I noticed that I knew nothing about the summer solstice more than this.

So I tried to search topics about the summer solstice(food,event and so on) via the Internet.

In Wikipedia, I found the description "There is the area with the custom to eat fig baked and coated with miso at the day of the summer solstice".

But this is not so popular in Japan.

On the day of the winter solstice, most Japanese people eat a pumpkin and enter the citron bath (the bathtub in which citron float), in hope of a perfect state of health.

But there are not such a general manners and customs on the summer solstice, so I was troubled again.

However, I was able to find means of escape for a class of the science of the junior high school.

Suddenly, I remembered that I often saw in my textbook, an illustration of the solar orbit of the summer solstice day, when I was a junior high school student.

I put three words "summer solstice/sun/track" in a search window at once.Then those familiar figures were found soon.

I drew today's illustration in consultation with the figures.

I am happy if I could have expressed that noon is longest on the day of the summer solstice.
Summer Solstice Illustration Material

You can check another illustration materials of June in the following page.
June Illustration Materials

boots illustration materials

2009-06-11T12:20:00.003+09:00

Illustrations of boots are added to the category "June Illustration Materials".They are red colored one,blue,and yelow.

Both are all royalty free!

Take them out from our website "Koaki's Web Materials(Sorry,Japanese version only for now!)" and utilize them at your website,blog and so on.

In addition, you can use them for printed matters to distribute at a company, a neighborhood association,and a school etc.

The use in the commercial medium such as the site of the net shop, the site of the affiliate, the advertisement of the shop is also hearty welcome.

Oh, I was going to nearly commit a real mistake.

I've drawn up the 60 pieces of illustration of June approximately two months ago.And I thought that all the illustrations related with June were completed.

Thus I have been drawing illustrations of July and August in succession.

However, yesterday, it was pointed out by my husband that I forgot to draw the illustrations of boots.

Therefore I drew them in a hurry today!!

Speaking of June, the season is "tsuyu(rainy season)" in Japan.At this time, in the case of going out, we cannot miss boots.

In Japan, the boots has become very stylish recently.And they seem to be called "rain boots" or "rain shoes" if my recognition is right.

Mainly among young women, they seem to be popular nowadays.

In "Rakuten Ichiba" which is one of the biggest internet shopping site of Japan, the ranking of the sales of "rain boots" is shown, and the variations of boots of the Lady's seems to be abundant.

By the way, the first place of the ranking is "HUNTER"."HUNTER" is the purveyor to the Royal household. And its products has a good reputation in comfort of wearing.

They look like horseback riding boots, and the form was cool! So I came to want them, too.

In Japan,　"EIGLE" is very famous for their rubber boots, too. And it seems to be still popular.

On the other hand, high-heeled and pop-colored boots are popular, though they are no-brand products.

Girls who love them usually wear high-heeled court shoe or mule.And they seem to want to wear pretty shoes likewise at the time of the rainy season.

But, when I watched the images of these high-heeled boots, I became worry if the girls slip on rain wet road.

I wonder if this is unnecessary interference for them.

Well, this is the illustration of red boots of "Koaki's " of which illustrator became unconcerned about fashion recently.
Illustrations of Boots

You can check the boots of other colors and the illustrations of the rainy season in the category "June Illustration Materials".
June Illustration Materials

tower of the bon festival dance illustration material

2009-06-10T10:35:00.005+09:00

I drew the illustrations of Yagura(the tower of the Bon festival dance) for the category "August Illustration Materials".

There are three versions of illustration.

A tower decorated with paper lanterns,a tower decorated with paper lanterns(with night sky background image) ,and a tower surrounded with dancing women.

Both are all royalty free!

Take them out from our website "Koaki's Web Materials(English version is now under construction)" and utilize them at your website,blog and so on.

In addition, you can use them for printed matters to distribute at a company, a neighborhood association,and a school etc.

The use in the commercial medium such as the site of the net shop, the site of the affiliate, the advertisement of the shop is also hearty welcome.

By the way,in former article,I wrote that I had not seen Bon festival dance except Awa Folk Dance until became an adult.

That is similar about the tower of the Bon festival dance.That is to say, I don't have any memories to see a tower in my childhood.

Well, let me comment on a tower of the Bon festival dance.

On the tower of the Bon festival dance, there are a few person beating a drum and singing songs.And people dance in a ring around a tower.

On the other hand, in the case of Awa Folk Dance, dancers and instrument players form a line and parades around a street together.

Therefore it does not need a center-located tower.

In my hometown Tokushima, speaking of Bon festival dance, it means Awa Folk Dance.And as I wrote before, the tower is not needed by Awa Folk Dance.

I think this is the reason why I have not seen the tower of the Bon festival dance.

By the way, the music of the genre called "Ondo(some kind of Japanese folk music for dancing )" is indispensable to the Bon festival dance.

In the Bon festival dance, traditional "Ondo" is played mainly, but, with it, "Ondo" for animated cartoon is often played.

I remember that "Doraemon Ondo" was played endlessly at the Bon festival dance held at the Hankyu Takarazuka station square　last year.

There is also the basic song called "Arare-chan Ondo"(Do you know Akira Toriyama's "Dr.Slump"?).

Speaking of Japanese animation, I think they had their own "Ondo" necessarily.I wonder if the recent Japanimation do.

While I write in this way,"Doraemon Ondo" and "Arare-chan Ondo" have come to sounds repeatedly in my head.

These are the illustrations of the tower of the Bon festival presented by Koaki's Web Materials.
The Illustration Material of the Tower of the Bon Festival

You can check other variations in the category "August Illustration Materials".
August Illustration Materials

bon festival dance illustration material

2009-06-07T11:27:00.009+09:00

I drew the illustrations of the Bon festival dance for the category "August Illustration Materials".They are the illustrations of woman in a yukata(Japanese unlined cotton kimono) dancing Bon festival dance.

There are three versions of illustration in total.

A dancing woman with no background image, a dancing woman with red circle background　image(with a letter of "the Bon festival dance") , and three dancing women without a background image.

Both are all royalty free!Take them out from our website "The Koaki's Web Materials" and utilize them at your website,blog and so on.

In addition, you can use them for the printed matter distributed at a company, a neighborhood association,and a school.

Some people use them for a summer greeting card in Japan.

The use in the commercial medium such as the site of the net shop, the site of the affiliate, the advertisement of the shop is also hearty welcome.

By the way, in Tokushima where I was born and raised, Bon festival dance was Awa Folk Dance.

So I had not watched the common type of Bon festival dance (usually carried out in neighborhood associations) until I married and came over to Osaka.

The place where I watched such a Bon festival dance for the first time was the precincts of the "gokoku" shrine of Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi.

I felt really fun to see Bon festival dance by all of local women's societies members of which wore a yukata properly.

And I have begun to imitate their movement and dance because I already drank liquor and became comfortably.

In the days of 3 years old, I who was excited to see Awa Folk Dance have had entered in the ring of the dance.

I noticed that I never grew up from those days, and I reflected a little.

I said in this way, but, in fact, have danced in the same way in the next year.

And I moved into Takarazuka of Hyogo afterwards.

Here, I came to go to watch Bon festival dance held in the fountain open space of the Hankyu Takarazuka station square, and, however, I never dance it.

Anyway it is a stronghold of Takarazuka all-women's opera.

Many people think that Takarazuka all-women's opera performs mainly so-called Western-style dance.However, actresses of Takarazuka all-women's opera really handle a traditional dance of Japan.

Despite Bon festival dance, I cannot just dance a poor dance in the place where such people stride along.

Instead, I took lots of photographs of the Bon festival dance last year.I drew today's illustration in consultation with the photograph which I took then.

I am sorry, but I lowered the age of the dancer by around 30 years old.

Here is the illustrations of the Bon festival dance of such the Koaki's Web Materials.
Illustration materials of the Bon festival dance

You can see other illustration of Bon festival dance from the category "August Illustration Materials ".
August Illustration Materials