Indeed, Katsuwo is just a nickname for him since high school years, actually the name of a famous animation character, but many of us from the high school, and even their families, still call him so.
He visited us not only when we were living in Kolkata, but also one year after we moved in here. Now he came with his lovely wife; they are actually a couple of newlyweds!
They were interested in working at the citrus field, so I contacted J-chan and her husband who needed help in their field at that time. So, they worked half day, and spent the other half day playing with us, mainly Umeo and Sukla. I was really impressed by I-chan, Katsuwo's wife, for her patience. Since Umeo liked her so much, she wanted to play with I-chan all the time! She didn't let I-chan alone even for a moment... Usually, any adult would get tired of playing with a kid doing same thing continuously, but I-chan was tough.
In the evening, we did a pizza dinner one evening and a wild boar-BBQ on the other. As we were eating, the Okimura family joined, and H-san also suddenly dropped in, so after all, both nights became like big parties.
Every time when guests come, I feel like wanting to try something new. This time, I tried smoked Tofu and smoked boiled eggs. They became good Otsumami(nibblies), indeed!
As usual, they helped us a lot with housework and playing with kids. We're grateful to them for coming all the way, and hope they enjoyed the time with us and our neighbors.
Wakana
カツヲ
「カツヲ」というのは彼の高校時代からあだ名なのですが、今でも多くの同級生やその家族までもが、そのまま呼び続けています。
そんなカツヲは、私たちがコルカタに住んでいた時も、またこちらに引っ越してきてすぐの時も、遊びに来てくれました、そしてこの度はかわいいお嫁さんを連れて。そう、二人は新婚さんなのでした。
二人がみかん畑で働くことにも関心があるというので、ちょうど人手を必要としていたJちゃんのところにお手伝いかつ農業体験に行ってもらいました。半日は、Jちゃんの所で、もう半日は私や子どもたち、いや特に子どもたちと。それにしても、Iちゃんの忍耐強さは感動的でした。(う)が彼女を気に入って気に入って、ひと時もどこかに行かせません。ずっと一緒に遊んでくれるIちゃんの優しさといったら。いくら子ども好きでも、同じ遊びをひたすら続けているのには、飽きてしまうものなのですが。
夜は、一晩目は猪BBQを囲炉裏で、二晩目はピザをダッチオーブンで焼きました。すると、沖村家の皆がやってきて、ふいに猪ハンターのHさんも焼酎下げて入ってきたりで、予期せぬパーティーの様子に。
こちらは、お客が来ると何か新しいメニューを試したくなる性分で、今回は豆腐と味付け卵の燻製をしてみました。これがまた、いいおつまみになると分かり、今後の定番メニューに入りそうです。
さて、今回のカツヲ夫妻もたくさん一緒に家のことも手伝ってくれて、本当に助かりました。はるばる来てくれてどうもありがとう。私たちや、ここのご近所さんとの時間を楽しんでくれたなら、本当に嬉しく思います。
(わ)