イギリス・パンケーキレースの旅（５）〜いよいよオルニーへ The Pancake Race Trip 5 〜Heading to Olney　

*English follows. これは2023年2月18日から25日まで、パンケキーレースの視察で、イギリスのオルニーという町を訪れたときのレポートです。
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視察の地、オルニーに向かいます。オルニーはロンドンから北へ約２時間行ったパンケーキレース 発祥の地で、コロナ前にチルドレンズ・イングリッシュ・センター（CEC）でこの企画をしたときにぜひ視察に訪れたい場所でした。

レースの開催は毎年イースター前のShrove Tuesday(告解の火曜日）。学校はまだ休みではなく、しかもイースターに合わせて毎年日にちが変わるので考えあぐねていました。しかし今年のカレンダーを見ると天皇誕生日の週になっている。それでも旅の移動を考えると4日は学校を休まないといけない。もっといい日並びはないかと次年以降のカレンダーを見ましたが、しばらくは祝日に絡めるShrove Tuesdayはありません。

思い切って学校に相談し、年休を調整して今回ようやく来ることができました。最初はCECのためだけのつもりでしたが学校でも共有できることがあるということで新たな使命も加わり、結構盛りだくさんの旅です。

今日はこれからパンケーキレースの運営委員長に会って本番の様子を伺います。オルニーは小さな町で、ポスターも地元の学校で子ども達が作成しています。関わりを知るもの目的の一つです。

もうすぐ電車がオルニーに着きます。

This is a journal on a visit to the town of Olney in UK from the 18th-25th of February 2023 to do research on the Pancake Race.
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I was heading to Olney where I do research. Olney is the birthplace of the Pancake Race. It's about two hours north of London, and a place we wanted to visit when we planned this event at the Children's English Centre (CEC) before the pandemic.

The race is held every year on Shrove Tuesday before Easter. It seemed difficult to visit there as we're still in school term at this time of year. Further more to say, Pancake Day changes every year according to Easter. The reason I chose this year was that the day is in the week of Emperor's Birthday holiday. I would still have to take four days off school considering travelling involved. I looked at the calendar for the following years onwards to see if there was a better day sequence, and came to the conclusion that there was no Shrove Tuesday to be tied to a public holiday for a while.

In consultation with the school managers, I adjusted my annual leave and was finally able to come this time. I was only going to be there for CEC at first, but I was added a new mission to share with the school, which made the trip more exciting.

I was supposed to meet the chairperson of the steering committee of the Pancake Race to learn how the event was going to go when I arrived. Olney is a small town. The race is voluntary organized by local people. The posters are also made by children in local schools. One of the objectives is to get to know how the people involved.

The train will arrive at Olney soon.

ロンドン・ユーストン駅　London Euston Station

Wi-Fi完備で、スマホはテーブルに置くだけで充電でき、車内は設備の整ったリモートオフィス。Wi-Fi is available and Smartphones can be recharged by simply placing them on the table. The train is well equipped remote working place.

ミルトン・キーンズ駅。オルニーヘはここから車で約15分。Milton-Keynes Station. 15-minutes driving to Olney.