今朝の空気はカラッとしていて、空には秋らしい雲がかかっていました。これは朝一にタイガが用をたす空き地からの眺め。
The air was cool and dry in the early morning, and the cloud in the sky was really autumn-like.
This thinly scattered cloud is very typical of autumn in Japan. In the morning light, the cloud was sparkling. When I was a corporate person many years ago, I could hardly care about these beautiful natural phenomenon, as I was heading straight to the underground station. Now I feel very fortunate.
今朝は住宅街を歩きたかったようで、6丁目をブラブラしていたら初めて見る白柴の子がいました。14歳のテツマル（哲丸）君。飼い主さん曰く、大変な怖がりで他所のワンコはとにかく苦手だそうです。
Taiga wanted to walk through the residential area this morning. We came upon a White Shiba Inu - a 14-year old male, named Tetsumaru. According to his dad, Tetsumaru is extremely timid, and he would not come out from behind the utility pole.
そこで私が手を差し出して、臭いかぎをしてもらいました。私の手にはタイガの臭いが着いているはずなので、少しでも慣れさせるためです。同様に、飼い主さんもご自分の臭いをタイガに嗅がせてくれました。
So I let him sniff my hand which had Taiga's scent, too. Likewise, hid dad let Taiga smell his hand.
ちょっと安心したのか、電柱の向こうから出てきました。初対面はこれで十分でしょう。無理やり更に近づけようとするとストレスになり、ネガティブな記憶をもって分かれることになるので、次回に影響します。
Tetsumaru somehow relaxed and came out of hiding. I felt this was enough for a first time meeting with such a timid dog. Any more effort to get them closer would be putting a pressure on him and he would go away with a negative memory of Taiga.
うちの近所に玄関前が山荘ふうの家があります。そこの木が赤い実をつけていました。
A shrub with red berries in front of my neighbour's house.
マユミのようです。
I think this is the Japanese spindle tree - a wild plant I used to see in the mountains of my home village.
非常に丈夫なハーブで大株に育つので、うちでは最終的に持て余してしまいました。
その斜め向かいの家の花壇では紫のアメジストセージが満開でした。
Nearly opposite to that house, there was a flower bed with the Salvia leucantha in full bloom.
This is such a tough herb and it thrives in the Japanese climate with high temperature and humidity. I used to have it in my garden, too, but it grew out of control.
