台風の合間に In between typhoons

 台風30号が過ぎ去って今度は31号が接近しつつあるそうですが、昨夜から今朝にかけての強風で軒下のキンカンライムの鉢植えが転倒していました。

As soon as typhoon No.30 was gone, another one, No.31, is approaching the southern tip of Japan.  We had strong winds during last night and this morning.  When I came out of the house, I saw the limequat plant having fallen from its usual spot.

今年は成り年なのでもっと気を配るべきでした。

This is the bumper year, so I should have been more careful.

黄色く色づき始めたものは大丈夫でしたが、

This fruit starting to turn yellow was safe, but

鉢を戻してみると全部で７個の実がもげていました。

I found 7 fruits on the ground when I lifted the plant.

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今朝の風は冷たくて手が悴むほどでした。なので防寒具を着て、手には軍手で公園へ向かいました。川沿いの歩道を歩いていると、先日開花していたクコの株が

This morning's wind was very cold and my hands were freezing.  I went out with a rain jacket on, and gloves for my hands.  As we walked along the pathway, we came to the spot where we had seen a goji berry bush several days ago - this is how it was then.

今朝はこんな↓状態になっていました。植樹帯は年に数回の草刈りなどが行われますが、雑草の状態をみると前回と今回では何ら変わりありません。もしかしたらアベリアなどの花木を剪定した際、この株が何なのか知らない作業員がこうしたのでしょう。

This is how it was this morning.  The local government send out workers to tidy tree planting areas several times a year.  However, the weeds look untouched since last time we saw the goji berry plant.  They probably came to trim the flowering bushes and some ignorant person thought this was an unwanted plant.  In that case, what a sloppy job - it looks as if they vandalised it.

毎年こうなので実が生っているところを見たことないですが、株自体は根元が結構大きくなっています。それほどタフな植物です。

They always do this to this bush, so I have never seen red goji berries growing on the tree.  At least, the base of the bush is getting pretty large, which proves what a tough plant it is.

最初の草地に到着。風が強くて本当に寒いです。

We arrived at the first field near the Johoku Central Park.  The wind was still strong and cold in the woods.

川を渡って城北中央公園の上のほうを目指します。数日前に久しぶりにここを通ったとき、対岸の元草地を見てびっくり。異様に大きな構築物があります。

We crossed the river and entered Johoku Central Park and walked towards the higher ground.  When I passed here several days ago for the first time in months, I was surprised to see the strange-looking huge structures on the other side of the river.

洪水対策として地下に調整池を作っているところです。第１期は写真の右側にL字型に伸びていて、７-８年かけて終了。現在第２期が進行中で、やはり７-８年かかるので完成した頃にはタイガはもういないはずです。ここはタイガが子犬のときから数年間、朝・夕に遊びにきていた草地で、ワンコ友達がたくさんできました。その意味では大変ラッキーな犬生を過ごしました。

They are building an underground reservoir to cope with potential floods.  The First Phase was completed a few years ago after 7-8 years of work.  They moved the site to the current place for the Second Phase which will also take 7-8 years.  By the time they complete the whole project, Taiga will be long gone.  When this place was a vast field, Taiga played with her friends every morning and evening.  She virtually grew up in this field forming friendships with many pooches.  She was very lucky to have had that experience.

これが草地だったころの眺めを見下ろしたところ。

The field looked like this, viewed from where we are standing now.

これはタイガの仲良しが草地に到着したのを見つけて出迎えに行くところ。

Every morning, Taiga used to wait for her friends to turn up - she has just spotted some.

これはバーニーズのジャム君とのショット。ジャム君はタイガよりも半年後の生まれでしたが、大型犬なのでもう虹の橋を渡ってしまいました。でもタイガとたくさん遊んでくれた思い出があります。道でジャム君ママに遭遇しようものなら狂喜して喜びます。

This is with her Bernese friend, Jam, who was 6 months younger than Taiga.  As a large breed, he is no longer of this world, but the memories of playing together remain.  Even now, when Taiga runs into Jam's mom on the street, Taiga goes nuts with joy.

現実に戻って、公園上のほうを目指します。

Back to reality, we continue our walk towards the top of the hill.

道の左の土手を見上げると、強風にあおられて大枝が揺れています。風が冷たい。

Looking up the left side of the path, large branches were swaying dramatically in the cold wind.

古代家のある林を通り抜けて、

We walked through the woods and

広場でゆっくり休んでから帰宅しました。

having reached the field at the top of the hill, we relaxed before going home.

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天気が良いのでガイガが家の中に入らずにグズグズしています。

Due to the fine weather, Taiga did not want to go inside when we arrived home.

通路の右手に珍しいものを発見。

I noticed something new on the righthand side.

ジミだけど見たことない花です。

An unassuming flower that I have never seen before.

夏の間ほかの植物の後ろになって私はすっかり忘れていたのですが、今年の１月に買った小さなタラゴンの苗が育っていました。冬の前に乾燥させて、お茶用に保存しようと思います。

It was tarragon that I bought in January this year as a tiny plant.  It had been quietly growing behind other plants through the summer months.  I now remember learning about the benefits of tarragon tea, so I will be drying the leaves for later use.

タイガが目くばせで「道に出せ」の圧をかけてくるので、

Taiga has expressive eyes when she wants something.  Now she is demanding to come out to the road.

家の前でほんの少しの間、追いかけっこをしました。

We had a game of chasing each other in front of the house, just for a short while.

今朝の最低気温は12℃、明日の予報は11℃となっているので、パッションフルーツの鉢植えは今日中に２階部屋へ移動させます。南向きガラス戸のそばにおけば越冬は楽勝です。

This morning's lowest temperature was 12℃, while the same for tomorrow morning is forecast to be 11℃.  So, I will be taking this passion fruit plant upstairs later today.  It will comfortably spend the coming winter sitting close to the south-facing glass doors.

台風と大雪棗 Typhoon and Big Snow Jujube

 今日の最高気温は30℃だったそうですが、それよりも台風30号の影響で強風がものすごかったです。熱風＝ブロードライ効果、ということで、獣臭を放っていたタイガを午後に洗いました。タオルで拭いただけで出かけたので、毛はボソボソです。

Today's maximum temperature reached 30℃.  Moreover, with typhoon No. 30 approaching Japan, we had strong winds all afternoon.  However, hot gale could be used as a blow dry for a dog after shampoo.  So, I washed Taiga in the afternoon, and we went out only after drying her with towels - she looked like a tramp.

道の脇、金網の向こうに赤い花が咲いています。場所は将来 幹線道路になるところで、土地を確保した今、一時的にアスファルトで覆われています。

As we went along, I noticed red flowers on the other side of the wire fence.  Beyond the fence is a stretch of land covered with asphalt, which will be turned into a major road in the future.

センニチコウの「ストロベリーフィールズ」という品種のようです。種がなったら欲しいなぁと思いますが金網の向こうです。

I think it is a variety of globe amaranth called 'Strawberry Fields'.  Although I have placed an order for seeds of another variety, I would love to get some of these when the flowers are all gone.  Unfortunately, they are beyond the wire fence.

強烈な熱風にあおられて不機嫌そうな顔のタイガ。

Taiga looking annoyed with the strong winds rubbing her coat in the wrong way.

城北中央公園の広場に着くと、強風のせいか人影が疎らでした。

When we arrived at the entrance of the Johoku Central Park, there were few people in sight due probably to the weather.

川沿いを歩いていると仲良しのキリュウ（輝龍）がやってきました。

As we were walking along the river, Kiryu, a male Shiba Inu came to greet us.

キリュウはタイガのことが大好きなのに、今日のタイガはそっけないです。

Kiryu is several years younger than Taiga but has always been fond of her.  Yet, Taiga was not in the mood to play with him today.

無人の広場でぶらぶら歩きまわってタイガが乾くのを待ちました。突風は坐骨神経痛あがりの私の脚には酷で、何度も転倒しそうになりました。

We reached a deserted field where we ambled waiting for Taiga's coat to get dry.  But for me just recovering from sciatica, it was quite a challenge not to fall down in the gale.

たいぶ乾いてきたので帰ることにします。

Taiga is now rather dry, so let us go home.

来るときに通った林、大木の枝が大揺れです。

We walked through the woods that we had passed earlier.

さっきの広場に到着。来た時よりもタイガのコートがましに見えます。

Now back to where we were when we came to the park.  Taiga's coat looks much more decent.

帰りしなに通った草地には夏ミカンが生っていました。

On our way home, we walked through the field where a Japanese bitter orange tree stood.

大きな実が強風で大揺れの様はドラマチックです。夏ミカンの左後ろにあるのが

The Japanese bitter oranges are large fruits, and it was quite a sight to see the oranges and their branches swaying dramatically in the wind.  Behind the orange tree is a Chinese quince tree.

カリンの木で、こちらも沢山生っています。

This tree is also prolific.

根元には1個の実が落ちていました。

A quince fruit on the ground.

ずしりと重い。私はあの臭いが苦手なのでカリン苗は育てたことありません。

It was quite large and heavy.  However, I am not fond of that distinct smell, so I have never grown this tree.

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帰宅して、玄関前でタイガの乾燥の仕上げをヘアドライヤーでしていたら、突然頭上のバルコニーで大きな音がしました。後で２階へ見に行ったら、大雪ナツメの鉢植えがハデに倒れていました。何本もの枝が折れて、実と一緒に床に散らばっていました。

大雪棗の鉢植え苗は、つい最近までヒモでバルコニーのトレリスに括り付けてあったのを、実の陽当たりが良くなるよう鉢の向きを変えたときにヒモをほどいたのでした。「ドライヤーが終わったら、苗をまたヒモで固定しよう」と思っていたやさきでした。薄暗いなかで見たところ、苗の半分以上の実が落ちていました。こんな青い状態の実をかき集めてきても無意味に見えますが、一応自分への教訓を記録しておくためです。

At home, as I was applying a hair dryer trying to finish off Taiga's coat outside the porch door, I heard a thump above my head - it came from the balcony above.  After I finished drying Taiga, I went upstairs to see what had happened.  The Big Snow Jujube plant had been knocked down by a gust of wind.  A lot of branches had been broken in the fall together with young fruits, scattered on the floor.

The pot of plant had been tied to the balcony trellis until a few days ago, but I untied the rope so as to turn the plant around for better exposure of the young fruits to the sun.  This evening, after coming back from the park, I was going to tie the plant again after I finished drying Taiga with a hair dryer, when I heard the thump.  The upshot of it was that the tree lost more than half of the young fruits in the fall.  Now, what is the point of gathering the fallen fruits when they are nowhere near ripe yet, you might think.  I took this photo so as to remind myself of the mistake in the future.

そのなかの最大果を計ると、31g。将来、苗が成熟したらもっと大きな実がなるはず、と思って頑張ろう。

I weighed the largest fruit which turned out to be 31g - it was disappointing.  When the tree becomes mature in a few years, I am hoping that the fruits will be larger and uniform in size.  For that, I must take better care of the tree.

念のため最大果と赤く色づいた小さい実の糖度を計ることにしました。

For the record, I checked the sugar content of the largest fruit and the one that was already red.

最大果のほうは41.1%。甘いけれど未だ水分なし。

The green fruit's sugar content was 41.1%.  When I tasted it, it was sweet but not juicy yet.

赤い実のほうは47.1%と

The red fruit showed sugar content of 47.3% and

46.0%。こちらは熟していたので、甘くてジューシーでした。

46.0%.  Since this fruit was ripe, it was sweet and juicy.

朝散歩 Morning walk

今朝は早朝から良く晴れて、またしても秋らしい清々しい天気でした。公園へ向かう石神井川沿いの歩道を歩いていたら、植樹帯に一株だけあるクコの株に花が咲き始めているのに気づきました。 

The typhoons No. 28 and 29 were thought to be heading towards Honshu until a few days ago but now seem steering away from us.  So, we had a clear sky starting early today.  Along the Shakujii River, there is a tree planting zone, and I noticed this morning that flower buds of a goji berry bush were starting to open.

この場所は、早朝は歩道横の建物の陰に入りますが、基本的に陽当たり良好、おまけに川風が吹くので通気性バツグンです。ただ、普通の花壇とは異なり土はカツカツです。それでも時々、草木がこっそり植え付けられて遺棄されているのを見かけます。このクコの草姿からして、子供の頃に見た野生のクコとは似ていないので、たぶん園芸種だと思います。

This walkway is in the shade of nearby buildings in very early morning, but otherwise it gets a lot of sun throughout the day.  Also, being on the riverbank, it gets breezes coming up from the river.  However, unlike a normal flower bed, the quality of soil in the tree planting zone is poor and hard.  Even so, I have noticed plants having been quietly put in the ground (abandoned) - perhaps the owner got bored with it or had to move away but could not take it with him/her.  This goji berry bush might be one of such plants, since judging by the appearance of the plant, it does not look like the wild goji berry that I used to see when I was a child living at the foot of a mountain.

花も葉っぱも大きくしっかりしていて、うちの「静浜クコ」より遥かに立派です。蕾が沢山ついているので、まだまだ開花を眺められそう。

These flowers and leaves are large and sturdy, unlike my named variety that I bought this summer.  The bush has a lot of flower buds, so I will be able to watch the flowers for some time.

石神井川沿いの歩道は主にソメイヨシノの並木道ですが、ここは例外的にハナミズキが植わってます。

Somei Yoshino cherry trees line the bank of the Shakujii River, with the exception of this section where flowering dogwood trees stand.  

ハナミズキの実が真っ赤に色づいて目を引きますが、このあと葉っぱが紅葉するので、２度楽しめます。

The berries have turned red and they are eye-catching.  After the berries are gone, we will be able to enjoy the red leaves when the weather turns colder.  Thus, we can enjoy these flowering dogwood trees twice in an autumn.

いつもの草地。２箇所ある築山のうち、西洋トチノキが植わっているこちらの方がタイガのオヤツスポットになっています。

We arrived at the familiar field.  Of the two mounds in this field, we come to this one where a horse chestnut tree stands, for Taiga's treat.

西洋トチノキはすっかり葉を落としてしまいました。

The horse chestnut tree has lost all its leaves.

最近、この築山のベンチが新調されて清潔感があります。

They recently replaced the crumbling old benches with new ones. They now look clean and tidy.

タイガは座り込んで「オヤツ」。

Taiga reminding me of her treat time.

先日、甲斐犬ヒナ・セナの飼い主さんからいただいた手作り名札です。道で初めて会う人には口頭でタイガの名前を伝えたあと、この名札を見せて漢字も披露しています。

The handmade name plate given by Hina/Sena's dad a few days ago looks really nice on Taiga.  When I meet someone for the first time while walking, I verbally tell Taiga's name and then show this plate.