公園で At the Park

 今朝の公園で初めて会った真っ白い子犬。生後半年の日本スピッツの男の子で、名前は「ポシャケ」君。何となくつけた名前だそうです。向こう十数年間「本当にこの名前で通すの？」と疑問に思う人もいるかと思いますが、その心配は必要ないかも。実際にワンコを飼って分かったのは、一緒に暮らしているうちに次々とニックネームが自然にわいてきて、そちらも頻繁に使うということです。タイガの場合、5，6個あるうちのどれを使って呼んでも反応するので、名前の重要性は感じなくなりました。

We met a new face during our morning walk in the park.  A 6 months old, male Japanese Spitz, named 'Poshake'.  Such a strange name with no particular meaning.  One might wonder if they are going to call him by this name for the next 15 years or so without regretting.  No worry, as you live with a dog, you come up with lots of nicknames.  In Taiga's case, she has 5-6 alternative names and she responds to all of them very well.  The name registered with the Ward Office is important when you take the dog to the clinic but, otherwise, any other affectionate way of calling will be just as good.

フワフワの真っ白。人形みたいです。タイガもそうでしたが、こういう天真爛漫な子は一緒に暮らしやすいし、躾けやすい。

He is so fluffy and pure white, looking like a doll.  He has a happy and bold temperament, just like Taiga was as a puppy.  It is easy to live with such a dog, compared to a nervous one.

タイガに近づきたいけど、ちょっとビビってる？耳が後ろ向きにぺったんこ。

He wants to greet Taiga but feels a little hesitant, as can be seen by his ears pressed backwards.

飼い主さんたちに甘えるの何の。いいなあ。私は「吠えない犬に厳しく育てたければこう」というある人の教えに従って、最初の２年間はタイガを突き放した姿勢で育てたので、今でも他所の人たちにはベタベタ愛想が良いけど、私には時々そうっと近づいて来る程度です。

He is super cuddly with his parents.  Ah, I should have let Taiga behave like this.  In my case, I wanted to bring her up in a strict manner so that she would not bark at strangers - an image associated with Kaiken.  So, I followed an advice for the first 2 years, which made her very independent and steady but also aloof towards me.  She is more affectionate towards other people than with me.

本当に穢れの無い真っ白な性質。

A personality with pure white innocence.

タッチゲーム 'Touching' game

 家の前の道で人通りがない頃を見計らってよくやるゲームです。私がタイガの背中に触ると、勝ち。人の姿などが見えたとたんに中止なので、タイガはキョロキョロしながら遊ぶクセがついています。

We often play this game on the road in front of our house - I win when I touch her back.  We stop playing the moment we see someone coming, so she has acquired the habit of looking around furtively.

フィンガーライム Finger Lime

 春の開花でダラムズエメラルドに１個だけ実がついていたのが、うっかり過熟で自然落果していたのに気づいたのは真夏でした。それで今年は終わりかと思っていたので、苗をまともに見ようともしていませんでした。それが、鬼剪定して支柱はもう外そうとしたら新たに２個の実が生っていたことに気付きました。

After the flowers in the spring, the Durham's Emerald plant produced one fruit.  However, I forgot about it and when I came round to look at it in the summer, the fruit had fallen off and gone rotten.  I thought that was all this year's activity for this plant and thought no more of it.  Today, I decided to prune the tree to a compact shape, when I noticed that the plant had two new fruits.

果皮の色が真っ黒ではないので、今度は過熟ではなく、未熟で収穫した可能性があります。

I picked both of them.  The skin was not all black and I may have picked them a little too early.

とりあえず台所に持ってきて半割にしたら、十分グリーン色です。右の大きいほうの実には中央部分に若干の種が入っていましたが、種はこれだけでした。小さいほうは種無し。

In the kitchen, I cut them into halves.  The flesh oozed out and its colour was green enough.  The larger one had a few seeds in the centre, but that was all.  No seeds in the smaller one.

白い器に絞り出すと色が分かり易い。本当に種が少ない品種のようです。風味は、実生の白と比べてクセがあります。

You can see the colour more clearly against the backdrop of a white dish.  It is nice to know that this variety is almost seedless.  As to the flavour, it has a distinct taste compared to the white variety which is my best favourite.

公園で At the Park

 今朝は何とか雨に降られずに公園まで行けました。四中草地で会った黒柴のアズキちゃん。

After it rained all night, we managed to get to the park without getting wet.  Azuki, a female Black Shiba Inu was there.  

伸縮リードにつながれたままですが、タイガを遊びに誘いたそう。

Although Azuki is on the leash, she wants to invite Taiga to play.

追いかけっこの始まり。アズキちゃんが公園デビューした数年前は、毎夕方、大きな群れで遊んでいたのが懐かしいです。群れの中で最も俊足だったアズキちゃんは、今もタイガに負けない自信満々。

They start chasing each other.  When Azuki first appeared in the park as a puppy many years ago, a large pack of dogs used to meet every evening and she was the fastest runner of the pack.  With Taiga at 11 years old, Azuki is confident that she can beat her as before.

久しぶりに散々走ったあと、お互い満足そうでした。

Having had a good chase, they both look satisfied.

川を渡って中央公園に着くと、イングリッシュブルテリアの大吉が帰るところでした。

We crossed the river to enter the Central Park of Johoku Park, where we met Daikichi, a male English Bull Terrier, who was on his way home.

野球場近くの草地でボールを拾ったらしく、見せつけてきます。決して渡そうとはしません。

Apparently, he found a ball for baseball game when walking in the field next to the baseball ground.  He wants to show it off to me.

私がボールに手を伸ばすと、尻尾を振りながら更に見せつけてきます。

Every time my hand gets close to the ball, Daikichi turns away with his tail wagging furiously.  Such a showoff.

草地の隅に咲いていた赤いヒガンバナはもう終わりですが、その隣にクリーム色のリコリスが満開でした。

By the roadside, I saw red spider lilies which were already wilting.  Next to the spider lilies, there was a clump of cream-coloured lycoris in full bloom.

白とも黄色ともつかない色。個人的にはうちの濃い黄色のリコリスが分かり易くて好きです。

It is neither white nor yellow and, personally, I prefer my deep coloured lycoris aurea.

アズキちゃんと走ったおかげで、タイガはすんなり帰路についてくれました。

Thanks to the chase she had with Azuki, Taiga put up no resistance when I proposed to go home.

リコリス・オーレア Lycoris aurea

 今日も一日中雨。ヒガンバナが終わる頃に咲く、リコリス・オーレアがやっと開花しました。去年は２本の花が上がってきたのに、今年は１本だけ。今年の春に掘り上げて少し場所をずらしたのが影響したかも。

Yet another rainy day in Tokyo.  The Lycoris aurea has started to flower, which comes into season when the Japanese spider lily is about to wither.  Last year, I had two flower stems but, this year, only one.  I dug out my two bulbs in spring this year and moved them a little to the side, which probably was detrimental.

去年は花びらの幅も広くて、開花のインパクトが強かったですが、勢いを欠いた今年のか細い花びらは「ヒガンバナもどき」という印象です。

Last year's petals were broad and thick, which produced a strong impact when the flowers were fully open.  This year, with the delicate petals, the flower looks like a pseudo-spider lily, but in yellow.

玄関前の黄花の食用菊（松風）に蕾が出始めました。枝を多く分岐させることで花数を増やすよう工夫しています。具体的には、初夏から８月末まで、数回にわたり刈り込んでいます。ピンクと黄色の食用菊で数品種育てていますが、この松風がもっとも丈夫で期待を裏切らない。

Flower buds are growing on the edible chrysanthemum bush in front of my porch.  I have several varieties of yellow and pink edible chrysanthemums but this variety with smallish flowers is the strongest and most reliable producer of them all.

皇帝ナツメ今朝の状態 Jujube Fruits This Morning

 昨日は真夏日の暑さ（練馬区の最高気温は32℃＋）と青空。その高温で一気に皇帝ナツメが色づき始めました。そして夜には台風がらみの雨で涼しくなったので、寒暖の差が出て実の成熟に適した天気です。

It was a return of a summer day yesterday with the max. temperature reaching 32℃, and the sky remained free of clouds all day.  Thanks to the head and sun light, all but one of the jujube fruits started to go brown.  Then at night, we had a typhoon-related rain lasting up to this morning, which brought a cool air.  Just like autumn leaves, this difference in heat and cool air is said to be conducive to jujube ripening.

5個固まっている枝の実は色づき始めたばかりで、陽光面だけ赤い。

These 5 fruits have just started to go brown, and only on the sunny side.

２個の枝の右側の実はまだ着色部分が無く、最も遅れをとっている。

Of these 2 fruits, the one on the right has no brown spots as yet.

３個の枝の右側の実は、全体が赤くなるまであと一息。今週末までには裏側も色づくかも。

Of these 3 fruits, the one on the right is almost all brown - the back of the fruit probably becoming brown by this weekend.

フィンガーライム Finger Limes

 バルコニーに置いてあるミアローズに沢山の実がついています。苗を買ってから数年、今年初めて実を着け始めました。実の大きさは2，3か月前に収穫したのと大体同じ。

The Mia Rose plant on the balcony has many more fruits growing, after the sampling I did a few months ago.  I bought this plant several years ago, and this is the first year of fruiting.  The sizes of the fruits are very similar to those I picked previously.

実を指でギュッと掴んでも石のように硬いので、収穫時期が分かりにくい。試しに１個とってみました。

When I squeeze the fruit between my fingers, it is rock hard and I am not sure how ripe it is.  I took a sample, anyway.

こちらは実生苗の白実。「実生苗」というと安っぽく聞こえますが、うちのフィンガーライムの中では一番優秀です。毎年着実に実を提供してくれるし、風味も爽やかで嫌味がない。

On the white seedling tree, there are also several fruits growing.  The word 'seedling' makes it sound cheap but this tree produces the best tasting fruits among my finger limes.  And, it is a steady producer, too.

こちらはリックスレッド。この苗だけ、今まで一度も結実がなく、今年の春のおびただしい開花のあとも着果がなかったので、スペース難もあり家の横に放置していました。最近思い出したように見たら、葉っぱがカリカリ。あーもう、涼しくなったら処分だ、と思って家の前で庭土に漉き込む準備をしていました。そこへ、連続の台風の雨。たっぷり恵みの雨を受けて復活したようです。

This is Rick's Red.  Among the finger limes I bought several years ago, this one has never produced any fruits - not even after this year's profuse flowering season.  Since space in my tiny garden is very precious, I put this plant at the side of my house and forgot about it during the summer.  When I came to look at it recently, the whole plant looked bone dry.  Ah, everything seemed hopeless with this plant.  So I moved it to the front of the house a few weeks ago in order to recycle the soil, waiting for the weather to turn cooler for the task.  Then, came the series of typhoons over the last few weeks, which brought heavy rains.  Amazingly, the plant recovered like nothing had happened.

よーく見たら、実が一個ついている！ 真夏の乾燥で生命の危機を感じて、必死に１個の実を着けたようです。

On closer inspection, I spotted a fruit!  The plant must have realised that it was on the verge of dying and managed to produce a fruit for the sake of species preservation.

小さいけど、うちの唯一の赤味品種なので嬉しい。

It is tiny, but this being the only red-flesh variety I have, I am happy.

先ほどのミアローズを半割にしてみました。私が絞り出してこの状態なので、まだ完熟ではなかったかも。

Back to the Mia Rose fruit.  When I cut it in half, the flesh did not ooze out on its own, so perhaps it was not ripe yet.

白を背景にすると、まあ、ピンクっちゃあピンクっぽいですが、ネットで見た売り文句の「アイスピンクを改良して、より安定したピンク色」を正当化できるかビミョーです。

As to the colour of the flesh, it looks pinkish but not impressive.  The recommendation I once saw on the internet "Mia Rose is an improvement of Ice Pink and it produces deeper pink flesh reliably" cannot be justified so far.