When I woke up at 4am, it was still dim today and I felt that the sunrise time was getting later. Typhoons 7 and 8 are approaching. Typhoon No. 7 is expected to be the strongest typhoon ever to hit the Kanto region. I had no summer holiday, so I was working from home today. Kurumi is as healthy as ever, but he is sleeping longer and longer. My sister-in-law came to visit us today. Tomorrow we will spend another quiet day at home.
It was another hot and humid day with strong sunshine from the morning. The weather forecast reported that the heat is likely to continue for some time to come. They also talked about typhoons that have started to occur in the seas around Japan. Typhoons used to occur far south of Japan, but recently they have started to occur in the east of Japan and head towards the mainland. We are witnessing this weather phenomenon. Kurumi’s waking hours have become really short recently. Today he is sleeping close to us.
There was an earthquake when I was about to write this article. Yesterday there was a major earthquake in the Kyushu region and it seems that the probability of an earthquake occurring on a fault line to the south of Japan called the Nankai Trough is increasing. We cannot escape earthquakes when we are in Japan. We need to be prepared for contingencies on a daily basis. Today, thunderclouds passed through in the evening and we were hit by torrential rain. We are not worried about damage from rain here where we live, but we are afraid of earthquakes. Kurumi was sleeping soundly as he did not hear any thunder or rain.
The company with which I have a business contract has provided me with a new computer. The one I had been using since I joined the company 11 years ago and it had recently become very slow. The new computer is thinner, weighs less and looks very good. However, the battery seems to be short-lived and has to be recharged after a day’s use. To my surprise, it came with a 60W charger. There was a card in the mailbox from a grape farmer we visit every year. They seem to have produced delicious grapes this year. I will go there next month. Kurumi’s right front leg has recovered and he is able to move around well. I feel happy that my family is healthy and well.
This morning, Kurumi has lost the use of his right front leg. He could not put his leg on the floor without bending it. We had to support him and he was finally able to go to the bathroom. We became concerned and took him to the veterinarian in the afternoon. By that time, he was gradually able to put his feet on the floor. The vet said that since there seemed to be nothing wrong with him, he had probably injured his shoulder. We are not sure when and where Kurumi injured his shoulder, but we decided to keep an eye on him for a while.
I am a little worried when I see Kurumi sleeping even when it is time to eat. Today, he seems to be listless since this morning. He has a good appetite but falls asleep as soon as he eats. I don’t want him to bark noisily, but if he is too quiet like he was today, I get worried. Perhaps because he sleeps for a long time, he now drags his right leg when he wakes up. Kurumi’s days continue to be centered around us. Every day I hear happy news from the Olympics being held in Paris. I was moved to tears myself. However, it is reported that there are people who slander athletes and judges on social networking sites. It is unbelievable.
I’ve been driving an electric car for over two years now. I have been using gasoline engine cars for many years, but I like the quietness and high torque of electric cars. However, the period of time it takes to charge the fuel, means electricity, becomes a pain. In addition, there was a problem specific to my model, so I sent an email to the manufacturer’s contact information to see if this could be improved. For some reason, only this model has a high battery voltage when fully charged, which exceeds the output of the quick charger and causes an abnormal termination. I can charge it up to about 80%, so I’ll try to manage it from now on. Kurumi is doing well today as well.
The temperature dropped a little in the evening, but today was another day of intense heat. It looks like this heat will continue. I remember when I used to have a solar water heater installed on the roof of my house. The water is hot enough in today’s heat, but these days fewer houses have water heaters installed on their roofs. On hot days, you may not need hot water. The lemons in the garden are getting a little bigger. This year’s spring heat seems to be affecting cherries and grapes, but citrus fruits seem to be fine. Kurumi was sleeping well near me today as well.
6 月、お隣の M さんに「にほんごの会」というボランテイア活動に誘われました。日本で働いている企業実習生を対象にして日本語を学ぶ人たちの支援をする活動になります。私には教える資格が無いので、しばらく見学させていただき、7 月から正式に会員となりました。会員になった理由は私自身も日本語をもう一度学んでみようと思ったからです。今月から一緒に勉強をしている中国人の C さんは N1 という日本語能力試験の最上級を受験しています。その問題を解いてみると、私でも間違えるほどに難しい点があります。今日は C さんと自動詞と他動詞について勉強しました。こうして、一緒に学べることは喜ばしいことと思います。そして、今日、お隣の M さんは会を脱退されると聞きました。少し複雑な思いです。クルミくんは元気なのですが、とてもよく眠るようになりました。食事の時間が近づくと起きてきます。そして小さな体からは想像できない大きな声で吠えます。
In June, my neighbour M invited me to a volunteer activity called Nihongo no Kai. The activity is to support people learning Japanese as company trainees working in Japan. As I am not qualified to teach, I observed for a while and officially became a member in July. The reason I became a member is because I wanted to try learning Japanese again myself. Ms C, a Chinese person who has been studying with me since this month, has taken the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (N1). When I try to solve the questions, there are some points that are so difficult that even I make mistakes. Today, I studied with Ms C about intransitive and transitive verbs. It is a pleasure to be able to study together in this way. Today, I heard that my neighbour M is leaving the association. I have some mixed feelings. Kurumi is healthy, but he sleeps a lot. He wakes up when mealtime approaches. And he barks loudly, which is hard to imagine from his small body.
I remember the first time my family and I visited Singapore a long time ago. From the moment we arrived at the airport, the muggy air clung to our skin, and every day we were hit by heavy rain called squalls. There was a long queue at the taxi stand in the shopping center, and I felt that I could not go back to my hotel. And then summer in Japan turned out to be the same kind of weather. Today there was another heavy rain and I waited for a while in the office, unable to get to my car parked in the parking lot. I feel a global weather change. Kurumi got a trim this week and is refreshed. And he is living well.