With two typhoons approaching Japan, I had planned to spend the entire day indoors. However, when the rain unexpectedly stopped early in the morning, I took the opportunity to go for a short walk with Anne, my Flat-Coated Retriever, through the damp streets of Kamakura.
Since the day before yesterday, Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8 have been approaching Japan, so I had decided to stay home all day today.
I was planning to spend the day as a complete couch potato, and I ended up staying up a little too late last night. However, when I happened to wake up, I noticed that it was not raining.
I turned on the television and heard that the rain was expected to stop for a while after six in the morning. So I quickly decided to take Anne, my Flat-Coated Retriever, out for a walk.
Typhoon No. 8 had already passed, leaving behind a brief spell of clearer weather. It felt much more pleasant outside than I had expected.
Sure enough, quite a few dogs we knew were also out for their morning walks.
Anne came into heat a few days ago and has not been feeling quite herself. Every now and then, she stopped in the middle of the walk.
Water was flowing down from the hills and across the roads, and the stream where we had gone to see fireflies a month earlier was swollen with rainwater.
A bakery that usually opens at around nine had opened before eight that morning, so I bought some bread for breakfast on the way home.
Typhoon No. 7 was expected to arrive next.
There had also been several earthquakes in the Tohoku region over the previous few days. The day before, a strong earthquake had struck Yamanashi, and we had felt the shaking in Kamakura as well.
Heavy rain can loosen the ground, so we need to be especially careful in Kamakura, with its many narrow valleys and surrounding hillsides.
For the rest of the day, I decided not to go out unnecessarily and to spend my time taking care of things around the house.
It was only a short walk, but the quiet break between the storms felt like a small gift.
・・・
between typhoons
「台風と台風の谷間に」という意味です。二つの台風の間にできた、一時的に天候が落ち着いた時間を表しています。
approach Japan
「日本に接近する」という表現です。台風や低気圧などが近づいてくる場合によく使われます。
a couch potato
家でテレビなどを見ながら、ほとんど体を動かさずに過ごす人を表す口語表現です。「ごろごろして過ごす人」というニュアンスがあります。
happen to wake up
「ふと目を覚ます」「たまたま目が覚める」という意味です。
a brief spell of clearer weather
「一時的に天気が回復した時間」という意味です。
spell は、ここでは「しばらく続く期間」を表します。
Sure enough
「案の定」「やはり」という意味です。予想していたことが実際に起こった場合に使います。
come into heat
雌の動物が「発情期に入る」という意味です。
not feel quite oneself
「いつもの調子ではない」「本調子ではない」という自然な表現です。
every now and then
「時折」「ときどき」という意味です。
sometimes よりも、会話的で柔らかい表現です。
be swollen with rainwater
川や小川が雨水によって「増水している」状態を表します。
loosen the ground
雨などによって「地盤を緩める」という意味です。
go out unnecessarily
「必要もないのに外出する」「無理に出かける」という意味です。
a small gift
直訳は「小さな贈り物」ですが、ここでは思いがけず得られた穏やかな時間を比喩的に表しています。
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