For a while my 3 chickens were only producing 2 eggs a day. One of them wasn`t pulling its weight (= not working hard). However, now I`m finally getting one egg per chicken everyday - that`s 3 eggs a day, or 21 a week.
That`s a nice ROI (Return on Investment, 投資利益率).
Vocabulary:
- a/per = 対して, に就いて
- 'a' is more common than 'per', but 'per' is usual for people e.g. '$5 per person'
After deciding to get pet chickens, first I made a chicken house, then I made a fence. Finally* I bought 3 chickens. I gave them food every day & they got bigger. Finally**, after two and a half months, one of them laid an egg. My kids were pretty excited (egg-cited?).
Vocabulary:
* 最後に
** やっと, 到頭, 遂に
One of our students recently went to Dubai. Not only did she send us a postcard from there, she also bought me this cool gift from Ferrari World. Not only is it a pen, it also contains a 5-piece screwdriver set AND a flashlight - cool! And veeery geeky. Thanks!
Grammar:
- Not only... (but) also... = …だけでなくまた….
When I went camping last week I saw this cicada (蝉) which had just come out of its shell. Nice colour, isn`t it? But after a few hours it turned brown, and then flew away.
Pronunciation:
U.S.: si-kay-da U.K./Australia: si-kar-da
A couple of our students went overseas recently. Thanks for the postcards, guys! And thanks for writing in English - I`m impressed. I`d like to think that it`s partly thanks to me that you can write so well...
Grammar:
- thanks for 名詞 = __をありがとう
- thanks for 動詞 = __してくれてありがとう
- thanks to 名詞 = __のお蔭
I haven`t done a woodblock print for a while. In fact, it`s been ages since I did any framable art. This is a 16 x 9cm print of an orchid, based on one I saw in Okinawa.
Grammar:
There are a few ways to say 久しぶり in English:
- I haven`t 過去分詞形 in/for ages/a long time/a while
- It`s been ages/a long time/a while since I (last) 過去形
- It/this is the first time in ages I`ve 過去分詞形
I made jam. Before bottling it, I painted the lids (蓋) with red spray-paint, and labeled the bottles using hand-made labels. I will keep some and give some to friends.
Vocabulary:
- Words like paint, bottle & label can be both noun (名詞) & verb (動詞), but lid is only a noun, so "I lidded the bottles" is wrong; "I put lids on the bottles" is correct.
- 蓋 = lid, まぶた = eyelid
Teragoya student Marin`s last lesson was today; soon she`s going to the U.S. to study for a couple of years. She`s never lived overseas before, but she`s looking forward to it. Good luck, Marin!
Grammar:
- [ __`s] has different meanings e.g. Marin`s... = Marin の..., She`s going... = She is going, She`s never... = She has never...
Shiraito Falls is a waterfall (滝) near Mount Fuji. Although the weather was hot, near the waterfall it felt cool. Later we went to a cave (洞窟) called The Fuji Fugaku Wind Cave. That felt REALLY cool; even in summer the temperature falls to 3 degrees inside. After just 5 minutes I felt it was time to leave.
Vocabulary:
- Falls [名詞] = waterfall
- Be careful: fall (落ちる, 落下) の過去形 = fell, BUT feel (感じる) の過去形 = felt
This trial roundabout is near Shiraito Falls in Fujinomiya. It used to be a normal intersection (交差点). Roundabouts are common in Australia, so I`m used to driving through them, but there aren`t many roundabouts in Japan, so Japanese drivers aren`t used to them. That`s why there are many warning signs for this one. For me, it`s funny - like seeing signs saying,"Warning! Trial Traffic Lights ahead! Drive Carefully!"
Grammar:
- 名詞 + used to + 動詞 = よく～したものだ、昔は～していた、以前は～したものだった
- (be) + used to + 名詞 / 動名詞 = 慣れている
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