Canon's Diary

Sunday, June 15.
With the rainy season in full swing, I didn’t feel like going out yesterday, so I spent the day quietly at home. This morning, I got out of bed around 7 a.m. and took a shower. As I dried my hair and brushed my teeth, I stepped out onto the balcony to look outside. The sky was overcast again. The streets were still wet, but no one seemed to be using an umbrella. The surface of Kodera Pond was still, undisturbed even by raindrops. According to the forecast, it would be cloudy all day, with a 30% chance of rain in the morning and clearing skies later in the day.
“Maybe I can go out today after all.”
I had a simple breakfast—salmon chazuke with a touch of wasabi. The sharp sting up my nose jolted me fully awake.

After watching the news for a while, I jotted down a shopping list. Let’s see—onions and minced meat. Oh right, I’m out of coffee. Maybe some sparkling water too. I still have some dried soba noodles, and there’s pork and cabbage in the fridge.
Wait, I want some kakiage fritters too.
I figured I’d need some energy for my afternoon tennis lesson.

Around 10:30, I headed to the local supermarket. Being Sunday, there were quite a few shoppers. I picked up everything on my list. As I passed by the dessert section, I realized it had been about a month since I started living alone—and I hadn’t had anything sweet like cake or chocolate. Even my coffee had been made with sugar-free sweetener.
That thought lingered… so I bought myself an éclair.

Back home, I started preparing soba. While the noodles boiled on one burner, I filled a separate pot with water and brought it to a boil. I added pork and cabbage, then seasoned the broth with soba tsuyu and bonito dashi. Once the noodles were done, I placed them in a bowl, poured the hot broth over them, and topped it all with chopped white leeks, a raw egg, and the kakiage.

The taste…
Well, how should I put it? It felt like warmth was seeping all the way to my core. My fingertips tingled slightly with heat and relief. The white leeks, rich in allicin, are said to promote blood circulation and strengthen immunity. They’re also full of vitamin C and fiber, great for recovery. Combined with the protein from the pork and egg, and the digestive benefits of the cabbage, it turned into a deeply nourishing detox meal.
I had the éclair for dessert.
With my brain now properly fueled, I could feel that my afternoon tennis session was going to go well.

Looking out the window, the sky had begun to brighten. Breaks in the clouds appeared here and there. The roads were drying. I could see ducks swimming gracefully in Kodera Pond. After cleaning the kitchen, I read a little before heading to my tennis lesson.
I greeted my faithful companion, the VFR400R (NC30), at our usual bike parking spot. She’s over 30 years old now, but still runs strong.

The indoor court had some air conditioning, but the humidity was high.
Today’s theme was rushing the net after the return.
It wasn’t an intense workout, but just a few reps of feeding balls left my T-shirt soaked in sweat.
If it’s like this now, summer’s going to be brutal.
Still, the carpet court doesn’t cause irregular bounces like an omni court does, so I could enjoy some full swings.

After the lesson, I took a cold shower in the locker room and returned home.
I cracked open a chilled can of sparkling wine from the fridge while watching the news. It was a low-alcohol wine, and absolutely delicious.
On the screen, there were reports of protest demonstrations erupting across the U.S. in opposition to the government’s detainment of undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump was said to be attending a military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army—and celebrating his own birthday.
America feels like an entirely different country now. The mood is strange, unsettling.
Internal divisions, rising tensions between Iran and Israel, chaos in global markets due to U.S. tariffs, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine…
I sighed at the endless flood of grim news.
It hit me again that the peace I enjoy in my own life isn’t something to take for granted.
And yet… I really don’t know what’s right anymore.

I threw my sweat-soaked tennis clothes into the laundry and hung them out on the balcony. The forecast said it might rain in the morning, so I’d need to bring the laundry in before bed.
One small mistake—I forgot to cook rice.
I quickly filled the rice cooker and set it.
“Guess I’ll take a bath before dinner.”
I filled the tub and soaked to ease the fatigue from tennis.
Then I began preparing keema curry.

I started by sautéing finely chopped onions in a frying pan, then added minced meat. Once it was well-cooked, I poured in 70 ml of water and brought it to a boil before adding curry roux. On another burner, I fried an egg.
“Almost ready… but the rice isn’t done yet.”
I turned off the heat and poured myself a glass of discounted Spanish red wine. I turned on some classic jazz and relaxed for a bit until the rice was ready.
I reheated the keema curry and fried egg, added some chopped white leek to a tomato soup, and enjoyed it all with the wine.
“Hmm, maybe I overcooked the onions a bit.”
I’d heard that chopping onions releases allicin, but cooking them transforms it into sulfide compounds, which have antioxidant and blood-cleansing effects.
The red wine paired nicely with it all.

After dinner, I sipped the wine, listened to jazz, and messaged my wife on LINE.
It had been a good weekend.
Even alone, my heart felt full.