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Sunday, March 17, 2024

Just A Cat Post

 I haven't written about the cats recently!

They are still driving me crazy, still cute, and at times very funny!

At the moment Alfie is purring away, lying in the sun with Hannah playing with him.  He tends to be a loner, and prefers the other cats to playing with us! But catch him at the right time and he will play but not sit on your lap.

Alfie in the sun

Fluffy still tries to get chicken when it's cooked.  Whenever I've cooked chicken I either have to fit a lid on it or put it in the oven or fridge.  The other day I had cooked some chicken but it was too early for lunch so I left it on the stove.  I went to the toilet, came back, and could see Fluffy's tail in the kitchen. She heard me come in and jumped off the counter (Yes, I do bleach the counters every day) and came strolling into the living room, looking all innocent!  

Fluffy with Mikey
The other cats are doing okay.  Why do we think that cats like to be alone?  My cats won't settle at night if there is nobody with them.  Fred and Frodo are the worst, they will cry for ages if somebody isn't with them when it's bedtime.  When David isn't working it's okay as they can settle but the other nights either Hannah or I have to sit with them until they fall asleep.  I use the time to read, in the past two weeks I've finished about five books this way!  I've tried playing with them, getting them to chase up and down the corridor, and then feeding them before bed but even if they are tired they want somebody with them to sleep!  

afternoon nap!

This week I'm hoping to go to the other house on Wednesday.  It's a national holiday so no classes.  I hope we can spend the whole day there.  I'm planning on making some onigiri (rice balls) and getting fried chicken from a local store that specilizes in fried chicken.  I'm hoping to get a lot done, we will see. One thing I want to do is to take down what I call the dead photos!  In Japan, there is a tradition of having photos of those who have passed away displayed in the room with the Buddhist Altar.  There are photos of people that I don't know and for some unknown reason these photos creep me out, they always have done.  I feel the eyes following me and judging me on everything I do.  I plan to take them down, take the photos out of the frames, and put them in a photo album. 
I'll try to update after Wednesday!




Friday, March 15, 2024

It Is The Season Of

Taxes

And allergies.

And frustration. 

Even though I don't earn so much money I still need to do taxes or rather Mikey has to do it!   By declaring income I get assessed for my national health insurance. For 3 people I pay about 50 pounds a month for national health insurance, then for any trips to the doctors, dentist, or pharmacy we pay 30%.  Helps a lot!  Especially I still have another four years to check for the cancer.  With most cancers after five years of nothing you are cancer-free, the type I had the doctor has to check for ten years!  

March 17th is the deadline for the tax form to be handed in this year.  Mikey did it yesterday!!  The tax office has made it easier by having what they call "E-Tax", which just means that instead of writing everything by hand you can type on the computer! Not really that much easier!  Also instead of waiting in line at the tax office, you can send it over the Internet.  I guess that does help.  We drove past the tax office last week and the queue was out of the building and down the side.  I wouldn't want to wait in that queue.  One thing I do is keep last year's tax forms, in a big brown envelope with TAX and the year written in large letters.  Helps!

Of course, the lovely warm weather brings allergies.  Mikey was sick last week.  I think he caught a cold but because of his allergies, it was a lot worse.  He was sick for 4 days, didn't eat for two but made up for it when his appetite returned!  I got hit yesterday.  Runny nose and sneezing.  I took my tablets but didn't help all that much! A friend was telling me about a leaf that grows wild that she chews on to stop allergies, I found that you can buy a tea made from that leaf, so I got some yesterday!  I have no idea what it is in English, doesn't taste nice but if it helps I don't care about the taste!

The frustration is the feeling that time is passing by too quickly and I'm not getting enough done to move. I need to clean out, get rid of, and pack up stuff here and clean out the other house.  Every day I try to do something toward that goal but it all seems too much.  I feel overwhelmed with everything.  I want to run away and not deal with things but I have no choice.  We have found out that we can connect the toilet to the mains sewage but it will cost a lot, we can get a special loan from the city to help pay but we will have to pay it back.  I get the answer to one problem but then another comes up.  Even though I know paying rent is a waste of money as the house would never be mine I would rather do that and stay here!  

Hannah with the cats

Hannah went back to the school where she did her teacher training.  She asked the homeroom teacher if she could come and say goodbye to the kids when they graduate.  The teacher invited Hannah to come to the last English lesson.  When Hannah got there the teacher said that she could teach the lesson.  Poor Hannah had about 5 minutes to prepare but she did okay.  She went to the goodbye party and had a nice time.  One of the students wrote in her memory book that Hannah coming to the school was the best thing of her 6th-grade experience.  I'm glad Hannah had such a good experience and that the students liked her, I feel this has given her a much-needed confidence boost.



Sunday, March 10, 2024

The House.....Again

Another morning at the other house!  Still so much to do. 

Today we managed to clear out the entrance.  Most of that was our stuff that had been dumped there.  About 3/4 I trashed, the rest went into storage to be sorted when I'm feeling better and not so pressured to get things done! 

The entrance

On the left are shoe cupboards, really big ones.  They were full of old shoes.  Most were never used but they have all gone in the trash, except the ones on the highest shelf, even Mikey had a hard time reaching them, we will need a step ladder next time.  The space in front, with the two ladies sitting, drives me crazy.  It's for displays but I don't want to use it like that.  For me, it's dead space that could have been used better.  I'm thinking of putting up a curtain and using it to store the vacuum cleaner etc.  There's no place to keep cleaning supplies, so everything was in the corridor!!

I found something interesting in the small cupboard underneath. 

My find

not sure what this says

This is really heavy.  For some unknown reason, I really like it.  One of the few things I want to keep!


with one of Hannah's old dolls

Mikey couldn't decide which one was creepier!!

After two hours of lugging boxes we were finished for the day.

We went for a drive to a town about 20 minutes away.  It has a nice old town area but we didn't stop. Hannah took a few photos as we drove through.




Some of the old buildings.  I hope to go again when we have a bit of time to explore this area!

Right now I'm tired but it's a good tired.  The feeling of getting something done.  Still a lot more to do!  We will get there. one day!


Friday, March 8, 2024

Exercise Update

 It's been about a month since I started to exercise.  I will admit that I missed a few days.  One was the day we went to the other house, I figured all the moving of boxes and walking counted as exercise.  Also the past week or so I've missed because of my allergies being bad. I can exercise when I'm sneezing, coughing and having a runny nose but not with the awful sinus headaches I get.  Some days I feel like I've been beaten around the face and even just walking sends shooting pains, so exercise is out of the question.  Other than that I have been consistent.  I'm doing a gentle 10-minute chair exercise and I'm starting to see some results.

I haven't lost weight, I keep bouncing up and down the same kilo.  Also losing weight has more to do with food, as the saying goes you can't out exercise a bad diet!  But my mobility is better!  The other day I was walking from the car to the supermarket, Mikey had to park far away as it was busy.  I usually walk with a limp because of bone-on-bone arthritis in my right knee, but that day I realized that I walked fast and no limp. I thought it was a fluke but over the past few days I've been walking okay.  Also when standing after about 20 minutes my back and hips hurt. Today I spent an hour cleaning the kitchen and cooking dinner, until it got to an hour on my feet I had no pain.  

This gives me hope.  I dream of traveling in Japan, there are so many wonderful places to see but so much walking. I have to keep up with the exercises, maybe try a longer one, really get fit.  Then all I have to do is make money!!

Also, I do need to cut sugar again.  I don't why but I'm finding it harder to say no to sugary foods.  Last time I stopped sugar I was using an artificial sweetener in my tea, but it had an awful aftertaste!  I take half a teaspoon of sugar in my tea, which isn't too much!  But it's the chocolate, cakes and cookies that keep coming in the house.  I think I'm going to have to tell the kids to stop buying them.  

Maybe I need another challenge!

Mama
Just a photo of Mama enjoying the sun!!!


Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Hospital

Today was my checkup for cancer and diabetes.

Nothing big, just had some blood taken and a quick word with the doctor.  I'm all right with that, I know the hospital, the procedure, where to go, which desk to put my file into so it's easy for me.  I don't have to try and understand the Japanese.  But it's so busy!  

Blood draw took two minutes, talk to the first doctor, two minutes, second doctor three minutes but I was there from 9am to 11am, then another 40 minutes wait at the pharmacy.  Still, it's over and done with and I don't have to go back until June.  That is the big yearly checkup with a CT scan, mammogram,  and blood work.  

We have 210 days until we move and I'm still not happy about it.  Every time I go to the other house I try to imagine living there but it still feels so wrong.  Part of this is not having a choice.  Usually moving house means choosing somewhere that you like or at least can feel comfortable in.  I don't get that choice and I know it's because I've chosen to have cats.  I know that I can, potentially save money because I don't have to pay rent but again it's not really that good.  I don't have to pay rent but I will lose students because we can only hire the community center on certain days.  Also, I'll need a loan to pay for things.  Getting the house connected to the sewage system will cost about 800 pounds, paying to the city and then more to the company that will do the work.  I'll have to get a loan for that.  A friend suggested doing a lot of the work ourselves, she said that there are a lot of videos on YouTube to follow but I know that a lot of time DIY doesn't work out!  Also, DIY costs money.  Feels like a lot of work to live in a house that I don't like!

Mikey with Fluffy

Mikey doesn't like the cats so much and Fluffy doesn't like people so much but they seem to like each other.

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Cold...Again

 It's March and we had snow this morning...for a few minutes!  I was so shocked when I looked out the window and saw snow.  Hannah said it felt colder than February, which might be true. I'm not complaining, I like the cold (maybe not this cold though!).  I keep seeing on different news sites that scientists are saying this summer could be hotter than last year.  My reaction is "NO, NO, NO, don't need that!"  

One thing I like about the cold weather is being able to cook "comfort food".  Today I made chicken pie, roast potatoes and peas (too many peas!).  

Tasted great!  I also made jam tarts with the leftover pastry.
chicken pie



I've been trying to get down to zero food waste.  I'm so tired of finding food in the fridge that is out of date or vegetables that have gone bad.  David sometimes shops on the way home, which helps a lot but he has a habit of just buying what he thinks we need without checking what we have or asking me.  
To use up vegetables I've been making soups, I just throw in whatever is in the fridge and hope for the best!  Most of the time it's good.  Nice, filling, and warming!

David terrorizing Steve

Not sure what Steve did but David grabbed him. He looks totally scared.  I do know that Steve was under the table and biting my toes earlier!!


Friday, March 1, 2024

The House

 We managed to get to the house today.

When I'm here I think that there isn't so much to be done but when I get there I feel overwhelmed by just how much is left to be thrown out before cleaning and restoring the house can start. 

The weather didn't help today.  Yesterday it rained all day, so everything felt damp and we couldn't start a fire to burn some of the trash. It was so cold and cloudy making the place look dark and dismal, not a good feeling.  Also, I discovered that a lot of things in the entrance and tatami room are things we dumped there.  A lot of Hannah's toys or things from her school days.  I've decided that at this time I can't deal with the extra emotion of throwing away her stuff.  Part of it has to do with my husband. Just seeing those toys reminds me of Christmas and birthdays.  Yes, I know they aren't my husband but sentimental things are hard to let go of.  Also, I have too many strong emotions dealing with this move as it is, I can't handle any more.  So I'm going to put these things in our storage area and when we have settled in take time to go through them and say goodbye.  Let them go slowly.  I feel for me that is the best.  Maybe in the grand scheme of things, not a good idea but I don't know what else to do.  

Hannah yelled at me.  I found a box of clothes that I packed up and put there.  I started to look through the box, but Hannah caught me and told me off.  She said that I had decided that the stuff in the box wasn't worth keeping and I should just throw away and not go through it again.  She's good to have when sorting out things!

Managed to get the shoe box sorted.  There must have been about 50 pairs of shoes!  Most belonged to my mother-in-law but I found some that belonged to my brother-in-law, he passed away before I came to Japan, so over 33 years but she was still hanging on to his stuff.

I also found a lovely set of geta (Japanese shoes) and a bag.  We took it to a recycle shop but they weren't interested in it.  When I checked after I could see that the bottom of the shoes looked worn.

Looks nice but the bottoms are scuffed

Took some photos of the back of the house.  Having all the bamboo taken down has made a big difference.

bathroom windows

The door leads into the bathroom!!

One of the bedrooms

Looks like I'll have to check the wood next time.

I'm also suffering from bad allergies, I've been sniffling and sneezing all day.  It's that time of year!!