Really Not Happy

The city I live in offers cheap health checks for people over 50.  Basic checkup, heart,
blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and liver function.  A couple of weeks ago I started to
have a burning, tingling feeling on the bottom of my left foot.  Checked Google and the only
thing that came up was nerve damage because of diabetes!  Turns out that the burning had nothing to do with diabetes, one of the kittens had peed in my shoe and even though I had washed it out I was
having an allergic reaction to the cat pee!  Anyway I decided to go and get the health check.
I got the results yesterday!  Blood pressure normal, good, liver function fine!  But my cholesterol
is a bit high!  The big shock was the number for diabetes. The doctor explained that over 6
means diabetes, my number was 5.7!  So I have to lose weight!  I know it's my own
fault, I've been comfort eating since having the operation and now it has caught up to me!
Somehow I can find determination because it is my health that is at risk, just for vanity I
can't find the same determination!  The doctor recommended that I lose 10kg!  That feels like
a lot! But it's a goal and I am giving myself plenty of time to do it.  I'll get the papers
for next years check up in April, so until then I will lose 10kg!
Wish me luck.
If anybody has interesting recipes I would be happy to see them!

Never Ending

There is a line in the song "Circle of Life" that says " There's more to do than can ever be
done" . That is certainly true in this house! I found a list of to do things marked September 2013,
all I have to do is change the year as the list is the same!  Clean bedrooms, deep clean kitchen (difficult to do in the intense heat of the summer), tidy up the  yard. The only item on my list that is
finished is the back corridor, half of that has been cleaned out, books, papers and things that had been
collecting there for years have gone! So last night I made plans.  The weather has gone cool so
I thought get up. get Hannah to school (school on Sunday, just one hour for some test), then start but
I woke up feeling awful. Headache, sore throat and a fever.  I think the dramatic change in temperature means I have a cold!  So I have slept, and taken some pain killer, lets hope I feel
better for tomorrow!
One thing I have to do is buy a new oven. My old one over heats after about 15 minutes, so
baking cakes or muffins is out of the question!  David and I had a look yesterday but as always
making a decision is difficult!  I hope to check out one more place tomorrow then decide, I really need one before Halloween, the students look forward to the cookies that I make for them!

typhoon 21 and an earthquake

Two days ago Japan was hit by a massive typhoon.  The international airport in
Osaka was flooded, stranding about 3000 people. My understanding is the airport
is built on reclaimed land and a bridge connects it to the main land. During the
typhoon a tanker ship smashed into the bridge, causing a lot of damage, closing the
bridge!  In other areas cars and trucks were thrown about like toys, houses lost
roofs, part of the roof in Kyoto station came down, and signs were blown down.
Here is a link to Japan Times
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/04/national/strong-typhoon-poised-make-landfall-shikoku-kii-peninsula-afternoon/#.W5BOAExuL5o

Hope that works, if not doing a search on typhoon 21 should bring up a load of
reports.
This morning Hannah put the news on, expecting more news on the typhoon or the
power harassment scandal that has dominated the news. Instead the news is about a
strong earthquake in Hokkaido!  It hit in the early morning, about 3am and registered
as an M6. That is strong, the news is showing houses that have collapsed and constant after quakes.
Very scary.  I know Hokkaido is the opposite end of Japan but these natural disasters
seem to be happening far too often!  With disasters likes typhoons or heavy rain even
if the damage is extensive and there is a loss of life I always feel that I can prepare and
keep my family safe. Earthquakes just happen, any time!  That to me is more scary!

September

I have a love/hate relationship with August. I love that I can have a holiday, I love that
Hannah didn't have school, just a load of homework. I love that I don't have to get
up early to make breakfast and lunch box (obento) for Hannah.  But I hate the weather.
Every year it is hot. Starts in June and just goes on and on. This year was really bad.
A couple of times the next city hit 39.5C, that is crazy hot! Too hot to do anything!
It does get rather depressing, there is only so much TV to watch and so many books to
read!  I want to go out, not just to the shops but somewhere interesting but with the heat
I just couldn't do it!
So September!  Hannah is back at school, but missed two days because of heat stroke. She
wasn't too sick but practicing outside in 35C heat for two days took its toll on her. she is
okay now, tired after her sports day, and tests today.
I am already thinking about Halloween. The 100 yen shop has Halloween goods out already!
Wondering what to do for the kiddies classes that is fun and educational.  Then comes Christmas!
But before that I have to buy an oven, mine doesn't really work!
The kittens are growing.  They are so cute but rather naughty!  My poor walls are all scratched up.
Still don't know what to do with them!  The cost of keeping them is huge, vet bills, food. cat litter
and damage that they do to the house!  We will see!

See, total cuteness