August

 What a month!

Started with Christopher getting Covid and ended with Mikey in hospital.  In between were birthdays, almost a typhoon, sick cat, Obon holiday and terrible heat!!

Both Christopher and Mikey are better.  Mikey is still getting tired very quickly but after being in bed for 4 days I think it takes time to recover 100%.  He has an appointment tomorrow.  Let's hope this is all finished.

My birthday hit me hard.  Something about turning 61 was hard, harder than last year.  Feeling that most of my life is behind me and not that much before me!  I want to make the most of everyday, try and live a good, fulfilling life while I can.  To do that I have to take my health more seriously.  Since May and Hannah's birthday I've found it hard to resist sugar and carbs.  I say every morning from today no more sugar or carbs, I get to the afternoon then I get overwhelmed with craving and have just a bit, which leads more bits.  Even with that I haven't put on weight and have lost another kilo.  I could of and should of have lost more.  September is a new start and with the weather cooling down I can move and find things to do instead of sitting reading and watching TV.  I am planning to start knitting again, which helps as you can't knit and eat!!

Fluffy, who got sick with flea allergies is a lot better. She isn't over grooming any more but we really need to do something about the fleas.  Need to deep clean and keep up with the meds for the cats.  Even though it's expensive it's worth it.  Hannah has a really bad reaction if she gets bitten!  So yes, more cleaning.  I've managed to keep the downstairs rooms clean, not 100% but a lot better.  Bedrooms need to be tackled.  Always something.

I'm hoping that Septembe will be good, that the weather cools down so I can get some things done.  The one thing I'm not looking forward to is my allergies starting up again!!  

A few photos from August.

Cool place to sleep on the tiles

Hannah going to see a musical

David's birthday

Poor Fluffy

Mikey Is Home

 Mikey came home yesterday morning.  He ate a bit of lunch and then had a rest, I think he liked being in his own bed!!  I offered to do his evening classes but he wanted to do them.  Maybe lying in a bed for 4 days was enough for him.  This morning he came down at 7am and went for a walk.  I feel that getting so sick was a wake-up call for him. 

This morning we went to a local community center to teach English.  It's basically volunteer thing that we do once a month.  It's nice to get to teach adults, teaching kids is fun but hard work!!!  Teaching adults is more relaxing for me.  Teaching with Mikey is nice, he is very outgoing and gets everybody talking (and laughing).  

Across from the community center is a playing field that has a lovely tree on the edge. 

This was from the last time we went, today it was hot and sunny!  I love that big tree.

David managed to cut down some of the weeds yesterday.  As he was cutting he found a rather big hive, not honey bees, maybe wasps.  Something else to look out for.

I Have My Work Cut Out For Me

 Before I get into the moaning part of this post some good news!!

Mikey is a lot better.  He was on a drip from Friday evening and not allowed to eat.  He said that he was feeling a lot better.  He had some lunch today, fish and miso soup, two things that he doesn't like! He has managed to keep the meal down and has no pain, so hopefully he will be discharged tomorrow.  

Hannah received her grade for the past semester, GPA of 3.3.  Very good, she is on track to graduate.  Yesterday she went to the city to see a musical.  She enjoyed herself.  Looked very grown up in her new dress.  I know she is 21 and an adult but she is still my little girl.

Looking smart!

David dropped her off at the station, on the way he stopped for gas, Hannah got this interesting photo

Hannah and David

They really look alike!

Now to the moaning part.

This morning David and I went to the other house.  I haven't been since June,  it's just too hot for me.  the electricity is turned off so there is no air conditioning and I think the units in the house are too old.  This is what greeted me!

The weeds have just taken over!!  So have to sort that out as well as the interior of the house.

The problem is the yard here is just as bad!

Back of the house

The passage to the back of the house before

And after

So looks like getting up early and getting it done, again!!!!

Mikey.......Again

 The past week or so Mikey has been complaining of chest pains.  It got so bad Monday night that he went to the emergency room, he just wanted something to help him sleep.  Tuesday he slightly better but worse again on Wednesday.  Thursday he went to a local clinic, there he was diagnosed with some kind of indigestion and given a load of medicine.  When I came downstairs Friday morning I found Mikey lying on the sofa, he had spent the night in pain and throwing up.  I told him to go to the hospital that I use, it's a medium size hospital but they have a lot of diagnostic tools, X-ray machine, CT scan, MRI and there own lab so blood tests come back in about an hour.  Mikey drove himself to the hospital,  2 hours later he sent me a text.  He has to stay in the hospital, he has gallstones!  They have started him on a drip but if that doesn't work he will have to have an operation.  I decided to take some things to Mikey and also we needed to pick up the car.  David and I got a taxi, I thought we might end up in the hospital with the way the driver was driving, 10 minute drive and 3 near misses, when I got out I was shaking!!  We found Mikey waiting to talk to the doctor again and sign some papers.  We talked for a while, he seemed okay, I think he was glad that they had found the problem and it's treatable.  Gallstones are awful, I have them, most of the time they are okay but when they flare up it's the worse pain ever!!!  The next thing was to figure out where Mikey had parked the car, there are two big car parks.  Mikey said he had parked on the second car park, David wanted to to know where exactly instead of wondering around in the heat.  Mikey's answer was a classic!!  Next to the old peoples bus!!! This started us laughing because one time Hisao forgot where he parked the car, when I asked where, he said next to the yellow car!!!

Today is going to be busy.  I have to do Mikey's classes as well as my own.  I have no idea how next week is going to be as some of the classes are at the community center which I can't get to!!

Mikey with his balloon puppet!

My Birthday

 Yesterday was my birthday. Sixty-one (big sigh).  This birthday has been hard to deal with, not the number but how I feel about it.  

The past week or so I've been feeling rather down, just thinking about getting old.  I couldn't figure out why this birthday bothered me so much.  I realized that the problem is not with the number but that what I had hoped my future would be and my reality is so different and there is nothing I can do about it.    

In my 40's I use to imagine that once the kids were grown up Hisao and I would take off on little adventures, we would travel, go on day trips, have time together.  But, of course that is never going to happen.  I also thought my kids would be married and settled, maybe even a grandkid or two,  but that hasn't happened either.

Instead I am left with having to move again.  From a house and area that I have grown to love and feel comfortable in to a house and area that that I don't like.  I know that I'll never feel the other house is home.  I thought that at this age I would be settled, taking things easy, not having to worry about money or where we will live.  But again I have to deal with a lot of things that make my life feel overwhelming.  I don't want to move.  I've tried so hard to be positive about it but all I see is a lot of hard work and no real reward.  

Yesterday David treated us to sushi and donuts.  Nice!

sushi, Fluffy got put out!!

To end this rather depressing post some good news.  David got a promotion at work.  He is now the senior staff member for his shift!!

Hannah And The Cats

 Hannah loves our cats.  She feeds them, makes sure they have enough water, brushes them, plays with them and takes loads of photos, almost everyday.  90% of the photos on Hannah's phone are of cats.  Not just our cats but any cat that she sees wondering around.  The only thing she won't do is clean the litter box.  She tries but most of the time she is just heaving, I'm the same so I understand that.  She also spends a lot of money buying cat toys, beds and snacks.  And the past few visits to the vets she has paid for.  So this is really nice to see but she also drives me crazy.  Everyday she asks me if a certain cat is okay.  The other week she noticed that Sam wasn't peeing, she asked me if he was sick.  I don't know.  Then Mama was looking very skinny, again is she sick.  Sometimes when the cats fight they get injured, she will worry like crazy until the cat is okay.  I told her that if she like this with the cats what will she be like when she has kids.  I can imagine getting calls in the middle of the night or Hannah spending every other day at the doctors.  

This autumn Hannah is going to an elementary school for a month for teacher training.  The school is in the city so she has to get an appartment for a month.  She needs to find something is furnished and can lease for a month.  There will be four students at the same school, Hannah has been asked to be the leader for her group.  She is both excited and scared.  The trainee teachers have to teach a few classes not just assist.  I know that she will over think things but I feel she will be alright.  I won't but I plan to visit on the weekend to bring her food.  She won't have much time to cook so having a few home made things to warm up will help.

Off to see a musical, her other obsession

On her birthday

Mama hiding from a thunderstorm

Can I Scream

 Our money situation is terrible.  We have to move from here to my mother-in-law's house.  To do that we have to make a lot of money.  There is damage to this house that I will have to pay for, about 100 man yen (about 5000 pounds).  Then we have to do a lot to the other house, new tank for the toilet, remodel the bathroom, convert the storage area, deep clean everywhere and buy things that we need.  About 700 man yen.  At the same time Hannah is hoping to go to graduate school.  She will be able to get a scholarship but that doesn't start until the middle of the first term, also she will have to find an apartment and furnish that as well.

I can keep on teaching but we just aren't getting enough new students, we are barely making ends meet.  So I decided that the best thing to do is to sell some of the land.  But being Japan it is not easy to do that.  Farmland can only be sold to farmers.  There are so many laws and regulations to go through, looks like it could be a legal nightmare and I don't think we would get the money on time to do all that we need to do.  I don't want to stress about this but it is so frustrating.  I have nobody here to turn to, no relatives that could help or lend us money.  I could try to get a loan but my bank is racist.  I applied for a loan guaranteed by the government at the beginning of the pandemic but got turned down because I'm a foreigner.  We will see if Mikey or David could get a loan but I'm not holding my breath. 

I guess just keep on keeping on!!

This is poor Fluffy, she has to wear that cone to stop her scratching!  She is  staring at me because she wants some of my tuna sandwich.

Daivd's Birthday

 Yesterday was David's birthday.  Twenty-nine years old!!!  I don't know why but I'm always surprised at the age of my kids, I guess I just feel that old!  In my mind, I'm still a spring chicken, but my body feels like 90!!

We had a nice lunch.  One problem with David's birthday is that it falls on the Obon holiday when relatives get together.  Supermarkets have a lot of lovely food but it's a bit more expensive.  I had saved some money so I could buy a lot of nice stuff, sushi, roast beef, pizza, etc.  We also got cake, it was far too hot to try and make one!!!

lunch

cake

It was nice just to sit and talk.  When David was younger we had to go to my mother-in-law's for lunch. David told me yesterday that he thought that they were celebrating his birthday, he couldn't figure out why he got two parties. 

Few photos!

After Alan got covered in sugar

UK 2002

With Granddad

Took 3 hours to get this photo

with his dog

UK

All the kids yesterday

photo bombed by Christopher

Poor Fluffy

 We noticed that Fluffy was over grooming herself.   She would clean and scratch herself for hours, she was getting marks where she had scratched so deeply.  Hannah bought a cone for her to stop the scratching but we had to take it off so she could feed, as soon as it came off she would start scratching.  She was rather lathargic and on Saturday Hannah noticed Fluffy's tail was covered in open sores.  Hannah got her to the vets on Sunday morning.  Trying to get Fluffy into the carrier was a nightmare!  She would run off and hide, then when Hannah got her she would scratch and scream.  Fluffy has never liked to be handled so I was a bit worried about her at the vets.  According to Hannah she was very well behaved.  She sat there like a princess.  Turns out she has a flea allergy.  We try to keep the fleas a bay but even one on her can start an allergic reaction.  She was given a shot and some medicine for the next week.  She has to go back next week.  Came back with a new cone and spent the day sulking behind the curtain, but she did come out to get some chicken at lunch time!

Not a happy cat!!

Obon Holiday

 Next week is Obon Holiday.  It's the time of year for our ancestors to return home.  It's a Japanese Buddhist custom where the ancestors are honored.  It has become a time when people return to their hometowns.  It's not a national holiday but most places close for the 3 days, the exception is the retail and entertainment industries, it's a good time to make money.  Most trains, shinkansen, (bullet trains) and planes are packed.  Even though most people return home some take the chance to travel, Hawai and Guam are popular destinations.  

When the kids were young we would have lunch at my mother-in-law's.  I never really enjoyed it.  Sitting there for two or three hours, sometimes with no air conditioning, kids getting bored after eating and the constant expectations to help out made it an ordeal to be endured.  The first few years I offered to bring something from home to help out but that wasn't done!  Then I had to deal with Hisao's uncle, who I really liked, trying to get us to drink alcohol.  I don't like most alcohol, and Hisao was driving we would refuse but he would keep on and on.  Of course, the more he consumed the more he pushed!!

Now Obon is a nice holiday for me.  We close the school for about a week, most students go to visit their parents or grandparents, so there is no point in opening.  It gives me a break, time to gather steam for the next few months!

Hannah was playing with her phone the other day.  She has a filter app that she likes to use, here are some of her pictures.

No filter on this one

very different with a filter

Not sure what animal I am

Cute!!

Typhoon

 We got lucky, very lucky.  Typhoon six was very slow moving and powerful.  For over a week it was over Okinawa.  Power cuts, floods, downed trees, signs and traffic lights.  The typhoon then moved to southern Kyushyu.  They also got hit bad, local flooding and a lot of wind damage. It then moved up the west coast of Kyushu, by the time it was level with us it was a bit weaker.  We got a load of rain and a bit of wind.  I prepared, I always do when there is a possibility of a typhoon hitting.  Anything that could be blown away was bought inside, closed up the shutters and stocked up on bottled water and cup noodles (we have enough for a month).  Hannah's university changed her classes to online, just in case!!  The only good thing was that it felt a bit cooler for a couple of days, but so humid!!

Today I went shopping.  First time I've been out for over a week.  I wanted to get something for David's birthday next week.  I took Hannah to help me out!  We went to a clothes shop that caters to the whole family from babies to elderly style, also bedding, towels etc.  Hannah loves this store, she goes in for one thing and comes out with about 7 things!!  Even today she bought a dress, necklace and pair of shoes.  I got a few things for David.  One problem is that it still hot here and will be for the next couple of months but the store already has a lot of autumn clothes!!  The summer things were on sale so it was easy to get a good bargin but not much choice.

Just to make a change from cat photos here are some of the area I was shopping in this morning.

The pink store is the clothes store

Everywhere we can see mountains

FLYZ is a recycle store that I like to check out

This and That

 A few things have been happening the past couple of days!  Nothing major.

Christopher has gotten over Covid.  He was rather sick for four days.  Two days with a fever of 39.9C.  Even with strong medicine from the doctor, his fever was still too high.  Finally broke Thursday evening. He had an awful sore throat, he was living on tofu and jelly, he couldn't swallow anything else.  Saturday evening he came into the kitchen and asked if I wanted a good laugh.  He showed me his front teeth, he had lost a filling!  So this week he has to go to the dentist.  Poor kid, can't get a break!

We might get a typhoon this week, maybe Wednesday and Thursday.  This typhoon has been dancing over Okinawa for the past few days.  When it hit there it was very strong,  the winds bought down trees, traffic lights and massive signboards.  The forecast was for it to go along the Pacific Coast of Japan.  This morning however the forecast has changed and it's going along the coast of Kyushu.  We shouldn't be hit too hard but we really don't need a load more rain.  The heavy rain that we had at the beginning of July has loosened a lot of the soil, another load means the possibility of landslides will be very high!

It is still hot here.  Last week 3 or 4 days were up to 39C.  Today it's 33C and I don't feel it's that hot.  If it stays like this for the rest of the summer maybe I'll survive.  

Poor Hannah still has university.  From Saturday to Thursday this week.  During her lunch break, I send pictures of the cats, cheers her up.  She likes her course but getting there is hard in the heat.  On the days that he is free Mikey drives her there, about an hour each way.  If not she has to walk half an hour from the station and then back again. Her backpack is rather heavy and she feels very hot and sticky when she gets to the campus! Seeing the cats makes her happy.  These are some from the other day.

I was trying to get each cat

David asked what I was doing, I explained that I was sending cat photos to Hannah.  He said you can send one of me.  I told him that I didn't think it would cheer her up!!  He said I can be a cat and did a cat pose!

Cat pose?

When Hannah saw the photo she texted me saying it looks like David is having a fit!