August

 Started with an earthquake, ended with a typhoon!  In between was very hot and humid.

It was a busy month. Even though I didn't go to the other house David and Christopher went a few times and made good progress. Most of the trash is out, and the rooms are more or less clean. I need to go to make sure things are cleaned properly, the walls and the railing around the top need to be cleaned out, the old curtains and blinds removed, the windows washed, the floors mopped, and then polished. One big job is the stovetop and extractor fan. I know we cleaned the fan when we lived there, but that was 16 years ago and it hasn't been done since then. 

Here I've managed to pack a lot and sent a load of boxes over. Need to do more this week. I think almost all the winter stuff has gone. I still haven't sorted the walk-in closet, I hope to do that tomorrow.  I have to start throwing things out. I'm just hanging on to stuff for the sake of it.  There are still things in the kitchen that I won't be using for a few months that can go! I hope to have this house 80% empty by the end of September. A tall order but I think it will be easier that way. Moving takes time and I would rather do it bit by bit than try and move everything at once.

August was also David's birthday and mine. We had a nice celebration for David's. I didn't bother with mine. I'm 62 and starting over, not really worth celebrating!

Then there was Mikey's engagement. I'm so happy about that!  

All in all a good month, a bit crazy with the weather but that is Japan. Summer is really intense!

I'm looking forward to September. I hope the weather cools a bit but it probably won't.

Hannah and I are going to see Jesus Christ Superstar.  That should be fun!

Other than that a lot of packing, sorting out, cleaning of both houses, the usual stuff!

I didn't quite make a post every day. Should I do the same challenge for September?

Sleeping on the stairs, it's a death trap!

Typhoon 10 Shanshan

 We were lucky again with this last typhoon.

Bit of wind, lots of rain. 

Those videos were from yesterday afternoon.  The wind died down a couple of hours after that but the rain has continued almost nonstop for the past two days! 

This typhoon is unpredictable, although the main part of the storm has passed the wind and rain have picked up again, plus the air pressure is very low.  I've had headaches for the past couple of days because of that!

A lot of places along the southern coast of Kyushu and the inland sea between Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu were hit badly.  There were reports of tornados in some places taking off roofs and shattering windows. Underpasses were flooded in one city and rivers are swollen. The typhoon isn't moving fast even though it has lost a lot of power it is still powerful! 

One thing I'm glad about is that a lot of businesses closed for a couple of days. I'm always shocked at how many people go to work in the worst of weather.  There are always people in the background of reports from different cities.  I understand wanting to do your job but surely your business is not going to collapse if you stay home for a day or two!  I feel that risking your life for your job is really silly, the only people who need to work are first responders and hospital staff.  Going out, and putting yourself in danger puts an extra burden on emergency services. The emergency services are always stretched during these disasters as the risk of floods and landslides are very real. Then of course there is the damage caused by the high wind, downed trees and power lines are a big problem.  David's company closed the internet cafe yesterday until 3pm today. He has to work tonight but the storm is bad again so I'm wondering if he should go!  But I know that even if I tell him not to go he will and I don't have the energy to fight with him!

This typhoon is now moving toward the more populated areas of the country. There is still a lot of disruption to travel. Most Shinkansen lines are closed, JAL and ANA have canceled or suspended flights. There is even a possibility that some highways might close. There are a lot of reports of people being stranded at airports or train stations!

I'm hoping that this typhoon will die out soon and that there are no more deaths, I've seen reports of 4 people being killed. 

For everybody who has sent me messages and prayers over the past few days thank you so much.

Waiting

 Typhoon 10 still hasn't hit. It slowed down over the sea, which means it is getting stronger.

This typhoon has had people guessing where it was going! The first forecast, last week showed it going toward Shikoku and Honshu, just catching the corner of Kyushu.  Now it is south of Kyushu and moving slowly up the coast toward Nagasaki! 

It looks like it the eye will pass south of us, near Kumamoto. That is about an hour and a half drive from here. We won't get the eye and eyewall but I think the storm is so big that anywhere in Kyushu will be in the path!  

Flights have already been canceled, as well as most Shinkansen trains. Hannah just told me that local trains will be canceled as well. Even schools are closed Thursday and Friday. 

A few minutes ago we had the first emergency alert.  These alerts go out early to advise people to evacuate to the emergency shelters before the weather gets really bad. This is helpful for the elderly or people with mobility problems!  

Where we live now is relatively safe. There are no rivers nearby or mountains.  The wind is scary but this house has shutters on the big windows. 

I'm a bit worried about the other house as it is at the foot of a mountain. There is a possibility of landslides!  

We've tided outside, just have to bring in the umbrellas that are on the front porch. I've shopped, we have bottled water, cup noodles, plenty of bread, some snacks and fruit. I picked up some candles from the other house as well, just in case the power goes off.

Now it's just a case of waiting and fighting with the kids. David works nights, tonight will be okay but tomorrow night I don't want him going to work but I know he will and I will sit and worry about him.  Is it worth risking your life for a part-time job!? He has to quit so getting fired for not turning up is not a big problem.

David doing his daft selfies with my phone, again.

Just had to edit this to add these photos of a double rainbow.

Really beautiful

The second rainbow is not so clear in the photos but in real life it was!!  Very dramatic sky!!

Why Is It So Hard.....

 ....to declutter?

One good thing about moving is having the chance to sort out stuff and throw away things that are no longer used or needed.

I've been doing the hundreds, if not thousands of books we have.  We have books for teaching, those were easy to throw away. Some were so old and so out of date that they confused the kids! I had one book teaching "How Many?" using everyday objects like pens, pencils, erasers, etc. One object was cassette tapes, I spent half the lesson on this asking the kid "How many" and getting him to answer "There are 4 cassette tapes.", then changing roles.  At the end of the lesson he asked, in Japanese, what are cassette tapes?  I was surprised that he had never seen a cassette tape, CD, or even a DVD.  Books like that were easy to throw away. There's a recycle place that takes books and scrap paper to reuse the paper. We've taken maybe 30 or 40 big boxes there.

A lot of books were from when the kids were little. Bit harder to deal with but a friend of mine took a lot. She is Japanese but has a foreign husband and they are raising their kids to be bilingual. She also knows other families that might benefit from the books.  That was easy to do. I've kept a few, the book I read to Hannah every day she was in the hospital, or a favorite book of the boys.  

Other books that are harder to deal with are ones I've bought over the years. These are taking a bit longer. Also, everybody has a lot of books, 200 or 300 each, maybe more. We really are a book family!

Yesterday I wanted to start sorting my clothes. This is where I'm having problems. Hannah suggested that I throw away anything that I haven't worn for a year. But it's difficult when the clothes are still wearable.  I took out six pieces yesterday, threw out 5, and put one back.  I realized that some of the clothes I've had for years, maybe 20 years or more. Why am I keeping them?  Part of it is worrying that I won't be able to buy things again.  Being big means that it was difficult to get nice things here.  But that isn't true anymore, there are catalogs and of course internet shopping! Got to get rid of my old thinking!

This is the next problem. I asked Mikey to bring a couple of the big plastic drawers from the other house, he bought six over. They are so big and in the way. If we had a chance to go this week I wouldn't mind but between work schedules and the typhoon, I think it'll be another week before we go

Plastic boxes!

The sad thing is that there are about 50 of these boxes, they were full of unused clothes!!

Typhoon???

 There's a massive, powerful, slow-moving typhoon forming south of Japan.  Depending on which app or news feed I check we are either going to be spared the storm altogether, get the edge of it or get hit really bad!!  It's predicted to hit on Tuesday!

As always I'm more worried about our neighbors than the storm itself. The three closest houses all have nice cars parked outside, I worry that stuff from our yard could fly and damage their cars!  A few weeks ago David cut down some of the trees and bushes outside but didn't clean up, so there's a lot of branches lying around. We got some of them moved but still too many for me to feel that it's okay if the typhoon hit.  So this morning Mikey, David, and Christopher were tasked with cleaning up as much as possible.  While they were doing that Hannah cleaned the living/dining area and I did the kitchen and made lunch. Nice, productive morning. After lunch, Mikey and Christopher took the trash to the other house to burn!  I'm not sure how much they could burn because about an hour after they left we had an incredible thunderstorm!  The storm has passed and the temperature is a lot cooler, about 27C but humidity is high! Still, it feels a lot better than 35C.

Hannah took these photos the other day when she went to the special needs school.

Winnie the Pooh on the fence

She thought it was kind of cute. I like the fact that the photos show how interesting the houses are in Japan. The wooden house in front is old, maybe 40 or more years old.  The ones that look like boxes are very new, it's a style that is very popular at the moment.  The houses are next to a field, that looks like a rice field, this is also normal here to have a mix of fields and housing. And of course, no pavement to walk on, in most rural or semi-rural areas cars, buses, trucks, bikes and pedestrians share the road.  In larger cities, there are pavements (sidewalks) and bike lanes but in the countryside, it's a bit hit-and-miss!  

Sixty-Two

 I didn't reach my goal of being 62kilos by 62 years old! Still in the mid-90s! That's how old I feel as well!

I have lots of reasons but I know that they are really just excuses. I have to find a way to focus on eating healthy even when everything around me is crazy.  I keep telling myself that once we have moved, and everything is settled and the weather is better then I can focus on my weight.  Which I know isn't true as I'll just find other reasons not to focus on losing weight!

I'm also suffering what I'm calling the moving blues! Just over two months, 72 days until we move and I'm still not happy about it. 

I know no choice, I know that I'm lucky to have the house to move to and that I wouldn't be able to find another rental because of the cats and teaching from the house. I know that I'll be saving money on rent (but paying tax on the land that doesn't earn an income!), that it's my house and I can change things, and save for a nicer kitchen but I still don't want to move there.  The closer the moving date gets the stronger my feelings are about that!  It just makes me sad!  

Part is bad memories, the year we lived with my mother-in-law, the times we visited and got yelled at for different things.

Then there is just the actual move. Just thinking about the logistics of it makes me panic!  I'm trying to box up as much stuff as possible and move the boxes every week. In the past few weeks, I've sent more than ten big boxes, but this house is still full.  I'm throwing out and giving away as much as I can. This house is big, with 4 bedrooms, two Japanese style rooms downstairs and a big open plan living, dining, kitchen area.  The other house is half the size, with a Japanese-style room, two small bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room, and a small living room that will have to be a bedroom. About half the size of here!

I'm just not coping at all. I want to crawl into bed and not do anything at all but that isn't going to help.

Tomorrow I plan to sort my clothes and throw out stuff that I don't wear.  Some things are still good but the recycle shop won't take them as they aren't brand names and there are no charity shops!  I tried the recycle shop the other week with a few of my clothes and some of Hannah's, we got a pound for a bag of about twenty items. cost more in gas to get to the store! 

I can still laugh at things.  I'm trying not to be too down, my energy level isn't that good so I can't afford to get overly depressed because I just wouldn't get out of bed at all!  I'm reading a lot of daft books, and watching far too much on YouTube, there are some videos of the city we are moving back to so I'm watching those. I set myself a goal to do something every day, pack one box, sort one drawer or cupboard, and find answers to the problems we have.  Most days I feel I have accomplished something!

My kids and the cats make me laugh. The kids are supporting me, which helps.

And of course, the cats are cute!!

Sam being cute!

A Little Drive

 Hannah had to go to the special needs school this afternoon. I thought it was for her teacher training there in November but it isn't, it's for two days of volunteer work she has to do in December.  She was going to get the train but David said he would drive her as he doesn't have work tonight. I decided to go with them as I know David is tired, I can't drive but I can keep him awake. By car, it's about 20 minutes, by train 40 minutes!

Hannah is exhausted from yesterday,  nursery in the morning, afternoon in the city for university and to visit a junior high school, then back home and to the cram school for another 3 hours of work.  All that in 35C weather, kind of crazy. I think David felt sorry for her and that is why he offered to take her.

After we dropped off Hannah, David and I went shopping! 

At the moment rice is difficult to come by, so my plan is if there is rice in the store I'll buy some. Apparently, it was too hot last year so the harvest was bad.  I'm wondering if this is going to be an ongoing problem, not just rice but other food products as well.  

The first store we went into had no rice!

empty shelves

just 5 bags of 3 kilos rice

I've seen this on the news but those were stores in Tokyo or Osaka, kind of normal for the bigger cities. This was in the countryside!  

We drove back toward home and spotted another store.  I like this store but it's a bit more expensive than where I usually shop. I thought we should just have a look.  They had rice, good brand and not too expensive. They also had a big sign saying only one bag per family!  We eat rice almost every day, it's easy to do. I guess I'll have to figure out some meals that don't use rice and see if we can stretch out what rice we have for a few weeks!

I tried to take a video of the drive, just a minute or so. Ignore David making funny noises!

This is very typical of where we live now.  Not really the countryside but not the city either.  Drugstore Mori is a good store, I was going to go in there but changed my mind as I wanted to see if the other store had any fruits! It did but very expensive, a bunch of grapes was over 1000 yen, about 5 pounds!

view from the second store

I love how right next to two big stores there's a bamboo grove. There was a little breeze, just watching the bamboo sway made me feel a little bit cooler!!

The Plumber

 The plumber came this morning at 10am, he worked until almost 2pm.

He took the pipes from under the sink out and cleaned them, but the blockage was further down.

He set up a very noisy machine to try and clean out the blockage from in the house and outside, he spent hours trying to get it cleaned out but couldn't do it 100%.  The water is draining better but still gets stopped if it's run too long.  He thinks that because this is an old house the pipes might be damaged somewhere and the only way to get it cleaned out properly would be to dig out the pipes and replace them.

This cost us just over 250 pounds! Money I was saving for the other house.

This has me wondering about the house we are moving to. They are both about the same age, built in the early 1990s. This house was built by a reliable company that has a good record. The house we are moving to was built by a local company that was subcontracted from the company that my mother-in-law hired. There have been problems at the other house since it was built, some of the roof tiles came off just a couple of years after it was built, and the tiles in the bathroom came up within 6 months of the house being finished.  The company put in older air conditioners, not the ones my mother-in-law had asked for, Hisao had to sort that out.  She had an expensive automatic front door put in but it broke after a few years. It feels as if nothing was built to last, just throw it up and hope for the best.  

I know we have no choice, we have to move there. I have no money to pull it down and rebuild it, which would be the best but I can't even afford to pay to have the name on the deed changed legally, which I would have to do to rebuild it. Just that would cost about 5000 pounds! 

I think I'll have to get somebody to come and check all the water and electric systems, but it won't be before we move in. Maybe sometime in the next year. The other house hasn't been really used, just 2 old ladies living there for the first 11 years, then just my mother-in-law until about 6 years ago.  I hope the house stands up to being really lived in.  One reason things break in the kitchen here is that it gets used every day. We cook 3 meals a day for 5 people.  

The cats were having a hard time. They kept sneaking to see what was happening but when the plumber turned the machines on they took off.

Not happy cats

Why?

 Even after 33 years in Japan, there are things that I don't understand.

Our kitchen sink is blocked.  It's not a good design, two sinks with separate drains until the pipes meet halfway down to take the waste water out. If it gets blocked below where the pipes meet the dirty water from one sink flows back into the other sink.  Every few months this happens.  David used to take the pipes apart and fix the problem.  But the newer pipes are rather fragile and he doesn't want to risk breaking them. So we have to call the plumber.

This morning David called a plumber that we have used before. He said he was at another job and would call after he had finished there to say when he could come here. That's fine. About an hour later the phone rang, David had gone to the shop so Hannah answered it.  She started to explain who was the older brother between David and Christopher. I'm listening to this wondering who was calling, maybe from the City Hall or something to do with inheriting the land. After the call, I asked who it was, and Hannah said it was the plumber. 

Why does the plumber need to know who is older? Also, how does he know Christopher's name (he used their Japanese names)?  David paid one time with his credit card so I understand them having his name on file but Christopher wasn't here. All rather weird. Plus they haven't called back to make an appointment, it is now 6:40 in the evening.

Am I missing something here, is this a Japanese culture thing or is this company just strange.

I'll ask David to call again tomorrow.  We might get an answer.

On Sunday on the way home I stopped by a supermarket that is opposite a train station. Hannah took some photos, of a very typical Japanese cityscape.

The train just pulling into the station

In the top photo, the building on the right is a block of flats, very typical in this area.

The photos are good considering she took them on her phone!!

I Missed A Day

 I was determined to write every day this month and until the weekend I was on track!

On Saturday I went shopping with Mikey and Hannah, just to the local shopping mall. I wanted to check out a furniture shop.  I want to buy a few pieces of furniture, I've looked online but seeing things in real life is better for me.  The other house is smaller, I want furniture that looks nice, and comfortable but doesn't overwhelm the small space.  One thing I want to buy is a new sofa, one that is easy to clean, with a high back to lean against.  I've seen some online but wanted to touch the material to see how it feels.  We had a look but most pieces were sold out, the mall is closing down so I think the furniture store isn't adding any new inventory.

We had a look in an electric store. I went in to stand in front of the fans.  Even with the air conditioning, I was sweating buckets!  The fans were nice!  Hannah wanted to check out the size of the refrigerators.  She wants to buy a set, washing machine, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, and rice cooker but she couldn't understand the size of the refrigerators.  She has a better idea of what to buy now.

I bought some new towels. I have no idea what's happening to my towels but they aren't lasting that long, most of my bath towels have holes in them. I'll cut them up to use as cleaning rags but I don't know why this is happening. Maybe because they are cheap. I had one towel that was given to me as a gift that I used for over 10 years.  These new ones are only lasting a few months!

My big news is that Mikey got engaged on Sunday!  I want to post photos of his fiancée but he didn't ask her if it's alright. She's a very private person!  She's a lovely young lady and shares Mikey's crazy sense of humor.  I'm so happy that he has found somebody to settle down with.

Hannah got all dressed up.  She spent most of her time playing with Mikey's fiancée's baby niece!

Hannah looking cute

It's back to work for me today. Only one lesson so I hope to pack up more stuff later.  David and Christopher took a load of boxes this morning.  We are getting there, slowly!!

The End....

 ....of my summer holiday. Back to teaching on Monday.  I'm not that busy but on the days I have classes I have to be aware of the time, some projects take a few hours to complete, plus I need to have energy to work into the evening.

I managed to get a few things done, of course not as much as I would have liked.  Never is! 

I packed up four more boxes of books from my room, Hannah sorted a big bag of clothes to go to the recycle store and a friend came and took another box of children's books from the room I use to teach in.

I need to tackle the walk-in closet and the room that was the office but is now a second teaching room and a dumping ground! I don't know if anybody else does this but when random things need a place they get dumped in the office, my idea is to sort them later, but somehow later never comes! The cupboard under the stairs needs cleaning out and the shoe cupboard, lots of old shoes that need to be thrown out!  

I've packed up most of my baking things but still have kitchen gadgets that I won't be using until the cooler weather, so that's a project for next week.

I hope we can move in the middle of November, that is 86 days, 2 months, and 25 days!  Not long at all!

There are still things that need fixing at the other house. The toilets still need seeing to, I hope to get that done next week.  I want to put a sunroom on the front of one of the rooms, it's similar to a conservatory, but not as big.  I want another room for the cats, also sunrooms are good for hanging laundry when it's rainy! I've looked online but need to go to stores to see exactly what they are like.

I would love to change the kitchen and bathroom but I think that will have to wait until next year!

This morning Fred and Alan were fighting, there was blood at the top of the stairs and paw prints going from David's room but I can't see who was bleeding.  

Alan

Fred

The two culprits but don't they look innocent!

 

Fluffy Tofu With Chives

 This is a recipe I found on Instagram. I added panko (Japanese bread crumbs) as the tofu didn't hold together as I fried it.

1 block of firm tofu, drained

1 egg

small bunch of chives, cut small 

enoki mushrooms, cut small

panko about a handful, this wasn't in the original recipe. I just added some until the mixture came together

1 cube of chicken bullion

3 tablespoons of potato starch

sesame oil for frying

In a bowl crumble the tofu, add the other ingredients, and mix well

Shape them into oval balls and fry in the sesame oil until done, I think I cooked them for about 10 minutes.

Very easy recipe. Also because it's a lot of protein it helps to feel full longer.

Fluffy Tofu with chives

Enjoy!

Again?

 Do you remember the end of 2019, the beginning of 2020?

The news of this new virus in China, and the draconian measures the government was taking to tackle the spread of the virus.

I watched the news as the epidemic spread throughout China, and then onto other countries.

I really wasn't that worried. I live in a small city in the Japanese countryside. We don't get that many tourists here, nobody to bring the virus to our doorstep.

I watched as the first cases were recorded in Europe and the first known case was seen in the UK.  The words epidemic and pandemic became part of the vocabulary I had to teach to my older students. 

Once the pandemic spread through the UK I worried for my family there. The news was saying that the elderly were particularly vulnerable. My Dad is in his 80s, was he going to be okay?

I was amazed at how people followed the rules and stayed home, how life stopped. A doctor on the way to work took a video of his root through some of the busiest streets in London, they were deserted! It was eerie how quiet it was.

In the middle of January, Japan had its first case. I still wasn't worried.

In March schools closed and we had to close for a while too. But there were no cases reported in our small city or the neighboring cities. 

I started to notice that plastic partitions were going up in stores. The first one I noticed was in a convenience store. That surprised me, had the virus come here?

A couple of weeks after that the supermarket in the next city had a sign on their butchers counter. It said that you couldn't ask for a kilo of meat to be divided into two 500-gram packs as it takes time and they want the customers to move through the area fast. I actually cried, this is when COVID-19 became real to me. Before that point, I felt that it was happening in other places but not near where I live.

I bought alcohol, masks, and vitamin D.  We washed our hands, face and gargled when we came in from shopping or work.  I tried to cut down on how often I went shopping and the time in the shops.

Every fever we got was monitored, and every cough was checked. I tried to be rational about it but the number of deaths scared me. Hannah has weak lungs because she was born premature, Mikey and Christopher have allergies that make the respiratory system weak. I wasn't that healthy at that time. David was okay. 

We caught it in 2021, I think!! A milder form that attacked the throat but not the lungs!

I was glad when the pandemic was over.  For me not having to wear masks everywhere was a sign that it had run its course.

Why am I writing this?

Monkeypox (Mpox). 

Again the news is reporting about a new disease that is starting to spread around the world. The WHO has declared it a global health emergency. 

This disease, which is related to smallpox, started in Africa. It's a zoonotic disease, which means that it can be transmitted from animals to people.  Hunters or people dealing with animal carcasses can be exposed to it. It's transmitted by skin touch or on surfaces, if you use a towel of an infected person you could get infected. It can be transmitted by air droplets but that is less likely!

There have been a few cases in Japan.  

I'm wondering if this is going to be another pandemic and if it's going to be on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. Or is it a case of a slow news day?

How do we protect ourselves and our loved ones?

Are there vaccines? Do we need them? How deadly is this Mpox? I know that news organizations choose the worst photos for dramatic effect but some of the photos are awful.

We are still dealing Covid here. We had it in June, more like a bad flu.  Miserable but pain killers for fever and aches and pains, a few days in bed and good healthy food cured us.   A lot of our students have had it or somebody in their family got sick. I think Covid is going to be like the flu and cold virus, always there!

I'm trying to balance being aware of Mpox but not freaking out!  We live in a time of international travel. People travel to exotic locations and interact with the local people and wildlife, I think it's normal that viruses are brought back.   

We should educate people about the transmission of diseases, the other choice is to stop people from traveling!

Please stay safe. Keep an eye on your local news, and educate yourself on the symptoms. There isn't much else we can do. I hope that scientists and doctors can find a way to manage this without the extreme measures that were in place 4 years ago.

Got to end with cuteness!!

Frodo and Sam this morning

Playing with my cats helps me to deal with the stresses that get thrown at me. Between diseases that only existed in far-off countries, to the possibility of a massive earthquake or WW3, and my personal stress dealing with moving I am at a 1000% stress level. But the cats are so calm, they just chill out. A lesson to be learned there.

 

David

 Today is David's birthday! 30 years old!

As always I feel the past 30 years have gone by very fast. 

He struggled so much in school with bullying but he always persevered. He could also be very cheeky. One time his teacher came to the house. She said that she had been looking for David at each break time as he hadn't done his homework. David said every time he saw his teacher he went the opposite way because he knew he was in trouble! 

He loves jokes!  When I went to Kyoto a few years ago he called me and said that there was a big leak in the kitchen sink. I asked him to send a photo so I could see what had happened. He sent me a photo of leeks in the sink.  

I'm wondering what his 30s will bring!  He has to find another job.  I would like him to get something that leads to a career. But he is happy to do part-time jobs. He said that his ideal job would be one where he just has to read!!!

I did a nice lunch for him and have some choux cream cakes for later. 

Nice lunch

I never know what to get David. He always says that he doesn't want anything. Hannah found a great T-shirt online. It says "I work to buy the cat's food!" which is true. He thought it was very funny!

Laughing at his T-shirt

Just a few photos. I have a lot of him as a kid but not so many in his teen years. I probably have more but need to pull out all the photo albums to find them!!

Just born

few months old with Mikey

with Hisao and Mikey

On Granddad's lap

Not sure how old here, 10 maybe!

He's taken so many selfies over the past few years, most of them pulling faces or posing with the cats!

with cats or pulling faces

My second son is now 30!  Does that mean I'm old?

Cleaning

 While sorting out some books I came across some of my old diaries. These were from when the kids were in school. I would write about things we did together, days out, or special meals. The problems the kids were having at school. My thoughts and feelings about what was happening in my family or the world. One constant theme was cleaning!

A typical entry would state that I had cleaned the kitchen but the living room needed doing. Or I got one bedroom done but the others were a disaster.

After Hisao died a lot of entries said that the whole house was a disaster!

I don't think I've had every single room completely clean at the same time. Maybe just before going to England for a few weeks and then it was by sheer hard work!

Why can't I clean? I don't think it's just laziness, although that plays a part, when the kids were little I would rather spend time with them than washing dishes.  I always thought that once the kids were older the house would be clean, but now I have cats! It wasn't because I worked, I did but I worked from home and used to pick up flutters in between classes.

I think I lack organization! I remember my Mom had certain days for certain jobs. Until she got an automatic washing machine Saturday mornings were wash days. It didn't matter what the weather was she would pull out the twin tub and do the laundry. She would get it dry and ready to iron by Sunday afternoon. Monday morning we would have clean clothes for school.  

I do laundry almost every day. It gets washed, dried, and dumped in my room. I have a mountain of clean clothes at the foot of my bed. I keep asking the kids to collect their clothes and put them away. Every few weeks I spend an hour folding and putting away clothes. 

I keep on top of the daily chores, floors swept, vacuumed, and mopped but the dirty dishes seem to multiply by themselves!  The other week I spent two hours just washing dishes! 

I've read books about cleaning and household organizing.  Some of them stated the obvious, such as wash your delicate tableware first then the more dirty dishes, and dust before vacuuming.  I know those things, kind of common sense but how to get it done, a checklist of priorities, finding the motivation.  This is what I need.

Reading these books, and watching TV shows about cleaning made me wonder how did my Mom and millions of other Moms cope without these resources.  I think my Mom would tell me to stop reading, get off my fat backside, and do the dishes.  

And maybe that is the secret, just doing something every day. 

The next few months here are going to be chaotic. I have boxes stacked in my bedroom, the corridor that runs behind the two tatami rooms, and the cupboard in the teaching room. As I box up things I'm cleaning shelves and drawers, basically dust that has built up over the years, my allergies are getting bad!!  I've decided that in the other house, I will keep it clean. I'll organize myself to do chores every day. I want to make videos of recipes that I try out, so I'll need to keep my kitchen spotless.  I really want to have a nice place to live in. I don't like the layout of the house, lots of dead spaces, but I think by adding touches that reflect me and keeping it clean I should be alright living there.

Cats in a box

It's hot, even in the evening it's about 31C but the cats still find the smallest box and get in together.

Japanese Study

 I decided to start studying Japanese again.

There's a popular test for Japanese proficiency. The easiest is N5, basic greetings, words, and some kanji. The hardest level is N1, which is the level needed to enter university here.

My level is about N4.  Bad!! I know, I just don't take the time to study.

I have plenty of materials.  I have bookmarked a number of sites that have readings at different levels. I have apps for reading as well.

I watch a couple of Japanese ladies who are about my age who are living slow lives in the countryside. Each lady has very different situations, one has 9 cats!! The other moved to her parent's empty house with her family. The videos have English subtitles but I can listen to them as well!  It's good listening practice!

Speaking I don't really try. I'll sometimes speak to the parents of my students, but just basic greeting.

Writing is something else I don't try very much!

The other day I got out one of my books to learn kanji.

One of my many books for learning Japanese

  Hannah saw me and suggested that I learn how to write my name and address instead of just random kanji. She sat and taught me for about an hour. A lot of that was laughing at my attempt at writing. She showed me the book she has for teaching Japanese at elementary school. So many kanji, first grade is 80 different ones!  I'm not sure but I think 4th grade is about 200.  Hannah said it's more because they have to learn the different prefectures that have kanji that aren't included. 

I remember when my kids were in elementary school they had to write out kanji every day! I think that's the only way!

My Japanese lesson

I need to do this every day!

Maybe I should do it at night when I can't sleep! Might be a cure for my insomnia!!

Insomnia And Stress Eating

 Mt insomnia is back with a vengeance.  I fall asleep alright most nights but wake up a couple of hours later and can't drop off again.  I'm awake from 1am to about 4am but have to get up at 5am to get Hannah's breakfast. I know she can do it herself but these are the last few months she will be living here so I want to do things for her. 

Between lack of sleep and the heat, I'm becoming very irritable.  I find myself snapping at the smallest thing, I shouted at the broom the other day! It had fallen at an angle against a chair and I tripped over it. Poor thing got cursed out!!

Then my eating is starting to get out of control. I don't diet but I am very mindful of what I eat. I try to avoid sugar and carbs but not doing keto.  For most of my meals, I have a lot of vegetables and salad. My snacks are fruit or nuts. 

I haven't put weight on but I haven't lost any. The couple of kilos I lost when I was sick with Covid have come back. I seem to go up and down the same two kilos.

I'm stressed. Just the physical aspect of the move is daunting. David and Christopher went to the other house today, I've given up for now. They managed to clear out two rooms, which is good. But there is so much to do and so little time. I've managed to box up more books, I think I need to be more ruthless with these books and throw or give away more! I've emptied out two big drawers in the kitchen, basically baking stuff. Again a lot more to do.

Another thing that is stressing me is what to do about our English school. I thought about opening near where we are going to live. For a few months that will be alright but Mikey is planning to move out next summer. Will he want to commute to pick me up and take me to the next town to teach? Will we get students?  I want to come back here to teach the students we have, but I want to put them together on just a few days.  How many will quit?

Then, of course, we had an earthquake, and the news and social media are on about the possibility of a mega earthquake. I know the possibility is small but is still a worry.

I've tried everything to deal with my insomnia, except sleeping pills, which I don't want. I keep busy during the day in the hope of falling and staying asleep.  I write a diary, to get the worries out of my head. I do deep breathing and little stretches but nothing is working. I might buy some allergy tablets as they make me sleepy.  

As for the eating I need to learn to say no. Yesterday I had an ice cream in the evening. I felt sick after, I realized that my body isn't used to such a large amount of sugar being dumped in at once!!! 

I want to be healthy, and I want to have the energy to face what is coming but sometimes I feel defeated!  I'm hoping that part of this is the heat. That as it cools down I'll feel a bit better. This morning it was under 25C for the first time in weeks. I did feel a bit better and managed to do some housework without the sweat dripping off me!

Last night Hannah was going through her photos and found this one from last year, August 11Th.

August 11th, 2023

We were wearing the same clothes yesterday, August 11th, 2024, so she took more photos with the filter app she has.

August 11th, 2024

The Other House

 This morning Mikey, David and I went to the other house.

Before the earthquake on Thursday, I had noticed cracks on the outside wall.  Two on the front, but they look like they are more cosmetic than structural. The ones that worried me were on the foundation near the bathroom and one bedroom.  Those seemed deeper, one going round a corner.

The earthquake here wasn't that strong, maybe a M3 but the house and the one we are in were built before 1995. That year there was a massive earthquake in the Kobe area of Japan. Many lessons on building design and how to make buildings safer were learned.  One small example is the lever-style taps. Before 1995 the taps were pushed down to make the water flow, after the design was changed so that you have to pull the taps up. With the pushdown ones, it would be easy to flood the area if something fell on them.

Most newer buildings are built with some type of dampening system in place to help dissipate the seismic activity.  I'm thinking of having the house fitted with that kind of system.  Something else I need to check.

The house was fine. The cracks hadn't changed. That was a relief.

The other thing I was worried about is a massive tree that is too close to the house and storage area.

The tree

It's not as thick as I thought it was as it branches off at the top. It shouldn't have gotten that tall. I remember my mother-in-law used to trim it a lot!  I'm worried about it. An earthquake could loosen the roots more and a typhoon could take it down all together.  

side of the house

This is the passageway between the storage building and the house. It always looks bad, overgrown, and smells damp. There's little sun on the area, and weeds take over the walkway easily.  I've been focusing on the inside of the house that I haven't noticed all the work that needs to be done outside. Not just getting it to look better but keeping it up after!

We managed to take over a few more things. That helps me feel better. Even if I can't work at the house I can get sorted here.

On the way back we stopped at a few shops.  And, of course, I got sick. I wasn't outside long, just from the car to the shop and back again but even that was too much for me! The heat is extreme still. Up to 37C today but felt like 40C.  All of next week is going to be over 35C.

Japan's Mega Quake Advisory

 How serious is this?  Is Japan going to sink into the sea in the next week or so?  Should I follow what everyone else is doing and buy liters of water and miles of toilet paper and what is it with toilet paper and disasters?

These are the questions that have been plaguing me since the earthquake on Thursday.

There was another earthquake in Kanagawa on Friday.  Is this the forerunner of a mega-quake, an M8 or 9!?

I've been watching a lot of videos, some from mainstream media, some from YouTubers who live in Japan or who (according to their bio) are scientists, I've also read a lot and there seems to be a general consensus that the Nankai Trough is restless, that there is a possibility of a large earthquake and tsunami. 

Scientists are working from historical data, and data from different machines, I read a bit about this but it went over my head. 

Historically, there have been many major earthquakes along the Nankai Trough, which runs along the Pacific Coast from Tokyo to southern Kyushu.

In 1707 all segments of the Nankai Trough ruptured at once. A possible M8 earthquake (I don't know how they can state the magnitude from so long ago!), this might have triggered the last eruption of Mt Fuji. In 1854 there were two earthquakes, just a day apart. The last major earthquakes were in 1944 and 1946.

Does this mean we are in for a big one?  I don't think anyone really knows.  One report I watched said that there was a 0.05% chance of a big earthquake, I actually asked the kids if I had understood that right, as that is less than 1%.  It's worrying that the Prime Minister canceled his trip for this weekend, should something be read into that?

The big question for me is what does it mean to my life? Will all this speculation change anything? Of course not, it's still too hot and I still have a lot to do! It's a diversion. Am I worried, yes but I know that sitting worrying about something I can't change isn't going to help. 

So I'll prepare, make sure we have water, non-perishable food on hand, a first aid kit, flashlights, etc. Talk to the kids about where to meet up if we have to evacuate the house.  Figure out what to do with the cats, that is the big problem. We have enough cat carriers but how to get a cat in if they are panicking! Just trying to get them in for a trip to the vet is a struggle.

Where we live now is not near the coast or a river so tsunamis aren't a problem. Also, the ground here seems to be hard and doesn't move so much. Where we are moving to might be a bit scarier because it's at the foot of a mountain range and the possibility of a landslide is big.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to go to the other house. There were a few cracks on the outside walls, I hope they haven't got any bigger and I want to check the tree that is right next to the house. The roots aren't deep and I'm worried it might fall over!

Because I need something cute

Mama in a box she found

By the way, if anybody has any idea about the connection between toilet paper and disasters let me know.

Earthquake

 I set myself a challenge to write a post every day this month.

I wanted to see if it was possible. My life gets to be rather boring but by challenging myself to write I have to do things or find things to write about.

After yesterday's post, I wasn't sure what I could write about today.  Another moan about the weather, which is still too hot, or a detailed account of how I'm avoiding packing, I've made that into an art form.

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in the room that we use for teaching, thinking about the lessons I had to do and chatting with Christopher when the alarm on our phones went off.  This freaked me out. My phone was saying in English "There is an earthquake, please take precautions to protect yourself"  For a couple of seconds I couldn't figure out what was happening.  Christopher's phone was doing the same but in Japanese.  I looked at Christopher, he just said earthquake!

Where we are it wasn't that bad maybe a M2.  The house shook, but nothing fell off the shelves. For me it's the sounds that are scary, there's this rumbling sound that is very deep, then the building grinding, doors and windows rattling.  It was over very quickly and we haven't felt any aftershocks.

I was surprised to find that it measured M7.1 at the epicenter.  

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a megaquake advisory.  This highlights the possibility of a mega-earthquake along the Nankai Trough.  The biggest possibility is within the next week. However, seismology is not an exact science.  The Nankai Trough has been talked about for years, some scientists say it could produce a mega-earthquake in the next couple of years, and others say it could be 30 to 40 years before it becomes unstable. 

This earthquake yesterday was a reminder that I need to check our emergency supplies and update what we would do if we have a very bad one. Where to meet, how to contact each other. The last time we had a big earthquake here was 8 years ago. Hannah was still in school, so we made a plan to meet at Hannah's school, as that is an evacuation place.  We need to sit and talk about this!

I think Hannah had the worst experience yesterday. She is volunteering at an old people's home, it's on the 6th floor! She said that most of the residents are so out of it they didn't notice the quake. Just one lady was panicking.  

I need to go to the other house soon. There are a few cracks on the outside walls that I want to check, I really hope they didn't get bigger or deeper!

This was the cat's reaction to the earthquake.

sleeping as usual

On My Own

 This morning it's just me and the cats here!

Mikey is teaching at some nurseries. David isn't back from work. Christopher has gone to meet his mate and Hannah is at the old people's home for the day!

It is so quiet! Even when everyone is at home they are usually in their own rooms.  We get together for meals and when I'm giving orders for cleaning!  Even so, I know that if I need help there is somebody around.

I'm going to have to used to this. This time next year, if all plans fall into place Mikey and Hannah will have their own places. David and Christopher will be living with me but working, so most days they will be out.  

I don't mind being by myself it just feels strange. I'm so used to having the kids around but it really is time they became independent.  Because of the economy, a lot of adult children stay at home.  David and I figured that with his income he could get a small apartment but after paying rent, utilities, a car loan, and food he would have nothing left to save or for emergencies.  Even paying the biennial vehicle test and car tax would be difficult.  A lot of adult kids get help from their parents if they live by themselves. My neighbor's son moved back home because he planned to get married but couldn't save money while he had his own place.

The cats are quiet! We separate them at night as the three older ones tend to fight!  3 have the corridors to wander around, the others are in the dining/living area. We put a small bookshelf in front of the door as Frodo and Fred can open the doors.  But they have managed to find a way to move the shelf.  Looks like finding something heavier!  Last night they got out and sent up camp outside my room and started a very demonstration. They wanted food, they'd been fed early in the evening but it sounded like we were starving them. Of course, they are all sleeping now.

It's a cat's life

Fluffy totally relaxed!

Missing The Local Supermarket

 A song came up in my YouTube feed, Big Yellow Taxi.

The chorus goes:

"Don't it always seem to go

That you don't what you've got 'til it's gone

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

That's how I feel about the local supermarket closing down.  I never realized just how much I relied on that store.

Most mornings David would stop by, as it was on his way back from work. If I needed anything I would send him a message or if I start cooking and find I'm low on something it was easy to send somebody to get it.

There is a drug store nearby, not a pharmacy, just over-the-counter medicines, supplements, beauty goods, etc. They have a lot of groceries, bread and milk are always cheaper there.  A lot of instant foods, condiments, snacks, drinks, etc but very little in the way of fresh food.  I use that place a lot but it doesn't replace the supermarket.

There are other supermarkets but you need a car to get to them, which is hard because of Mikey's work schedule.  When he is free I try to get to a store.

This morning I went shopping and was shocked at the price of things. Chicken breast used to be a cheap source of protein, the most expensive was usually 60 yen for 100 grams. This morning it was 117 yen for 70 grams.  I really wanted fruit and vegetables, small lettuce, maybe enough for one meal, was almost 300 yen, and grapes were over 1000 yen.  Just 3 small bags of food cost almost 9000 yen.  I know that growing our own vegetables will help.  I need to study what to plant, when, and where!

In the 100 yen shop, I was shocked to see that they are starting to put out Halloween goods.

It's still August!!!

And I think some companies should hire somebody to check their English.

where's the "be"?