October

 An interesting month. 

The weather has gone from summer to almost winter! Most days are still warm but the wind can be rather biting. Nights and early mornings are very cold. I think we need to pull out the heaters and electric blankets!

I'm glad I could get to the doctor about my back. It got to the point that I couldn't stand for 5 minutes without being in agony. The painkillers are helping, but they make me very sleepy. Still bettter than being in pain all the time. This morning Hannah called me, she is feeling rather out of things. One side effect of the epilepsy medicine is brain fog and feeling sleepy. We were comparing how bad we felt with these side effects. We decided that we both felt like zombies, moving but not focusing at all!

Another thing I'm glad about is buying the new wet/dry vacuum cleaner. It's saved my sofa and the carpet in the dining area. I've yet to try it on the tatami mats but I'm hoping that the smell will go!

In between back ache and allergies I've been trying to organize the tatami room to teach in. I've also spent a few days in the yard, trying to pull some weeds. 

On the teaching front I've been looking at new methods to teach, looking for sites that have worksheets available. There is so much out there. I'm thinking of using short videos to help supplement text work. I keep asking Hannah about the curriculum for junior high school. The books I have are a few years out of date. The new curriculm has a lot added to it. One thing that has changed in recent years is the fact that English is now taught from 4th grade. The kids are expected to know certain words when they start junior high school. One problem with that is that there are very few elementary school teachers who can speak English. It's all a bit hit and miss!

There are 65 days until 2026. I want to make the most of these days. Usually I just coast along the last couple of months of the year, not really trying to make changes or do anything to improve my life. I feel like there's something magic about January 1st, like all the problems I have, all the things I'm determinded to do will somehow magically appear on that day. For example, my ability to stick to a diet will just appear as the clock strikes midnight. But expericence has taught me that won't happen! So, I'm going to spend this afternoon reflecting on what I want to achieve before the end of the year. Some small, doable goals to end the year on a high note!

Just a few photos from October

The Christmas Tree at the station

Still have a lot of work to do in the storage place

A lovely full moon

And, of course, cats

David's Turn

Recently, one of us has been to the hospital, doctors or dentist every month. Since the beginning of the year, someone has been sick enough to need medical help.

Of course, my medical needs are ongoing. Every three months, I need to be tested for cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. Hannah has to go every month to get her medicine to control epilepsy. The lads are kind of healthy, but it's flu season, so I'm sure somebody will get it, or Covid.

David works nights; he usually gets home about 10am. I was out yesterday morning, getting my haircut. When I got home, I could hear David on the phone, which is unusual. After he had finished, I asked if he was alright. He was very pale, and the day before, he had complained of having a very bad headache. He told me that a tooth had broken, and he was in a lot of pain from that. He had made an appointment at the dentist for 1:30.  

Just after one o'clock, Mikey drove him to the dentist. David was in such a state that he couldn't drive.  They came back an hour later, David was in worse agony than before.

I'm not sure what happened, as David couldn't really talk. From what I could understand, it looks like the local anaesthesia hadn't worked.  He has to go back again today. I really hope he can get treatment and recover from this as soon as possible. He looks really bad, he is pale, and his face is swollen.

David on better days!

I finally got my haircut! I was starting to look like "The wild woman of Japan!" It's a bit shorter than I would like, but it will grow! I didn't bother with a colour this time for two reasons. One is that the colour I have starts to look more purple than brown after a couple of washes, also my hair is very dry at the moment.  I think letting it rest this time might help. Maybe I should just embrace the grey. 

Shorter hair

I'm really not photogenic at all. Took a few attempts to get a decent selfie!

Yesterday....

 I think I overdid it!

Yesterday morning, for the first time in ages, I felt alright. Not great, my back was still painful, but my allergies had calmed down, and I even managed to sleep for 6 hours straight. I didn't have to wake up early, so I hadn't set an alarm but woke up naturally at 7am. I had breakfast and thought about having another doze, but I wasn't tired, just sleepy from the painkiller.

So what to do with this bit of energy! I decided to go out and pull some weeds. I asked Christopher to help move some heavy things from the front porch. I wanted him to help with the weeds, but his allergies were bad!  I did about 20 minutes, even though I did a lot, it doesn't look like it! It's that bad! After that, I went upstairs to find some textbooks for my new student. That took a lot longer than I thought it would, as we had to move boxes. I can only get things from upstairs if there is someone to help me; the stairs are very steep, almost like a ladder. To go up, I have to use my hands; coming down is a bit scary. There's no rail or anything to hold on to! I can manage, but I need someone to carry stuff down for me. 

After rummaging around for about half an hour, I found what I was looking for, plus a few other books that might be useful. 

This is part of the storage room.

Part of the storage room

I was able to make lunch, but after that I spent time reading and watching TV.

I'm glad that I could have a good, productive day, but I am feeling a bit achy today!

Hannah had a good day yesterday! She went to the city to see Phantom of the Opera by herself! 

We have tickets to see at Christmas, but she bought herself another ticket to see it before!

She had an incredible time! 

The show started at 1 o'clock, so she had lunch before.

Good lunch

Her seat was at the front, 4th row, in the middle. 

The last scene is very emotional. I've seen this version and the West End version. I found the endings to be very different. Both are sad, but the emotion in the Japanese version seems stronger! Hannah said she could see the tears on the face of the Phantom!

Few photos she sent me.

The Christmas Tree at the station

Outside the theatre

View of the stage

Also, the mall that the theatre is in has a variety of restaurants and cafes that have special "Phantom" themed menus.  We might have lunch there when we go in December.

Back To The Doctor

 I went back to the doctors yesterday and got a month's worth of painkillers.  I really want to have physiotherapy, but they were fully booked! I have an appointment for next week!

After the doctors, I did a bit of shopping.  With prices constantly rising, it's hard to stick to any kind of budget. I don't buy anything that would be considered a luxury, but everything is expensive. Even coffee has doubled in price since the spring! 

I've noticed these signs in a few shops since the summer.

A sign in one of the supermarkets

The sign is basically apologising for the staff having a drink while they are working.  There has been a rise in staff being harassed by customers. Even something small can set off some people!  The past summer has been brutal; even with air conditioning, you need to have access to water. Unlike cashiers in the UK, there are no stools; the staff have to stand for the whole shift! That can get very hard, so I think it's reasonable that they are allowed to have a little drink now and then!

Another thing I noticed the other day was a couple of  "Halloween Trees".

Halloween Trees

I think the space in the middle is for someone to stand to get photos. Nice idea!

Today is cool, raining on and off, for me, nice weather!

I'm going to enjoy this weather before the real cold weather starts.  The house is already very cold overnight! 

The cats have decided that it's snuggle weather!

Snuggle time!

Never Ending

 Today was a big sigh day!

No matter how much I clean and tidy up, or get everybody to help, there is always a lot more to be done!

The kitchen is a constant mess, with dirty dishes in the sink and drying dishes on the rack because there's no storage space.  I tried to use the units under the sink, but they smell terrible. I've cleaned them out many times, put in baking soda to absorb the smell, but it's just as bad the next day! I think there might be a leak or backup in the drain system, but without tearing out the whole unit, it's impossible to do anything about it. If the sink unit were separate from the gas stove, I would try, but it's one long unit.

The kitchen

There are cabinets on the wall above, but they are of no use to me as they are too high! I have a small cabinet that I'm using for pantry items and dishes, but it's not big enough!

I'm upset as this is a large space, but so badly designed! The oven is on the back (the red thing with pots on top), and it's hard to reach. When it needs cleaning, I have to ask David to do it as I can't reach the back of it!

That is one constant problem. The other is clean laundry, which is piled up in my room. Again lack of storage. I have a chest of drawers for my clothes. In the other house, I had two, one for things I'm using, the other for off-season clothes. I liked having things available because, as the seasons change, it's hard to know what you'll need. Today it was rather warm, so just a T-shirt was alright, but now it's getting cool and I need a cardigan! I have one, but the others are in the storage place, which means going outside and then rooting around to find the right storage box, then moving things back and forth. A lot of work to get a change of clothes.

This house is half the size of the last place, not only in the number of rooms but also in the size of the rooms! 

I guess just keeping on. I really hoped by now some of the problems with this house would be sorted, but nothing has really changed! Just no money!

I don't know what to do about this house! I really don't know if it's structurally sound. It's easy to change out the kitchen, toilets and bathroom, just costs a lot of money. But I wonder if I would be wasting money! To build a new house would be lovely, but I can't get a mortgage. 

I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow. I need more painkillers for my back. It feels a bit better but still some pain after standing or walking for a while. I would love to be pain-free!

Doing vs Being

 A couple of weeks ago I wrote about not having any more zero days, where each day I should do something to fulfill whatever goals I have.

But I've also been thinking about being. 

For most of my life I've always been a doer. I've felt, still feel, that I have be productive everyday, either working to make money or taking care of people, pets, places and things. I would write a "To Do" lists just to get a thrill of crossing things off! Once I wrote my "To Do" list after a very busy day, then sat and crossed out all the things I had done that day! Doing this makes me feel as though I'm earning my place in the day!

Recently, however, especially the last couple of weeks when my back was so painful that standing for more than a few minutes was impossible, I've been wondering is doing all the time really neccessary. Do I need to push myself to get up and hit the road running each and every day. Is it alright to slow down a bit? 

I've been watching a couple of Japanese ladies YouTube channels. They are about my age and are embracing a slower way of life. They take care of their homes, the people around them, one of the ladies has 8 cats to take of. But at the same time they take time to enjoy the nature around them, nice cafes, walks in the countryside, baking treats and home cooking without enforced schedules. I like how their videos show a purposeful life without constantly striving to achieve something, just being present in the moment and sharing the joy that comes from that! When I have chance I'll ask their permission to add a link to their channels on here.

I still think acomplishing something everyday is important, it's easy to let time just slip away and as I get older and relise that I have more days behind me than ahead I want to make the most of the time I have. 

When I was in so much pain with my back I had to change my priorites, I couldn't get out in the garden, sort out my closet or even keep the kitchen spotless. At first I felt guilty that I wasn't doing more, but then I felt that I am doing something. By resting I was allowing my body to heal. I also read a lot and tried to research about how teaching English has changed since I started and what new skills I would need in the future. 

I still feel doing something everyday is important. Even on my worst days I managed to wash a few dishes, sweep a floor, sort socks etc. But now I'm looking for balance. I'm going to allow myself time, everyday, just to be. This morning I sat on my bed and listened to the noises outside my window, the bird song, some animal rustling in the undergrowth. It felt peaceful until the thougts started, you should be doing something. I told myself, I am doing something, I'm finding peace in this moment!

If there are any mistakes in this, I'm sorry! I've been using Grammarly but it doesn't seem to be working!

A nice peacful photo to finish with.  Chrittopher took this, it's near the bus stop that he uses.

Lovely view

Typical

 Yesterday, for the first time in ages, I was able to get some chores done without feeling like I was going to pass out from the pain in my back. Today, as well, I spent a couple of hours cleaning and pottering around. I'm still getting some twinges, but nothing as extreme as before.

But, of course, it's not plain sailing with my health! My allergies have started, and I might have a slight cold! Typical!

Never mind, this too shall pass!

The weather has become rather chilly! I'm happy about that, finally, the season and the weather match!

The one problem with the weather cooling down is that the cats are fighting more! When it's hot, they don't fight so much, but as it cools down, they start again! I think I got up every hour last night because someone was fighting!

But they are still cute!

Steve and Mama

Steve has to go on a diet. He is very food-centred and rather chunky! The other evening, the cats were crying and getting restless as they hadn't been fed! David was in the dining/kitchen area. He went down the corridor towards his room, which is the same direction as where the cat food is stored. All of the cats raced after him, led by Steve. I went to see what the cats were doing. The other cats were lying around, but Steve was sitting staring at his food bowl, looking rather disappointed!

The other day I went to another 100 yen shop. In this area, there are two 100 yen shops, Daiso and Seria. I usually go to Daiso, but the supermarket I wanted to check out (where Christopher is working) has a large Seria!

Lots and lots of really nice things. I spent a good 30 minutes looking around, would have liked to spend longer, but I needed to get back to make lunch!

There was a corner that had all cat-themed items, socks, notebooks, and pencil cases. So many different things! I bought a couple of things for Hannah, but I think she should come and find some things she would like!

What I bought for Hannah

The little bag is for her obento box, the other item is a little tray!

I managed to take a couple of photos, really cute stuff!

A little coin purse and notebook

Different cat items!

Not only are the cat drawings cute, but I love the subtle colours!

I'm going to do my chair exercises now and then find something for dinner! 

Making Plans

 To help me stay focused on my diet and exercise, I make plans.

I find making goals of losing X amount by a certain date doesn't inspire me, but having a goal of doing something or going somewhere really helps.

Hannah and I have been making plans to visit a few different places in Japan and to watch another musical. One place, maybe next month, depending on Hannah's schedule, then going to see Phantom of the Opera on Christmas Day, then a couple of overnight trips next year!

Just writing that makes me excited, but I also realise I have a lot of work to do, not just to get a lot healthier so I can enjoy myself, but also all the money I will need!

The place we are planning to visit next month is just a train ride away. It's a lovely city called Hita. There is an area called Mameda, which is modelled after Kyoto, with lots of lovely old buildings that house museums and shops selling local crafts! I've watched a couple of videos, and it looks really stunning, but a lot of walking!

Next spring, we are planning on going to Aichi Prefecture to see an open-air museum called Meji-Mura. To get there takes about 3hours by shinkansen (bullet train) or plane. All of the transportation and hotel bookings I leave up to Hannah. I don't know if she enjoys doing that, but she is very good a finding the best deals!

I got the idea to visit Meji-Mura from a video I was watching. 

I'm so inspired by this lady. I'm not sure when I first came across her videos, but I love her can-do attitude. She moved from New Zealand to restart her life in her 50s. I remember thinking when I first came across her YouTube channel that she is embracing a new life in her 50s, moving from one country to another, with all the problems that come with that, she shows courage and determination to have a wonderful life.  Here's me just moving from one city to another, not wanting to embrace anything new because I'm in my early 60s, and think I should be settled! I need her determination and courage to face things!

Here's the link to the video of Meji-Mura.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C3-p8ZSGhk&t=294s

Please watch and subscribe, she is really incredible!

The other plan Hannah and I have is for September. There are several national holidays in September that are usually spread out over the month, but next year, there are 3 consecutive days, 4 if you count the Sunday of holidays. This doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's a great chance to get away. We are thinking of going to Osaka, maybe see a musical, visit nearby Wakayama because there is a train station that has a cat as its train station master!

There is this cute train, called the Tama Train, named after the original cat, that you can ride. I need to check where this goes, but I think some lovely stations have nice cafes nearby to enjoy lunch.
We are still deciding what to do on the other days, lots of choices, but I don't want to go to the overly touristy places.

So lots of plans, which means lots of work! 

But I think it's good for me. Whenever I get tempted to eat something that I shouldn't or skip my exercise, I remember what I want to do!

The first goal is to be able to walk for 15 minutes without being in too much pain! So I have some chair exercise videos saved, and as the weather cools down, I'll start taking little walks around the neighbourhood!

Doctors

 I made it to the doctors today!

I was expecting to wait for ages as it's a very busy clinic, but after just 10 minutes wait, I was called in to get X-rays, another few minutes, and I was called to see the doctor!

The X-ray shows there is no space between my lower vertebrae. That means the nerve is being compressed, which is why it's so painful. The doctor suggested physiotherapy, which I did. That really helped a lot, even though the session was short, about 20 minutes, it was very thorough. After the session, I was pain-free for about half an hour! The therapist showed me some exercises to do at home, and said I should strengthen my core muscles to support my back!

I have some painkillers for a week, I hope they work!

I'm glad I know what is wrong and have a plan to fix it! I need to exercise more, really focus on building some muscle. At the moment, I exercise about 3 times a week, at least that's the goal, but I know that some weeks, if I get in one session, that's good!  I know it's important, but I find exercising to be so boring! That's not a good excuse to not do it, though!

I really need to get healthy. I have so many things that I have to do and even more that I want to do!

One thing I really want to do is travel! Next month, Hannah and I are planning on going to a city near here that has some lovely historic areas, and there's also an old school that has been converted into a museum. The problem is that there will be a lot of walking. Hannah said that from the station to the one place she wants to visit is just a 15-minute walk, according to Google Maps. I want to know who timed these walks because they aren't fifteen minutes for me!!! So, my short-term goal is to be able to walk for 15 minutes without being in too much pain! If I focus on these goals, then I think I can deal with boring exercise!

Another thing I'm dealing with is a new schedule. I get up early, about 5am! It's hard at the moment, but I know in another month or so it will be a lot easier!

The other morning, while I was making breakfast and obento lunch for Christopher, David was outside cutting some of the weeds. He was wearing this big, straw hat. As he passed by the window, Fluffy saw him and started to hiss at him. She didn't like the hat!

I managed to get a little video!

Fluffy protecting us!

Frustrated!

 There's so much to do, but I'm unable to do a lot of it!

My back is so painful! Even standing for 5 minutes is hard; I used to be able to stand and move around for about an hour before feeling any tinges!

I've had back problems since I was in my 20s. At all weights, from when I was 48kgs to my heaviest, over 100kgs, the late stages of my pregnancies were bad as well. Before, however, it would relieve itself after a month or so. I could then go a few years with no problems, then have another flare-up.

This time it has been too long! Since about June. At first, I thought it was my weight. But I've lost some weight, but the pain is worse!

Today I made obento and breakfast, washed dishes, tidied the kitchen a bit, stood for about an hour, and I wanted to scream, the pain was that intense! I took some painkillers and laid down, even sitting is getting to be painful! When I felt a bit better, I vacuumed one room and moved a few books, and after that, I was finished!

David cooked lunch. He made Taco Rice, a fusion of Mexican and Japanese cuisines! 

Nice lunch

He usually serves this on lettuce with some cheese, but we didn't have either. He used shredded cabbage instead of lettuce!

Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor! I need to see an orthopaedic doctor. I like the one in the other city, but wanted to find one near here!

I did a search on Google Maps. The results were interesting!

I searched in English, Google translated this and then gave a choice of a few clinics. The problem is that most of the clinics are chiropractors, which are good, but I want to find out what is wrong with my back. On Google Maps, the word chiropractor is translated as "Bonesetting House"! 

So tomorrow back to the other city, again! I hope I can get some answers and a way to manage this pain. I'm doing some exercises and stretches, I try to walk a bit, even just round the garden. But I really want to get things set up so we can get students. Our new flyers arrived, so maybe next week, David will start to put those out. Also, I want to go with Hannah to a nearby city to see the autumn leaves and visit a museum, a lot of walking, so I need to feel better!

Sports Day

 Today is another national holiday in Japan. Sports Day. This holiday is every year on the second Monday in October! 

This holiday was established in 1966 to commemorate the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

This is the season of Undokai, Sports Day in elementary schools and Taiikusai, Sports Festival in junior high and high school. These are usually held on a Sunday near the national holiday! It's an all-day event and most parents, even grandparents, attend!

I found a few photos of David and Hannah's sports day. I have some of Mikey and Christopher, but they aren't on the computer!

I understand having sports day, but this is so intense. For two weeks, there is practice almost every day! 

My kids never really enjoyed it; the best part for them was the lunch that I had to make!

I'm glad that I don't have to deal with it any more! 

I know that in the UK, having a sports day in October might feel strange, but the weather is still like summer.

My New Cleaner

 This post contains an Amazon Affiliate Link.

One problem with having nine cats is the constant need to clean up "accidents". Most of the time, one of us can get to the cat pee quickly and clean it up right away. But sometimes, for example, overnight or if we've been out, these accidents are left for a few hours! If it's on the wooden floor, mopping up is easy to do, a few paper towels, hot water and a mop, followed by some kind of spray!

The problem is when it's on the carpet, tatami mats or sofa, as it soaks into the material. We have tried everything to get the smell out, but it's almost impossible.

I've spent ages looking at different ideas to clean up the smell and stains, to prevent the cats from using that area as a toilet, but nothing has worked.

Before anybody says that we should have more litter boxes or keeping them clean. We have plenty of litter boxes; there are 10 boxes. They are scooped twice a day and refreshed once or twice a week!

One thing that was suggested was a wet/dry vacuum cleaner.

Again, I spent ages on the internet checking different models. I finally decided on this one from Amazon.

https://amzn.to/48YHge

Wet/Dry Vacuumer Cleaner

David ordered it for me, it came last night!

We set up this morning and had a go!

We only did one cushion on the sofa.

Basically, spray water on the cushion and then vacuum it off. I'll have to check later to see if the smell has gone. I hope so, as I was planning on using the sofa once the weather cools down!

One thing that I was surprised at was the noise. Our usual vacuum cleaner isn't that noisy! Cleared the cats out of the room!

I really hope this deals with this problem, as having the house smell bad drives me crazy!

I'll have to give everywhere a very good clean.

Next week we will get our leaflets for our school here! This time, David wants to start teaching, and he is willing to put in the work. Here's hoping that we can get some students!

Hot

 All through August and September, I told myself that come October, the weather would be nice. I imagined lovely warm days, where walking for a few minutes or cooking a meal wouldn't make me sweat! The first few days of October were nice, a bit hot, but okay. Yesterday and today, however, we were back to summer temperatures! Today the high was 33C here, 34C where Hannah is! One good thing is that the nights a cool, I actually woke up shivering the other night!

I actually made a start on the closet in my room!

I spent an hour sorting socks!

The sock problem.

Somehow, we end up with a massive collection of odd socks! I try so hard to keep them together when doing laundry, but we still end up with a lot of odd socks!

This is not a new problem. When we moved to the old house, about 16 years ago, I had 2 boxes and a basket full of odd socks! I remember spending time trying to sort them out, only to realise that I had moved these boxes of socks from two different houses! Why was I dragging around boxes of odd socks? To try to save a bit of money?  So after I sorted out as many as possible, I threw away the rest. I think I'll do the same this time. I'll have another look through, also I need to pull out all the stuff in the closet as I think there might be a few more at the very back, after that I'm going to throw them out! Or maybe roll some up into balls, put some catnip on them and let the cats play with them!

I have to make room in this closet for some of my books. One of the bookcases I'm using in my read nook is ready to collapse, so I need to store my books somewhere until I can get a new or second-hand bookcase!

I'm thinking of getting some for the room that we are going to teach in, but I need some with glass doors because of the cats! Once I have a bit of money, I'll have a look round!

A Bit Of Gardening

 Not me, but I did sweep up the dust that was left. David did a bit yesterday and today. He actually cleared the front of the property on the road! Looks a lot better; there were so many weeds growing out of the small wall!

I managed to get a short video of him yesterday!

This was October 9th! It's still hot here during the day, up to 30C. Thankfully, the nights are very cool. I didn't need a fan last night and haven't used the air conditioner for about a week. I hope the electric bill goes down a bit!

We went out to do a bit of shopping. I took a little video on the way back. I was trying to get the cosmos flowers that are in bloom now, but David was going a bit too fast to really see them. You can get an idea of what the area is like, fields, lots of fields!

It's nice but very isolating! 

I hope to get outside tomorrow and do a bit more! We will see!

How One Tire Almost Ruined The Day

 Tuesday and Wednesday, I go with Mikey to the other city to teach.

It's a 40-minute drive, if we are lucky and there's no traffic or bad weather. We leave a little early just to be on the safe side.

Wednesday's schedule is tight. Mikey has a class at a different community center from 5pm to 5:50, and his next class is from 6:10 at the usual community center.  To make sure that the kid isn't left waiting around if Mikey is late, I go to the usual community center and wait for him.  It helps relieve the time pressure off Mikey.

Yesterday, however, all our great plans came crashing down!

We left here at about 3:30, stopped at a store to pick up a couple of things and noticed that the rear driver's side tire was flat!

Flat Tire

I suggested going to a nearby gas station and putting air, then getting a new tire the next day. 

We stopped at a gas station, the staff tried to put air but the tire wouldn't inflate!

So we had to go to a repair shop and get the tire changed!

We got to the repair shop at about 3:50. Fortunately, it wasn't busy; out of 7 bays, only two were being used, so our car got seen to very quickly!

Fixing The Car

It didn't take long. We were back on the road about 4:15, but that meant that we didn't have time to drop me off and then go to the other community center, so I went with Mikey. We managed to get back to the usual community center just in time!

The repair shop suggested changing out the other tires. I told Mikey he should do that before winter. Mikey said that it's before winter now! Which is true, but it still feels like summer!

A few photos from yesterday. The clouds over the mountain were really incredible.

Looks like the clouds and mountains are one

I managed to see the full moon. Apparently, Monday was the best day to see the harvest moon, but it was too cloudy that day!

Lovely Moon

No More Zero Days

 The other day, I came across a video about motivation, or making good habits, something along those lines. I was only half watching as I was trying to tidy my room at the same time!

But one point that really caught my attention and has had me thinking for the past few days is the idea of not having a "zero day". You know those awful days where nothing on your to-do list gets done, where you haven't worked on your goals, or just getting things done!

I've had a lot of those days recently! My sleeping habits are all over the place; I'm more awake at night than during the day! I tried to change that, but realised that most of the time I'm sleeping in the day because I just don't want to do things, I don't want to clean or do the garden, I know I have to, but don't want to! It's how depression shows up in my life, not sad, but just no desire to do things! I think I'm still digesting Hannah's situation and, of course, worrying about her!

Also, I feel rather useless at the moment. I've been working since I moved to Japan, usually 6 days a week, now I'm down to 3 classes a week! I know I'm at the age where I should retire, but I have no money! I don't mind that everyone (except Hannah) pays for things here, but I want to travel and buy things for myself, so I need some money!

Also, I worry about my mental health! I don't want to end up old, relying on others for everything. I remember seeing my mother-in-law in the old people's home, just sitting or lying in bed. She never had any hobbies, she didn't read or watch TV much, as she got older, she didn't really have anybody to talk to, all she had was her work, and when she couldn't do that, she stopped, she just existed, not really living! I don't want to become like that. One way to keep one's mind sharp is to read and study!

This is where the idea of no zero days comes in!

I set goals, make plans and then don't follow through. Some days I do okay, some weeks I even manage to do what I plan to do and make my goals. Then I have days and even weeks where I haven't done anything, and everything seems so overwhelming that I just want to give in!

The idea behind no zero days is that even if you can't meet your goal, you can do something. For example, your goal is to do 20 push-ups every day, but today you don't feel up to it. So instead of doing nothing and having a zero day, you do one push-up. Or you have a book that you've decided to read a chapter a day, but today you don't feel like it, so you read just one page; again, it's not a zero day!

I like this idea! Sometimes, actually many times, I feel almost paralysed by all the things I feel I should do, like the chores, gardening, preparing for my few lessons I have that I don't do anything, leading to lots of zero days! But on those days, I can do one small thing, then it's a productive day and maybe doing a lot of little things will lead to better days!

I hope you can understand this. Sometimes we push for perfection, but just being able to do something every day is powerful!

Just a cat photo to finish!

This is what greets me in the morning when I go into the kitchen!

Another This And That Post

 The typhoon isn't coming our way, at least according to the latest news, but I know things can change again, so I'll keep on checking! The last forecast I saw it was going to be parallel to Japan and maybe make landfall in Shikoku!

We are still having summer weather here! The forecast says the highs will be up to 30 °C this week, again. I was looking at the UK weather, it's cold, my hometown will see highs of 11C. I'm tired of this heat. I really want nice, cool weather!

I know I complain about the cold weather, especially in this house, but it's so much easier for me to deal with!

Hannah and I have a little ritual in the mornings. I send her cat photos, and most mornings she sends photos of her breakfast!

A couple of the photos I sent to Hannah

Today she called me at lunchtime. When she calls near a meal time, it's usually to ask about cooking. She can cook, but sometimes isn't sure about things! 

Today, however, she called because she has a new professor, a British gentleman.

He's been in Japan for 35 years, I've been in Japan for 34 years!

He's from Birmingham, I'm from Wolverhampton, just 12 miles away (about 19 kilometres).

His daughter is 24, also Hannah and using the same kanji (Chinese character).

And his brother has epilepsy, the same as me!

Talk about coincidences! 

Typhoon?

 We have been lucky this year, as most typhoons have missed us.  

A lot of the typhoons this year have been closer to the Philippines; therefore, southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and those areas got hit very badly.

The few that started south of Japan hit the Kanto area, around Tokyo.

I really thought we would not get any typhoons this year. We've had more than enough rain and thunderstorms!

Then I saw the weather forecast this morning. A massive typhoon is forming south of Kyushu! I watched a rather detailed forecast that stated that south of Kyushu, the sea is still hot, about 30 °C!  Usually, once the sea is over 28C it's possible for a typhoon to form!

Of course, it's still in the early stages, and the forecast wasn't sure which course it would take, but it's so large that wherever it goes, we will get the edge of it!

The red dot is about where we are!

On this map, the eye is passing south of Kyushu. The red circle indicates the area of the storm! I guess we should prepare and just hope that it isn't too bad!

The weather is rather strange! It's October, but still hot. We had a few days of cool weather, about 28C. But the forecast for the next few days is back to 32C!  I even had to put my air conditioner on today!

If it's cool in the morning, I'll try to get out and clean up some of the stuff that could get blown away. At least here I don't have to worry about neighbours! 

I went shopping again today. I didn't buy so much the other day, so I needed to run out and pick up a few things!

As we were pulling out of the drive, I scared Mikey! I turned toward him to tell him which store I wanted to go to and saw this hitchhiker, and of course, screamed!

It stayed there for about 40 minutes. We parked, and when I came back to the car, it had gone!

I still don't like those things!!!!

Feeling A Bit Better

 I think my moaning post yesterday was a lot of frustration.

We've been in this house for almost a year, but things aren't really sorted.

I'm not sure if paying for renovation is worth it. The bones of this house aren't that good. The other day, David tried to put a shelf up for the cats, but found the wall was too thin to take the weight of the shelf. These are the load-bearing walls, so they should be more solid!

We've also figured out why some of the floors are soft and give way when you stand on them. My mother-in-law only used two rooms, her bedroom and the kitchen/dining room. The other rooms were closed up. In Japan, the humidity can get very high in summer, up to 80%. Even in the bedroom she was using, she never ran an air conditioner, which would help to dry out the rooms. So maybe the floors are rotting because of damp. My room and Christophers' rooms are the worst, but even David's room has a few soft spots. 

I'm wondering what would! Be best. Try to renovate here or rebuild. I would love to rebuild, but the cheapest would be at least 20,000,000 yen ( about £100,600), which of course I don't have. 

Renovating wouldn't be cheap either. Just to do the toilet, bathroom, and kitchen could cost up to 4,500,000 yen, just over £2,000.

I have no idea how much it would cost to replace the floors, plus we need to extend the dining/kitchen room so we have a living room!

There's just a lot to do, but no money at all. This month, food prices are going up again. Over 3,000 items will go up by about 20 yen. That might not seem like a lot, but just 5 items means an extra 100yen on food!

I just don't see a way forward. I can't get a mortgage, no income and age. David or Christopher might be able to, but it's risky.

The best is to spend money to change the name of some of the land, then try and sell or rent it! We wouldn't get much, actually, it probably won't sell, this is not a popular area! There's land for sale near here that has been on the market for over 10 years!

So I'm fed up and rather frustrated, it always seems like one step forward, 10 back!

Just to add to my misery, we had the most incredible storm this afternoon. 

This was just the beginning. We ended up with a very close thunderstorm. This is not my image of October; this was like a summer storm that we get in August!

Just Moaning

 Not a good start to the month! 

I spent yesterday evening psyching myself up to do something in the garden today! I kept telling myself that even 15 minutes would make a difference. I went to bed just after 10pm and had an excellent sleep until just after 2am. I woke up coughing and choking; my allergies had kicked in. I took some medicine, but it doesn't work right away, so I sat on my bed sneezing for three hours. I was undeterred. I know once the medicine kicks in, I'll be okay for a few hours, I can still do the garden.

I got up at 5:15am to make a lunch box (obento) and breakfast, only to find out that it was pouring down with rain. 

By the time I had done a few chores, I was feeling really rough, headache and a low-grade fever, which happens every time my allergies are bad. David made lunch, but I wasn't hungry, so I went to bed for a bit!

A couple of hours later, I could hear the cats fighting, so I went to investigate, only to find that the bathroom door was open and the screen on the window was open a bit! Three of the cats had gotten out: Mama Cat, Fluffy and Toast.

I know that most cats can survive outside, but my cats have always been indoor cats. Mama Cat is okay; she comes back when she's hungry, but Fluffy and Toast are more vulnerable!

I went out and managed to get Mama Cat and Fluffy back easily. But Toast kept running away. I spent almost an hour trying to get him back. I had to give up as I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes, and my back and legs are really painful.

Toast in the storage place

I really don't want to live here. It's so hard to do anything that needs doing. I have a few hours in the morning to do chores as David sleeps after lunch. In the other house, I could space out the chores over the day as David was sleeping upstairs; this house is all on one floor.  I can't run the vacuum cleaner or move things, as it makes too much noise. David is already too tired from working nights. So he really needs to sleep.

The garden is too much to take care of, even with all of us having a go, it doesn't get done. I have the most free time, but my health isn't good enough to do enough to make a difference! Pulling a few weeds helps until it rains and they come back!

David wants to start an English school here. I've encouraged him to try, but I honestly don't know if it will work or if we'll spend money on leaflets and other advertising and get no one. I've signed up for some online teaching programmes, but nothing as yet!

I'm feeling discouraged! It all seems so hard, and at my age, I would like things to be a bit easier. 

I hope things will get better, but at the moment I want to sell up and move back to the other city!

The Beginning of October.....

 Brings lovely cool mornings and evenings.

Spiders and spider webs, all over the garden. Just going to the car, I walk into one or two!

These are everywhere

And sneezing, snuffling and coughing, my seasonal allergies have started! 

Christopher started work on the first of October! Which means my schedule has changed, I have to get up early to make breakfast and a lunch box for him. I know he's an adult and could do it himself (and sometimes he might have to), but I feel I should at least do that!

I'm hoping that getting up early will help me get things done! Especially the garden. I took a little video this evening. I have been ignoring the disaster, but it looks like I'll have to go out and make a start. Everywhere is totally overgrown again. I know that happens, but I wish it would happen more slowly!

Now that the intense heat of summer has basically finished, I really want to make the most of this month. 

I feel overwhelmed by everything that has to be done, but just sitting in my room isn't going to change things. I think the best is to just pick a spot and start working on it, bit by bit. Even just 15 minutes a day, I should see some results, shouldn't I?