First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog for the past year. I love checking the stats and seeing how many people have found my blog and stuck around to read my ramblings!
This post was going to be upbeat and positive, about all the dreams I have for this year, the goals I'm thinking about and what I really want to do. But of course, life still happens, even on holidays!
So, first a few complaints!
Hannah was checking the weather. It looks like we might get a bit of snow. We live in northern Kyushu, not snow country! We do get a few flurries almost every year, but most of the time, it doesn't stick. Last winter, we had a few days of extreme cold and snow. When that happened, the water pipes feeding the water heater froze. We had cold water but no hot water. I managed to find a way to defrost the pipes. I then tied a lot of old clothes around the pipes as lagging. This is another design flaw in the house. The cold water is pumped up into the house, the water then it goes to the back of the house and out into the water heater that is on the back wall. The pipes bringing the cold water are outside, there is very little lagging and no covering over the pipes. When Hannah said that there was a possibility of snow, I decided to check the pipes to see if there was something we could buy to put over them. What I found was that one of the pipes has a slow leak! When I looked more carefully, I could see that the pipes had been taped up a few times, again, not investing in the house, just band-aid solutions! I think one of the first things to do this new year is to get a plumber in to see if there is a better way to deal with this!
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| The pipes leading to the water heater. |
I found strips of sack-like cloth in the storage. I think they were used to keep the roots of the trees warm. I managed to wrap the pipes with it. I didn't stop to take a photo as it was very cold outside!
My other complaint is about the people of this area. This morning, David, Christopher, Hannah, and I went for a little walk. Just up to some of the land we own. We had hoped to see the first sunrise, but we were a bit late. As we were walking and talking, not loudly, not doing anything wrong, an old woman came out and started yelling at us. We were on our land and the public road. I would never go on anybody's land without permission. This woman started shouting, "Who are you? What are you doing?" I wanted to say mind your own business, but we have to live here and antagonising the neighbours is not a good idea. We said our family name; there is only our family in this area with that name, so I know she would know who we are and who we are related to. She walked off muttering something about not understanding English, even though we all spoke Japanese to her! She didn't greet us or offer a Happy New Year! I'm wondering if this is part of the anti-foreigner sentiment that is big at the moment in Japan? Or she's just a nosy, mean old woman!
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| Beautiful flowers, they cheered me up. |
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| Early morning! |
There, that was only two complaints, not too bad!
I'm still struggling with the goals I set at the end of the year.
My diet ended when the holidays started. But I haven't piled on the weight, maybe 1/2 kilo, which is good for me! One thing that has helped is all the walking I did going out with Hannah. She's in her 20s, full of energy and wanting to see things. When we went to see The Phantom of the Opera, I did over 10,000 steps! The other days I went out with her, I did over 3,000 steps, even today I've done over 2,000 steps. I know you can't out-exercise a bad diet, but I think it helps!
I'm still reading Wuthering Heights, just over halfway through now!
I realised that I like having books, either on my Kindle, on Everand or real books. I just love collecting them. I was sorting through some books the other day when I found a copy of Little Women from when I was a teenager. On the back is a list of other children's classics. I put check marks next to the ones I had, but I don't remember reading all of them; I just liked to collect them. One thing I want to do is read more this year!
And my Japanese study! What to say? I'm still struggling, but I do try to use what I know more, not always relying on the kids. I still need to get down to some more serious study.
My goals for 2026 are still floating around my head; once I have a clearer idea, I'll post. One thing I've determined is to get under 90kg by March, when I have my next doctor's appointment, about 5kgs to go! Cheer me on!
Another thing I want to do is travel more. There are so many wonderful places to see in Japan. Hannah and I have some tentative plans, but of course, money is tight. We were going to go to Nagoya in the spring, but the price of flights and hotels is more than we can afford! We are looking at somewhere closer to home, just staying over one night!
If anyone wants to help fund my adventures, I've set up a Ko-Fi account.
This is the link https://ko-fi.com/jackienakano
I want to work to make money, but at the moment, that seems impossible!
Here's to a wonderful, positive, great year.
I hope that wherever you are that this new year has been one of fun, family and friends.
Happy New Year!
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