Dentist

 At the beginning of the pandemic, I broke a tooth!  It didn't hurt so I decided just to wait.  The first covid viruses really scared me as it seemed to attack the lungs.  Being obese and having asthma I really didn't want to risk exposure.  One pet peeve I have with the dentist is the light.  The dentist or nurse have their hands in my mouth, they adjust the light, hands back in my mouth, then on to the next patient without cleaning the light.  I imagine all the germs, bacteria and viruses having a lovely party on the light! Which is why I didn't want to go during the pandemic. Now two years later the hole is bigger and joined by another hole.  Also, the past couple of weeks I've had pain along my jaw line where there are no teeth!  This morning Hannah and I went off to the dentist.  Hannah wanted a checkup and clean.  Her teeth are fine, no cavities at all.  She was told to go back in the spring!  Me, on the other hand, ended up with x-rays, local antithetic and lots of lovely drilling.  Did I mention that I'm afraid of the dentist and I have a very sensitive gag reflex?  Awful feeling, lying there, gagging and wondering how much his watch cost and if it was hygienic.

Hannah and I walked to the dentist.  Just a few minutes' walk.  But with my knee it took a bit longer.  I'm glad I walked.  I wanted to challenge, to see how far I could go.  One thing I love about living here is how convenient it is.  Within walking distance is a supermarket, drug store, doctors and dentist.  I can't drive so being able to walk to these places gave me a feeling of independence.  But the past few years I've lost my mobility and wasn't able to walk far at all.  I've lost a bit of weight which has helped with that!

Next to the dentist, liquor store

lovely October day

I always wondered how many people go into the liquor store after the dentist!

Steve

Steve, our white cat, ended up at the vets Saturday afternoon.  Saturday morning I found pee with blood in it!  Having nine cats meant following each cat when they went to the toilet.  Hannah volunteered for that job!  When Hannah found out it was Steve we were worried as he had kidney stones as a kitten.  Our usual vets were closed but Hannah found a new vets, just a few minutes' walk from our house.  So in the afternoon Hannah and Christopher took Steve.  Hannah said that Steve hated the echo scan but was alright with the injection!  No stones so it's either stress or infection.  The vet gave meds for this week and we have to watch when he pees.  Also we have to collect a pee sample.  I say we but this seems to be Hannah's project.  Steve seems to be doing better as he was zooming around this morning.     

Steve

New Oven

 I finally got a new oven a few weeks ago.  I really tried to do without one, but it was hard.  I prefer meat grilled, baked or roasted.  Not having an oven meant a lot of frying and steaming of meat.  Also grilled veggies, crustless quiches and of course all the lovely baking, cookies, cakes and pies.  (No wonder I have a weight problem!!) 

New Oven

One problem is the display doesn't have a back light.  During the day it's okay but in the evening it's difficult to see, I use the flashlight on my phone!  It has all the basic functions, oven, microwave, grill and steamer.  I have no idea what the steamer does or how it works as my other ovens didn't have that function.  I'll try it out over the weekend!  So far I've made banana oat muffins, crustless quiches, coffee cupcakes, and toad in the hole!

Toad in the hole

Hannah made banana choco chip muffins. Those went very fast, no chance to get photos!

Suffering

 Every summer I get wiped out!  The extreme heat and humidity are hard for me to deal with. Even with air conditioning it's hard.  I want to go places during the summer holidays, but never do as I have no confidence that I would be alright to enjoy myself.  I look forward to autumn, cooler days and especially cooler nights.  Not having to use the air conditioner at night is such a relief.  But every year I get hit with allergies!  The past couple of years weren't so bad but this year has been awful!  The past few weeks I've been waking up at 4am with a runny nose, then start sneezing and sneezing.  This goes on for an hour or so.  I take over the counter medicine but doesn't work.  I end up with awful headaches, pain around my sinus area and my ribs aching from sneezing so hard!  On Saturday I went to the local doctors and got some stronger medicine.  Just one tablet at night before bed.  I've only taken it twice so can't decide if it's working or not!  But I haven't been sneezing as much as usual, so I'm hoping!

Mikey managed to burn his arm last week!  He had fried sausages and was moving the fry pan off the stove top when the fat splashed out and caught his arm.  Looked awful and I'm sure it must have hurt but he didn't need to go to the hospital!

Mikey's burns!

A few days later David was frying something and Mikey quipped, I don't like that sound.

I don't need a weather forecast to see what the temperature is, just seeing how the cats are sleeping gives me a good idea!  When it's hot they sleep far apart, as it cools down they snuggle together.  The past few days they have been getting on the sofa and curling up together! Also they love to get on peoples laps, one way of staying warm and not using the heaters!

Mama on Hannah

snuggled up cats!

Congratulations Hannah

 Hannah passed her road test!  Next week she has to go to the drivers license center to take her written test, then she will have her drivers license!  Finally!  She should have finished this in the middle of September but between a typhoon and being sick the test date kept being put back!

One of my friends was asking about driving schools here in Japan.  There are two ways to get a license, one is by going to the driving school for lessons when you have time, these can take a few months depending on your schedule.  The other is an intense residential course, which takes two weeks.  Both Mikey and David did it that way, so Hannah decided to do the same.  I feel it's easier as you are focused on driving and nothing else.  The first few days you learn how to drive on a course belonging to the school.  This is off road but has the same basic lay out as roads, with the road signs and crosswalks to navigate through.  Once you have got the hang of it you take a test on there and a written test to get a drivers permit to go on the streets.  You are then allowed on the streets basically practicing every day.  I think Hannah had between two to three hours of practice a day.  Also, there are videos to watch about road safety.  Just before the road test you get to drive on the highway.  Hannah enjoyed that, zipping along at 100KPH!   It's expensive, especially the residential course.  I think Hannah paid just over 2000 pounds.  This was her money from working at the local cram school.  Now she is saving to get a car! 

Hannah with another cat that followed her home!

Sorry

 I haven't felt like writing recently.  Too many thoughts in my head, to many things happening.  But I will try to get things down now.

Queen Elizabeth's death really shocked me.  I know she was 96 and looking rather frail in the latest photos but I never thought she would pass away.  She was always around, always in the news or magazines.  Just always there!  When the news first broke about her being under medical supervision and that her family were all arriving at Balmoral Castle it was oblivious that something important was happening.  When her death was announced I sat and cried.  When the Prime Minister spoke and called Prince Charles King Charles, I actually had to think who it was.  It has always been Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.  Now we have a king.  I was also amazed the Royal Family and the love they showed for the Queen.  The time of public mourning must have been difficult for them.  To go out and greet people when one is grieving is difficult.  

One thing from all this is the ability for news anchors to waffle.  From the time the statement was given that the Queen was under medical supervision to her death was a few hours.  Because of the time difference it was the middle of the night here.  I stayed up watching Sky News and BBC News.  I was amazed at the way the news reporters found things to fill in the no news time.  Basically, saying the same thing in different ways!  

In our little world things have been ticking along.  In my last post I said about Hannah going to driving school.  The course is 2 weeks long.  She passed the first test to get her driving permit but hasn't taken the final test.  Because of yet another typhoon.  Her test was supposed to be on September 19th.  From September 17th we were under a typhoon warning.  At first, I thought Hannah could just stay at the hotel and follow the driving schools schedule, as they would schedule things around the storm.  A couple of things happen that changed my mind.  One was Hannah sent me a link for the hotel she was in.  I thought it would be a big building that could withstand a strong typhoon, but the building was small, no shutters on the windows and the area was in a basin, meaning that flooding would be possible.  Also, as I was checking this typhoon, I realized that it wasn't a small storm and that we wouldn't get just the edge of it (which is what usually happens) no this was a super typhoon.  The Japan Times stated that it was as strong as a category 5 hurricane.  So, Saturday evening Mikey and I drove 90 minuets to get Hannah.  I'm glad that we got her back.  She would have been okay at the hotel, but the typhoon was scary and being alone makes things worse, at least for me. Again, we got lucky as there was no damage to the house, but we lost a good part of one of the trees out front.  

Because of the typhoon David bought an animal cage for our outside cat, who has been named Ten.  I know that cats can find shelter when the weather gets bad, but we worried about this cat, he had an awful open cut on his cheek and he looked rather weak.  He spent three days inside.  When our cats were out of the room, we let him out to roam about.  He is such a lovely cat!

Ten in his cage

Hannah will be going back this weekend to finish her driving course!  Hope she passes her test!

I will try to write more!

Why?

 At the end of July, beginning of August Hannah spent time researching the best driving school.  She read a lot of reviews, compared pricing and accommodation.  She finally settled on one just outside the city.  She made her reservation, paid for it, even got a discount because she paid early.  This week we went shopping for a few things that she might need.  She should leave early Tuesday morning!  I say should because that is the day a typhoon is supposed to sweep through here. If the typhoon doesn't get any weaker it is going to be very bad, maybe no trains, possible floods and landslides.  The driving school is going to call this morning, if they think it is going to be bad then they will ask that Hannah goes earlier, either Sunday or Monday.  I don't understand that, going a day later would be better!  If she goes early, she will have to stay in the hotel, by herself, through a bad storm.  Not the best thing.  If she goes early, I'll tell her to take her kindle, she can watch movies on it!  There's a TV in the room but Japanese TV isn't that good!

So, I want to know why this always seems to happen.  I've spent the past month convincing myself that Hannah will be okay going by herself.  She's 20 and rather grown up, it's just an hour's drive from here.  She has promised to message me every day, I have to send cat photos to her.  We can face time and if things go bad either Mikey or David will drive to pick her up. So, I wasn't overly worried, a little worried but I could cope with that.  But now a massive typhoon is coming on the day she leaves.  Why couldn't it come earlier or later?  I keep telling myself not to worry but that isn't working!

And of course, the cats are up to no good.  Found Fred on my kindle the other day, he had his paws on the screen.  Somehow, he downloaded the Peter Pan movie!

Fred with my kindle!