April

 I really thought I had one more day in April! I was shocked when I checked my phone this morning and found that it's May 1st. 

So April turned out to be a rather interesting month.

Hannah has started her graduate course. She seems to be doing all right. She has to figure out what to do for her thesis. She's interested in why kids don't get some of the grammar points. Is it bad teaching, bad explanation in the textbooks, or just that the kids aren't interested in the language? She says that because she didn't have to learn English as a second language, she doesn't understand why it's so difficult. To try and understand how hard it is to learn another language, she is studying German on the Duolingo app. Her biggest challenge is spelling!  I'm glad that she is settled into her course and enjoying it. 

I hoped we would have some of the garden cleared and ready to plant something, but still struggling on that front!  The weather has refused to cooperate. When we have time, it rains, when every one is busy with work the weather is nice! I'm determined to get it done!

just in front of the window

We got this bit done!  I want to move those stones, but they are very deep!

Cleaning in front of the door has helped. I still need to get the old insect nests down and wash the door but it looks a lot better.

Today I did a deep clean of the dining area, moved the tiled carpet to vacuum underneath, and wiped the corners. Feels a lot better.

The decision to set up a classroom here was the big thing for April. I really didn't want to do that, but I can't see any other way to make money. I know we have the land and I want to do something with that, but I think it will take some time. If I can make enough to free David from working 5 nights a week, then he can do more on the land with Christopher. I realized we need money now, especially to fix the toilet. Teaching is the one thing I know. I hope we can get students!

My goal for May is to set up my classroom and distribute leaflets. I hope to be teaching by June! I need to be more mindful in my eating, my weight is still up so I need to be more careful. 

Also, I want to sort out the storage area and get more done outside. It's the last month that I can spend a lot of time outside, once the heat and humidity start, I'm finished outside!

Wish me luck, a lot to do!

Made A Start

 I haven't bothered to clean out the area in front of the entrance, as I didn't feel it was important, since I wasn't going to teach here. Now that has changed, I decided that cleaning that area was a good place to start. Not too much to do, so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed.

Before photo

You can't see, but under that blue sheet was a load of dead leaves and other bits of trash. There were lots of things that had been dumped out there from when we moved in. Christopher helped out so it only took about half an hour to clean up.

After photos

I don't have time or energy today, but I want to wash down the doors and the tiles in front. Also above the doors, there are the remains of some kind of insect nest that needs to be swept away.

It's not a lot, but I'm glad I made the effort. I know there is a lot to do to get ready for students to come, just making a start feels good, a step in the right direction.

One problem is the air conditioner. We need new ones. The plan was to buy a big one for the main kitchen/dining room. The old one in here is too small to cool the area. To buy a new one is going to cost a lot of money. I planned on getting one for the tatami room later but since I'm going to use that room soon I need a ne air conditoner sooner.

I was watching a YouTube video of somebody who had bought an Aikiya, an abandoned house, in Japan. The house was built in the 1970s but the air conditioner were installed later in the 1980s. To save money he cleaned out the air conditioners and got them working again. So I think I'll try that. The air conditioners here were installed when the house was built, about 33 years ago but never cleaned. Am I brave enough to open it up and see if I can clean it? I feel like I'll need a hazmat suit!  At least some gloves, a mask and goggles! This is going to be interesting! If I can get it working, great, once I get a few students I can buy a new one!

Christopher is making lunch today, nice change! I enjoy cooking but some times having something made for you is nice. I have chance to do other things this morning!

Change And A Challenge

 Before we moved here, I decided I didn't want to set up a room as a classroom. I've had to use one room for teaching in every house I've lived in.  I wanted things to be different this time and not have people coming in and out of the house.

This house is small, and having nine cats makes it feel smaller somehow. I thought that Mikey and I could continue to teach in the other city and commute from here. For now, that is alright, but once Mikey moves out, it will be very difficult for him. It takes between 30 to 40 minutes from here to where we used to live. So, going and coming back is about an hour's drive. He might move to that area or somewhere close by, so picking me up to teach would mean 2 hours or more driving every day, plus teaching! That would get old very quickly.

After yesterday's meltdown down I spent hours on the internet looking for some way to make money. The problem is that I really don't have confidence in my ability.  I looked on sites like "Fiverr" to see if I could offer freelance writing, but looking at what is on offer made me feel very inadequate!  I looked for survey sites, but everything is in Japanese! I know surveys don't make real money, but just getting some Amazon gift cards would mean I could help pay for cat food!

In the evening, I was talking to Hannah, asking if she could make some kind of flyer for the other city. She reminded me that she had searched for community centers near here, and there are a few. As much as I would like to use them, it would mean having to walk about 10 to 15 minutes, carrying books and teaching materials. This time of year it would be alright to do that, but come the summer, I know that just stepping away from the air conditioning would make me sick! Hannah and I talked a little more, and I decided that I should just set up a classroom in this house. It won't be easy, but it's doable!

That's the change.

The challenge is 3 parts!

First is setting up the tatami room to use as a classroom.

The tatami room

It isn't too bad, but the doors got damaged. Some is from the cats, of course, but some damage was done years ago and never fixed, the constant story of this house!

I want to cover the tatami. Even if I wasn't going to use this room as a classroom, I would cover the tatami. It's difficult to clean; if the cats pee or puke on the tatami, the liquid soaks in very quickly. Covering the tatami with something easier to clean will help, especially with the smell that builds up over time!  I have tables and chairs from the old house that I can use, but I would need some bookshelves, preferably with glass doors, again because of the cats. In the old house, I didn't allow the cats into the rooms I was using to teach in. Here, it will be more difficult to do that.  The biggest expense would be a new air conditioner.

Also, the entrance would need a very good clean. There are a couple of litter boxes in the entrance. I'll have to move them, but I don't know where to! Plus, outside, near the front door, will need a good cleaning and the weeds pulled in that area.

The next challenge is actually getting students. I'm kind of excited to try this, but there is this small voice in the back of my head saying that it didn't work before. We lived here with my mother-in-law about 16 years ago. I spent ages going door to door with our flyers, but no one even called. I remind myself that there are a lot of new houses that have been built since that time. Also, in the next small town, which is just a few minutes' drive from here, there are loads of newer houses that have young families. To start with, I'm targeting junior high school kids, high school kids, and adults. I feel confident in teaching these age groups. I really don't want to teach young kids, but if asked, I might, but only from 5th grade!

Hannah is making the flyer for me, I have to get it printed, then go door to door, before it gets too hot.

The last challenge is changing how I teach. I've been teaching for 34 years. I've used the same textbook all that time and haven't really changed to using technology, like power points, which Hannah says are so easy to make and teach with!. The junior high school English curriculum has completely changed, so I need to get up to date on that. I also need more confidence in explaining things in Japanese, which meaning getting back into studying Japanese.

So I'm giving myself a month to set things up. The learning for me will be ongoing. One thing with Hannah studying to be a junior high school English teacher, I can get information from her on the changes to the curriculum.

Wish me luck on this endeavor. If it doesn't work out, at least I've tried!

Problems

 I knew that there were problems with this house, but I thought they were more cosmetic. It looks like there are also structural problems.

There's an awful smell coming from the kitchen sink. It smells like clothes that have been washed but not dried properly. The first time I smelled it, I thought a washcloth had been left in the sink, but I cleared the sink out, and there was nothing that would make that smell. Recently, I've been able to keep the sink clear, but the smell keeps coming. I think there is a problem with the plumbing, not the water coming into the house, but the wastewater. The smell is stronger after running the washing machine. Is there a broken or cracked pipe?  Is there a blockage somewhere that isn't allowing the water to run out freely?  

Then there are problems in the two bedrooms. The floor feels very spongy in both bedrooms. I know that in the room David is in, something was spilled on the floor and left to soak in, and there's a large stain. That might account for that, but the room I'm using the floor was clean, just dusty, no stains at all.  But there are a few places where the floor feels very spongy! A bit worrying!

There are cracks in the foundation that are getting bigger. I noticed them last year, but since then we've had two small earthquakes. The cracks are longer, but I have no idea how deep they are.

The biggest problem, the one that has broken me and made me cry, is the toilet tank.  Somebody came today because the tank is giving off an awful smell. I thought that we would just call a vacuum car to clean out the tank. The guy said that there are two tanks, and one is leaking fluid. Even if it gets emptied, we would have to call every four days to get it emptied again! He suggested that we get the main sewage, which is better, but would cost about £8,000. 

We just don't have that kind of money. Also, would it be worth investing so much in a house that might not be standing for very much longer?

I'm being as frugal as possible. We don't eat out or order in, and I don't need to run heating or air conditioners at the moment. We shop at discount stores. Fruit is now a luxury, so I only buy bananas. Our meals are carb-heavy because that is cheap, except rice!  I don't buy clothes for myself; the last thing I bought was over two years ago. I've only been to the hairdresser's once in the last two years. My one treat is Hulu streaming service, and I might cancel that this month! Next month is Hannah's birthday, but there's no money to do anything for her.

I know that by living here, we aren't paying rent, but we aren't making money either. My income is now just over £100 a month, and all of that goes to paying insurance. 

I've looked at teaching online but the good companies ask for a degree or a teaching qualification, which I don't have. The one site that has different level of teachers don't need English teachers!

I want to print some flyers to post, but we don't have money for that!

I've looked into different funding sites, like GoFundMe, but they don't operate in Japan. In Japan, funding sites are for people who need money to start a business!

I'm trying to be grateful, to be positive, but when I see David looking so worried because he can't make enough money for everything it breaks my heart.

Christopher lost his job. It's just too far to walk, almost one hour each way.  Then a full day of heavy work, he kept getting sick.

So I have no idea what to do. Where to save money. We are trying to clear out the garden, but it's hard work. There are so many trees with deep roots and a lot of ornamental stones that need to be moved. Digging them up is almost impossible. I think in a few years time we can grow and sell some vegetables but we need money now!

No cute photos today!

Alien Plants?

 Are these from another planet?

Strange plants!

They look strange but are just bamboo!

Bamboo grows very quickly. The one next to the shed grew that tall in about 10 days!

It's a bit freaky, look outside and there's nothing there, the next day a meter tall plant has grown!

They seem to appear out of nowhere!

I managed to get outside this morning. Did about 15 minutes, that's all I had energy for!

Found some more lovely flowers.

Very pretty, but I don't know the name.

David and Christopher took over!  That helped a lot.  They have a lot more energy than I do, plus the muscle to move things. I hope we can do this everyday, just an hour or so should get the area cleared.

The area that we have to clear is big. From the stream at the back of the property to the road is 39 meters, from the neighbour's house to the field behind our house is 32 meters. Some of the area is taken up by building, but there is still a lot of space that needs cleaning out! 

Step by step, just keep at it, do some every chance we get! That is what I keep telling myself!

I came in, washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and made a nice lunch.

Good lunch

Looks very Japanese! The soup was vegetable soup from last night! I've also figured out how to cook rice without the rice cooker. Takes time as the rice has to soak before cooking and then steam after the water has cooked off.  I've tried a few times with varying degrees of success, today's was the best so far!

Today has been good! But looks like rain tomorrow! Typical!

Never mind, this garden will be cleared out one day!

Feeling.....

 Not sure what I'm feeling.

Overwhelmed, fed up, tired. All adjectives that describe how I feel right now. A lot of these feelings are because I'm not getting as much done as I had hoped, especially with the garden!

I wanted to get out in the garden this morning. 

When I got up, I made a quick breakfast for myself and noticed that the fridge was basically empty. No fruits, almost no vegetables, and nothing for lunch

I asked David to take me to the local shop, maybe a 10-minute drive. 

As we were driving, I noticed my ears were feeling funny. I have a lot of problems with my ears because of the allergies I have. My ears felt blocked but as we were driving they popped. I know we live at the foot of a mountain range but I didn't think we were that high!

Did some speed shopping, David dashed around grabbing things, and I slowly checked things out!  Managed to get some vegetables but no fruit. The fruit was expensive but didn't look nice at all. I don't mind paying more for fruit if it looks good, but what I saw this morning didn't look all that fresh!

Came back on a different road!

The view of the mountains is always spectacular and different depending on the weather.

Lovely mountain views

One day I want to drive up there, just to see what it's like up close and to see the views.

After shopping, I got everyone to clean the house, I tackled the kitchen, and made lunch.

Still didn't get outside, I have to tomorrow.  At least the inside is clean, so I don't have to do that. I really do need a schedule for all the things I have to do!

I was trying to wipe down the kitchen and table, but Fluffy kept climbing on everything. This is what happens when you try to move her!

Fluffy is doing the parrot imitation.

Let's hope the weather is good tomorrow and I can get outside for a bit!!!!

The View From My Window

 I came across a Facebook group with this title. It was started during the pandemic as a way for people to share where they are and what they see. Scrolling through this group shows people's views from all over the world. The stories that accompany the photos are just as interesting. One person showed the stairs from the apartment above them, not the most interesting view, but the story that went with it was about their upstairs neighbour who greeted them every day, and how they miss the neighbour who is in the hospital at the moment!

These are the views from my bedroom.

From the back window

I love seeing these azaleas in the morning. They are so bright and cheerful. I'm not a morning person; I don't wake up cheerful and happy to start the day, but opening my curtains to these beautiful flowers has really helped!

From the side window

From here I can see the mountains, so I say good morning to the mountain and ask that it doesn't fall on us!! Again, it's lovely to wake up and see all the green.  

I'm glad that my life is a bit slower than it used to be. I'm still busy, some days are crazy, but I'm getting more time to appreciate the things around me. It's still hard to be in this house, but I'm grateful to have a place to live.

This is the view when I walk into the kitchen/dining room in the morning!

On the table, moaning! I was late feeding them!!!

I've given up trying to keep them off! I use a lot of disinfectant!!

Today I had a close encounter with one of those hornets I was writing about yesterday! I was sitting on my bed, talking to a friend on the phone when I suddenly heard this buzzing sound. I turned and saw a massive hornet trying to get out of the window. I managed to open the window and send it out! I'm trying to figure how it got in! All the windows and doors are closed!!  Gave me a fright!!