January

 The month, the year actually started off very dramatically with ambulance trips to the emergency room and trips to the emergency dentist!

David is doing a lot better. One thing I found interesting was the assumption of the paramedics; the first thing they asked was if David had been drinking! I guess because it was just after the New Year, and most people would be drinking to celebrate. David never drinks; he doesn't like the taste of alcohol. If he had passed out because of drinking, I wouldn't have bothered with an ambulance and hospital. I called the ambulance because I didn't know why he had collapsed, and I wasn't sure if he had hit his head, giving himself a concussion.

David took about 10 days off from work, which has helped him a lot! He looks a lot better. Even before he caught a cold and a slight fever, he was looking very pale and exhausted! I wish he could find a job more locally, a daytime job, working nights is really hard long-term! He is planning on putting out leaflets to restart our English school here soon. I really hope we can get some good students.

I got my tooth fixed, but I have to think about getting some kind of dentures. I have no back teeth at all, so I'm using my front teeth to bite food with, not what they are designed for. I just need to screw up the courage to go and get it done! The local dentist is making a lot of money from our family, both David and Christopher are having treatment there!

I'm glad I got the chance to visit Tera Machi, Temple Town. I would like to go again when I have a bit more time. I think the cherry blossom season would be nice there!

I love all the details on the buildings!

The cherry blossom season will start about March 21st here! Looks like making plans.

In the first half of January, the weather was nice, more like spring than winter. The last couple of weeks, however, have been very cold. Daytime highs haven't been over 10C, most days, 5C was the warmest! That has put a damper on a lot of my plans. This house is just too cold to move in. I tried layering clothes so I could get more chores done, but then it's difficult to move! My January to-do list didn't get finished; of the six things on there, only 3 got done. The rest will have to be moved to February!

My health is about the same. My weight didn't change; it hasn't gone up, but hasn't gone down. I'm still not exercising as much as I should. Again just too cold to move. Also, I'm still sleeping too much during the day. Again, I'm blaming the cold!

I did manage to study Japanese a bit, not as much as I should, but I got my books out 3 times this past month. Also, I'm watching YouTube videos in Japanese, which helps with my listening. A friend sends me little messages in Japanese, which also helps. I need more speaking practice. I tried talking to the cats, but they don't really help!

January went by very quickly. In my mind, we are still in the holiday season! But from tomorrow, the 2nd month starts! I'm wondering what to do in February. I need to sit down and make a plan, make a realistic plan! 

I hope everyone had a good month!

 

Frugal Tips

 I'm always on the lookout for ideas on how to save money! 

I'm especially interested in reading or watching people in Japan who have money-saving ideas. A lot of tips from the UK or the USA don't work in Japan. I saw a video where the lady said she saved a lot of money by simply turning down the thermostat on her heating system. We don't even have a heating system here!

I came across a Japanese housewife who said that January helped her to save money.

She talked about how in January, she didn't like to drive too much, because she's living in snow country. She said that she would use whatever she had in the house to make meals instead of buying extra groceries to make what she had planned. I do that as well, no stores nearby, so if I'm missing an ingredient or two, I either change the menu or use a substitute.

Another thing she talked about was changing from using the heating system on the air conditioners to kerosene heaters. I use kerosene heaters here as well. When I'm sitting in bed, reading or watching TV, I don't even run my heater; I just have my hot blankets on, I sit on one and have another wrapped around my shoulders.

The next thing this lady talked about was not going out to meet friends for coffee or lunch so often in the winter. This is something I never do! She stated that because of this, she doesn't buy so many clothes or makeup at this time of year. That made me pause for a while!

Do people buy clothes every month or so? Is it normal to buy new things just for the sake of buying them? 

I just don't buy clothes! In the past two years, I've bought a pair of shoes, a bra and some socks! The sweater I'm wearing is about 25 years old. I was looking through my clothes the other day, thinking that my room wear is new, but then realised that it's about 5 years old. I bought it when I had Covid, back in 2021. The newest thing I have is a top Hannah bought for me last summer!

Wearing the top Hannah bought me.

Not buying clothes is not about saving money; it has more to do with the fact that I can't shop at local stores. Most of my clothes are from a catalogue shop!

Even then, I have a problem with sizes.  I usually buy the biggest size, sometimes that's alright, but other times the item is too big and drowns me! I've tried to get the next size down, but that is sometimes tight and uncomfortable. I need a size in between.

I've seen stores online from America and the UK that do overseas delivery. Again, it's the problem of sizing. Most companies allow you to send back items that don't fit, but just the bother of sending things back makes me pause!

I will need a few things for the spring and summer, so I'm on the lookout for a good bargain!

I'm still looking for more frugal tips! Every yen I can save helps! I don't want to be miserly, but I do need to save now so that I have money to do what I need to do in the future!

Any tips, anyone?

Also, any ideas for plus-size clothes for the mature lady?

Sad

 Because of food!

I love food, not just eating, but baking and cooking. 

I love to find new recipes, I love experimenting with ingredients just to see how flavours and textures go together.

I can spend hours in the kitchen trying out new things. 

Baking used to be my go-to thing to do when stress got too much.

Of course, I love to eat. I understand that food is fuel for my body, but I also like that food can be a source of fun, that we can celebrate the good things in life with lovely and sometimes special food.

The reason I feel sad about food is that as I get older, there are certain foods that no longer suit me.

In my 40s, I had to stop drinking coffee.  I used to drink two or three cups a day, but I found that after drinking it, I would get stomachache. I cut down to one cup a day, but that didn't really help. I stopped drinking it altogether. I still have tea, which I love, so it wasn't that hard to give up. I now drink a cup of coffee every few months. When I do have a cup, I really enjoy it and savour every mouthful.

Then, a few years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. That meant a complete change in my eating habits. I could no longer casually eat what I wanted, when I wanted. I had to think about every mouthful, will this spike my blood sugar, will this keep me full longer than something else? Am I feeling dizzy because I haven't eaten for a while, or is it something else?  Eating should never be that stressful!

Having diabetes has meant giving up a lot of foods that I love. I know it's my own fault for not taking care of what I ate when I was younger, and I have no one else to blame but myself, but it is still hard. 

Giving up sweet treats was hard at the beginning. I remember going to a cafe with Hannah, she ordered this lovely cake and some tea, but I just had a cup of tea! I felt miserable! Now I allow myself the occasional sweet treat, maybe once a month, sometimes not even that! I prefer to bake something if I want cakes or cookies, that way I can control how much sugar is in them, and I use sugar, not corn syrup, which is very bad for the body!

The hardest thing to give up was bread! I love bread, any kind of bread. A piece of toast is comfort food for me! Now I try not to eat bread in the mornings. No toast with my breakfast! Also, most evenings I don't have any carbs such as bread, rice, pasta or potatoes! That is hard!

The reason I'm feeling really sad today about food is that there is another group of foods that I might have to give up or at least limit, that's fired foods.

I've never been a big fan of fried foods. I don't like the feeling of grease in my mouth, but sometimes fried foods just hit the spot.

This past week, I made karaage, Japanese fried chicken, one day, the next day I made hamburgers and chips! Later that day, I felt so ill, nauseated, and my stomach felt rather heavy! I realised that my system just wasn't handling all the grease!

It looks like fried foods will have to go the way of sugar and carbs, very little and not very often!

That is sad. When I was in my 20s, I went on a very restrictive diet because I thought I was so fat. I was less than 60kgs then, about 9 stones (130lbs), but I thought I was so overweight! I lived on juice and soups, plus some fruit. Not healthy at all. I did lose weight, but made myself really ill in the process. Once I started eating normally again, I gained all the weight back, plus some. I told myself I would never restrict my food again, that I would enjoy food and try to exercise more to strike a balance. Now I wish I had that choice!

So I'm feeling a bit sad at how I have to restrict my diet. But there are still a lot of good foods out there! I'm adding a lot more vegetables to my diet. Most days I make a big pot of vegetable soup, a lot of salads and just steamed veggies. Fruit is a luxury here, as it is so expensive, but I try to have some on hand for when I feel the need for something sweet!

I will get over this, no choice. My body knows that these foods aren't healthy for me and aren't really helping me. I just need to accept this and move on!

Has anybody else had to give up a favourite food?

breakfast the other day

I rolled out some bread until it was thin, put some cheese on it, rolled it up, dipped it in egg and wrapped bacon around it. Baked in the oven for about 25 minutes. Nice breakfast! A bit of salad, fried up the leftover potatoes and a couple of sausages. Simple but filling breakfast!

My Bucket List

 Since I asked what others have on their bucket lists, I thought I would share mine!

One thing that I want to do, but I don't know if it's really a bucket list thing, is to reform or rebuild this house. 

The longer I live here, the more I realise that this house just isn't really livable!

It's too cold in the winter. I went into the kitchen/dining area to make lunch, about 11am, and I could see my breath. I can understand it being that cold first thing in the morning, but not that late! In the summer, it's too hot, there is little ventilation, and even though there is a lot of vegetation around, it is still uncomfortable.

The bathroom is hell to keep clean; mould grows so quickly. Even in the winter!

The shower area is freezing, and there are ice crystals in the shampoo! 

I want to make this place livable; this is where I'm going to grow old. I want a place that is easy to take care of so I can live as independently as possible! 

Another thing is to travel.

I would love to go back to the UK one more time, but the reality is that unless I come into a lot of money, that won't be possible. Flights are really expensive. The cheap ones are too long for me to endure. I was looking the other day. One flight that I could just about afford would take 36 hours! I don't think I could do that now!

There are many places in Japan that I would like to visit. Hokkaido in the summer, and Okinawa in the winter. I know that is the opposite way, but I don't think I could deal with the extreme weather in each place. Also, I heard that Hokkaido in the summer is nice because the humidity is low. Okinawa in the summer would be too hot for me; I have a hard time here!

I would like to visit the big cities, Tokyo and Osaka. I'm not sure that I can deal with crowds, though. There are lots of places that aren't that crowded or touristy that I want to go to as well. Hannah finds a lot of interesting places to visit; she has her list as well!

Then I have a list of things I want to study. Of course, Japanese is at the top of the list! I need it to communicate, but I'm also hoping that by constantly studying, I can stave off dementia and other related brain problems that seem to accompany ageing! I really don't want to be the old lady who sits and drools all day with no idea of what is happening around her; that really scares me! When Hannah was in junior high school, the students did a week of work experience. She went to a care home. On the last day, she came home in tears. She said that the residents were making a poster for some event, but most of them didn't know how to hold a pencil or use scissors. I don't want to be like that!

Another thing I want to study is Japanese history, especially in this local area. There isn't a lot in English, so I'll need some help with that. My kids like history and are willing to help me with that. Also, I want to understand what makes the Japanese Japanese, what is so unique to these people, and where that comes from. 

There are other things that I want to study, but those are still ideas swirling around my brain at the moment!

The last thing on this list is to develop some kind of crafting skills. I can knit, but only very basic things; anything that involves shaping is beyond me. I can read a pattern, but I always mess up. I think it's just a case of practice. I like to knit as it stops me from snacking, it's hard to eat when your hands are busy!

Another crafty, arty thing I would like to develop is to be able to draw! Just to be able to put something on paper that looks like something and not just a mess of lines would be great!

That's my bucket list! I'm sure I'll add to it or change things. 

The only one that is really a priority is the house.

On a totally different note, I made an interesting breakfast this morning! I'm always looking for healthy meals without breaking the bank. This morning I made oatmeal and topped it with a poached egg, a couple of small sauasages and spinach with a sesame/soy dressing! I didn't think I would enjoy it as I usually have oatmeal with honey and a banana. But this was actually very nice. I paired it with a soy smoothie, tofu, yoghurt, frozen strawberries, and I added a banana as the strawberries are a bit sour. Very nice and filling!

Breakfast

An Apology And An Explanation

 One problem with the written word is that sometimes what I want to express and what comes across is different!

Yesterday, I mentioned a YouTuber who had 12 books on her TBR list. I stated that it made me laugh, I wasn't laughing at her, I was laughing at the ridiculous situation I'm in with thousands of books that I haven't read! In today's world, where most young people spend hours doomscrolling, seeing a young lady excited about her TBR list is really refreshing! 

One person commented that having 12 books to read is a challenge if one's life is busy and you have responsibilities. I agree with that. The young lady I saw was maybe in her 20s or early 30s. I'm guessing she works, and outside of that, she might have household chores to take care of, maybe social or family commitments to see to. I don't know this young lady. I just saw her video, and it reminded me of all the books I have to read! And as I stated above, seeing a young person who is passionate about reading is refreshing for me.

A friend of mine contacted me privately and told me off, in a nice way. She asked why I was buying so many books and planning trips when, in the same breath, I'm complaining about not having any money. 

First, the books. Most of the books on my bookshelves are from when we would visit the UK. This was when the kids were little. We tried to go back every other year; sometimes it would be 3 or 4 years between trips. After my Mom died, we didn't go back for 13 years. 

When we were in the UK, I would shop a lot. Clothes for me, some I still have! Toys, games and books for the kids, things that we couldn't get in Japan. My Mom loved Car Boot Sales, the one year we went to one, and I got enough T-shirts for the boys to last 2 or 3 years!

Of course, I would go to all the bookstores I could find, I loved finding recyle bookstores. This was back in the 1990s and early 2000s, before Amazon made shopping for international goods so easy!

One year we went to Hay-On-Wye! I bought so many books! When we got home Mom asked how I was going to get them back to Japan! I had enjoyed the cheap recycle bookstores that I hadn't thought about getting the books back to Japan. My Mom was sending packages every month for over a year! 

I remember trying to read the books when I got them but my schedule was so crazy back then, most days I would be on the go from at 5:30 until I finished teaching at 9 or 10 o'clock at night. I would pick up a book at night, read a page and be asleep. So the books got put aside for later!

The books on my Kindle are free downloads. There are a lot of sites that link to free books on Amazon. Some days there are a lot of books that interest me, other days none at all! Out of the 7000 books I have on my Kindle, I think I've only paid for about a dozen or so! The only books I pay for are the ones I save on Everand, then I'm paying for the app, not the books!

The reason I want to travel is that with every year I see more years behind me than ahead! I'll be 64 this summer. Not really old but definitely not young. I feel that all the things I want to do, the places I want to see, the experiences I want to have, I should be making plans now. 

A lot of this has to do with Hisao dying so young; he was only 51 when he passed away. There were places he wanted to go in Japan. He always dreamed of visiting Shikoku, one place he never got to visit. I would like to go there for him.

Another thing he wanted to do was to get back into art. When he was in high school, he joined the art club. He loved to draw and paint. One year, one of his paintings was displayed in the local art museum. 

Young Hisao with his painting

He talked about building a little artist hut on the land we own in the mountains, a place he could go to when he wanted to paint. This was something he wanted to do when the kids had grown up. He never got to do that. To this day, the idea that he couldn't fulfil one small dream makes me sad!

To that end, I've decided that I want to visit places, I want to have experiences with my kids, with friends and really live my life to the fullest now!

We have no guarantee of tomorrow. I know we have no money, but I can still dream and plan. I can try to get new students to make money. I can budget, save to improve this house and save for fun things as well.

I'm sorry if my comment on laughing about the young lady with 12 books on her TBR list upset anybody; that wasn't my intent!

As I write this, I wonder if anyone else has a bucket list? 

Places to visit, things to experience, things to learn about. Drop a comment and let me know!

To Be Read Lists

 I came across a YouTuber talking about how she had 12 books on her TBR list. This made me laugh, just twelve books?

I don't have a TBR list; I have bookcases of books that I keep saying I will read, one day!

These are just four of the bookcases I have. The bottom photo shows several cookbooks on the right-hand bookcase. There are five more bookcases in the storage room as well. 

Then there are the books I have on Kindle, about 7,000, most of them free downloads. Plus, I use the Everand app, I think I have another 600 saved on there!

So many books, so little time. 

I decided that I should start to read through some of these books. This is what I'm reading at the moment.

This book accompanies the BBC documentary that I watched just before I came to Japan. I've read part of it before, but never finished it.

This is another book I started but never finished! It's about how the people of Okinawa live long, healthy lives.  I skipped reading the book and just used some of the recipes at the back. I'm reading the book now, I'm especially interested in the section on dealing with stress, as this is something that Hannah needs to learn. I know she is looking for answers herself, but any help she can get is good!

On Everand, I just started Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities".  Another slow read, but interesting!

Also on Everand, I'm just over halfway through "My Next Breath" by Jermey Renner, the story of how he recovered from a devastating accident!

On Kindle, I've just started "The Judas Tree" by George DeFrehn III. It's an apocalyptic thriller. I've only read a few chapters, but it's holding my interest!

I need a lot of rainy, cold afternoons to cosy up with a cup of tea and maybe a cat to get through these books!

One good thing about having a Kindle is that it's portable. On days that I go to the other city to I usually have free time while I'm waiting for Mikey, I've found that I can read a lot. The community center is quiet and comfortable, just what I need to be able to focus on reading. Also, when I have hospital appointments I take my Kindle, while I'm waiting I can usually get through a few chapters of whatever book I'm reading!

Does anybody else have a TBR list, if so, how many books do you have?

Feeling Better

 I really wanted to get a good night's sleep last night, but of course, plans and reality were different!

I don't know about interval walking; I was doing interval sleeping!

I went to bed about 10 o'clock and slept well until midnight when the cats decided it was party time. I don't know which ones or how many, but they were racing up and down the corridor for about half an hour. Even though that woke me up, I don't mind that noise; they need exercise, and it's strangely comforting to hear them. Just as I was drifting off, the singing started. At first, it was just Steve, he picks up toys and walks around the house with them in his mouth, crying! That went on for a few minutes, but then the sound changed to yowling. I got out of bed to separate Fred and Steve. The problem is that the house is very cold, so getting out of bed means getting cold. Once I had sorted them out, I got back into bed, took ages to get warm, but I was finally drifting off to sleep when the yowling started again. Got out of bed, got cold, sorted the cats, this time Fred and Frodo, got back into bed, got warm, started to drift off to sleep when the yowling started again. I repeated that cycle about 7 or 8 times.

By now it's 3 o'clock in the morning. I gave up and fed them, finally, silence!

After the adventures and fighting of last night, this is how I found three of the cats this morning!

They were fighting just a couple of hours before!

At least I didn't have to get up early today, I slept until 7 o'clock!

I don't feel 100% better, but a lot better than yesterday. My head has been aching a lot, but my throat is no longer on fire! I've been drinking a lot of ginger tea, which is really warming! Also, I made nabe for lunch. Nabe is basically a one-pot dish. I cooked up chicken drumsticks. I used kombu for flavour, with some dashi, and just dumped a load of vegetables in. I also made takikomi gohan, flavoured rice with bamboo shoot! I usually add more things to the rice, but this was the first time making it without a rice cooker.

Hannah and I exchange photos of our meals most days!

This is the first photo I sent to Hannah.

She asked if it was my new diet.

This was my lunch after I served myself!

I managed to study Japanese for a bit and even did some exercise, not Japanese Walking, just some gentle stretches.

I really hope I feel 100% better tomorrow as I have a few chores to do! I need to see to the tatami room. David wants to start putting leaflets out for our school from next week. I want the place be ready, I don't want to panic if someone calls to see our school and nothing is ready!

I really hope we can get some good students. Send good vibes, please!