Of Course

 Christopher has Covid!!

Poor lad!!!  He isn't very sick but has an awful sore throat.  All he has eaten is tofu, boiled eggs, jelly and peaches.  I'll make a smoothie later for him.  His fever is high, 39C but the medicine he got from the doctor should help.  My worry at the moment is Hannah.  She has tests all this week and next.  Also, she is overtired from the heat and working so much.  I hope she doesn't catch it!  I think because she is out of the house a lot she should be okay. I didn't think Christopher caught it from Mikey but I just checked and from exposure to symptoms is from 2 days to 2 weeks!! I always thought it was a shorter period!  I guess we are all exposed!  Looks like getting the alcohol out and cleaning everything!!!

Today is very hot, 36C at the moment, feels like 43C.  I'm sitting with a fan on me, helps a bit!  Poor cats are suffering but they won't stay in the rooms with air conditioning.  Most have taken over the stairs.

3rd stair down, death trap!!

View from the entrance

I'm hoping to post some recipes soon.  Still need to watch sugar and carbs but that is what I'm craving. Especially ice cream!  But need to stay away and eat more healthy foods!!  I just wish fruit was as cheap as ice cream!!! 

Christopher

 Looks like some kind of summer cold is making the rounds.

The other week Mikey got Covid, very mild and he recovered in 3 days!

Today it's Christopher's turn.  He was complaining of a sore throat earlier but he had been in the air conditioning so I thought it was just that!  He went to work but came back a few hours later.  Sore throat and 38C fever.  He's taken some medicine but the doctors are closed until tomorrow.  I really hope it's just a cold.  In Japan, there's a saying that only idiots catch a cold in summer!!!  Just saying!!!

Christopher and David

I hope I don't get sick.  Although I've been feeling a bit under the weather recently!  Not really a cold but just feeling blah.  I put it down to the heat and humidity!!

Also, there are a lot of summer festivals.  The past few years there haven't been so many or really scaled back because of the pandemic.  Last weekend was the festival here, Mikey got a place to sell cotton candy.  And there were fireworks.  Hannah took some photos, not great but you can see the fireworks.

There was a crow watching, can you see it?

Guilt

 Because of the heat I have to get up early, between 5 and 6am, to do housework.  Yesterday I managed to do all the floors, this morning I cleaned the kitchen.  Each day I try to get as much done before 9am.  That means that most days unless I have classes I can spend time reading, studying Japanese or watching TV.  Sounds great but I always feel guilty because I'm not doing anything productive.  My garden is a disaster but there is no way I can go out when the tempreture is 38C.  The bedrooms need cleaning, the bathroom as well but it's seems impossible to do anything.  And after this week it looks like even going shopping is out of the question.  Maybe one store but not like on Monday going to 3 different places and getting so sick.   

I don't like summer.  I don't like that I can't do everything I need to do.  I get so frustrated with myself and end up taking it out on the kids.  I would love to have a lovely cool summer, be able to go out and enjoy myself but it's not to be.  This Sunday is the summer festival here, I would love to go but I know that just walking to the area would end up with me getting heatstroke it heat exhaustion.  Mikey is doing cotton candy.  One good thing is that he will be working with somebody else so they can take turns to sell and then rest in the air conditioning!!

The cats are miserable as well.  They are just lying around, but at night when it is a bit cooler they start to fight!  

Hot cat

Random Thoughts

 Mikey recovered quickly from his bout with Covid.  He was down for three days but bounced back quickly.  The rest of us are okay, we didn't get sick!!

I've been watching the news about the heat waves in Europe and the USA.  How do people live in such extreme temperatures?   Some cities are reaching over 40C,  Phoenix, Arizona is up to 43C.  Is it possible to go outside in that temperature?  Here it's in the mid-30Cs. I got sick yesterday just shopping!!  I was alright until the last shop, the air conditioning wasn't very strong and I started to feel hot!! Came home, and felt really ill until I could get in front of the air conditioning!  I feel sorry for Hannah, she has to walk about half an hour from her campus to the train station.  Going is alright as it isn't that hot but finishing in the afternoon she has to walk at the hottest time of the day.  I suggested that she should get a parasol, it might help a bit.  I really do wonder about people who have to work outside.  Yesterday I saw an elderly gentleman directing traffic near a construction site,  I wondered how long he would have to stand outside!! I know I couldn't do that.   I feel really sorry for the kids, summer holidays have just started but the kids can't really play outside.  One good thing in Japan is that the school pools are open to allow the kids to go and play there, there is some supervision which helps.  Otherwise the kids are inside all the time!!!

The cats are all spread out,  I know it's hot when the cats lie on their backs!!  Poor things!  They don't like the air conditioning but sleep next to the door so they get a cool breeze from the room!!!

blocking my door!!

Mikey

 This morning Mikey called me from his bedroom.  He asked for aspirin and a drink.  I took it up for him, he tells me he has a 39.9C fever! Other than that he felt okay, tired of course but no coughing, sore throat, nothing at all.  So we assumed that he was probably suffering from heat stroke, he's been working outside with the cotton candy business and driving Hannah to the city a few times a week (2 hours drive each day). He canceled our volunteer class and the classes he had this afternoon and just slept.  At 4 o'clock he decided to go to the doctor. He has Covid, but very mild.  He has to rest for 3 days then check again.  This also means we have to cancel classes.  I know it's not as bad as when the pandemic was full force but I would hate to be responsible for others getting sick.  Not sure what David, Christopher and Hannah are going to do about their jobs.  This is our second round with Covid. The first time David, Hannah and I got very sick, Mikey tested positive but very mild symptoms and Christopher tested negative.

I hope that this is finished soon.  Being sick with a fever is never nice but when it's so hot outside it makes cooling down a lot harder.

The cats have decided to sleep near my door.  I have an air conditioner running most of the day, there is a little bit of a cool breeze under the door so they sleep there.  The problem is my door opens outwards,  Sometimes it's difficult to open the door.

outside my door

It's Getting Hot

 I know that there are very few places in the northern hemisphere that are cool at the moment.  I was watching the news about the heatwave in southern Europe.  I feel the heat is more destructive there as it's a dry heat which can lead to wildfires.  

After last week's rain, the heat has started.  Last night's low was 26C, not that hot but very humid.  I woke up at 3am and felt as if there was no air!!  It was 30C by 9am.  The only way I can survive is to get up early and do as much housework as possible.  I could do the living, dining and kitchen areas later as that area has an air conditioner but the bathroom, toilet and corridors don't.  Just sweeping and mopping takes a lot of effort once it gets hot.  Also I try not to go out too much.  I'm okay in the car or stores but just the short walk to the car to the stores makes me uncomfortable.  One good thing is that we don't have to wear masks anymore. I worry about Hannah, she had to walk form the station to her campus, about 30 minutes.  Mornings or evenings are okay but if she finishes midafternoon it might be hard for her.  I tell her to stop in shops on the way and drink as much as possible.  

Today is a national holiday, Marine Day.  A day to celebrate the ocean.  A lot of people take the chance to go to the beach, which considering how hot it is might be the best place to be!!!

Catch Up Post

 The rain we had last week was really bad, some places near here were hit really hard, with floods and landslides.  Watching the news was very strange, places I know kept coming up.  One supermarket that I usually shop at had to close for a few days to clean up, and a truck full of food was thrown out.  The small town next to my mother in laws house was hit by a massive landslide.  It's the same mountain range that is behind the house!  I haven't been to the house for a couple of weeks, hopefully, I can go this week.  

We have a new laundry machine.  But the weather has been so bad that I still haven't caught up on the laundry pile.  Today is nice drying weather so I've already done some curtains and have a second load in at the moment.  I will win the battle of the laundry!

Proud Mommy time.  Hannah works part-time at a local after-school cram school teaching English. Basically helping kids with their tests.  Yesterday she had a meeting with the manager and other teachers.  The top 3 students who had improved their test scores in English were students that Hannah has been teaching!  I know the kids worked hard but so did Hannah, it's not easy trying to get the kids to focus after a day of studying.  I'm glad the cram school recognized Hannah's efforts, this gives her the confidence to keep going!  The cram school bought sushi for dinner, nice!

Sushi

Rain

 I know it's the rainy season but the past few days have been crazy.  Heavy torrential rain, thunderstorms and strong wind!

Hannah had university this morning. yes even though it's a Sunday.  We weren't sure if the trains would run so Mikey drove her to the campus and then hung out while she had her class.  When they left it was raining but not too bad within half an hour it got really bad.  The kind of rain where the windshield wipers make no difference.

David got back at about half past nine.  He was soaked through even with a raincoat on!  He said that the road outside was flooded, all the way to the local supermarket.

This was just outside our door.

I've seen the road flood before but it never came into the carport.

Fortunately, the water receded after bout an hour!!  

That was at 10am, it is now 6:30 pm and it is still raining.  And more is forecast for the next 24 hours!!

Oh Bother!

 Feels like two steps forward, 10 steps back!

When my students renew their contract they pay a yearly fee, it's standard practice for most English schools and cram schools.  I don't charge a lot but it helps with covering prints that I make, snacks for the Halloween and Christmas parties and running the air conditioners and heaters.  I was looking through our accounts and noticed that a lot of students will renew this month.  Great, bit extra, maybe I can save some money.  But of course not.

As I mentioned we are in the middle of the rainy season, constant rain for days on end.  So I haven't done a lot of laundry, just what every one needs. It's so hard trying to dry everything inside, even with fans blasting on the clothes it takes a few days.  I was so looking forward to the weekend, couple of dry days, get the laundry done.  Filled the machine, pushed the buttons and nothing.  So I did what I always do when electronics don't work, I unplugged it and waited a bit.  Plugged it back in and watched as the lights flashed through the different wash cycles.  Then nothing, it just wouldn't start.  Unplugged it again and the same thing happened.  So my washing machine is broken.  Christopher took some laundry to the local laundromat, Mikey took more the next day.  But I need a machine.  Summer means lots of showers, which means lots of towels being used.  There is no way I can keep up with laundry without a machine.  I thought of handwashing but in the heat we are experiencing that would be a death sentence.  

David came to the rescue and ordered a machine but he doesn't know when it will be delivered.  He offered to pay but he should be saving for a car.  So that extra bit of money will go for a new machine.  Such is life I guess!!

Fluffy hiding from the storms

It wouldn't be my blog without at least one photo of a cat!  poor Fluffy really freaks out with the thinderstorms, she find the most interesting places to hide!!

Hannah's Outing

 On Sunday Hannah went into the city to watch a musical!  She decided to go by herself.  The musical was a French musical, 1789  Les Amants de la Bastille.  The performance was by the Takarazuka company, the musical was recorded and shown at a movie theater.  This made the tickets a lot cheaper, about half price. 

The show started at 1 o'clock but Hannah got to the city at 10 o'clock.  She had a chance to do some window shopping, which she enjoyed.  As much as I enjoy looking around shops I just don't have the stamina to do that anymore!  She also treated herself to a nice lunch.

Hannah's lunch

She sent me this photo of her lunch!!  So I sent her a photo of our lunch, curry and rice!

Our lunch!!

A few photos of the movie theatre.  Looks like a really nice place.

Outside the movie theatre

In the lobby

There was a 40 minutes break so Hannah treated herself to a cake and drink.

Chiffon Cake

She had a good time and I think she deserved it.  She has been working hard at university and working two part-time jobs!

Nothing

 That's what I've done the past few days! 

Thursday and Friday I had no classes, so I planned to clean, sort out teaching materials and prepare some lesson plans for the next few weeks!  Also I thought that I could clean the at least one kitchen cupboard.  I didn't count on the weather being so bad and me feeling ill because of it!

From Wednesday night to today we've had heavy rain and thunderstorms.  I had a headache all that time, I took so many painkilers that I upset my stomach.  Of course the humidity was high, still is, everything feels damp.  The cats were freaked out by the thunderstorms and spent most of the time in boxes or hiding behind the sofa!  I'm grateful that the worse thing was a lousy headache because some areas were hit really hard.  Floods and landslides in a few areas. According to news sources one person died and two are missing in the worse rain on Saturday.  

Where we live now is safe, the house is above the road and there are no rivers or mountains nearby, so flood or landslides are not a worry!  The other house is a the foot of a mountain.  A few years ago, ove 10 because it was before Hisao died an area near the house had a landslide.  Everytime we get heavy rain or typhoons I worry about that place.  Not looking forward to living there!!!

This is a screen shot from Google Map.

The house

The building with the mark is the house the other buildings are the storage/garage. The garden is massive, plus there are at least 15 other pieces of land, most of which are bigger than this place. Next to the storage building is a stream that has been lined with concrete, it's very deep and carries the water off the mountain.  I'm not sure if it follows a completely natural course.   I've known it to fill up but not over flow.  But there's always a first time!!!