Maybe.....

 it is time to leave this house!

Over the last few months things have started to break or fall to pieces!

It all started in August when the light in the living room stopped working. We thought it was just the bulb so we bought a new one, but that didn't work. Thinking it might have been the wrong type we bought another but it still didn't work. It looks like the light fitting itself is broken. That makes three light fittings altogether that don't work!!

Then the door to the shoe box is coming off.  This house was built by a popular company, which means that it is well built, but things like hinges for doors or other fixtures have to be bought from the company, making them more expensive and difficult to obtain. This house is over 30 years old and the stock is not readily available!!

Yesterday I found out that the water heater or at least the control panel is broken. With the system we have here the hot water starts once you turn on the hot water tap. Unless you want to change the temperature of the water you don't need to touch the control panel.  When the hot water is running the control panel shows the temperature, once you have finished it goes off. Now the panel is on all the time, if you turn it off manually you get no hot water. I have to remind everybody to turn on the hot water before having a shower. It's not the season for cold showers!

Non of this is because of us, just a house getting old and not being maintained. If we were staying here I would have to fight with the real estate agent to get things fixed, then it would be shoddy, cheap workmanship.  So maybe it better that we are moving, even if I still feel sad about it!

For me the best would be having enough money to buy this land and build something nice here but that is really a dream!

On a different note, I went shopping this morning and almost had a heart attack at the price of rice.

5kgs of rice 3180 yen

The cheapest was almost 3000 yen (about 15 pounds), last year the most expensive brand was less than 3000 yen, most just over 2000 yen. But we got lucky, one of our students is a farmer and is bringing us 5kgs of rice for 2000 yen!!

I couldn't believe that just the few things I bought, no meat or fish, just vegetables, mikans, eggs and some honey came to just over 3000 yen. I got just enough for today and tomorrow!! I usually like shopping but not at these prices!!