January

 I think the theme for January was getting used to things. Getting used to this house, getting used to getting up early, getting used to going to the other city to teach, getting used to the community centers that we use.  At lot of things to get used to!

It's been a lot harder to get used to this house than I thought it would. Until we moved here we referred to the house as Oba Chan's, grandma's, then it was the house in the town where we live. I asked the kids to stop calling it Oba Chan's. I have to push to say "home" as it doesn't feel like home! It still feels strange! When we go shopping I still think we will be going back to the old house, so when David or Mikey turn to come here I wonder why, then realize that we no longer live in the old house!  

This house has a lot of problems still. We need a lot of money to make it really liveable. If I had the money I would take it down and rebuild but that is a pipe dream. One of my biggest worries is if the house is still sturdy. In the past 32 years, since the house was built, there have been a few earthquakes and even more typhoons, have these had an impact on the house. After the earthquake we had in January I checked the outside walls and foundations, there are a few cracks from before, fortunately they haven't got any longer but I don't know if they are any deeper!  

Then there is all the cosmetic things I would love to do. Changing the kitchen to make it more functional, having a bathroom that can be warmed up, finding ice crystals in the shampoo is not fun!  Also the toilet needs to be changed.  Plus the windows need to be updated, there is so much condensation in all the rooms!  

Getting up early isn't that hard, it's not really early, about 6:30. Christopher has started a new job, I know I don't have to get up and make his breakfast but I like to! The job isn't difficult but he has to walk 40 minutes to get there. Most of the roads are country roads, so no street lights in the evenings. It's a bit of a worry as there are no pavements either. He has a reflector strip but I'm wondering if he needs something more!

Then there is the commute to work. I don't have to go everyday, 3 or 4 days a week. But I only have one lesson each time. I sit reading or studying. But I feel it such a waste of my time. I would love to get some more students, try to fill up my time! If I don't then I'll try to put everyone on the same day!

February has come in with an awful rain storm, plus heavy snow is forecast for next week!  We need to get some of the land ready for planting. I'm hoping by the end of the month to have vegetables in, also I'm looking a growing herbs!

Couple of cat photos to finish!

Fluffy sitting on my cookbook, I had to keep moving her to read the recipe

Sam being cute!

Weather

 We have been lucky so far this winter. Only one really cold snap that resulted in snow for a day.  

The week has been bitterly cold, snow was forecast and it looks like the mountains got a good dusting.

on the way to the other city, cloudy mountains

near the other city, snow on the mountains

One of my high students told that her school had online classes one day because of the snow forecast.

We didn't get snow but freezing rain. 

The thing that gets me is the wind. It's not strong, not a gale but it is really cold. Looking out of the window today the sun was shining and I thought it was a good chance to get out, but the wind made me change my mind. We are sheltered by the mountains, I don't know if that is good or not. The wind doesn't feel so strong here, but I know that the mountains can become like a wind tunnel.

I was surprised at how the strong the wind was the other day.

city incinerator, wind was blowing the smoke

To see the smoke being blown horizontal was a sight.  It usually isn't that visible and goes straight up. Maybe the heavy cloud made it more visible.

February is coldest month, at least I always feel it is colder than the other winter months. On my weather app the forecast for next week is for minus temperatures and snow.  I hope that is the last of the really cold weather.  I need to get some of the land ready to plant. 

I've been watching the weather news from the UK. I feel so sorry for everybody caught in those crazy storms. 

I was watching the forecast for Storm Eowyn. The predicted hectopascal was 938hPa. That means very strong winds. When we get typhoons I always check the hPa, the lower the number the stronger the typhoon. We are in land so by the time we get hit the hPa is higher, so the storm isn't that strong.  A reading of 938hPa was very shocking. Also I was happy to see that people stayed home. One of my pet peeves with Japan is that people go out in these storms. I always think that by going out you are potentially putting others at risk.  Emergency services have to respond if you are injured while out, putting the personal at risk!

Also it seems that one storm passes in the UK and another is on it's heels! Stay safe, everyone!

A Kind Of Nothing Day

 It's 4:30 in the afternoon and I haven't really done anything today.

It was just one of those days that I couldn't find the energy to do anything. I tried, I went outside to see if I could clean up a bit more but the wind was so biting!  I thought about getting extra layers but then moving would be difficult. 

I moved some furniture around. I had a small desk in my room that I wasn't using, so I swapped an unused bookshelf in Christopher's room for the desk. Much better.

Other than that I've been in bed, reading and watching TV. 

I really wish that I had more energy. There is a lot to do. I would make a list but then I would just feel overwhelmed.

 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I'll be going to the other city to teach, so that is half of my day gone on those days. Then Friday is recovering from that, which leaves just a couple of days a week to work on the house and land. I need to get my health better so I can do more!  

Everyone is doing what they can to help out but we are all working. I just have to hope that we will have some land cleared by the beginning of March to start planting! 

David said that this is the hardest time, just clearing out years of neglect. I really hope that once everything is cleared it gets easier.

A bit of good news is that Hannah has started a new job, at an afterschool cram school. She has only done two days so far but she likes the other staff that she has met.

Of course there are cats next to the building, so Hannah is very happy. She looks forward to seeing the cats, not working!!!!

The cats near Hannah's new job

Doing Outside

 Trying to clean up this house and the surrounding land is like taking a cup of water out of the ocean. You know you've taken a cup of water out but you can't see any change!

Today I was determined to clean the passage between the house and storage area. There is space there for the trash but we need more bins. We've been putting the plastic bags out there but the cats and other animals get into them!

Before, bits of trash left lying around

The problem was the wind was rather strong today. Being between two building there was a wind tunnel effect. Plus the wind was very cold. I managed to pick up most of the trash, but there are a load of leaves that need to be swept up and I want to take down some of the trees there. I don't think having trees right next to the house is a good idea!

After, not much difference but a start.

Found that Fluffy was supervising from the window.

making sure the work is done

I then went into the storage place to see if I could do anything there. But boxes need to be moved, Christopher was helping but they are so heavy that they need two people to move them. I did manage to get some more books on the shelves and found a top I've been looking for!

After that I had a little walk round. The trees are starting to bud, I have no idea if this is early or not. I'm a bit worried as winter is far from over. The past week has been very mild. According to the weather reports the temperatures are similar to mid March! Next week it's going to get cold again!

A few early flowers and blossoms.

The yellow blossom is very beautiful

I hope to get out tomorrow, the weather should be alright. But from Monday rain and possible snow!!

Just A Cat Post

 The cats have really settled in.

I was worried because they were fighting so much in the other house. At night we used to separate them, keeping Fred away from Alan, Steve and Frodo. 

Fred

Alan and Steve

Frodo

I don't know why but Steve, Alan and Frodo would attack Fred. Some morning, if they weren't spilt up, I would come down to fur and blood all over the place.

This house has all sliding doors which we can't block. I've been so worried about night fights, but apart from a bit of growling we haven't had any major fights! So far!!

One big problem, though, is the night time zoomies. There's a long corridor down the middle of the house.  Almost every night at about 2am the cats start chasing up and down the corridor.  I hear them racing past my room, then smashing into the glass door, then racing back. If it was one cat, maybe it wouldn't be too bad but some nights it's at least six of them!!

Of course they have found the best place to hangout.

The window where my reading nook is faces the garden where there a few bushes and lots of birds. As the weather warms up I think this area is going to attract a lot of birds and maybe other wild life, although I have no idea what animals are around here.  I think it could be very entertaining for the cats.

Some of the cats looking through the window

Sometimes when I come home they are sitting there, nice greeting!

Another problem is finding space for more litter boxes. We have 7 out at the moment but it isn't enough. I'll have to figure out where to put a few more. One place would be in the bathroom, but I'm not sure yet!  

I'm glad that they have settled in okay. I was prepared for a lot of fights and a lot more spraying and scratching but so far, so good!

Commuting To Work

 Since I lived in Japan I have worked from home.

I have a little English school. In all the places we have lived I've always turned one room into a classroom so I could teach. 

I really liked the idea that my commute to work only took a few seconds. Sometimes  I would get upset at people coming in the house, especially kids. I really would have liked another building on the same land where I could teach but that never happened.

Now I have to commute to work. From here to where we teach is about 30 minutes, not too bad, most the drive is through the countryside. I can't drive so I go with Mikey, which means that I'm hanging around while Mikey teaches to do my one or two lessons.  

I've only been doing this for a few weeks now but I'm exhausted. I'm not sure why. Part of it might be all the work I'm still doing trying to set up this house and helping on the land, part might be that my insomnia has reared it's ugly head again, and part might be the fact that I only have one lesson but Mikey has 3 or 4, so I just sitting around waiting for him!

I try to make use of my time. I reading a lot, I download a lot of books on my Kindle, also I'm trying to write more, experimenting with poetry, also I'm teaching myself how to crotchet. But it is still a long time to fill. Also the places that we are teaching in aren't heated. We feed the meter to heat the one room, so I stay in there. It's big, so I can just sit in one corner. I hope that once the weather warms up I can use another room.

Yesterday I got to watch one of Mikey's classes. Most of our classes are one on one so it was nice to watch him teach 4 kids at one time. 

Mikey teaching

He has a list of verbs on the board and was practicing "can". One verb was hit, giving hints the kids had to make a sentence using the verb and can. One girl came out with "I can hit Mikey". Mikey's response was to run away screaming for help, of course the kids loved that!

I Ache

 The past few days the weather has been very mild, high in the mid teens. So I've been getting out in the garden a bit, trying to tidy up things, put away stuff that has been left outside since we moved in.

Easy enough to do but I didn't realize how much bending and squatting I would be doing.  I wasn't out there for long, maybe half an hour each day, with breaks but this morning I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a ton of bricks! I'm not sure what bit hurts more, by shoulder feels pinched, my back and hips just ache and my legs think that this is the end!! 

I know I'm out of shape, but I didn't think I was this bad!

I also know what my problem is, inconsistency! I'll start something but then give up because something has happened. For example last year I started to do some chair exercises. I was doing great, not really enjoying it but able to do them at least 4 times a week. Then I got shingles, which took a month to fully recover from, followed by Covid, another month with no energy! After that I never got back into doing the exercises, it was always tomorrow or next week. But as the year went on we got more and more busy with the move and I got more and more stressed with everything exercise became the last thing on my mind!

So I'm thinking about starting some exercises again. I've been watching a lot of videos about exercises for back problems. Basic stretches to help the pain in my neck. I've been doing them two or three times a day, which has helped a bit. I need to find something that will give me a good work out without killing me. I also want to start walking before it gets too hot to go outside!  Plus there is still a lot of work to be done in the house and garden.

I have a few projects that I want to start as well. One is building a catio, a cage for the cats attached to  the house. I thought about buying one but they are very expensive. Looking around the storage rooms I have found these massive meatal racks, that could be used as a frame for the cage. So I'm looking for ideas for that.

Also I finally pasteurized the first lot of honey.

First lot of honey

I have to buy a funnel to put it into a smaller bottle! This is about a quarter of the honeycomb!

Next is to figure out how to make marmalade from these Japanese oranges that my student gave me. They are too sour to eat as is.

I thought I would have a lot of time to read and write once we moved here as I'm not teaching so much but I seem to be busier than ever. But it's good for me, no time for self pity parties!!

The Land

 David has been working hard on the land that is just up the road from here. Last year he couldn't park the car on the land, it was that overgrown.

This morning I went with David for half an hour. I was pleasantly surprised at how much he has done.

Last year

This morning he could get the car on and he had widened the small path in the middle of the second photo.

The widened path

One reason he wanted to go was to try out his new chain saw.

He worries me with these machines. He is so accident prone. As a child we would end up in the emergency room every other month. 

But he seems confident in what he is doing! 

  He cut down a lot until the chain saw broke, the chain came away from the place that was holding it!

He got it fixed but we had to get back so I could finish lunch.

The weather has been very mild the past few days so I'm trying to get out and get things done.  There is still a lot of trash outside the storage place next to the house. I've been trying to organize it so we can take it to the city dump.  Big job but getting done bit by bit! 

The Bee Hive

 There has been a bee hive under this house for many years. When we lived here 16 years ago, it was already well established. We tried to kill the bees off but they kept coming back.

The place where they were coming in and out of the hive was next to one of the paths that leads to the back of the house where the different meters are. I've been worried about the guys who have to go down there. Also Christopher had a very bad reaction to bee stings when he was little, he might have out grown it but it's a risk.

Yesterday morning I showed a home page to David of a company that deals with these types of insects, there are a lot in Japan. Even cute caterpillars have a deadly sting, speaking from experience here!  The company looked good but even just the basic price was 10,000 yen (about 50 pounds) if there were any problems it could get very expensive!

David decided to open up one of the tatamis to see what the hive looked like. We had noticed that there was no activity at all, either they had died because of the sudden cold snap the other week or they were hibernating.

David was surprised at the size of the hive.

massive hive

He tried to pull it away from the floor beams, it came away it pieces but also a load of honey started to drip from it. Of course David had to taste it!

As he pulled away more and more he was shocked at the beauty of the structure inside.

Really beautiful

He managed to get it out. There's so much honey in there. Also we found a few bees that were hibernating. 

Bees in the hive

So now we have a dilemma. 

We want to harvest the honey but save the bees. But I don't want the bees near the house!  After checking on line to see if it would be possible to process the honey we divided the hive. The pieces with the honey we kept here, the other part David took to some of our land that has a lot of weeds, especially those that bloom early. I hope that the bees survive!

This what we were left with!

Lots of honeycombs!

To get the honey it is basically a process of straining it through sieves, until the comb has been removed. The last straining is through cheese cloth. 

So all day yesterday and today I've been processing honey. It's fun and rather interesting to do, but very sticky. I thought about using it as is but after reading more on line I've decided to pasteurize it. We've used a bit already in tea and coffee but just be safe I think that the pasteurization method is best.

mashing the honey comb

honey before pasteurizing

When I was told that we had to leave the other house and move here I thought about growing vegetables, maybe getting a few chickens for eggs (not happening as they stink!), pottering around in the garden. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be processing honey!!  I guess this is part of  the adventure that is life.

Shopping

 As I've mentioned before I've been doing a lot more shopping then I used to!

Not having shops near by makes things a lot more difficult. In the old house I would just send somebody to pick up what I had run out of or forgotten. 

So I've been making lists, which helps but sometimes what's on my list isn't available or too expensive so I have to change my menu plans.

Another problem is the shocking price of food.

5kgs of rice cost about 2000 yen last year, about 10 pounds, now the same rice costs over 3000 yen, about 15 pounds. I know that I can cook potatoes, pasta, Japanese noodles or bread but rice is so easy to use. I cook a large lunch everyday, in the evenings it's usually a case of everybody making themselves something.  Having rice cooked in the rice cooker makes that a lot easier.

Fruits are expensive, but I've always felt that fruit is more expensive here.  4 apples would set you back about 1280 yen, almost 7 pounds. At the moment I only buy bananas!

This year vegetables have become very expensive. Most vegetables are domestic, Japan imports very few vegetables.  If there were more imported produce I could understand the high price as the yen is very weak at the moment.  But most of what I buy is from local farmers, the furthest is from the north of Japan.

I'm sure the reasons for such high prices are multi- layered, but according to one of my students, who is a farmer, the weather this past year has been very bad. She told me that on her farm the sprinklers were set to go off mid morning but the water would just boil in the ground it was that hot. They had to change to late evening watering. The extreme heat also lowered the production of rice, plus panic buying in August after an earthquake triggered an advisory that the Nankai Trough mega quake could happen, has caused a rice shortage.

Most vegetables are at least double what they were last winter but cabbage has gone really expensive. 3 or 4 times the usual price.

This was the price in a discount supermarket that I use.

780 yen for a head of cabbage

I couldn't believe it, that's about 4 pounds for one cabbage.

 The prices this year have made me more determined than ever to try and grow some vegetables. I don't know how successful we will be but we have to try!

In another store I was in I almost got run over by the robot vacuum cleaner.

This little guy needs indicator lights

I like how they have put a lovely cheerful face on him! But some noise or indication that he is coming round the corner would help. I was trying to decide what to buy, I wasn't paying attention to the floor, the vacuum cleaner came round the corner, fast, I yelped and jumped. David and Christopher, rolled their eyes and walked away. 

Doctors

 I've been having back pain, left shoulder and lower back. The shoulder pain is probably because of a herniated disc in my neck. I've had this a few times before and it's always the same problem. My lower back has been bad for far too many years. Most of the time it's okay but occasionally it starts to play up.

I was going to go to the clinic that I used in the other city but that's a 30 minute drive so I found something a bit closer. 

David took me. We went in and tried to use "My Number Card".  This is a new thing here that is supposed make life easier for residents. My Number card has information on your tax, national insurance and what benefits you are collecting. The reason I had to register with the new city was so my national insurance would work.

After My Number Card failed we gave the receptionist the temporary insurance card I was issued. We waited for half an hour, in a rather uncomfortable waiting room.  The receptionist came back and said that I wasn't registered with the city!

At that point I gave up.  

Actually I was kind of relieved. I didn't have a good feeling about the clinic. All of the patients were very old, the waiting area was uncomfortable, even the decor in the toilet was rather weird.

toilet, the floor reminded me of something from the 1970s

Maybe they were going for a homey feeling but they didn't really pull it off.

So instead of seeing a doctor we went shopping. I bought some shelf liners for the some of the cupboards under the stove top. I have no space to store things, so I have to use them.  I have to get this kitchen organized better!

For my back, I'm going to try some gentle exercise, hot showers and using my hot blanket.  I don't think there is much a doctor can do except give me strong painkillers.

Wish me luck with the exercise. I really don't enjoy it but I know that it helps!!

City Hall

 In Japan when you move from one city to another you have to inform both city halls.

Yesterday I decided to get this done with.

The city that we were living in just rebuilt there city hall. It's very new and modern.  The staff are young and very competent. I went with Hannah as I really get lost with all the language needed. 

We went in, filled out the form, waited a minute to hand in the form. Because I have foreign residence status it makes things slightly different to my kids who are Japanese citizens.  Not a big deal, the city hall made a special paper showing my residence status. Took about 15 minutes.

Went to the local city office near where we live, the main city hall is a massive place. It's easy to get lost or end up on the wrong floor. David suggested the local office thinking it would be quicker.

There were very few staff, which wasn't a good sign. We took a number ticket and got called quickly. David explained what we needed to do. The lady looked at my information and said "I'm just a year older than you"  I have no idea where that statement came from, I just said something along the lines of you don't look that old! Made her happy!

It then took one hour to register me as the head of the household here. Plus this old lady kept calling me Oba Chan, grandma!  

Anyway it's done. I have to go a couple more times to sort out my national insurance but that can wait a bit.

Bit of good news.

Christopher got a part time job. It's not great money but better than nothing. He started yesterday. One problem is that he has to walk, about 40 minutes. He said that he's okay to do that!  I hope he can save to get driving lessons.

Also Hannah has another little job. The nursery that she works at is only until April. Once she starts graduate school she won't be able to work mornings!  She's found a job in a cram school. She starts on Saturday, it's just a few days a week, it will help her.

I keep looking at the mountains that we are at the foot off. They are very beautiful and majestic.

part of the mountain range that we live near

This is the Mino Mountain range, the highest point is 222 meters, about 730 feet.  The problem is that most of the old growth trees were cut down during World War 2.  These trees had deep roots and help the  under growth to develop. The roots of these trees helped to prevent landslides. After the war trees were replanted, but they were fast growing trees that don't have to same deep root system. Over the years typhoons, heavy rains and earthquakes have made the mountains unstable. Landslides occur almost every year through out Japan. Where we lived before I didn't worry about landslides or floods, no mountains or rivers nearby! We have a deep stream, concrete lined behind our property and of course the mountains.  I know if it happens it happens but I really hope that we are safe here. I talk to the mountains in the morning, thank them for being there, for there beauty and I ask them not to fall on us!

Earthquake

 I know that Japan is one of the most seismic active countries in the world. 

I know that scientists have been warning about the possibility of a Nankai Trough earthquake for many years!

The Nankai Trough is an oceanic trough running along the Pacific Coast of Japan. It's where the Philippians Plate and the Eurasian Plates meet. Nankai Trough earthquakes occur every 100 to 150 years. The last two were in 1945 and 1946.  The areas around this trough have become a lot more active in the past few years, scientists say that there is a possibility of a major quake within the next 30 years.

Last August there was an earthquake near the trough which triggered an advisory for people who live in the area that would be most affected by a strong earthquake and the tsunami that would follow. This is the first time such an advisory had been issued.

I also know what to do in an earthquake. If possible turn off the gas and try to get to a safe place, away from furniture that could fall on you, under a sturdy table or in the door way.

With all this knowledge I should be able to deal with earthquakes but of course I don't!

Last night was weird. I was sitting in bed trying to decide whether to watch TV or read my book. As I was sitting there my bed started to shake. At first I thought it was just the bed, the screws need tightening up!  But it felt very strange, so I went out into the corridor where I could see the lights swinging and one of the cats just standing with it ears down. I went to David's room, met up with the other kids, we all said "Earthquake". The strange thing was our phone alarms didn't sound.  

In Japan there is a system set up where phones will sound an alarm if an earthquake is detected. I don't like the sound of the alarm going off, as the phone just shouts "Earthquake, earthquake!" but no other information such as where the epicenter is or how strong the quake is.  Even with the smallest quakes the alarms go off but yesterday it didn't. Hannah said that on her social media a lot of people were commenting on this so it wasn't just our phones!

Again I panicked. It's like my brain goes white and I have no idea what to do. My kids were all calm, they just checked to see where it was.  Me, I just stood in the cold corridor with the deer in the headlights look on my face!

Part of my worry is this house is not a new build, I've noticed cracks in the foundation and on some of the external walls.  I need to go and see if these cracks are worse or if there are any new ones!

Earlier in the evening David was playing with blue angel key ring holder I had bought him.

This tickled me!

 

Another Problem Solved!

 In Japan each household has to take their garbage to a certain place for pick up, usually twice a week. Each community as has a designated space, usually 20 houses has one space. The trucks then pick up from there. If a household has very old people or disabled people the city will arrange a pick up from the house.

When we moved to the old house a neighbor stopped by and explained when and where the garbage had to be put out, there was a space next to the small park on the next block. Moving back here we didn't get that courtesy! I think because we moved into my mother-in-laws house the neighbors thought we knew where the pick up place was! But we didn't. For one month we've had trashing piling up outside. The yard is massive so it isn't a big problem but the local cats kept getting into it, plus I'm sure there are other creatures about!

Yesterday I sent David to the neighbor's house to ask where the trash place is. She told him that there are two places one up the road near the community center, the other place is down the road, a cage near Yamaguchi's house! David just looked at her, who's Yamaguchi?

She explained that we had to cross over the road, walk down a small road and the cage is on the left hand side! Much better explanation than "next to Yamaguchi's house"

Just to make sure where it was Christopher and I had a little walk early yesterday evening. The moon was just rising. I managed to get some photos!

Full moon

One thing with living in such a rural area is that there is very little light pollution, on a clear night the moon and stars are very bright and easy to see.

This morning Mikey and Christopher took the trash. I'm glad that we got that sorted!

A Long Day

 Yesterday was very long and very cold!

Every other Saturday Mikey does volunteer English classes at different community centers. When we were living in the same city it wasn't a problem, I would stay home and cover his classes if he was late back. Moving has made the logistics more difficult. For me to get to the other city would involve using two different trains, something I don't want to do or going in the morning and hanging around until I have to teach in the evening.

Yesterday's plan was for me to go with Mikey in the morning and wait at the local shopping mall with Christopher until it was time to go to the community center in the afternoon. When I woke up yesterday morning I was too tired to go. I asked David to drop Christopher and me at the train station but David took us to the other city! That helped a lot!

Christopher and I had lunch at an Italian restaurant in the mall. This restaurant isn't too expensive, we had onion soup with garlic bread and shared a pizza. The soup was nice and warming!

onion soup

pizza

lunch

After lunch we met up with Hannah. She was at work in the city and wanted to come back home for a couple of days!  We did a bit of shopping, a lot of window shopping!

Then it was time to go to the community center.  We thought there would be a bus but when we went to the bus station we couldn't find a bus to the area we were going to and I was getting too cold to look around. We got a taxi with heated seats! It was the first time to use heated seats, I didn't want to get out!

When we got to the community center we were greeted by a rather rude lady! The community center had double booked the room!  Monday is Coming of Age Day, when all young people who have turned 20 get to celebrate becoming an adult. For the young ladies it means paying a small fortune to hire a kimono for the day!  The room that we usually use was being used for young ladies from the area to come and get ready.  Putting on a kimono is a complicated process, something most ladies don't do now, so the shop that hires the kimono also has staff that helps you dress and styles your hair.  

We asked this lady about the room, why she was set up in there as we had booked this room for every Saturday afternoon 2 months ago. Her response wasn't nice at all. She didn't apologize for the mix up or explain anything to us. She was going on about something but I couldn't catch what she was saying so I followed her to the room. She rounded on me and said "Don't come in here!"  I saw the kimonos hanging and said that they were really beautiful. Her response was "Don't look at them!!"  She then stormed out!  

So we were stuck with using the gym, a massive, cold room!  Hannah paid the meter to run the heating system but it didn't warm up the room at all. I had one lesson with very young kids, 4 and 6 year old brother and sister. I knew that using the gym wouldn't work for them, so we sat in the foyer to teach them. That was awful, it was so cold my fingers were numb!

The other classes we did in the gym but it was far too cold! 

I survived, somehow! I was so happy to get in the car with the heater blasting! 

Hannah came back with us, she doesn't have anything tomorrow so wanted to come home for a couple of days! As much as she likes her independence, coming back is nice! And she gets to hang with the cats for a couple of days!

Snow

 Yesterday I posted a short video of the snow. After I took that video it stopped snowing, I thought that would be the extent of the snow for this year!!

Last night it started again, this time a lot heavier and a lot longer!

This morning I woke up to this!

outside my bedroom window!

outside the front door

around the yard

Looked lovely.

The plan was breakfast, wash dishes, quick shower and out to shop.

Breakfast was okay.

Turned on the hot water to wash the dishes, no hot water! Checked the bathroom, same!

The water is gas heated. The set up isn't that good. The cold water pipes are all under the house, which is why they didn't freeze! To heat the water, it is pumped up from underground to the heater, which is on the back of the house and then into the house. The problem is that the pipes are outside the house and not insulated at all, just some tape wrapped round them!

the pipes bringing the water to the heater

A quick search came up with a few ideas, such as using a hair dryer to defrost them. The one we went with was using a freezer bag filled with hot water and placing it on the pipes!  I was sceptical but it worked!

Of course this meant that my schedule was off.

David came back about 10am, he is still working nights!  He said that some of the roads were still bad even though the snow was starting to melt! He counted about 10 accidents, cars that had skidded off the road or into trees!

We don't get snow here very often, not every year! The past 5 to 7 years I've seen more snow than the first 20 years here altogether.  I've never seen any gritters out, maybe in the city centers but not on the country roads!  

We finally got out about 12 o'clock.  First stop was the bank, but it was closed for lunch!  That is how countryside this area is!

I wanted to go to a supermarket in a small town about 30 minutes away. Somehow we took a wrong turn. We ended up driving past Costco. I still haven't been but at least I could see it. I was surprised at how busy it was. The parking lot is big and was almost full!

I was trying to get some photos of the mountains but on my camera phone it wasn't that easy!

Looks like it was still snowing on some of the mountains

This was the view from my bedroom this afternoon.

Cold mountains

The white patches worry me! They are areas that have had landslides, there are no trees or undergrowth!  Does that mean there is a possibility of a larger landslide?  

Tomorrow I'm out all day! I have one lesson but Mikey has back to back lessons. So I'm going with him in the morning and will spend the day hanging around!  Hannah called, she has work in the morning but will meet me at lunch time.  Something to look forward to.  

Snow is forecast for Sunday afternoon so I'll have to figure something out for the pipes before then!

I wonder how many more surprises this house is going to throw at us!