February

 I know February is the shortest month but it's also one of the hardest for me. 

February is the coldest month and this year was exceptionally cold.

We had a couple of weeks where the daytime high didn't get over 8C, and nighttime lows were about -3C. Far too cold.  In the old house, even if it was very cold outside I could keep the main rooms warm and comfortable. In this house, the only warm place is my bed. On days when it was clear but cold, it was warmer outside in the sun!

There were some good days thrown in with the cold miserable days! 

I got to visit my friend, that was a nice outing.  Just chatting and drinking tea for a couple of hours.

Tried to do more outside. A bit challenging with the cold and the aches and pains I have but worth it.  Had a few good walks around this area as well.

Got to the city hall to sort out my health insurance.  I usually put that off until the last minute as dealing with bureaucracy drives me crazy. From my point of view, it's an easy problem to solve. I want to pay the insurance but I don't have the money so help me find a way to make that happen. But of course, there is a lot of red tape to work through.  I managed, with Christopher's help. I was surprised at how much I could communicate with the staff about the problem and understand what they were saying, just a few words I couldn't get. It helped to have somebody who could understand Japanese, as backup!

After the stress of city hall, it was nice to have a little walk around a shrine and the station, even if we did miss the train! Good excuse to go into a nice little cafe!

I guess it wasn't all bad in February but I'm glad it's over and done with.  I have a long list of things to get done next month. I want to start planting things but the area we want to use still needs clearing. I'll start with some seeding boxes and pots, there are hundreds hanging around. Let's hope the weather will cooperate!

Caught Steve being naughty last night!

After this Fred went out and Steve got on the sofa!! I think that was the plan all along!