Rainy Season

 According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, the rainy season has started in southern Kyushu and Shikoku. This is the first time in 62 years that the rainy season has started somewhere other than Okinawa. Also, it's about 2 weeks earlier than usual.

Where we live, in northern Kyushu, the rainy season hasn't started yet!

But last night we had an awful storm, very heavy rain and wind.

In the old house, I never worried about these storms as there were no mountains or rivers nearby. Here we live at the foot of a large mountain.  

There have been a few landslides from this mountain range. I can see that part of the vegetation is stripped away up on the mountain. There were some blue tarps on some areas, those have gone! Moved by workers or washed away?

I think we are far enough down from the mountain, plus there are other buildings between us and the mountain, but it is a worry. 

Japan has a lot of landslides every year! Seventy percent of the country is covered by mountains. The small flat lands are highly developed, as the population has grown villages and towns have started to creep up the mountains, meaning that more and more places have the possibility to be hit by a landslide.

Add to that the weather, a rainy season and typhoons, and ground-altering earthquakes it is inevitable that landslides will occur!

What to do? 

Nothing! Well, not really nothing. I think being aware of the possibility of a disaster is wise!

Have supplies of food and water (and cat food in our case), have a first aid kit, and any medicines that you need at hand. Have a family plan, where to meet up, who to call for help, etc. Keep informed of the possibility of a problem.

My kids say not to worry. If it happens, it happens; worrying is not going to stop the mountain from falling on your head!

So I'm trying to not worry too much!!

This had me scratching my head the other morning!

Alan was staring at the wall.

He sat like this, perfectly still for about an hour. The other cats walked past him but he just didn't move.

I thought it was the resident ghost that he was watching! Turned out to be a big spider that was walking back and forth across the top of the wall. I think I would prefer the ghost!!