Real Summer

 It's been hot for a few weeks now but for me, real summer is when the cicadas start singing!

I took this out of the window this morning. Nothing to see but the noise is incredible.  Even in my room with the windows closed and the air conditioning on I can hear them.  For such a small creature, about an inch long, they make a lot of noise.  It's one of those things that I've come to associate with summer.

David has bought a battery-powered hedge trimmer. These things scare me but are really good when you have a lot to cut down! He's been outside cutting the hedges and the weeds for about half an hour and has gotten most of the yard done.  He bought it to do the yard and land at the other house but this house needed to be done as well.

He should have worn long sleeves!

He's done a lot in a short time.  But now has ant bites on his hands and arms! He wanted to do more but the wind has picked up and it might rain soon.

Guilt

 Why do I do this to myself?

I'm feeling awful at the moment. I think it's a combination of being sick since May, the stress over the other house, and the heat!  I have no energy at all.  I washed a few dishes and taught one class this morning and now feel totally wiped out.  I planned to cook lunch but can't stand in the hot kitchen long enough to cook!  But I feel guilty for not doing it, especially since David will cook after working 9 hours! I hate feeling like this. I'm pushing myself as much as possible to get things done but my energy level is so low.  

Also, the heat is very intense. It's 31C now but it will go up to 34C after lunch. The next ten days are forecasted to be the same.  We might get some rain tomorrow which cools things a bit!  But this heat will be for the next few months!  I have so much to do to get ready to move but have no idea how to get things sorted. I'm pushing the kids to do a lot as well but I feel overwhelmed by everything!  

The supermarket where Christopher works is closing this weekend.  He has another month of work then he will finish there.  He needs to find another job but where we are moving to is in the countryside and he can't drive.  Just another worry to add to my list!

Think I'll talk to the cats!  I don't want to moan to the kids too much.  They are helping as much as possible and it's not fair to dump on them when they are also dealing with different things!

I was trying to get photos of Alan and Toast, our two black cats. Alan had enough though and turned his back on me!

Alan and Toast

Alan turned round, no more photos!!!

I Went, I Saw, I Cried

 Many years ago I dreamt of moving back to the UK. I spent hours looking at all these beautiful houses online.  One real estate agent site suggested looking at properties at different times and weather conditions. A property that looks lovely under blue skies might look totally different in rainy weather.  I've often wondered how true that is.  Today I found out that it is very true.  Most of the time we go to the other house when it's sunny or cloudy.  A couple of times we've been when it's been raining but not the torrential rain we've had the past few days.  I was shocked at how bad things looked.  The outside storage roof has come away from the building, it's like a carport attached to the storage building.  It's separated and rain was pouring down the storage building front, soaking everything.

The circled parts are where the water is coming in

We have finally got the water turned on, only to find that one pipe outside is broken and water was going everywhere.  David bought some tape and something to stop the tap but looks like he needs some special glue to hold the stopper in place.

I tried to put the trash in the kitchen/dining area together. But got distracted by the sink. If you are eating you might not want to see this photo.

The drain in the kitchen sink

The mold has grown so much that it is covering the whole draining basket. I'll have to throw it away and buy another new one.  This is what broke me when we moved in with my mother-in-law.  She had spent over 5000 pounds on clothes that she never wore but couldn't buy bleach to clean the sink. When I saw this today I started to cry, I know it's not a big problem, the baskets cost a few hundred yen but it's more of what it represents.  The lack of care for the house.  I know she was old but she had access to home help but refused.  I don't know, it just makes me sad. 

I  did manage to clean the window sill.  I had to use wet tissues, once we have sorted the water problem then I'll give it another clean. Also, I must take a small screwdriver to take down the old blinds!

Looks better

On the way home we had to cross the main river.  It's flooded to the riverside park and parking area.

right hand side is the river

That tree is in the parking lot

Hannah said that the cats were having a demo while I was out.  They were all in the corridor, meowing and carrying on for about an hour!

Cat demo

Change Of Plans

 Today's plan was to get out of the house at about 7am, go to the other house, work there for a few hours, shop, and come home.

We woke up to this

This had been going on all night.  I know that most of the work I planned for today was inside, so it doesn't matter about the weather but we were under flood, landslide, and thunderstorm warnings.  One of the small towns we drive through to get to the other house always floods, deep enough in some places to get into the car engine!  We lived in that town when the kids were in elementary school.  Every year they would come home with a map of areas to avoid during the rainy season. That was when the rainy season was gentle rain for a couple of weeks.  I didn't want to risk getting stuck in a flooded area.

So I spent the whole day doing nothing.  We've all had bad headaches, and nobody felt up to doing much!  I watched a movie with Mikey, sorted bills to be paid, and slept!  I might clean the kitchen later but I honestly feel rather blah!!  

The rain is set to last for a couple more days.  I think a lot of people will be upset as tomorrow is a national holiday, Marine Day.  I guess trips to the beach are canceled.  I need to shop but I think tomorrow will be very busy at all the stores!!

I hope to get to the other house a couple of times this week.  Just push to do as much as possible, then focus here. 

Having A Moan

 Back in March or April, I remember thinking that the other house would be finished enough by summer to start moving stuff into it.  I planned to spend the summer packing up here and cleaning this house,  here I have air conditioners and fans so working during the hottest time of the year is doable. Then in October and November just move the furniture and be finished.

But of course, life threw me a curve ball.  I got shingles in May and recovered enough to start work on the other house when I got COVID.  I still feel really wiped out from that, plus the constant heat and humidity really saps my strength.  I want to sleep more but because I've been lying down too much my back hurts like crazy!

I feel like I'm not winning an endless race. I know we have until January 2025 and if it takes that long to move so be it. But I would rather move before the really cold time starts as the other house is very cold.  There is no sun on any of the rooms in the other house, which helps in the summer but makes the rooms extremely cold in. Also the sooner we move from here the sooner I stop paying rent.  I would like to use the rent money to buy things for the other house. 

Yesterday I packed up another box of books. But still, too many to deal with.  Most are kid's books, I kept them for students to look at, also Mikey reads to some of the students, he translates as he goes along. The younger kids seem to enjoy that. I've kept some of those books but I don't intend to set up a teaching room in the other house, no room and the house is not in an area where there are a lot of potential students.  I'm actually wondering how I'm going to make money.  Mikey and I will come to this city a few times a week but I'm not sure how many students we can retain. We will rent a room in the local community center but the rooms aren't available every day and if students can't change days then they will quit. Just another load of stress for me!!

Yesterday I was teaching 2 6th grade girls.  We were doing adjectives. The book gave an example using he, "He is busy", He is tired".  I got the girls the choose three words and draw a picture using she.  Their drawings were very good!

cute pictures

I enjoyed that class, the girls are very lively so even though I feel tired when I start by the time I've finished I have more energy!

Better go and get some chores done. I plan on going to the other house tomorrow, early morning to get some more cleaning done!

Back To The House

 David and I went early this morning just to check that everything was alright!  We've had a couple of weeks of intense rain and it's very windy now.  I'm worried about one tree that is next to the house. It's taller than the house if it falls because of the wind it could take out the roof!  Needs to be cut down but I think we might need a professional for that job.

I was surprised at how cool it was. There was a lovely breeze that made it feel a lot cooler than it actually was.  The old thermometer in the house said 28C but it didn't feel like that.

Blueberries

I managed to pick some blueberries.  Not that many but they'll be nice mixed with yoghurt and frozen. Nice cool snack!

in the car

I haven't been in the car for a few days, actually about 2 weeks.  I was rather shocked to see this in front of the passenger seat!  I'll have to ask Mikey about it later.

Made me laugh

I wish Japanese people understood English. This T-shirt says "Try sucking lips".

Gave me a laugh!

It's Hot

 I know it's July and I know it's summer but this heat is killing! In the past week, 8 people have died from heat-related illnesses and over 2000 have been admitted to hospital.  Some places hit 39C!  It's not livable. Where we are the highs are about 33C and that is too much for me.  The big problem for me is that the temperature doesn't drop, even at night!  Last night the lowest was 28C, far too hot.  I have an air conditioner and fan in my room, which helps, but I don't want to see the electric bill. 

I'm drinking loads of water and sports drinks, I don't go out at all.  Even getting to the car makes me sweat!  Most shops are nice and cool.  I spend a lot of time looking at the frozen food, which helps to cool down. Christopher said that he was having a hard time yesterday because he was working in the freezer, sorting goods to be put out.  When he went to help on the registrar he had a hard time feeling warm!  He doesn't mind working in the freezer, he says it's one way of keeping cool.

I worry about Hannah, she has to walk a lot in the heat.  She wears cool clothes, has a hat, and drinks a lot. I told her to break up her walks by stopping into stores. Just to have a few minutes to cool down and feel a bit refreshed might help.  

But this is just the beginning of the summer.  We have at least 3 more months of this intense heat. I think you know what I'll be writing about (moaning about) for the next few posts!  

How to keep cool?  I'm trying to get household chores done early, before 8am if possible.  That does help. This morning I cleaned the kitchen and washed some dishes, even though it was only 7am I was drenched in sweat by the time I had finished.  I planned on doing the floors but they will have to wait until tomorrow.  

I use a fan until the temperature gets to 30C, then the air conditioning goes on. No choice. I keep the curtains closed, no sun on the room helps a lot.

I keep a wet towel around my neck.  That feels nice, especially if I'm cooking.  I haven't cooked much this week.  I'm still recovering from Covid, I'm exhausted, and getting overheated cooking isn't going to help.  

And I drink a lot of water and sports drinks.  I make iced tea sometimes, just to have a different taste but water is the best.  Not sure how much I drink but must be over 3 litres a day, maybe more. I sweat a lot so I always feel I need to drink. 

The cats are hanging out in the corridor, they can come into the living room where the air conditioner is on but somehow they like the corridor.  I make sure there is plenty of water for them.  I think they have the best schedule, they are playing and moving during the cooler times of the day. When it's hot they stretch out and sleep!

Fluffy stretched out across the fan