May 5, 2026

Tuesday - Warm and Sunny

Well, today was an interesting day. I got up first around 7:30 when I found F sitting on the bottom of the bed. I had to go downstairs and then I went back to bed for another couple of hours. 

I got up around 9:30, got dressed and even went downstairs to grab my yogurt to have breakfast. Just before 10:30 I went downstairs and went out the front door. I went over to the bus stop and waited for the bus. It was only a couple of minutes late. 

I rode the bus down to the Sanno-Machi bus stop. I got off and walked down to the drugstore nearby. As I arrived I noticed there was a photo booth outside the store, so I went in and got my picture taken. It’s horrible, it really is, but it’s done and I can take it in to the Immigration office for them to use. 

I went into the drugstore, bought myself a drink, a snack and a treat for later. Then, I paid and walked back to the cinema. I went in, and bought my ticket to see Hamnet. 

I watched the movie and I enjoyed the performances but to be honest, I’m not sure what the point was! I didn’t cry, I didn’t even come close to it. Maybe its because F and I were at odds, but I really didn’t “get” the point of the film.

After the movie I spent a few minutes sitting in the lobby of the cinema and then walked back to the bus stop. I was a little early for the bus but it came about on time and I got on. I was the only passenger! When I got off, there was no one else on the bus either. I hope someone else got on the bus. I don’t want them to cancel the route. 

I walked back to the house and went in. F was in the living room but I ignored him. I went upstairs and changed my clothes a bit. F came up to the room and we did talk to each other a bit. I suggested that we go to the store and buy a few extra things to go with dinner and that’s what we did.

We went to Mina and bought a few things for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. I got some yogurt and salad for dinner tonight, plus a tonkatsu for each of us. 

When we came back to the house I changed my clothes and then went downstairs to the kitchen. I heated up the curry and also heated up the tonkatsu. I set the table and plated the salad for all of us. 

We had our dinner and it was quite nice. I did the dishes afterwards and listened to my podcasts. I had finished my favourite ones yesterday so these ones were just okay.

After I finished I told F I was going upstairs and then did. I watched some YouTube and things between F and I continued to get better. At 11pm I watched Law & Order. It was okay, it was about a YouTube influencer being murdered. It was an okay show.

And that’s about it for me. I’m not sure what we’re going to do tomorrow. F isn’t feeling too well tonight so our plans might not happen. We thought about doing a road trip, but now we’re not sure. 

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

May 4, 2026

 Monday - Cloudy and then rainy

I slept in this morning. F did too, so he got himself up around 10. He went downstairs and about 5 minutes later, so did I. He stayed downstairs to make his mother’s breakfast, I went back upstairs and back to bed for a bit. 

After a while I got up and went downstairs again. I chatted with F to see what he wanted to do. We decided we’d try a restaurant for lunch. We both went upstairs and changed our clothes, then got in the car and went out. 

We went to Arpeggio but unfortunately they were too busy. We tried a few places around Tsuruoka and then ended up at a small Korean restaurant. It wasn’t too busy. We both had the Ishiyaki Bibinba and it was very nice. We didn’t get any kimchi, which did surprise us, but it was very nice anyway.

After lunch, we headed back to the house but tried to go to a coffee shop. The one F suggested was closed today so we went to a 7-11 and bought a couple of cafe lattes for us. 

We came back to the house and drank our drinks. F had a bit of a nap and I spent time on my computer . Around 4 pm F asked me what we were going to do for dinner. I just stared at him! I told him that I was making dinner, that we bought the ingredients last night. 

I went downstairs around 5 pm and got started. It seemed to take a lot of time today. I had a lot of veggies to wash, peel and cut up, and then I had to cook everything! I got it done a little after 7 pm and we sat down together to have dinner. I do have to say that my curry was quite good. We all had seconds of it. F did annoy me after he had a few bites. He went to the kitchen and got out some sauce and put it on the curry. It was yakisoba sauce I think. Why on earth?

As usual, I got gifted the dishes. I had hoped that we’d go and see a movie tonight. I thought F knew that, but I guess that he didn’t. I didn’t finish in the kitchen until a few minutes before the movie started. When I finished, I just turned off the kitchen lights and went upstairs.

F came up a bit later and was trying to be friendly but I was so annoyed with him that I couldn’t be bothered with him. I went downstairs and took a shower after 10:30. When I came back upstairs I decided to watch some TV and put on another episode of Evil. I’m about halfway through the series now. I like it but sometimes it does freak me out a little!

Later F asked me if I wanted to go for pizza for lunch but I told him I was planning to go to see a movie. He wasn’t too impressed with me about that. I might go if the weather is decent and if I can get myself up early enough. Not sure that either will happen!

I guess I’m just annoyed with him that he forgot that I wanted to go to the cinema tonight AND that he didn’t come to the kitchen and help me with the dishes. He didn’t work today, so really there was no reason for him not to help me. I know that I need to talk to him about this but I find it hard to believe that after 25 years he can’t understand what makes me angry. 

Anyway, it’s late and I should be off to bed soon. Come back later if you want and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

May 3, 2026

Sunday - Cloudy and rainy

An interesting day!

I went to bed rather late last night. We’d gone to a movie so I wrote a movie review on Letterboxd in addition to all the other stuff I do. When I went to bed, F woke up and went downstairs. While he was down there he had a chat with his mother. She said some weird things and he chased her off to bed. 

We all slept in this morning which was nice. F got up around 10, I woke up a couple of seconds later and went downstairs. I came back upstairs and went back to bed for a while. F was a dutiful son and made breakfast for his mother.

A couple of hours later he came upstairs and we talked about going out. It took quite a while before we did. Finally, I suggested a place we went a couple of times, Cafe Nanaimo. They do curries and also give samples of popcorn while you are waiting for their meals. We drove over and were seated right away. We ordered our meals, filet pork with curry for F, a cheese curry doria for me. Mine was great, very tasty.  There also was a cute little robot! Its name was Nana and according to Google it is an Enabot EBO Air 2. It liked me and spent rather a lot of time at my side. 

Nana

After our meal, we paid and left. I was sad to leave my new friend, but I had to do it. We went to the nearby hardware store and F picked up some seeds for the garden. We also got a few other things including some hangers for pants. Both of us need them! 

We tried to stop by S-Mall so I could take my pictures for my Alien card renewal, but there was a booth set up in the corner for the Red Cross Blood Drive and I didn’t want to try and squeeze myself into the same area. We came back to the house instead.

We spent a bit of time at the house. I relaxed upstairs, F did whatever downstairs. He made his mother her dinner and a little later he came upstairs and we talked about our dinner. I made a couple of suggestions. We went and looked at the new pizza place but it was packed and we didn’t know where we’d park. We ended up at China House again. I had the Mapo-dofu set meal and it was great, F had a kind of fried rice but said it was salty. 

After our meal we headed off to the grocery store. We needed to buy something for K’s breakfast and also for the curry that I’m planning to make tomorrow night. Yes, I decided that I will spend a couple of hours in the kitchen tomorrow and hopefully we’ll have enough food for two nights worth of dinners. Fingers crossed anyway. 

We came back to the house and I headed upstairs after we put away the groceries. I decided that I’d watch something on TV so I put on last night’s episode of FBI. It was quite good. After that, I watched a couple of shows on Apple TV, Margo’s Got Money Trouble and then The Big Door Prize. I enjoyed both of them. 

Since midnight I’ve been watching YouTube. Just as I write this, I’ve been watching Roger Ebert do a tribute to Gene Siskel. I never got to see this before and it’s really good. I lived for Siskel & Ebert before I came to Canada and was saddened when Siskel died. I was even sadder when Ebert died as I agreed with Roger more often.

I’m not sure what we’re going to get up to tomorrow. I hope it’ll be fun if the weather isn’t too bad. Come back later if you like and hear all about my holiday Monday. Until tomorrow….

May 2, 2026

Saturday - Windy in the AM, Sunny and warm

I woke up this morning at 8am when my alarm went off. I got up, went downstairs and then came back to the room. I got dressed and spent a little time on my computer. I was waiting to hear from my friend. F was gone, his sister came by around 8:30 to get his mother ready to take to her Day Service. 

My friend had said that she’d be in Tsuruoka around 9 but she was running a bit late. F came back to the house a little after 9 am. My friend came by around 10:30 and we decided to go to Gusto and have a light meal. 

We had a good time at the restaurant and talked a lot. She had pizza, I had pasta and we both had the drink bar. 

All too soon, she had to go so she dropped me off at the house and I went in. I met up with F and after a bit of relaxing time he asked me if I’d like to go and have cake and coffee. I said sure so we went over to Komeda. He had the new caramel crepe cake, I had the cream cheese with nuts and fruit cake. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I told F that I was planning to go and see at least one movie this weekend and asked him if he was interested in coming. He said he was. Last week he made it sound like he wasn’t interested in seeing anything ever again! I checked the schedules of the local cinemas and we could go and see The Devil Wears Prada 2 tonight. 

We went to a grocery store after our drink. F bought food for dinner. I think it was a bit expensive if I’m honest, but…. We came back to the house and I went upstairs, he stayed downstairs and waited for his mother to return. 

Tonight F cooked dinner and did a pretty good job. He made a pork miso soup and some haksai and goma side dish. He grilled some gindara and gave us some salad too. Dinner was nice. We were all sitting at the table watching the news when K started gathering up the dishes and then tried to get me to wash them. Umm…that’s not what we do here. You cook, you wash! F told her off, the news wasn’t even over yet and we were both watching it. 

F took most of the dishes to the kitchen, I helped him with the rest and helped clear the table. He washed the dishes and then I dried them. I did ask him to wipe down the stove afterwards as it was a bit messy. 

We took a little time upstairs to relax and then around 8:30 we left the house. We drove out to Mikawa Mall and went into the cinema. We bought our tickets, some popcorn & drinks and then went to see The Devil Wears Prada 2. 

Now, a little aside. I did not like The Devil Wears Prada. I found the film to be vapid and annoying. I wasn’t planning to bother with the sequel unless F wanted to see it. He liked it, and so did I. It wasn’t the greatest film ever, but I did enjoy it a lot more than the first one!

After the movie we drove back to Tsuruoka. F went to bed almost immediately, I had a few things like blogging to do first! I’m about done now so I’m going to head off to bed. 

I’m not sure what we’re going to get up to tomorrow. The weather in the afternoon may not be great, so we’ll have to see what happens. Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

May 1, 2026

Friday - Cloudy and cooler, rainy at night

I woke up this morning at 6:30. I’m not sure why! F wasn’t in bed, so I figured that he was downstairs and of course he was. He was in the washroom where I wanted to be! Happily for me he came out about the time I got downstairs so things worked out. 

I came back upstairs and went back to sleep. I overslept my alarms, I had planned to wake up for them, but didn’t. I got up an hour later and went downstairs. I came back to the room, sorted my laundry and then went back to bed. I completely overslept again but I didn’t care too much.

I got up, went downstairs with my laundry and put my first load in. I went into the kitchen and made myself some oatmeal and took it upstairs to eat. After I finished eating, my load of laundry was done, so I brought it upstairs to hang up and started my second load. 

I had a quiet afternoon in my room. I watched a bit of YouTube and just chilled basically. Around 2:45 I went downstairs to grab my lunch. I made that and brought it upstairs to eat. Today I decided to watch something happy and fun, so watched the last episode of the seventh season of The Great British Sewing Bee. I really enjoyed that. 

Around 5:30 F phoned to say he was on the way back and did I want him to pick something up? I asked for some new milk…the one in the fridge was from March…yikes. I also asked F to bring something to have with dinner…either a deli thing or dessert or anything. 

I went downstairs around 6pm and started on dinner. Tonight I made spaghetti with bacon and salad. I used a store sauce that we found on sale and it was very good. We all seemed to enjoy it. Oh, and when F came back, he brought some milk and some chips for later for us two and noodles for his mother’s breakfast tomorrow….and he forgot to bring anything else again. He’s done this before and it annoys me a little, but not enough to get too upset about it. 

After dinner, I did the dishes and put them away. I went upstairs and chilled for a bit. I came downstairs after 10 and took a shower. I came back to the room and decided to watch an episode of The Boys. That show! It’s so bizarre, but I like it. 

Since midnight I’ve been watching YouTube and doing my usual end of day things. 

Tomorrow will have a stressful start. F has a doctor’s appointment, his sister will come over and take his mother to her Day Service place and I’m meeting up with a friend in the morning. Ack! 

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

April 30, 2026

Thursday - Clear and a little warmer

I woke up before my alarm today. I made my trip downstairs and then came back to the room. I set up my water pot just in case F did come back (he didn’t). I watched some videos and then fell asleep and woke up some time later. I got up, dressed and went downstairs again. 

I checked the mail and I got another postcard today. I have received a lot more than I have sent at the moment. I went into the kitchen and made my breakfast and took it upstairs. 

I ate breakfast, watched some YouTube and didn’t do any laundry. Oh well. I had a quiet afternoon really. I watched YouTube and drank tea and just relaxed a bit.

I made my lunch around 3 pm and brought my lunch upstairs to eat. I watched another episode of Breaking Bad. It was hilarious today. I’m wondering how this show is going to develop!

After 5:30, F called to say he was on his way back to the house. I changed a few minutes later and went downstairs to the kitchen. Tonight I did the pre-made burgers, fries and salad thing. I also made a cabbage and nira stir-fry that was quite nice. I did the dishes afterwards and listened to a couple of podcasts. I went upstairs with a small bottle of Diet Coke with no caffeine or sugar. 

I relaxed and did some of my loom knitting. I watched an episode of Evil. It was a bit spooky again…aren’t they all though? I watched The Rainmaker after that. I’ve been enjoying this show.

After midnight the TV went off and I started watching some YouTube and doing my end of day things. 

Tomorrow I will have to do laundry and try to get things set up for having F around for 5 days with no plans. Sigh. There are a couple of movies in town so I might take myself off to see a show if F doesn’t want to go. He said he doesn’t but….

Anyway, come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

April 29, 2026

Wednesday - Cloudy and cool

I woke up around my alarm time. F was still in bed which was nice. He hadn’t forgotten that today is a holiday! I went downstairs and then came back to bed for a while. We had a snuggle and then I fell asleep and F went downstairs to cook for his mother.

I got up much later and went downstairs. I chatted with F and he suggested going for lunch to one of his soba places. I’m not a huge fan of soba, but I thought it was fine. At least he had an idea. I suggested going to the one I like best, with his other choice as a back up. I got dressed, he got dressed and then we headed out in the car.

Well, our first choice was open (first time in ages) but there was no parking available. We decided we’d go to the second choice.  On our way, we passed Stamina Taro, the yakiniku buffet place. It had just finished a renewal and today was the first day of it. He suggested going there. I told him it would be expensive, but we decided to go there anyway. 

It was expensive…about ¥3500 per person, but that included our soft drinks and all the food we could cook and eat for the next 90 minutes. We could and did eat a lot. I didn’t go overboard and didn’t feel too bad when I left. F did eat a bit too much and wasn’t feeling great when we left the restaurant.

We did a quick trip to Yamaya where I got myself some rooibos tea for everyday and some popcorn flavouring. I haven’t tried that one yet. 

We left the store and came back to the house. I relaxed for a few minutes and tried to charge up my phone. Then, F drove me to my hair dresser’s.

I had spent a few minutes last night looking for a good picture and as usual, my stylist delivered. I paid and left. Happily, F was waiting outside for me and I offered to buy him a coffee at Doutor in the mall. We drove over to the mall and went in.

We had a nice and quiet time at Doutor. I had an iced decaf latte, F had a blend coffee. He played on his phone, I read some Threads. Surprisingly, F wanted to go up to Daiso, so we went upstairs and he bought something (new earphones) and I didn’t! I did offer to carry his earphones for him in my purse.

We came back to the house and relaxed for a bit. A little before 7 F made dinner for K. He gave her some eggs and natto on rice I think. I wouldn’t have been happy with that, but it’s okay!

We went out to Gusto for dinner. I had their smash burger and fries, F had chicken with a garlic soy sauce. He complained it was salty. Mine was nice and I enjoyed it. We both had the drink bar. I only had a couple of drinks tonight, so I didn’t overdo it.

We went over to the PAL grocery shop since it was fairly close and I went in and did the shopping. F stayed in the car and I was quite happy about that! It’s so much faster for me to do the shopping alone, plus I don’t buy (too much) stuff we don’t need. I got myself more cocoa, but I did offer to pay F back for it. He said it was okay. Tomorrow night we’ll be having pre-made burgers and fries, plus a side dish or two I hope. 

We came back to the house where I put away the groceries and then went upstairs. F got himself ready for work tomorrow and then came upstairs too. We had a fairly quiet night in. I watched The Irrational at 11pm and then turned off the TV as usual. 

I’m not too sure what I’ll get up to tomorrow. I might do some laundry or I might do a bit of tidying up. We’ll have to see. 

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….