December 24, 2023

Sunday - Warmer, and rainy  

I slept in a bit this morning, and I think F did for a while too. He got up later and made brunch for his mother. I got myself out of bed, dressed and opened my advent calendar. I wasn’t able to make my tea right away though.

F drove me over to S-Mall and I got out and went into the mall. I first went to the bakery and bought a sandwich and a tea. I went to the seating area. There was a jerky guy taking up a lot of room so as I got close to him I said “Sumimasen” which is basically “Excuse me” thinking he would move his chair. He didn’t. I’m afraid I put myself on Santa’s bad list because I said a few choice words about him in English. I wish I could say that he moved or was gone when I left, but he didn’t. He was still there. 

I did a little shopping. I checked out the grocery store but didn’t get anything. I visited the import store and planned what to buy later. Then, I went upstairs to the hundred-yen shop. I picked up a few things for myself, the house, and F. I wanted to put a few silly things for his Christmas present. He already knows the main things I gave him, but I wanted a little bit of a surprise for him. 

I went back to the import store and picked up a different tea advent calendar that was on sale. When I was in the shop earlier, there were two left, now there was only one. I think I’ll just drink these as I feel like it, I’m not going to post them because the time for Advent Calendars is over really!

I was walking around the mall looking at things when I thought I saw F leaving the mall. That was surprising. I followed him and discovered that he had just gone to his car. I knocked on the window and dumped off my stuff. His phone battery had run down and he had gone to the coffee shop to see if I had made it there yet. I hadn’t!

We went back and had a cup of cafe mocha each. I liked it, F thought it was too sweet. 

After our drink, we went to have lunch to Misono. It’s a small family-run cafe. We went and I had chicken cutlet without rice and miso soup, and F had ramen. He didn’t like his, but mine was fine.

Then, we went grocery shopping. Sigh. I did get F to come in the shop with me to cash in my points for some of our Christmas meals, and to pick a couple of vegetables, but then he went back to the car. I did a shop for things that I needed for tomorrow, and my own breakfast and lunch, so that was good. When I had everything in my basket, I went to check out and…the lines were huge. There were probably 20 people in line before me. I should have realized because when we arrived, there were no buggies available in the entrance. Sigh. I waited in line for probably 30 minutes. People were patient and the clerk that served me was efficient, so it wasn’t too bad. 

F and I came back to the house. I put the groceries away and then came upstairs. I grabbed the kerosene tank and went downstairs and filled it up. Back upstairs again, I heated up the room, watched some YouTube and waited for F to come upstairs and chat with me. He didn’t. 

I decided to try my Advent Calendar tea. Today was a Holiday Tea. I’d never heard of it before. It was a decent tea, but honestly, I didn’t know why it was a holiday tea! I expected it would be a bit spicy or have some kind of Christmas flavour, but nothing. It was a standard-tasting tea. Nice, but wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again. Strange that it was the final one!

Very different from what I expected!

He came upstairs somewhere around 8 pm and wanted to know where I wanted to have dinner. He wanted ramen…again. I told him to leave me off someplace and he could have it. 

Then I suggested going to Kappa Sushi which was acceptable to him. We went and had an okay meal. F does this thing at the beginning where he grabs the menu or tablet and orders a bunch of stuff, sometimes he wants things that I don’t. I turned him down for most of it. I grabbed the tablet and ordered a few things for myself and him too if he wanted it. We had an okay meal. It wasn’t fabulous, but it did the job. We even shared a dessert which was quite nice. 

We drove back to the house but on the way, I started to complain to F that he and his mother never help me with the meals. I’m serious. F is always hiding in the bedroom upstairs and never thinks of bringing things to the table for me. His mother just sits there and looks at me. She doesn’t even get her false teeth until F is downstairs. Our dinners are never hot and I hate it. Then, afterwards, F doesn’t even blooming hand me his plate when I’m stacking dishes, I have to ask him every time. I get no help with dishes either. He got mad at me and said that he didn’t want me to cook for him anymore. That’s fine with me, but I’m not cooking for his mother in that case either. He usually has a second meal later on these days, it is very annoying. I was upset with him but realized getting on his case the night before Christmas wasn’t the smartest idea. He told me that he couldn’t help because his knees hurt. I told him that mine do too, but that isn’t important to him. Sigh.

I remembered that we hadn’t picked up kerosene before we got to the house, so we turned around and went to the gas station. F filled our tanks and then filled the car. 

We came back to the house and I came upstairs. F came up a bit later.  I watched an episode of The Closer. I really like how the show is going. I know it is older, but I enjoy it a lot. 

After midnight F wished me a Merry Christmas and a few minutes later I asked if he wanted his presents now. He said yes, so we did our exchange. He liked the things I got him yesterday, he is wearing the pyjamas in bed now, and the belt should be fine too. He liked most of the extra stuff I got him, but he didn’t like one of the snacks. He did try it though.

I got my stuff again and at the bottom of the bag was a nice envelope with “Love” written on it and a ten thousand yen bill. That was really sweet. 

So, that’s about it for my day. Tomorrow I have my “Nibbles Buffet” planned and I have to cook a chicken in my air fryer. I also have to prepare many of the foods for Christmas dinner. I hope it’ll be fun. 

Come back later if you like and hear about my day. Until tomorrow….Merry Christmas!!

December 23, 2023

Saturday - Cold and snowy, then clearing

I woke up fairly early this morning, then went back to sleep for a while. I woke up again around 8:30 and F got up then basically. He went downstairs and checked the snow situation. The snowplough had gone down the road, so our entrance was blocked and there was a lot of snow out there. 

He went outside to shovel snow, I got up and started to get dressed to go out and help him. However, he came back into our room and was already finished. Oh dear. Yay for me, too bad for him. He went downstairs after a minute or two to make breakfast for his mother, I went downstairs a little later to grab my yogurt and cereal. After I ate, I started to get dressed as we were losing time.

F, K and I drove out to his uncle’s house and attended the funeral. It took place in his house. There were three priests and quite a lot of family. Fumihiko’s aunt (wife of the deceased man) seemed to be happy to see me and I was glad to see that she was holding up. His other aunt came over to me and said she was glad to meet me, but we met quite a few years ago! 

There was a lot of praying and chanting by the priests and a bit of confusion for me! Fumihiko and I sat on a bench at the back of the room, and K and F’s sister and her husband sat on chairs at the back too. F couldn’t sit on tatami and I can’t sit seiza so that was a good solution for us. 

After the funeral was over, we gave a ride to one of F’s distant relatives, sort of a cousin once removed or something. He lived out in Kamo, on a very narrow, snowy street! 

We drove back to Tsuruoka and I’m afraid I napped rather a lot on the way back! When we arrived, the snowplough had been through AGAIN and had blocked the entrance to the parking space. F tried to drive over it, but it had hardened so I told him not to. He got out and grabbed a shovel, and the new neighbour came over with a snow dump and helped clear a path for K and I. I got her in the house and then came back a bit to try to help, but they had already finished. 

We brought in the “goodies” we were given at the end of the funeral. We got some cakes, some common kitchen things like soy sauce, mayonnaise, and consommé and two huge bentos. 

I went upstairs to change and then came down to the kitchen with some tea. We decided to have one of the bentos right away. To be honest, there was enough food in one of those containers for the three of us! I served some of my favourite Decaf Carol tea with our meal. 

After we finished, I did the dishes which took a surprising length of time, and then I went upstairs. F came up just after me and we decided that we’d go out. I wanted the chance to get F some kind of Christmas present. He hadn’t got me anything either, so we went over to Mikawa.

We drove to Mikawa and did some shopping. I bought F some clothes and a belt, with him okaying what I bought. Then, we went over to the ladies department and he pulled a few things for me to try on. He picked things that I wouldn’t normally pick for myself but he did rather well. He ended up getting me a couple of shirts and a long open cardigan that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself. Yay F!

We took the clothes out to the car and then came back into the mall and went to Mr Donut. We had some of the cafe au lait and a doughnut each. It was nice, and we needed the break! 

When we finished we tried to get into the drugstore area, but it was already blocked off. I asked F if we could look at the grocery store, so we did. I looked at their cheese section and I ended up buying a few cheeses. Some of them were on sale, so that was very nice! We picked up a few other things and then left the mall. 

We talked about dinner and I suggested a few places that F might like. However, we drove by a yakiniku place, and F decided that we should go there!  We did and we had a very nice meal. It wasn’t too expensive either. 

After that, we came back to the house and relaxed. K had already gone to bed so F and I came upstairs after putting away the food. 

I had my tea from my Advent Calendar. Today it was Earl Grey, the regular one. It was very nice but as I’d already had a lot of caffeine tonight, I could only have one cup. I also watched an episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution. It was quite a good one. 

Anyway, that’s about it for the evening. Tomorrow F has a massage and I’m hoping to go and get a few things at S-Mall and maybe get some good food for our Christmas Dinner. I got some today, and hope to get the rest tomorrow!

Come back later if you like and hear what I get up to on Christmas Eve! Until tomorrow….

December 22, 2023

Friday - Cold and snowy. Really snowy.

I woke up around 8 am this morning. I grabbed the kerosene tank and went downstairs. I filled up the tank and then came back upstairs. I put the tank back in the heater and turned it on. We both were in bed for a bit longer, but around 9 F got up and went downstairs to make breakfast for K and himself. On the other hand, I got dressed and went outside to start shovelling snow. 

There was so much snow. It was rather insane. I managed to clear off the steps and then started to clear snow next to the car. Dear F had managed to hide one of the big snow-clearing things. It was “buried” under a bunch of stuff in the garage. I had to dig it out before I could use it. I had cleared one side of the car when F came out to start clearing the snow. He was really surprised that I was outside working. 

Between the two of us we got the area around the car cleared and even out onto the road. F moved the car and I got some of the rest done too. He went inside to change and I went in to take a break. 

F and K left for the farewell ceremony and I went back upstairs. I thought about going back to bed, but never actually did. A bit after noon I heard the dreaded sound that I was waiting for. The snow plough went down the road. I waited until it was done and then went outside again.

The snowplough had cleared the road but had filled up our entrance to the yard. F wouldn’t be able to get his car in. I managed to clear the roadway and I was lucky enough that it had stopped snowing for a bit. 

I finished, came back into the house and made my lunch. It wasn’t very big and now I was hungry! I took it upstairs and ate.

A bit later, F and K came back. F offered to take me out for lunch as he was hungry. I was too, so it was fine by me. We went to Gusto, the far-away one. The roads were so slow, happily, people were driving carefully for the most part. We had a decent meal, we both had stuff from the lunch menu. Hurray.

Those lumps on the left are cars under the snow.

F and K had to go back in the evening for another ceremony thing, so basically, as soon as we got back he had to start getting ready. We had to shift more snow…most of where I’d cleared this morning had been covered over already. Yuck. 

They went off and were away for a couple of hours.  When they came back, F got started on dinner. It was nice that HE did it for a change. We had nabe and they also had some bentos that they were given at the funeral. 

After dinner, F did the dishes too, but I helped him more than he ever helps me! I carried things to the kitchen and helped put things away. I went upstairs afterwards and relaxed.

Later on, I had a shower and then F did too. F didn’t tell me that he had turned off the water afterwards. Why wouldn’t you tell your wife that? Honestly!

I didn’t watch any TV tonight, I just watched some YouTube and tried to relax. Tomorrow, we’re going to the funeral and the memorial service. I’m not exactly sure how this is going to go down. I’ve never been to a Japanese funeral before. Wish me luck!

Oh, and the Tea Advent Calendar…today was Rooibos Rich. I drank it this evening and it was quite nice. It wasn’t my favourite rooibos tea, but I would buy it if I ran out of my favourite kind. 

Nice, but not my favourite rooibos.

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

PS...I'm having trouble uploading photos today. I'm sorry. I have to get some sleep or I'd keep trying. :-(

December 21, 2023

Thursday - Cold and snowy

I woke up around 6 am this morning and did a run downstairs and then I came back upstairs and went back to bed. F woke up around the same time and he went downstairs too. He got to have a long lie in today so that was nice, I did too. He heard the doorbell and went to the door. It was my funeral outfit arriving. He brought it upstairs and tried to give it to me right away. I was still half asleep so I put it aside for later.

I got up and made made my breakfast, then came upstairs with it and ate. F went downstairs and made brunch for himself and his mother. F did offer to take me out for lunch later, but there was no point. I had food to eat so I didn’t need it. 

F got dressed in his suit and then left for the funeral with his mother. I had a quiet time. I went downstairs and grabbed my lunch and came upstairs and ate it. 

F and his mother came back a bit later. Around 5:45 I went downstairs and got started on dinner. Today I did a veggie bake. I peeled some veggies and then roasted them in my air-fryer. They were pretty popular and all of them were eaten! I had some spaghetti salad with it and it was all eaten too. It surprised me a lot. 

I did the dishes and when I was done, I changed my clothes. F and I went off to Mina, the local big grocery store. I suggested that he make nabe for dinner tomorrow night and he agreed! Woot. He picked up his ingredients and I picked up some salad for my lunch. 

Tomorrow F and K have more funeral stuff to do in the morning. I’m not sure what they’ll be doing after that. I’ve asked F if we could go shopping. My funeral outfit fits, but I’d like to see if I could get a matching purse. I don’t have a black purse that would do. 

We have had a ton of snow today, so I don’t know if we’ll be able to go out and about tomorrow or not. It depends how long it stays. 

In the evening, I watched The Great British Sewing Bee and then The Rookie. It was rather interesting. The show seems to be stepping up a little. 

So…my Tea Advent Calendar. Today it was a Fruit tea again, it’s Mixed Berries…a mix of blueberries and blackcurrants. It was okay. I thought I’d like it more than I did, but it was much better than yesterday’s horrible ginger tea. 

This was fine, but I probably wouldn't buy it again. I'm not a fruit person. 

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

December 20, 2023

Wednesday - Clear, cold and sunny.

I woke up early this morning, but not that early! I looked at the clock and F was still in bed asleep. I told him it was after 7 am. For a minute he said he’d take today off, but then he changed his mind and got up and got ready for work. I had to make a trip downstairs and then I went back to bed. 

I slept for a couple more hours and then I got up. I got dressed and then I did a couple of loads of laundry and hung them up in my room. I didn’t get sleepy today so that was good. 

I had a quiet day if I’m honest. I went down a bit after 2 to grab my lunch. I’m probably going a bit later than I should. I preset the heater in the kitchen to warm it up for me for later. 

I had a quiet afternoon, I watched the news and not much else. When F called, I headed downstairs to get started on dinner. Unfortunately, K had been in the kitchen and had left the door slightly ajar. However, it was still much warmer in there, so no harm done really. 

Tonight I made a pork stir-fry and we had that with salad and rice. It turned out rather well, but there is a little bit leftover. 

After dinner, I did the dishes and then I did up the garbage. It took a while, but I got it done. I told F that I was going upstairs and then I did. Later on, I took a shower and then came back upstairs.

I watched an episode of Still Up and liked that a lot. After that, I turned off the TV. 

It’s been a quiet evening here really. F is getting ready for some of the funeral events. I think him and his mother are going out tomorrow. I’m staying in. 

And tonight I tried my Tea of the Day from the Advent Calendar. I didn’t like it. In fact, I thought it was terrible and I only had one cup. It was Lemon & Ginger, but the ginger was really strong, it was horrible. To be honest, I don’t like ginger, but the tea was not for me!

The first one of the bunch that I really didn't like. Too much ginger.

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

December 19, 2023

Tuesday - Cold but cloudy

Well, today was not the day that I expected to have! I woke up early (but around F’s getting up time) and went downstairs. I came back and went back to bed…and then F’s phone rang. 

It turns out that F’s uncle died last night. I didn’t know him well, he’d had Alzheimer’s for the last few years and before that, he and I didn’t really meet that much. I do like his wife, she is always very nice and kind to me. F took his mother and his sister over to his aunt & uncle’s house and I slept on for a while. 

I got up eventually of course and got dressed. F and his mother came back and F made her some food. I grabbed my breakfast a bit later and came back upstairs to eat it. 

After a bit, F came upstairs and offered to take me out for lunch, but I didn’t really need any as I had stuff for lunch already. I made my lunch and came upstairs again to eat it. I watched some of the news as well. 

Then…we went out. F and I had a doctor’s appointment on Saturday, but his uncle’s funeral will be on Saturday so we can’t really go. We had to go and see if we could get squeezed in today at the doctor’s office. We were squeezed in, but we had to wait for hours. Most of the time, we waited in the car. I think I took a nap as I was a bit tired. 

After we were done seeing the doctor, paying and getting our medicine, we went back to the car. I asked F if he wanted me to cook. I had planned to, but it was already 6:30. By the time we got back to the house and I changed it would be quite late. We decided to get bentos made from the nearby bento making shop. They weren’t very expensive, so it was cheaper for us to grab bentos than go out for a meal. 

We came back to the house and ate our meals. I added on some salad, and F made miso soup for himself and his mother. He asked me, but I turned him down! Dinner was okay. After we finished, I got to do the dishes. I was rather annoyed as when F did cooking earlier, he didn’t clean up the kitchen very well. All the dishes in the drainer were dirty so I had to rewash them all. Grr. He’s not good at washing dishes. 

I went upstairs and F was already in his pyjamas. What the heck? We had to go and get groceries. To do him credit, he did get dressed again and we went out. His mother was rather annoyed with us for going out, but I needed food for tomorrow! When we got back to the house, K was in bed. 

We unpacked the groceries and then came upstairs. F filled up the kerosene tank for our heater and brought it up for us. I’m so glad he did that.

Tomorrow, F is back to work. He’ll have the rest of the week off after that I think. I should really try and do some laundry tomorrow as I’m not sure when I’ll get the chance to do more. 

Oh, and I almost forgot about the Tea Advent Calendar. Today’s tea was Rooibos Honey. I drank it this evening and it was okay, but not one I’d seek out. Not my favourite. 

I don't like honey, so it made sense that this wouldn't rock my boat!

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